'A thought-provoking, discursive survey by Mona Chollet, a bright light of Francophone feminism' – The New York Times 'Rousing . . . a very interesting take on contemporary feminist politics' – Irish Times A source of terror, a misogynistic image of woman inherited from the trials and the pyres of the great early modern witch hunts – in In Defence of Witches the witch is recast as a powerful role model to women today: an emblem of power, free to exist beyond the narrow limits society imposes on women. Whether selling grimoires on Etsy, posting photos of their crystal-adorned altar on Instagram, or gathering to cast spells on Donald Trump, witches are everywhere. But who exactly were the forebears of these modern witches? Who was historically accused of witchcraft, often meeting violent ends? What types of women have been censored, eliminated, repressed, over the centuries? Mona Chollet takes three archetypes from historic witch hunts, and examines how far women today have the same charges levelled against them: independent women; women who choose not to have children; and women who reject the idea that to age is a terrible thing. Finally, Chollet argues that by considering the lives of those who dared to live differently, we can learn more about the richness of roles available, just how many different things a woman can choose to be. Translated from the French by Sophie R Lewis.

In Defence of Witches

A SEARING HOT SUMMER READ FOR FANS OF SALTBURN AND THE TALENTED MR RIPLEY. 'Addictive, evocative and effortlessly stylish' Culturefly | 'Very much for fans of The Secret History . . . glamorous' Pandora Sykes | 'A cool smart choice for the beach this summer' Daily Mail When Hanna moves to Spain for an internship at the prestigious Prado gallery, she finds herself spending her days buried in the museum's stifling archives, and her nights alone in a tiny rented flat. Then one day she sees them; Tom, Samuel, and Leah. Glamorous and elegant, they are also foreigners in the city. But unlike her they are fabulously wealthy, their lives an endless whirl of creativity and hedonism. And when Hanna discovers an uncatalogued 17th century etching in the archive, she makes a decision which changes everything . . . Taking us from the sultry streets of Madrid to the gleaming world of Mediterranean luxury villas and exclusive art world parties, The Group is a timeless story of hidden identity and obsession. (Translated by Rachel Willson-Broyles).

The Group

‘What can I say, I loved this book. It has all my favorite tropes. Fake dating – check! Grumpy/ sunshine (reversed) check! One bed – check!’ Reader reviewWhen you can’t find the perfect date for the holidays you hire him! Hotshot lawyer Rebecca Madison is dreading the annual family Thanksgiving break where the question on everyone’s lips will be ‘why are you still single?’. When it comes to her career, she’s the best of the best, hired for her take-no-prisoners approach and sharp instincts. But when it comes to her love life…well, she hasn’t found the loophole for happy ever after yet. So when she has a one night stand with a gorgeous stranger she meets in a bar, Becca decides to do what she does best: make a deal with Mr One Night to be her Mr Right (just for the holidays). With an iron-clad contract setting out the terms for their fake relationship, Becca has one important point. Clause 1.a. No kissing, no sex (as mind-blowing as it was), and absolutely no emotional attachment! But five thousand miles from home and spending every waking moment in the company of a man who makes her feel things she’s never felt before, just how easy will it be for Becca to stick to her own rules… Readers are LOVING Cassie Connor:‘Fake dating is one of my absolute favorite tropes but then ya throw in holiday romance and I'm completely sold…Freaking loved it and I look forward to reading many more books like it from this phenomenal, talented author!’ ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ ‘The perfect rom com with some funny moments and some amazing banter…Read if you like: The Wedding Crasher by Mia Sosa and The Spanish Love Deception by Elena Armas’ ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ ‘Completely exceeded my expectations…loved the grumpy/sunshine aspect of it. I couldn't put it down!’ ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ ‘Absolutely adored this fake dating holiday romance…Definitely a new holiday favorite!’ ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ ‘I absolutely loved this book!…one of my favorite reads of the year’ ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ ‘This book could have been written for me…I can't wait to read more from this author’⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ ‘A great five-star read…warmed my cold heart’ ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Love Under Contract

An enthralling tour around the rarest languages in the world. From the whistling languages of La Gomera in the Canary Islands and the Hmong people in East and Southeast Asia, to the wars and clashes in Sri Lanka and the conservation efforts in Hawaii and New Zealand, Rare Tongues draws attention to how language and culture are becoming increasingly homogenous, and what we risk losing as a result. In Rare Tongues, linguist and writer Lorna Gibb explores the history of these languages, the cultures they belong to and the tales they tell. The languages, and the efforts being made to preserve them, offer us a glimpse into what we can learn from each of them, and what they teach us about our planet, about medicine, about indigenous culture and tradition, even the history of all mankind. At once entertaining and informative, Lorna Gibb makes a compelling case for the preservation of the rich linguistic diversity of our world, and expertly shows why it matters for us all.

Rare Tongues

"An epically exciting, utterly unique debut. Not to be missed." - William Hussey, author of Broken Hearts & Zombie Parts "The fantasy drama of dreams. " - Lauren James, author of The Quiet at the End of the World A Sunday Times Children's Book of the Week. Sometimes, emotions can be a little too powerful... Seventeen-year-old Steven has a big problem... Whenever he feels intense emotions, weird things happen. Like when he kissed a boy for the first time, and the boy's head literally exploded. Fleeing to the miserable town of Grunsby-on-Sea, Steven is determined to not hurt anyone else - but he doesn't count on his best friend Freya, her boyfriend Marcus and American friend Troy following him. And when agents from the mysterious DEMA organisation show up talking about "neutralisation", Steven realises that Grunsby-on-Sea might not be the safe haven he'd hoped for... The first in a queer YA fantasy trilogy packed with magic, loveable characters and big plot twists from debut author DAVID FENNE. Perfect for fans of TJ Klune, Rainbow Rowell and Adam Silvera. "A refreshing debut by an exciting new voice - David Fenne is a YA talent to look out for." - Benjamin Dean, The King Is Dead "A wonderful queer action novel, with as many unexpected twists and turns as there is laughter and love!" - Alexis Caught, author of Queer Up "Tender-hearted, witty and exciting . . . a twisty thrill-ride that had me on the edge of my seat. A race-to-the-end mystery, full of surprises. I simply adored it." Jennifer Bell, author of Wonderscape "Equal parts hilarious and heartfelt. I too was overly emotional by the end." - Ann Sei Lin, author of Rebel Skies (OVEREMOTIONAL by David Fenne was a Sunday Times Children's Book of the Week on 16/07/23)

The Overemotional Series

OVEREMOTIONAL

A mother's secret past collides with her daughter's present in this intoxicating novel from Jane Healey, the author of The Animals at Lockwood Manor. In the summer of 1973, teenage Ruth and her four friends are obsessed with pre-Raphaelite paintings, and a little bit obsessed with each other. They spend the scorching summer days in the river by Ruth's grand family home, pretending to be the drowning Ophelia and recreating tableaus of other tragic mythical heroines. But by the end of the summer, real tragedy has found them. Twenty-four years later, Ruth is a wife and mother of three children, and moves her family into her still-grand, but now somewhat dilapidated, childhood home following the death of her father. Her seventeen-year-old daughter, Maeve, is officially in remission and having been discharged from hospital can finally start acting like a 'normal' teenager with the whole summer ahead of her. It's just the five of them until Stuart, a handsome photographer and old friend of her parents, comes to stay. And there’s something about Stuart that makes Maeve feel more alive than all of her life-saving treatments put together . . . As the heat of the summer burns, how long can the family go before long-held secrets threaten to burst their banks and drown them all? Set between two fateful summers, The Ophelia Girls is a visceral, heady exploration of illicit desire, infatuation and the perils and power of being a young woman.

The Ophelia Girls

Penguin presents the audiobook edition of The Bastard of Istanbul written by Elif Shafak, read by Alix Dunmore. One rainy afternoon in Istanbul, a woman walks into a doctor's surgery. 'I need to have an abortion', she announces. She is nineteen years old and unmarried. What happens that afternoon will change her life. Twenty years later, Asya Kazanci lives with her extended family in Istanbul. Due to a mysterious family curse, all the Kaznci men die in their early forties, so it is a house of women, among them Asya's beautiful, rebellious mother Zeliha, who runs a tattoo parlour; Banu, who has newly discovered herself as clairvoyant; and Feride, a hypochondriac obsessed with impending disaster. And when Asya's Armenian-American cousin Armanoush comes to stay, long hidden family secrets connected with Turkey's turbulent past begin to emerge. 'Wonderfully magical, incredible, breathtaking...will have you gasping with disbelief in the last few pages' Sunday Express 'A beautiful book, the finest I have read about Turkey' Irish Times 'Heartbreaking...the beauty of Islam pervades Shafak's book' Vogue

The Bastard of Istanbul

'Stunning... will long remain in the reader's mind' - Kristin Hannah This morning, I met the man who started the fire. He did something terrible, but then, so have I. I left him. I left him and now he may be dead. Once upon a time there was a beautiful village that held a million stories of love and loss and peace and war, and it was swallowed up by a fire that blazed up to the sky. The fire ran all the way down to the sea where it met with its reflection. A family from two nations, England and Greece, live a simple life in a tiny Greek village: Irini, Tasso and their daughter, lovely, sweet Chara, whose name means joy. Their life goes up in flames in a single day when one man starts a fire out of greed and indifference. Many are killed, homes are destroyed, and the region's natural beauty wiped out. In the wake of the fire, Chara bears deep scars across her back and arms. Tasso is frozen in trauma, devastated that he wasn't there when his family most needed him. And Irini is crippled by guilt at her part in the fate of the man who started the fire. But this family has survived, and slowly green shoots of hope and renewal will grow from the smouldering ruins of devastation. Once again, Christy Lefteri has crafted a novel which is intimate and epic, sweeping and delicate. The Book of Fire explores not only the damage wrought by human folly, and the costs of survival in our changing world, but also - and ultimately - our powers of redemption and renewal.

The Book of Fire

The water's rising, the temperature's dropping. Time is running out... I wake up to darkness, my head pounding. As I reach out, my hands meet cold hard stone, and I realise in one single terrifying moment that I'm back where it all started - trapped at the bottom of the well where my best friend Amy's body was found fifteen years ago. My husband Martin warned me not to come back here. Westhaven turned its back on me a long time ago, after my hit true crime documentary freed Amy's murderer and made our small town infamous. But when another teenager turned up dead, I knew I couldn't stay away... Did I get too close to the truth? Is that why my captor put me down here? But the way they're taunting me from the top of the well feels too personal. They say if I want to live, I have to tell the truth. If I want to hold my little girl again, I have to figure out who put me down here and what secret they claim I'm keeping. But how long until I have only one last breath? A totally gripping, dark and twisty psychological thriller that will leave you breathless. Perfect for fans of Lisa Jewell, Mark Edwards and Freida McFadden.

One Last Breath

'A Spellbinding, edge-of-your-seat sequal, not to be missed.' - William Hussey, author of Broken Hearts and Zombie Parts 'A smart, witty and utterly compelling read.' - SIMON JAMES GREEN, author of Boy Like Me Emotions are hard . . . but mind games are the worst. Steven Percival has been thriving. After an idyllic summer with his boyfriend Troy, his emomancy powers are under control and he can't wait to start uni life in London. But things don't exactly go to plan . . . Alongside terrible housemates and frazzled friendships, Steven and Troy are recruited by DEMA for a mission which will bring the buried past crashing to the present and make Steven question his own reality. And who can Steven trust when life turns upside down? The second instalment in this queer YA fantasy trilogy includes plenty of new drama, intrigue and jaw-dropping surprises. It's bound to enchant fans of Alice Oseman, F.T. Lukens and Erik J. Brown. PRAISE FOR OVERTHINKING 'OVERTHINKING is the perfect sequel for fans of OVEREMOTIONAL, a celebration of big feelings and teenage friendship. I loved every page.' - MELISSA WELLIVER, author of My Love Life and the Apocalypse "I loved OVERTHINKING just as much as OVEREMOTIONAL! It's twisty, fun and heartwarming, with the most gorgeously written relationships." - AMY MCCAW, the MINA AND THE UNDEAD series "A fast-paced action which keeps up the momentum to its twisty climax. It's an incredibly fun ride." - RAVENA GURON, author of This Book Kills

Overthinking

A schoolyard stabbing sends wingbeats echoing from the past. One shocking event. Two teachers risk their careers to help a boy who has nothing. Three worlds intersect and collide. The best way to avoid trouble, thinks Ayisha Emmanuelle, is to avoid confrontation. As an inner-city schoolteacher, she does a whole lot of avoidance. 14-year-old Shamayal Thomas trusts no one. Not the family, not the gang. And at school, trusting people is forbidden. Jim Stevens teaches history. Haunted by his own, he still believes everyone can learn from the past. History doesn’t always have to repeat itself. A powerful exploration of the ache of loss set in a landscape where broken people can heal each other. Fresh, funny, heartbreaking and real, this original and compassionate study of when to break the rules and why is perfect for fans of Maggie O'Farrell, Rachel Joyce and Ali Smith. ‘If you want to laugh and cry and stamp and cheer – all in the space of a few hours – then this book is the one for you.’ Bookmuse '...a powerful story...the narration was outstanding...it kept me absolutely engrossed.' - Anita Wallas (NetGalley Reviewer) 'a layered literary novel with charm and humor as well as harsh realism. I can heartily recommend this book.' - Helen Aristar-Dry (Educator, NetGalley) 'A beautifully written story that will hold your attention until the very end. A pleasure to read and I would highly recommend this book to fans of literary fiction.' - Kirsty Holt (NetGalley Reviewer) Hailed by The Bookseller as 'One to Watch', Jane Davis writes thought-provoking literary page turners with a strong commercial edge. Her first novel "Half-Truths and White Lies", won a national award established with the aim of finding 'the next Joanne Harris'. Further recognition followed in 2016 with "An Unknown Woman" being named Self-Published Book of the Year by Writing Magazine/the David St John Thomas Charitable Trust, as well as being shortlisted in the IAN Awards, and in 2019 with "Smash all the Windows" winning the inaugural Selfies Book Award. Her latest novel "At the Stroke of Nine O'Clock", July 2020, has been featured in The Lady Magazine as one of their favourite books set in the 1950s, selected as a Historical Novel Society Editor's Choice, and shortlisted for the Selfies Book Awards 2021. Jane Davis lives in Carshalton, Surrey.

A Funeral for an Owl

Don’t miss this gripping historical novel from the USA Today bestselling author of The Girl From Bletchley Park. A country rebelling It’s 1916 and, as war rages in Europe, Gráinne leaves her job in a department store to join Countess Markiewicz’s revolutionary efforts. It is a decision which will change her life forever. A rebellion is brewing, and as Dublin’s streets become a battleground, Gráinne soon discovers the personal cost of fighting for what you believe in… A forgotten sacrifice Decades on, student Nicky is recovering from a break-up when a research project leads her to her great-grandmother’s experiences in revolutionary Ireland. When Nicky finds a long-forgotten handkerchief amongst her great-grandmother’s things, it leads to the revelation of a heartbreaking story of tragedy and courage, and those who sacrificed everything for their country. Inspired by a heartbreaking true story, this emotional historical novel will sweep you away to the Emerald Isle. Perfect for fans of Jean Grainger, Sandy Taylor and Fiona Valpy. Readers LOVE The Girl with the Emerald Flag!‘Kathleen never disappoints’ Amazon reviewer ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ ‘The mark of an excellent book – when you don't want it to be finished and when you want to find out more about the subject…This book was an education as well as entertaining – as always well written and one not to put down until it was finished.’ Amazon reviewer ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ ‘If you like getting your history from fictional stories rather than dry tomes then this is the book for you. I'd highly recommend it!’ Amazon reviewer ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ ‘This is a book that has been researched so well and so accurate, attention to detail is brilliant, I loved this from start to finish and can highly recommend for a very true to life book.’ Amazon reviewer ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ ‘I absolutely loved reading 'The Girl With The Emerald Flag' and I would certainly recommend it to other readers. I will definitely be reading more of Kathleen's work in the future’ Amazon reviewer ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

The Girl with the Emerald Flag

Brought to you by Penguin. SHORTLISTED FOR THE BOOKER PRIZE 2019 'In the first minute following her death, Tequila Leila's consciousness began to ebb, slowly and steadily, like a tide receding from the shore. Her brain cells, having run out of blood, were now completely deprived of oxygen. But they did not shut down. Not right away...' For Leila, each minute after her death brings a sensuous memory: the taste of spiced goat stew, sacrificed by her father to celebrate the long-awaited birth of a son; the sight of bubbling vats of lemon and sugar which the women use to wax their legs while the men attend mosque; the scent of cardamom coffee that Leila shares with a handsome student in the brothel where she works. Each memory, too, recalls the friends she made at each key moment in her life - friends who are now desperately trying to find her. . . 'Expect vibrant, vivid and eye-opening descriptions of Middle Eastern life propelled by a tender storyline, all in Shafak's haunting, beautiful and considered prose' Vanity Fair 'Incredibly sensuous and poetic and evocative' Pandora Sykes *Elif Shafak's latest novel The Island of Missing Trees is available now* © Elif Shafak 2019 (P) Penguin Audio 2019

10 Minutes 38 Seconds in this Strange World

Brought to you by Penguin. FROM THE MULTI-MILLION COPY BESTSELLING AUTHOR OF ELIZABETH IS MISSING All Liam ever wanted was to help Cassie reach her full potential; to push her body to new extremes. Exercise, determination, being the optimum versions of themselves together forever. And Liam always knew what was best. Nothing could break their intense love for one another, not Liam’s obsessive desire for physical perfection or his relentless control of every aspect of Cassie’s life. Until the day he pushes Cassie far beyond her limits, and she walks out of their flat and away from their toxic relationship for good. Two years on and Cassie is stronger, fitter, healthier than ever before. And then she sees him – Liam – those green eyes, those stirring muscles. Something inside her flips. But she holds the power now. It’s Liam’s turn to sweat. PRAISE FOR EMMA HEALEY'S ELIZABETH IS MISSING ‘Every bit as compelling as the frenzied hype suggests. Gripping, haunting’ OBSERVER ‘A riveting psychological thriller’ STYLIST ‘Utterly compelling’ ROSAMUND LUPTON ‘Will stir and shake you: the most likeably unreliable of narrators,real mystery at its compassionate core’ EMMA DONOGHUE ‘A thrillingly assured, haunting and unsettling novel, I read it at a gulp’ DEBORAH MOGGACH © Emma Healey 2025 (P) Penguin Audio 2025

Sweat

‘I couldn’t turn the pages fast enough. I loved it. Utterly heartwarming’ Julie Caplin ‘Adorable and clever, bursting with love and laughter. Climb aboard the Heartwarmer Express, this is THE rom com of the year!’ Jane LinfootTwo people. One journey… Millie loves her city life, her city friends and writing her true(ish) confessions column – but she’s starting to wonder if the grass really is greener on the other side, or if her heart really belongs back in Northumberland, with her mum who is struggling after the death of Millie’s dad. Since leaving home. Joe’s lived believing that looking back means you’ve failed, and life is about taking chances and seeing the world. So when the two meet up surely it can never work, their lives are moving in opposite directions. On different tracks… Readers are LOVING Meet Me on Platform Three:‘A five-star read you would miss a train for…there was just something special about the will-they-won’t-they aspect’ Sara ‘Zara Stoneley is back to her witty best, in this light hearted rom-com that had me giggling and smiling throughout’ Rachel ‘I read this one in the space of two days…was so much fun, I couldn't put it down. Delighted to discover that this author has other books, will be reading them ASAP’ Courtney ‘A fun, smart, and witty ROM-COM that will have you turning the pages to find out what happens next’ Anne ‘From the first page I was hooked…A feel-good rom-com’ Rubie ‘A humorous, light-hearted read, touching on some more serious topics…I loved how easily I settled down into reading it! A wonderful story would recommend!’ Sharon ‘Left me feeling really upbeat at the end of it…it felt genuine and heartfelt with characters that leapt off the page’ Sarah ‘A perfect holiday read! Great storyline and brilliant characters’ Helen ‘Heartwarming and full of love and fun’ Katie ‘Really enjoyable read…totally recommend ’ Julie ‘A very clever story and a good ending…I loved it’ Rosamund

The Zara Stoneley Romantic Comedy Collection

Meet Me on Platform 3

Brought to you by Penguin. The mesmerising new novel from the twice Booker-shortlisted author of Hot Milk and Swimming Home 'If she was my double and I was hers, was it true that she was knowing, I was unknowing, she was sane, I was crazy, she was wise, I was foolish? That summer, the air was electric between us as we transmitted our feelings to each other across three countries.' Elsa M. Anderson is a classical piano virtuoso. In a flea market in Athens, she watches an enigmatic woman buy two mechanical dancing horses. Is it possible that the woman who is so enchanted with the horses is her living double? Is she also looking for reasons to live? Chasing their doubles across Europe, the two women grapple with their preconceived conceptions of the world and each other, culminating in a final encounter in a fateful summer rainstorm. A vivid portrait of a long-held identity coming apart, August Blue expands our understanding of the ways in which we seek to find ourselves in others and create ourselves anew. Praise for Deborah Levy's 'Living Autobiography' 'Her reflections on domesticity, freedom and romance are so beautiful, I found myself underlining multiple sentences a page. Wry, warm and uplifting, it's a book I'll return to again and again' Stylist '[Levy's living autobiography series is] a glittering triple echo of books that are as much philosophical discourse as a manifesto for living and writing' Financial Times ©2023 Deborah Levy (P)2023 Penguin Audio

August Blue

Brought to you by Penguin. In an age of social media and selfies, of pixel-perfect pictures and surgically-enhanced celebrities, the pressure to change our bodies can often seem overwhelming. We are told we should conceal the signs of ageing and get our bodies back after pregnancy. We ought to perfect our complexions, build our biceps, trim our waistlines, cure our disabilities, conceal our quirks. More than ever before, we should contort our physical selves to prejudiced standards of beauty and acceptability. In this thought-provoking work, acclaimed political philosopher Clare Chambers argues that the unmodified body is a key principle of equality. While defending the right of anyone to change their bodies, she argues that the social pressure to modify sends a powerful message: you are not good enough. The body becomes a site of political importance: a place where inequalities of sex, gender, race, disability, age, and class are reinforced. Through a clear-sighted analysis of the power dynamics that structure our society, and with examples ranging widely from body-building to breast implants, makeup to male circumcision, Intact stresses that we must break away from the oppressive forces that demand we alter our bodies. Instead, it offers a vision of the human body that is equal without expectation: an unmodified body that is not an image of perfection or a goal to be attained, but a valued end in itself. © Clare Chambers 2022 (P) Penguin Audio 2022

Intact

Brought to you by Penguin. They knew they were changing history. They didn’t know they would change each other. Oxford, 1920. For the first time in its 1000-year history, the world’s most famous university has admitted female students. Giddy with dreams of equality, education and emancipation, four young women move into neighbouring rooms on Corridor Eight. They have come here from all walks of life, and they are thrown into an unlikely, life-affirming friendship. Dora was never meant to go to university, but, after losing both her brother and her fiancé on the battlefield, has arrived in their place. Beatrice, politically-minded daughter of a famous suffragette, sees Oxford as a chance to make her own way – and her own friends – for the first time. Socialite Otto fills her room with extravagant luxuries but fears they won’t be enough to distract her from her memories of the war years. And quiet, clever, Marianne, the daughter of a village vicar, arrives bearing a secret she must hide from everyone – even The Eights – if she is to succeed. But Oxford’s dreaming spires cast a dark shadow: in 1920, misogyny is still rife, influenza is still a threat, and the ghosts of the Great War are still very real indeed. And as the group navigate this tumultuous moment in time, their friendship will become more important than ever. The Eights is a captivating debut novel about sisterhood, self-determination, courage, and what it means to come of age in a world that is forever changed. ‘Entertaining and moving…I came to love these four women as though they were my sisters’ TRACY CHEVALIER ‘I ADORED it. What a fantastic read. My book of the year’ JILL MANSELL 'Beautifully captures the power of friendship ... A pleasure to read' PIP WILLIAMS, author of A Dictionary of Lost Words 'I so enjoyed The Eights' CLARE CHAMBERS, author of Small Pleasures © Joanna Miller 2025 (P) Penguin Audio 2025

The Eights

Penguin presents the unabridged, downloadable audiobook edition of Three Daughters of Eve by Elif Shafak, read by Alix Dunmore. Peri, a wealthy Turkish housewife, is on her way to a dinner party at a seaside mansion in Istanbul when a beggar snatches her handbag. As she wrestles to get it back, a photograph falls to the ground - an old polaroid of three young women and their university professor. A relic from a past - and a love - Peri had tried desperately to forget. The photograph takes Peri back to Oxford University, as an eighteen year old sent abroad for the first time. To her dazzling, rebellious Professor and his life-changing course on God. To her home with her two best friends, Shirin and Mona, and their arguments about Islam and femininity. And finally, to the scandal that tore them all apart.

Three Daughters of Eve

A gripping, twisty bestseller, longlisted for the 2025 Theakston’s Crime Novel of the Year Award and a Richard & Judy Book Club pickShortlisted for the 2025 New York Festivals Awards – Audiobooks Ensemble 'Riveting' THE TIMES ‘A stylish, sun-soaked thriller… Our Holiday is destined to be THE summer read’ Janice Hallett 'The perfect summer thriller' T.M. Logan ‘Brilliant and current…Louise Candlish at her best, a perfect read for the summer' B A Paris A Richard and Judy Book Club Pick: 'We both loved this sizzling summer scorcher of a book' Charlotte and Perry long for summers at Cliff View, their gorgeous holiday home overlooking the turquoise waters of Pine Ridge. And now that city friends Amy and Linus have bought a property nearby, they plan lazy weeks of sun, sea and sipping rosé on Charlotte’s summerhouse veranda. But there’s trouble in paradise… A rising tide of resentment towards second-home owners is heading their way and small acts of criminal damage are escalating into something more menacing. By the end of the summer, families and friendships will be torn apart and Pine Ridge will be known for more than its sun-drenched beaches. It will be known for murder… Praise for Our Holiday:'A superstar of psychological thrillers' DAILY MAIL ‘Scorching’ THE SUN ‘An unmissable summer read’ HEAT ‘Smart, sharp and suspenseful’ Adele Parks, PLATINUM ‘Tense and gripping’ WOMAN’S OWN ‘This is psychological suspense at its finest’ WOMAN&HOME ‘Stands out for its wit, plotting and consideration of serious social issues… This is a novel that offers all kinds of pleasure – and a warning for anyone who thinks that family holidays will provide rest and relaxation’ LITERARY REVIEW ‘Nobody combines social tensions and murderous thrills quite like Louise Candlish' Abigail Dean ﻿‘A taut, twisting psychological thriller that grabs hold of you and never lets go… Louise Candlish never disappoints’ Tim Weaver ‘Another slice of compelling, gripping escapism from Louise Candlish. Absolutely loved it’ Jane Fallon

Our Holiday

The new sun-drenched summer read from the bestselling author and TV presenter'Soak up the glamour' PRIMA You’re invited to the most glamorous wedding of the year…The guests are gathering under the Mediterranean sun, and as the champagne flows, so do the secrets… The childhood sweethearts Carina is marrying the love of her life. But he isn’t the person she thinks he is. The dazzling bridesmaid Hollywood starlet Edie is hiding a secret that could destroy her best friend. The unexpected guest Mother-of-the-bride Philippa is stunned by the arrival of a lover from her past. Are scandal and betrayal about to destroy their happy ever after? Readers love Secrets of the Villa Amore!'This book was a joy to read' ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Reader review 'Couldn't put it down' ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Reader review 'It had me gripped from start to finish' ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Reader review 'Another wonderful book … very refreshing and engaging' ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Reader review Carol Kirkwood's book 'Secrets of the Villa Amore' was a Sunday Times bestseller w/c 2023-07-24.

Secrets of the Villa Amore

Brought to you by Penguin. Intimate and devastating, a luminous debut novel about untimely grief and the resilience of the human heart, inspired by the author's own experiences 'Three in the bed. One not yet born, another dead, and I'm alive.' Puk is 26 years old, preparing for the birth of her second child, when her husband has a heart attack while out running. She leaves their toddler with a friend and dashes to the hospital, where Lasse lies unresponsive in a coma. He dies a few hours later. Into a Star follows Puk and her young family in the first year after this tragedy, which has shattered the ordinary life she imagined for them. As the days turn to weeks and months, Puk's second son is born, her sister moves in, her relationship with her in-laws fractures and evolves. She reckons daily with her memories of Lasse: how they met and fell in love, their adventures, their dreams for the future. And she navigates the miraculous, brutal, overwhelming days of early parenthood alone. Into a Star is a luminous meditation on loss and renewal. With remarkable dignity, candour and attention to human detail, Puk Qvortrup invites us into the hardest moments of her life. And she reveals, amid the devastation, a powerful, life-affirming thread of hope. ©2024 Puk Qvortrup (P)2024 Penguin Audio

Into a Star

Brought to you by Penguin. THE LONG-AWAITED, MOVING MEMOIR OF HOLOCAUST SURVIVOR HANNAH PICK-GOSLAR, WHO SHARES AN INTIMATE LOOK INTO HER LIFE AND FRIENDSHIP WITH ANNE FRANK. 'As a girl I witnessed the world I loved crumble and vanish, destroyed by senseless hatred, and with it, my best friend Anne' Two best friends' lives were about to change for ever, neither would ever be forgotten... When Hannah's family flee from the Nazis to Amsterdam, she soon strikes up a friendship with a girl just like her freshly arrived from Germany. Precocious and outspoken, the girl's name is Anne Frank and for seven blissful years the inseparable pair navigate school, boys and coming of age. Then one day in 1942, as the Nazi occupation intensifies, they are separated without warning. Hannah calls on Anne and can't find a trace of her, breakfast dishes still in the sink, beds unmade. Anne and her family have seemingly vanished. They are told the Franks have fled to Switzerland. As Hannah is tormented by the fate of her friend, hoping she is alive and well elsewhere, her own family's fate unfolds. After attempts to flee themselves, the SS finally come for them and they are taken to the transit camp Westerbork. Eventually Hannah, her father and younger sister Gabi are transported to Bergen-Belsen. Amid horrific conditions with death all around, it is during Hannah's darkest point at the concentration camp that she hears astonishing of news of Anne. Desperate to save her friend who is weak and struggling to survive, Hannah risks her life to help her. In an incredible memoir of hope, strength and defiance, Hannah shares the intimate, loving portrait of her friendship with the young diarist who would go on to capture the hearts of millions around the world. ©2023 Hannah Pick-Goslar (P)2023 Penguin Audio

My Friend Anne Frank

Brought to you by Penguin. 'In philosophy, one must start from scratch - & it takes a very long time to reach scratch' Iris Murdoch, Mary Midgley, Philippa Foot and Elizabeth Anscombe were philosophy students at Oxford during the Second World War when most male undergraduates (and many tutors) were conscripted. Taught by refugee scholars, women and conscientious objectors, the four friends developed a philosophy that could respond to the war's darkest revelations. When images of the concentration camps emerged, Foot wrote: 'We had thought something like this could not happen.' And when the atom bomb fell on Hiroshima, Anscombe saw a terrifying new possibility: by signing his name at the foot of an order, US President Harry Truman had been able to act on so vast a scale as to end the war by killing hundreds of thousands. How, they asked, do we find our way through the darkness of what we have created? Not even the great thinkers of the past or the logical innovators and Existentialists of the early twentieth century could make sense of this new human reality. So, in search of an answer, the four friends set out to bring philosophy back to life. What is freedom? What is real? What is human goodness? As creatures who use language - as human animals - it is in our nature to ask these questions. We are metaphysical animals. And the answers we give shape what we will become. Written with expertise and flair, Metaphysical Animals is a vivid blend of philosophy and recovered history - bringing back the women who shared ideas, as well as sofas, shoes and even lovers. Clare Mac Cumhaill and Rachael Wiseman show how from the disorder and despair of the war, four brilliant friends brought philosophy back to life and created a way of ethical thinking that is there for us today. © Clare Mac Cumhaill & Rachael Wiseman 2022 (P) Penguin Audio 2022

Metaphysical Animals

Brought to you by Penguin. The definitive selection of short stories from one of our greatest living writers, curated by Penelope Lively herself Wry, compassionate, and glittering with wit, Penelope Lively's stories gets beneath the everyday to the beating heart of human experience. In intimate stories of growing up and growing old, chance encounters and life-long relationships, Lively explores with keen insight the ways that individuals can become tangled in history, and small acts ripple through the generations. From new and never-before-published stories to forgotten treasures, Metamorphosis showcases the very best from a literary master. 'Lively has the gift, rare and wonderful, of being able to peel back the layers one by one and set them before us, translucent and gleaming' Sunday Telegraph 'A sublime storyteller . . . she has us riveted with curiosity as to what will happen next, yet also keeps us consistently aware of the nature of the illusion' Guardian 'You are in the hands of a master' Daily Mail © Penelope Lively 2021 (P) Penguin Audio 2021

Metamorphosis

An inspiring story of star-crossed love and female independence. London, 1936: At twenty-one, Kate Grifferty is a press photographer in a Fleet Street agency, an unusual job for a young woman. But Kate is both talented and daring, recklessly going wherever the story might be—including, one October day, to an anti-fascism protest in East London. There, she meets David Rabatkin, a brilliant Jewish medical student. While his idealistic brother is eager to go to Spain and join the fight for the Republic, David knows where his path lies: at home, fulfilling the expectations of his profession and his family. Kate is exposed for the first time to the dangers and demands of David’s world, where marrying within the Jewish faith is seen as not only preferable, but key to survival. Kate neither expects nor wants to be any man’s wife, hampered by convention. And though she and David are both outsiders, as war looms, other differences between them are thrown into sharp relief. Brighton, 1940: Catastrophe forces Kate to flee London and the onslaught of war finds her working at her sister’s seaside boarding house, while David tends patients at a busy London hospital as the Blitz rages. But Kate’s challenges and disappointments have only deepened her desire to capture images of life unfurling around her, the beauty and violence, struggles and surprising joys. And soon fate and ambition will align, providing her with the chance to make her mark at last . . .

Bonfire Night

Brought to you by Penguin. This is the story of three women - one an orphan and refugee who finds a place in the studio of a famous French artist, the other a wife and mother who has stood by her husband for nearly forty years. The third is his daughter, caught in the crossfire between her mother and a father she adores. Amelie is first drawn to Henri Matisse as a way of escaping the conventional life expected of her. A free spirit, she sees in this budding young artist a glorious future for them both. Ambitious and driven, she gives everything for her husband's art, ploughing her own desires, her time, her money into sustaining them both, even through years of struggle and disappointment. Lydia Delectorskaya is a young Russian emigree, who fled her homeland following the death of her mother. After a fractured childhood, she is trying to make a place for herself on France's golden Riviera, amid the artists, film stars and dazzling elite. Eventually she finds employment with the Matisse family. From this point on, their lives are set on a collision course.... Marguerite is Matisse's eldest daughter. When the life of her family implodes, she must find her own way to make her mark and to navigate divided loyalties. Based on a true story, Madame Matisse is a stunning novel about drama and betrayal; emotion and sex; glamour and tragedy, all set in the hotbed of the 1930s art movement in France. In art, as in life, this a time when the rules were made to be broken... ©2024 Sophie Haydock (P)2024 Penguin Audio

Madame Matisse

Welcome to Elbow Alley, secret home to all things magical, eerie...and deadly. Pip always worries about fitting in - which is tougher than usual when his new neighbours are vampires, banshees and ghosts. Worst of all is the mysterious spirit snatcher, which appears out of nowhere and sucks away people's personalities. When it attacks Pip's parents, the only way to save them is to destroy it. But first Pip has to find it. Along with his new friend Fliss and her dog Splodge, they set out to solve the monstrous mystery, facing murderous ghouls, werewolf attacks and an incredibly mouldy cheese along the way. Because if he and Fliss can't stop the creature by their thirteenth birthdays, they'll be spirit-snatched too...

The Spirit Snatcher

Brought to you by Penguin. Paris, 1940. A woman in a red hat and a black fur coat hurries down a side-street. She is Mathilde Carré, codenamed 'the cat', known as Agent Victoire. She is a charismatic spy; her story is one of resistance and survival. These are the darkest days for France, half occupied by Nazi Germany, half run by the collaborationist Vichy regime; and dark days for Britain - isolated and under threat of invasion. Mathilde and her Polish conspirator, Roman Czerniawski, have risked torture and execution to build the first Allied intelligence network in Occupied France. With no training and little support, they have in a few months developed a huge system of agents. Their coded weekly reports are London's sole lifeline of reliable information. Mathilde is determined to be her nation's saviour, and what the partners build is central to Intelligence and Resistance efforts. It will become the first great spy network of the Second World War. But when the Germans inevitably close in, Mathilde makes a fateful compromise. She enters a hall of mirrors where every allegiance is doubtful, every action liable to be held against her. Nobody is certain who she is or whom she works for - her German handler, MI5, or SOE, who succeed in exfiltrating her on a fast boat to London. Is she a double agent - and, if so, can she be trusted to turn again? Victoire is the story of an inspirational and multi-faceted hero: a passionate, courageous spy but one also fragile and desperate to belong. She embodies the moral complexity of Occupation, and the bargaining between high ideals and dirty reality. Drawing on a wide range of first-hand sources, including recently declassified material, Roland Philipps has written a dazzling tale of audacity, complicity and the choices made in wartime. © Roland Philipps 2021 (P) Penguin Audio 2021

Victoire

Brought to you by Penguin. From twice Booker-shortlisted author Deborah Levy, a moving and revelatory collection exploring the muses that have shaped her life and work as a writer In The Position of Spoons, Deborah Levy invites the reader into the interiors of her world, sharing her most intimate thoughts and experiences, as she traces and measures her life against the backdrop of the literary and artistic muses that have shaped her. From Marguerite Duras to Colette and Ballard, and from Lee Miller to Francesca Woodman and Paula Rego, we can relish here the richness of their work and, in turn the richness of the author’s own. Each page draws upon Levy’s life in exalting ways, encapsulating the wonderful precision and astonishing depth of her writing, as she seamlessly shifts between and meditates on questions of mortality, language, suburbia, gender, consumerism and the poetics of every day living. From the child born in South Africa, to her teenage years in Britain, to her travels across the world as a young woman, each page is a beautiful, tender composition of the questioning self: a portrait of Deborah Levy’s writing life and intellectual vitality in all of its dimensions. © Deborah Levy 2024 (P) Penguin Audio 2024

The Position of Spoons

Will her island escape change everything?The new captivating read from the bestselling author and beloved TV presenter‘Glorious escapism!’ SANTA MONTEFIORE 'Utterly engaging, deliciously escapist' CATHY KELLY 'Wonderfully escapist – marvellous' ANTON DU BEKE ___________________________________ Lies, seduction and secrets await under a Spanish sun…When Camille Fontaine arrives on the sun-drenched island of Majorca, she’s running from a shattered love affair. But even amongst the palm trees and the golden sands, she can’t forget her past. Surrounded by the glamorous and the guilty, Camille isn’t the only one with secrets to hide. Is one sunseeker hiding a dark revelation? Will a Hollywood actress risk her glittering career? Can a broken-hearted lover take a last chance at happiness? As the sun sets on their island paradise, can they escape a lifetime of secrets?

Meet Me at Sunset

Brought to you by Penguin. Jenna is a wife, a mother, a doctor. She’s also the victim of a stalker. Every time she leaves her house, she sees him. Disturbing gifts are left at her door. Cruel emails are sent to her colleagues. She has no idea who this man is but she feels powerless against him. Until the day he is brought into her hospital after a serious accident, and Jenna is given the chance to find out once and for all why this man is tormenting her. Now, the power is all hers. But how many lines is she willing to cross to take back control of her life? 'A really gripping rollercoaster of a read - I absolutely loved it, and read it in one sitting' Lisa Hall, author of Between You and Me 'I absolutely adored this disturbingly twisty tale of stalking, obsession and control' Emma Curtis, author of The Night You Left 'Twisty and addictive - I loved One Step Behind' Louise Beech, author of I Am Dust 'A gripping psychological thriller that pulls the reader through the story at a terrific pace, not giving them a moment to draw breath' Nikki Smith, author of All in Her Head © Lauren North 2020 (P) Penguin Audio 2020

One Step Behind

Brought to you by Penguin. Winner of the Man Booker Prize for Fiction 2011 Staring at the Sun charts the life of Jean Serjeant, from her beginning as a naive, carefree country girl before the war through to her wry and trenchant old age in the year 2020. We follow her bruising experience in marriage, her probing of male truths, her adventures in motherhood and in China and we cannot fail to be moved by the questions she asks of life and the often unsatisfactory answers it provides. © Julian Barnes 1986 (P) Penguin Audio 2020

Staring at the Sun

Penguin presents the unabridged, downloadable audiobook edition of Butterfly on the Storm by Walter Lucius, read by Alix Dunmore. ** The first instalment in the best-selling original Dutch thriller** Haunted by a past you can never escape . . . A young boy is found in woods outside Amsterdam. Broken and bloody, he appears to be the victim of a brutal hit-and-run. When the police at the hospital ask what happened, the one word the boy repeats they don't understand. But journalist Farah Hafez does. She left Afghanistan as a child and she recognizes her native tongue. As the boy is taken into surgery she finds herself visiting the scene of the crime, seeking to discover how a little Afghan boy came to be so far from home. Instead, she comes across a burnt-out car with two bodies inside - a sinister clue to something far darker than a simple road accident. It is just the start of a journey that will lead her from one twisted strand to another in an intricate web of crime and corruption that stretches across Europe and deep into a past that Farah had sought to escape - a past that nearly killed her. Butterfly on the Storm is the first in a tense, atmospheric and gripping new trilogy which has drawn parallels with Stieg Larsson's Millennium series. Praise for Walter Lucius 'Disturbing, apocalyptic, gripping' Dutch Daily De Limburger 'Riveting until the very end' AD Weekend [Dutch Newspaper] 'The Dutch answer to the tsunami of Scandinavian thrillers' BB Boekblad

Heartland Trilogy

Butterfly on the Storm

A young woman tries to figure out if she’s the best (a creative genius) or if she’s maybe just the worst (completely delusional). ‘I’d be in heaven but on the edge of a deeper misery than ever, I’d be on top of the world and then they’d ask me, did you make the right choice Kim? Are you currently, still, making the right choices Kimberley Mueller?’ Over the course of a year in Berlin, an aspiring novelist, Kim, and her historian best friend, Bel, confront their twin acts of creation. Kim is becoming a writer, and is determined to write a bestseller. She's been convinced of this idea by Matthew, an American literary agent who is as emotionally unavailable as he is handsome (very). Kim lives in her own carefully constructed reality, which her imagination is constantly pumping full of hot air. As she attempts to buoy herself using other people for external motivation, they poke holes in her fantasies, leading her to wonder if she’s going to come crashing down or somehow stay afloat. Meanwhile Bel is becoming a mother, and gives birth to a baby, certain it will fulfil her in ways her career does not seem to. Kim and Bel support and deceive each other as only the best of friends can. In the face of probable failure, how do we convince ourselves to try and become something anyway? And how do we live with the choices we make? ‘While Kimberley Mueller spends a lot of time wondering whether she's talented, Finkemeyer need have no such doubts. Finkemeyer's narrator--with her gift for both self-delusion and self-awareness--is a stroke of genius. Sad Girl Novel achieves all we can ask of contemporary fiction: it mocks and sympathises in equal measure. I closed it feeling better able to laugh at myself.’ DIANA REID, author of Love & Virtue and Seeing Other People

Sad Girl Novel

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