In the barrio of Fresno, California, the Molina family is living out the Chicano version of the American Dream. Father William works on an assembly line while his wife, the well-bred beauty Rachel, stays at home to care for their three children--and to keep them off the streets. But when William is offered an opportunity to enter the ranks of the middle class, he quits his job, packs up the Ford Maverick, and transports the Molinas to a brand-new world: the small town of Medford, Oregon. So begins the dramatic transformation of youngest son and aspiring actor Joey, who assumes the role of a vato loco gang member in order to win the respect and fear of his gringo classmates. While Joey tries to make himself popular with tall tales of guns and glory, his father embarks on a bitter struggle to develop his career and combat age-old cultural stereotypes. How William's extraordinary efforts and deepening despair affect the lives of his loved ones is at the heart of this haunting and incandescent novel--one destined to become a classic in Chicano-American literature.

Contribution is the sequel to The Girl from Penthorpe Hill. Poppy Anderson, Jasmine's adopted granddaughter, is a beautiful and compassionate young woman, dedicated to educating the world about our fragile planet. Her energy and passion for living life to the full, protecting the environment, helping others and striving to be the best she can, makes Poppy an international celebrity. Poppy, whose parents are devoted physicians working abroad, was raised by her wise old grandmother, Jasmine, living in the magnificent tropical jungles of Costa Rica before going on to further her education in the United States. After a long life, Jasmine's spiritual legacy lives on in the lives of Poppy and her best friend Sam, who plays a pivotal role in Poppy's journey. Contribution tells of the twists and turns in Poppy's life, learning to grow and confronting heart-breaking challenges. Recovering from a tragedy in India, which changes her world for ever, Poppy discovers there are many kinds of love and joy a person can experience in one lifetime. Poppy ultimately takes a trip back to Penthorpe Hill and begins to understand for herself that true love has no end. As with The Girl from Penthorpe Hill Carol Clayton writes about resilient women with honesty of emotion, be it sorrow or joy, and of meeting life's challenges with the main character emerging the stronger for it. Contribution is an intensely moving story of self-discovery, learning to live with loss and moving forward to experience life in all its fullness! A truly enjoyable read!

It's uncanny! Within six months of breaking up with her, Peg Silver's ex-lovers always meet and marry the women of their dreams. Even worse than being the eternal bridesmaid, she's the last girlfriend, the one who awakens in a guy theknowledge of what he's always wanted in a relationship ... and it's never with Peg. Obviously, a major lifestyle change is seriously called for, which is why the distraught interior landscape designer says good-bye to Manhattan and late-night lattes with pal Nina, and hello to a farmhouse on ten acres in tiny, backwater Manshire, Vermont, hoping to meet the ultimate, all-organic country man (without too much facial hair) to keep her warm in those frosty New England winters.

Instead, Peg finds herself at Inward Bound -- a proactive adult-education retreat for the hapless and hopelessly lovelorn -- to try to lift her dreaded "girlfriend curse." A steamy (and expressly forbidden) dalliance with gorgeous woman-eater Ray probably isn't going to help cure her. But some romantic insight could arise from her attraction to Linus, Inward Bound's sexy, scruffy, smart and still-single founder. Perhaps there is a secret to be unearthed in the crunchy Green Mountains, one that will magically transform Peg Silver from the Perpetual Also Ran to the Big Winner in love.

In The Years to Remember we follow the fortunes of one British family struggling to survive in the early years of the last war. In spite of the bombing and the threat of invasion Jack and Dolly Foster took great care of their two children throughout these dreadful times. We witness the children's early school days and their formative years until the war ends. The focus then switches mainly to their son Mike as he leaves school and takes up his first employment, he then becomes eligible for National Service and another adventure really begins.

The beloved classic novel, the basis of the classic film starring Nicole Kidman and Sandra Bullock As children, sisters Gillian and Sally were forever outsiders in their small New England town, teased, taunted and shunned for the air of magic that seems to sparkle in the air around them. All Gillian and Sally ever wanted was to get away. And eventually they do - one marries, the other runs as far from home as she can manage. Years later, however, tragedy will bring the sisters back together. And they'll find that no matter what else may happen, they'll always have each other. An enchanting tale of love, forgiveness and family, Practical Magic is beloved of readers of all ages. Book 3 in the Practical Magic series. *~*~*Readers love Practical Magic*~*~* 'A real pleasure' Kate Atkinson 'Simply brilliant' Daily Mail '[A] delicious fantasy of witchcraft and love in a world where gardens smell of lemon verbena and happy endings are possible' Cosmopolitan 'What do you do when your long lost little sister shows up on your suburban front step... a dead man in the Oldsmobile that's blocking your driveway? ...You help her bury him in your backyard, underneath a wilting lilac bush that will suddenly spring back to life, bearing masses of heady flowers that remind everyone who passes by of desires they thought they'd long since stifled' Vogue 'Dark comedy and a light touch carry the story along to a truly Gothic climax, complete with heaving skies and witchery on the lawn' New York Times 'A scrim of magic lies gently over [this] fictional world, in which lilacs bloom riotously in July, a lovesick boy's elbows sizzle on a diner countertop and a toad expectorates a silver ring...' Publishers Weekly

Fires In the Dark reveals the highly secretive and misunderstood world of the coppersmith gypsies.

In 1927, when prosperity still reigns in Central Europe, Yenko is born to two Coppersmith Gypsies. His parents, Josef and Anna, are nomads who raise their son during the relative calm of the Great Depression of the 1930s. Soon, though, dangerous times threaten to unsettle their family, as their heritage makes them vulnerable targets for ethnic cleansing. As Germany invades Czechoslovakia and the conflicts of World War II begin to unfold, Yenko and his parents become fugitives, forced on a journey that promises only great uncertainty and offers survival as a remote possibility. In the course of their flight, the burden of an ancient tradition rests entirely on Yenko's shoulders.

In capturing the desperation and perseverance of one family during an extraordinary time in history, Louise Doughty pays powerful homage to an insular and little-known culture.

Mr. Freddie was a middle-aged man trapped in an imperfect world, his only desire to get the most out of life and make money in the city of London. London, being the most enviable capital of the world, was to become Mr. Freddie's home for the greater part of his life. He was a man that had ideas, a cool individual who embarked on ideas with a kind of innovation. He set up the GBP1m-a-year bankers' brothel in the shadow economy and operated it for five years from a beautiful terraced house located in a quiet mews of Holborn in the heart of the city. All the women working at the bankers' brothel worked as prostitutes on a part-time basis. Drivers would drive the city bankers to the brothel from city strip clubs on the promise of sex and drivers would receive commission. Payment via credit card was offered at an increased rate by cardboys. In the United Kingdom, it is very difficult for a person to operate a brothel without breaking the law. Mr. Freddie was arrested and the brothel was closed down. He was found guilty by a jury and sent to prison.

Chris Stewart is haunted by an old secret. Betrayed by her husband and supported by her daughter, Alice, and best friend, Babs, she struggles to keep the past at bay. However, when she discovers that she is pregnant by another man, Chris's life is shattered. In Letter to an Unborn Child, C.A. Pearson follows Chris's descent into despair and attempted suicide. the story is a harrowing account of a journey into that other world which is the human psyche: Pearson's sensitive account helps us to understand that it is love that destroys but that, ultimately, it is only love that can heal.

Right. Wrong. Life is lived somewhere in between.

Duchess Day Radley is a thirteen-year-old self-proclaimed outlaw. Rules are for other people. She is the fierce protector of her five-year-old brother, Robin, and the parent to her mother, Star, a single mom incapable of taking care of herself, let alone her two kids.

Walk has never left the coastal California town where he and Star grew up. He may have become the chief of police, but he’s still trying to heal the old wound of having given the testimony that sent his best friend, Vincent King, to prison decades before. And he's in overdrive protecting Duchess and her brother.

Now, thirty years later, Vincent is being released. And Duchess and Walk must face the trouble that comes with his return. We Begin at the End is an extraordinary novel about two kinds of families―the ones we are born into and the ones we create.

It is generally accepted that a single act, even a very ordinary event can change an individual's life for ever. Certainly, young Johnny Locksley finds this to be true. For him the catalyst proves to be none other than the Helianthus annus, the golden Sunflower. His search to find advice on how to purchase and cultivate the plant goes awry when he encounters a rival beauty and a temptation that he is powerless to resist. He finds himself led not into a garden but into a web of love, loss and a dangerous adventure played out beneath a Southern sun. .

The year is 1997. Cleo Howard is at a very awkward age, she's sure she's an adult, so why won't everyone realise this? Why won't her chest realise this? Why is maths so hard? When will she stop feeling sad that her dad doesn't live with her and her mum? Music and men are her twin fascinations and she thanks Almighty Lemmy for metal and mates. Her diary, which you now hold in your hands, is home to her deepest thoughts, fondest wishes and often what she had for tea.

The first ever story to contain all the words in the dictionary. Elixir is a fantastical romp through the English language. Follow the adventures of vertically-challenged Elgin as he abandons his demeaning job as an elf to search for the elixir of life. But strange things await him on his quest; for as Elgin is seeking his destiny in the West Country, a power-hungry Inuit entomologist is bent on destroying the world's food supply with his army of giant invertebrates. Unconventional, hilarious, unremittingly alliterative and at times somewhat disturbing, 'Elixir' is set to become a cult comedy classic.

A stunning tale of a submarine disaster. In 1948, Naval Intelligence discovered that the Soviets were building a large submarine fleet, all much faster and deadlier than the German U-boats. Britain's fleet of escort vessels would be outclassed. The government ordered two of our existing slow T class submarines to be adapted to go faster, and then tried out against our existing frigates. The anti-submarine trials were a disaster, not helped by the stormy relationship between two people each brilliant in their field: the young mathematician boffin, Dr Alison Maynard; and her boyfriend Tom Seago, maverick navigator of one of the sub-chasing frigates. For a gripping read, full of passion, danger, ingenuity and moments of cliffhanging fear, look no further.

A BBC TWO BETWEEN THE COVERS BOOK CLUB PICK AN INTERNATIONAL BESTSELLER SHORTLISTED FOR THE MAN BOOKER PRIZE WINNER OF THE MAN ASIAN LITERARY PRIZE AND THE WALTER SCOTT PRIZE Teoh Yun Ling was seventeen years old when she first heard about Aritomo and the garden. But a war would come to Malaya, and a decade pass before she would travel to see him. A man of extraordinary skill and reputation, Aritomo was once the gardener for the Emperor of Japan, and now Yun Ling needs him. She needs him to help her build a memorial to her beloved sister, killed at the hands of the Japanese. She wants to learn everything Aritomo can teach her, and do her sister proud, but to do so she must also begin a journey into her own past, a past inextricably linked with the secrets of her troubled country. A story of art, war, love and memory, The Garden of Evening Mists captures a dark moment in history with richness, power and incredible beauty.

Harry Brennan gets nervous playing his buddies at golf for a tenner. Imagine how he feels when he has to face a deadly rival in a three-pronged shoot-out on the links, for a prize like no other. The twists and turns of this ingenious and unique comic gem will keep you entertained and agog right to the final, totally unexpected twist. Golf dub membership is falling fast. This book will change all that. What really goes on in the clubhouse and on the putting greens is a revelation and will have you laughing, crying and gasping in disbelief. And everyone will want to be a member at West Belby. For years Graham Jones wrote regular columns in the Times education section. He made the obscure and remote world of Further Education funny and relevant and had a loyal following of readers. In his first novel at the age of 69, he brings the same qualities of a lively style and off-beat sense of humour to golf dub politics and manners. And the result is amazing. You'll love the characters; you'll love their stories; you'll love this book.

A helter-skelter ride of emotions that takes the reader through an 18-month period that drastically changes the life of a 10 year-old boy in 1950s England. Living in a city but having the nature and mind of the countryside, his story will have you laughing and crying from one chapter to the next. From the terror of an escaped bull to a girl with 'Kingfisher eyes'. Can a 10 year old boy be in love with a beautiful Welsh teacher who wears tight skirts, stockings and high heels? Can a father's love withstand the cruellest of life's blows? And what happened to the missing girl? Laughter, fear, humiliation, love and despair, Stix meets them all.