Book Clubs Contemporary

THE RICHARD & JUDY NUMBER ONE BESTSELLER‘A suspenseful epic’ Daily Telegraph ‘A triumph’ Financial Times ‘Heartbreaking’ Mail on Sunday ‘Deeply moving’ Sunday Times Mariam is only fifteen when she is sent to Kabul to marry Rasheed. Nearly two decades later, a friendship grows between Mariam and a local teenager, Laila, as strong as the ties between mother and daughter. When the Taliban take over, life becomes a desperate struggle against starvation, brutality and fear. Yet love can move a person to act in unexpected ways, and lead them to overcome the most daunting obstacles with a startling heroism.

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THE HILARIOUS, HEARTWARMING NEW NOVEL FROM INTERNATIONAL NO. 1 BESTSELLER MARIAN KEYES* Anna has just lost her taste for the Big Apple… Anna has a life to envy. An apartment in New York. A well-meaning (too well-meaning?) partner. And a high-flying job in beauty PR. Who wouldn’t want all that? Anna – it turns out. Turning a minor mid-life crisis into a major life event she bins the lot, heads back to Ireland, and gets a PR job for a super-high-end coastal retreat. Tougher than it sounds. Newsflash: the locals hate it. So much so, there have been threats – and violence. Anna, however, worked in the beauty industry. There’s no ugliness she hasn’t seen. No wrinkle she can’t smooth over. Anna’s got this. Until she discovers that leaving New York doesn’t mean escaping her mistakes. Once upon a time she'd had a best friend. Once upon a time she'd loved a man. Now she has neither. And now she has to face them. We all make mistakes. But when do we stop making the same one over and over again? Praise for Marian Keyes 'Sensitive, funny, wonderful, immensely touching' Nigella Lawson 'Delightfully funny' Daily Telegraph 'Funny, tender, completely absorbing!' Graham Norton 'An entertaining, growingly poignant contemporary tale' Sunday Times 'Funny, heartbreaking, achingly real' Jane Fallon 'Beautifully written, funny, heartbreaking and always wise - a proper treat' Daily Mail

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THE SUNDAY TIMES NUMBER ONE BESTSELLING WORLDWIDE PHENOMENON READERS' MOST LOVED BOOK OF 2021WINNER OF THE GOODREADS CHOICE AWARD FOR FICTION'BEAUTIFUL' Jodi Picoult, 'UPLIFTING' i, 'BRILLIANT' Daily Mail, 'AMAZING' Joanna Cannon, 'ABSORBING' New York Times, 'THOUGHT-PROVOKING' IndependentNora's life has been going from bad to worse. Then at the stroke of midnight on her last day on earth she finds herself transported to a library. There she is given the chance to undo her regrets and try out each of the other lives she might have lived. Which raises the ultimate question: with infinite choices, what is the best way to live?

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THE SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER AND TIKTOK SENSATION SOON TO BE A NETFLIX FILM 'Riveting, heart-wrenching and full of Old Hollywood glamour' BuzzFeed'This wildly addictive journey of a reclusive Hollywood starlet and her tumultuous Tinseltown journey comes with unexpected twists and the most satisfying of drama' PopSugarFrom the author of Daisy Jones & The Six in which a legendary film actress reflects on her relentless rise to the top and the risks she took, the loves she lost, and the long-held secrets the public could never imagine. Aging and reclusive Hollywood movie icon Evelyn Hugo is finally ready to tell the truth about her glamorous and scandalous life. But when she chooses unknown magazine reporter Monique Grant for the job, no one is more astounded than Monique herself. Why her? Why now? Monique is not exactly on top of the world. Her husband has left her, and her professional life is going nowhere. Regardless of why Evelyn has selected her to write her biography, Monique is determined to use this opportunity to jumpstart her career. Summoned to Evelyn’s luxurious apartment, Monique listens in fascination as the actress tells her story. From making her way to Los Angeles in the 1950s to her decision to leave show business in the '80s, and, of course, the seven husbands along the way, Evelyn unspools a tale of ruthless ambition, unexpected friendship, and a great forbidden love. Monique begins to feel a very real connection to the legendary star, but as Evelyn’s story near its conclusion, it becomes clear that her life intersects with Monique’s own in tragic and irreversible ways.The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo is a mesmerizing journey through the splendour of old Hollywood into the harsh realities of the present day as two women struggle with what it means and what it costs to face the truth.  

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THE BESTSELLER THAT DEFINED AN AGE' Everything, somehow, fit together; some sly and benevolent Providence was revealing itself by degrees and I felt myself trembling on the brink of a fabulous discovery, as though any morning it was all going to come together---my future, my past, the whole of my life---and I was going to sit up in bed like a thunderbolt and say oh! oh! oh! 'Under the influence of a charismatic classics professor, a group of clever, eccentric misfits at a New England college discover a way of thought and life a world away from their banal contemporaries. But their search for the transcendent leads them down a dangerous path, beyond human constructs of morality.' Haunting, compelling and brilliant' The Times. 'Irresistible and seductive' Guardian. 'Enthralling... Forceful, cerebral and impeccably controlled' New York Times.

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My brother, Shiva, and I came into the world in the late afternoon of the twentieth of September in the year of grace 1954. We took our first breaths in the thick air of Addis Ababa, capital city of Ethiopia. Bound by birth, we were driven apart by bitter betrayal. No surgeon can heal the would that divides two brothers. Where silk and steel fail, story must succeed. To begin at the beginning...

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OVER 5 MILLION COPIES SOLD IN ENGLISH WORLDWIDEOVER 14 MILLION COPIES OF THE NEAPOLITAN QUARTET SOLD WORLDWIDEGUARDIAN 100 BEST BOOKS OF THE 21st CENTURY. From one of Italy’s most acclaimed authors, comes this ravishing and generous-hearted novel about a friendship that lasts a lifetime. The story of Elena and Lila begins in the 1950s in a poor but vibrant neighbourhood on the outskirts of Naples. Growing up on these tough streets the two girls learn to rely on each other ahead of anyone or anything else, as their friendship, beautifully and meticulously rendered, becomes a not always perfect shelter from hardship. Ferrante has created a memorable portrait of two women, but My Brilliant Friend is also the story of a nation. Through the lives of Elena and Lila, Ferrante gives her readers the story of a city and a country undergoing momentous change. “Nothing quite like it has ever been published.”—Guardian “Elena Ferrante has established herself as the foremost writer in Italy—and the world.”—The Sunday Times “This is high stakes, subversive literature.”—The Telegraph

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THE BOOK EVERYONE LOVES:'I loved this book' JOJO MOYES'One of the best books I've ever read' JOHN GREEN'The book that everyone should read' PANDORA SYKES, Stylist Live'One of the few I really like a lot this year' JAMES PATTERSONThis is the story of Sam and Sadie. It's not a romance, but it is about love.When Sam catches sight of Sadie at a crowded train station one winter morning he is catapulted back to the brief time they spent playing together as children. Their unique spark is instantly reignited.What comes next is a story of friendship and rivalry, fame and creativity, betrayal and tragedy, perfect worlds and imperfect ones. And, ultimately, our need to connect: to be loved and to love.* GoodReads Winner for Best Fiction * #1 Amazon.com Book of the Year * #1 TIME magazine Novel of the Year * APPLE Book of the Year * 'A must-read' NEIL DRUCKMANN, creator of The Last of Us *

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SHORTLISTED FOR THE WOMEN'S PRIZE 2022A REESE WITHERSPOON BOOK CLUB PICKSHORTLISTED FOR THE COSTA NOVEL AWARD 2021A rich, magical novel from the Booker-shortlisted author of 10 Minutes 38 Seconds in this Strange World - now a top ten Sunday Times bestsellerIt is 1974 on the island of Cyprus. Two teenagers, from opposite sides of a divided land, meet at a tavern in the city they both call home. The tavern is the only place that Kostas, who is Greek and Christian, and Defne, who is Turkish and Muslim, can meet, in secret, hidden beneath the blackened beams from which hang garlands of garlic, chilli peppers and wild herbs. This is where one can find the best food in town, the best music, the best wine. But there is something else to the place: it makes one forget, even if for just a few hours, the world outside and its immoderate sorrows.In the centre of the tavern, growing through a cavity in the roof, is a fig tree. This tree will witness their hushed, happy meetings, their silent, surreptitious departures; and the tree will be there when the war breaks out, when the capital is reduced to rubble, when the teenagers vanish and break apart.Decades later in north London, sixteen-year-old Ada Kazantzakis has never visited the island where her parents were born. Desperate for answers, she seeks to untangle years of secrets, separation and silence. The only connection she has to the land of her ancestors is a Ficus Carica growing in the back garden of their home.The Island of Missing Trees is a rich, magical tale of belonging and identity, love and trauma, nature, and, finally, renewal.'This book moved me to tears . . . in the best way. Powerful and poignant' Reese Witherspoon'A brilliant novel -- one that rings with Shafak's characteristic compassion' Robert Macfarlane'This is an enchanting, compassionate and wise novel and storytelling at its most sublime' Polly Samson

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THE #1 SUNDAY TIMES and #1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLERThe multi-million copy bestseller As read on BBC Radio 4 Book at Bedtime Winner of the Goodreads Choice Best Debut Novel Award 'Sparky, rip-roaring, funny, with big-hearted fully formed, loveable characters' SUNDAY TIMES'The most charming, life-enhancing novel I've read in ages. Strongly recommend' INDIA KNIGHT. Your ability to change everything - including yourself - starts here. Chemist Elizabeth Zott is not your average woman. In fact, Elizabeth Zott would be the first to point out that there is no such thing. But it's the early 1960s and her all-male team at Hastings Research Institute take a very unscientific view of equality. Forced to resign, she reluctantly signs on as the host of a cooking show, Supper at Six. But her revolutionary approach to cooking, fuelled by scientific and rational commentary, grabs the attention of a nation. Soon, a legion of overlooked housewives find themselves daring to change the status quo. One molecule at a time. A Book of the Year for: Guardian, Times, Sunday Times, Good Housekeeping, Woman & Home, Stylist, TLS, Oprah Daily, Newsweek, Mail on Sunday, New York Times, India Knight, Hay Festival, Amazon and many others NOW A MAJOR APPLE TV SERIES STARRING BRIE LARSON 'Biting and cheering in exactly the right measure' JOJO MOYES'I loved Lessons in Chemistry and am devastated to have finished it!' NIGELLA LAWSON 'Laugh-out-loud funny and brimming with life, generosity and courage' RACHEL JOYCE'A novel that sparks joy with every page' ELIZABETH DAY 'Elizabeth Zott is an iconic heroine' PANDORA SYKES'A page-turning and highly satisfying tale' MAGGIE SHIPSTEAD, author of GREAT CIRCLE

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** THE SUNDAY TIMES NO. 1 BESTSELLER ** **A BBC BETWEEN THE COVERS BIG JUBILEE READ** Discover the cultural phenomenon behind the award-winning TV series that feels all the more powerful and prescient in a post-Roe vs. Wade world. 'As relevant today as it was when Atwood wrote it' Guardian I believe in the resistance as I believe there can be no light without shadow; or rather, no shadow unless there is also light. Offred is a Handmaid in The Republic of Gilead, a religious totalitarian state in what was formerly known as the United States. She is placed in the household of The Commander, Fred Waterford - her assigned name, Offred, means 'of Fred'. She has only one function: to breed. If Offred refuses to enter into sexual servitude to repopulate a devastated world, she will be hanged. Yet even a repressive state cannot eradicate hope and desire. As she recalls her pre-revolution life in flashbacks, Offred must navigate through the terrifying landscape of torture and persecution in the present day, and between two men upon which her future hangs. Masterfully conceived and executed, this haunting vision of the future places Margaret Atwood at the forefront of dystopian fiction. 'A fantastic, chilling story. And so powerfully feminist', Bernardine Evaristo, author of Girl, Woman, Other.

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#1 New York Times BestsellerA Reese Witherspoon x Hello Sunshine Book Club Pick"I can't even express how much I love this book! I didn't want this story to end!" Reese Witherspoon"Painfully beautiful." The New York Times Book ReviewFor years, rumors of the "Marsh Girl" have haunted Barkley Cove, a quiet town on the North Carolina coast. So in late 1969, when handsome Chase Andrews is found dead, the locals immediately suspect Kya Clark, the so-called Marsh Girl. But Kya is not what they say. Sensitive and intelligent, she has survived for years alone in the marsh that she calls home, finding friends in the gulls and lessons in the sand. Then the time comes when she yearns to be touched and loved. When two young men from town become intrigued by her wild beauty, Kya opens herself to a new life - until the unthinkable happens.Perfect for fans of Barbara Kingsolver and Celeste Ng, WHERE THE CRAWDADS SING is at once an exquisite ode to the natural world, a heartbreaking coming-of-age story, and a surprising tale of possible murder. Owens reminds us that we are forever shaped by the children we once were, and that we are all subject to the beautiful and violent secrets that nature keeps.

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'Beautiful World, Where Are You is Rooney's best novel.' THE TIMES *The Sunday Times and Global number one bestseller**Winner of Novel of the Year at the An Post Irish Book Awards**A Book of the Year in The Times, the Guardian, the Irish Times and the Financial Times*'A tour de force.' Anne Enright, Guardian 'Rooney's best novel yet.' Brandon Taylor, New York Times 'Get ready to have your heart broken all over again.' Red 'The book moved me to tears more than once.' The Times. Alice, a novelist, meets Felix, who works in a warehouse, and asks him if he'd like to travel to Rome with her. In Dublin, her best friend Eileen is getting over a break-up and slips back into flirting with Simon, a man she has known since childhood. Alice, Felix, Eileen and Simon are still young - but life is catching up with them. They desire each other, they delude each other, they worry about sex and friendship and the times they live in. Will they find a way to believe in a beautiful world?

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***NOW ON BBC THREE AND iPLAYER***'This book. This book. I read it in one day. I hear I'm not alone.' Sarah Jessica Parker (Instagram)'Brilliant, funny and startling.' Guardian'I really like Conversations with Friends. I like the tone [Rooney] takes when she's writing. I think it's like being inside someone's mind.' Taylor Swift'A sharp, darkly funny comment on modern relationships.' Sunday TelegraphFrances is twenty-one years old, cool-headed and observant. A student in Dublin and an aspiring writer, at night she performs spoken word with her best friend Bobbi, who used to be her girlfriend. When they are interviewed and then befriended by Melissa, a well-known journalist who is married to Nick, an actor, they enter a world of beautiful houses, raucous dinner parties and holidays in Provence, beginning a complex ménage-à-quatre. But when Frances and Nick get unexpectedly closer, the sharply witty and emotion-averse Frances is forced to honestly confront her own vulnerabilities for the first time.

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Nisha Cantor and Sam Kemp are two very different women. Nisha, lives the globetrotting life of the seriously wealthy, until her husbandinexplicably cuts her off entirely. She doesn't even have the shoes she was, untila moment ago, standing in. That's because Sam, struggling to keep herself andher family afloat, has accidentally taken Nisha's gym bag. Now Nisha's got nothing. And Sam's walking tall with shoes that catch eyes -and give her career an unexpected boost. Except Nisha wants her life back -and she'll start with her shoes . . .

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*THE SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER*'Emotional and enlightening' WOMAN & HOME'The twist halfway through is a jaw-to-the-floor moment' GOOD HOUSEKEEPING'A perfect choice for your book clubs' PRIMAOlivia fled her abusive marriage to return to her hometown and take over the family beekeeping business when her son Asher was six. Now, impossibly, her baby is six feet tall and in his last year of high school, a kind, good-looking, popular ice hockey star with a tiny sprite of a new girlfriend.Lily also knows what it feels like to start over - when she and her mother relocated to New Hampshire it was all about a fresh start. She and Asher couldn't help falling for each other, and Lily feels happy for the first time. But can she trust him completely?Then Olivia gets a phone call - Lily is dead, and Asher is arrested on a charge of murder. As the case against him unfolds, she realises he has hidden more than he's shared with her. And Olivia knows firsthand that the secrets we keep reflect the past we want to leave behind ­­- and that we rarely know the people we love well as we think we do.

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