Outline is a novel in ten conversations. Spare and lucid, it follows a novelist teaching a course in creative writing over an oppressively hot summer in Athens. She leads her student in storytelling exercises. She meets other writers for dinner. She goes swimming in the Ionian Sea with her seatmate from the place. The people she encounters speak volubly about themselves, their fantasies, anxieties, pet theories, regrets, and longings. And through these disclosures, a portrait of the narrator is drawn by contrast, a portrait of a woman learning to face great a great loss.

Outline is the first book in a short and yet epic cycle - a masterful trilogy which will be remembered as one of the most significant achievements of our times.

'Outline succeeds powerfully. Among other things, it gets a great variety of human beings down on the page with both immediacy and depth; an elemental pleasure that makes the book as gripping to read as a thriller... A stellar accomplishment.' James Lasdun, Guardian

Fifteen-year-old Kala Lannan disappeared from the tourist town of Kinlough in November 2003. No trace was ever found - until now, when her remains are discovered at a local building site. The day after the grisly discovery, Helen Laughlin, Kala's best friend and confidante, reluctantly returns to the town she ran from ten years before. Helen falls in with two other members of their teenage gang - Mush, scarred and scared to leave the safety of his ma's cafe on the high street, and the Famous Joe Brennan, Kala's boyfriend, a commercially successful but emotionally conflicted musician newly returned in an effort to dry out and reconnect with something authentic in life. Their actions over the following days are propelled by the need to understand what happened to the girl who meant so much to each of them and whose disappearance upended their lives. But to find answers, they have to confront their own complicity in the events that led to Kala's disappearance. Ultimately, they must do what others should have done before them to stop the violent patterns of their town's past repeating themselves once again...

From the author of the New York Times bestseller The Imperfectionists, the story of a chameleonic writer desperate to finish her final book, and the indelible characters from her own life who intrude on those efforts with increasingly unpredictable results. Dora Frenhofer, a once successful but now aging and embittered novelist, knows her mind is going. She is determined, however, to finish her final book, and reverse her fortunes, before time runs out. Alone in her London home during the pandemic, she creates, and is in turn created by, the fascinating real characters from her own life.

Like a twenty-first-century Scheherazade, Dora spins stories to ward off her end. From New Delhi to New York, Copenhagen to Los Angeles, Australia to Syria to Paris, Dora’s chapters trot the globe, inhabiting the perspectives of her missing brother, her estranged daughter, her erstwhile lover, and her last remaining friend, among others in her orbit. As her own life comes into ever sharper focus, so do the signal events that have made her who she is, leaving us in Dora’s thrall until, with an unforeseen twist, she snaps the final piece of the puzzle into place.

The Imposters is Tom Rachman at his inimitable best. With his trademark style—at once “deliciously ironic and deeply affectionate” (The Washington Post)—he has delivered a novel whose formal ingenuity and flamboyant technique are matched only by its humanity and generosity.

Universiteit van Johannesburg-debuutprys (2008) Jan Rabie Rapport-prys vir innoverende letterkunde (2008) Siegfried Landman is iets in die dertig. Sy lewe lank het hy saam met sy pa op ’n afgeleë plaas iewers in die Karoo gewoon. Maar dan, op ’n dag, sterf sy pa, en moet Siegfried maak soos sy pa hom al die jare laat oefen het: gaan haal Wilhelm Smit (jare lank al ’n bywoner op hulle plaas) en gaan Kaap toe, na oom Bert Fischer, sy enigste oorlewende familielid naas sy ma, wat ’n meermin in die see is. Dit word ’n magiese reis, wat begin met ’n besoek aan ’n boeregesin op nog ’n afgeleë plaas in die Karoo en amper eindig by Georg Fafnir, sirkusbaas met ’n voorliefde vir die teatrale. ’n Verstommende, meesleurende roman – ’n verhaal wat voortsnel tot ’n onafwendbare einde. ’n Kosbare toevoeging tot die Afrikaanse letterkunde.

This is a tale of a 13-year old girl, Jadesola Balogun, who is torn between two worlds. Her parents hail from Nigeria but as she is London-born and bred, her London friends are the source of her western life style. Jadesola's paternal grandmother is staying with the family. Mrs Balogun Snr is stubbornly steeped in tradition. 'Jadesola will henceforth be brought up the African way,' she vows. The West and South Looking Child delivers powerful messages about racism, teen pregnancy and generational differences. Its stance is positive. It encourages open-mindedness. It is a must read for anyone interested in inter-cultural issues.

The de Lafitte Protocol is the enigmatic name given to a devilish plot, hatched by a cunning but dismissed ex-MI6 agent who secretively plots to assassinate all members of the wealthy de Lafitte family, thereby gaining control of their vast family foundation. The first book is a galvanizing mystery thriller, paradoxically opening among the languid preparations of the annual stag hunt at Chateau Lafitte outside Paris; the home of the Comte de Lafitte, which has held stag hunts there, on and off since 1778. The first book of this trilogy is unequivocal in revealing that it is dealing with an attempted assassination of the hero of the book, as he exits the Oxford Sheldonian having been awarded his doctoral thesis on Nuclear Physics. This one off failed attempt, deepens the mystery as Charles gains 10 years time to partially overcome his severe handicap, when all hostilities seemingly cease: only to be revived with the ensuing brutal assassination of The Master of the stag hounds, his uncle Jacques Le Comte de Lafitte. Several other members of this eponymous family, are also assassinated at Eton and Oxford, spanning three generations. The shroud of the mystery begins to unravel, when the young hero Dr. Charles Russell-Lafitte is appointed the new head of the family. He and his cousins intend to set up a sting operation, to flush out the unknown protagonists. Charles retains his great optimism and zest for life. The book unforgettably illuminates how his life, guided by his traditional Christian faith, remains open to all nuances of balanced thought. For the reader, it ends on a cliffhanger, as the family fly over for their famous fox hunt 'The Mississipi run', ignorant of the lethal booby-traps. This is also where this 2nd book of the trilogy commences, when the switched at birth twin of Charles, called Il Regazzo by the ex- Mafia, is seen setting up his deadly assassination weapon at the hunting fixture in Kentucky. At this juncture, the love plots in the book emerge, the love story of Charles with a distant cousin, and intriguingly Il Regazzo with another unknown cousin. This alarmingly intriguing read is greatly enhanced by the atmospheric detail, almost participative portrayal of international stag and fox hunting set in unique American countryside, amidst a flurry of bizarre individuals, among the busy lives of this intriguing family. If readers are thrilled by reading this first and second book of the trilogy, the final book fully resolves the mystery behind The de Lafitte protocol. They will then witness the on and off dramatic outcome of the love story of Charles and his twin and their distant cousins and wonder? How good lives can and do, in the end overcome the evil machinations of ungodly scenarios, guided by the 19th Century convert, John Henry Newman.

The Manor was built in the nineteeth century and set in beautiful countryside in the West Country. An ambitious lady called Claire Hammond purchases the property as an investment and refurbishes The Manor into a weekend retreat with a luxurious spa.Unbeknown to her, not only did she purchase the property and the acres of land, but it came with a host of unsolved mysteries. Can the happenings ever be logically explained? Or is someone out to sabotage Claire's business and good reputation?

The Winter Children is a haunting mystery from Lulu Taylor, author of The Snow Angel. Behind a selfless act of kindness lies dark intentions . . . After years of IVF, Olivia and Dan are blissfully happy at the arrival of their long dreamed-of twins. At the same time, they make the move to Renniston Hall, a huge, Elizabethan house that belongs to absent friends. Living rent-free in a small part of the unmodernised house, once a boarding school, they can begin to enjoy the family life they've always wanted. But there is a secret at the heart of their family, one that Olivia does not yet know. And the house, too, holds darkness deep within it . . .

Hamilton is confused and frightened. Heading he knows not where. The nightmare from which he is trying to escape will follow him wherever he goes. Salvation will come but not before tribulation...

Part of a motorcycle mounted special forces group, Tom Marshall roams his section of the deep, winter desert of Iraq alone, intercepting Islamic State patrols that occupy the region. Other riders are out there dead, alive and insane. When an early extraction date for the riders is given, Tom begins to withdraw, but into a world of brutal survival where suicide grows stronger with every step. His destiny will be shaped by the unforgiving winter conditions and the horror of religion at its most macabre. How far can too far go?

Marrakech 1966.

Vicky Baudin steps onto a train winding through Morocco, looking for the grandmother she has never met.

It’s an epic journey that’ll take her to the edge of Atlas Mountains – and closer to the answers she’s been craving all her life.

But dark secrets whisper amongst the dunes. And in unlocking the mystery of Clemence’s past, Vicky will unearth great danger too . . .

The year is 1971 and Great Yarmouth, along with all parts of the United Kingdom, must get to grips with decimal currency, widely known as "the new money". Some, more than others will find the transition difficult, but none more so that Maud's sister, Enid in her gift shop. Don Stevens and Rita Ricer pull together another line-up of variety artistes to headline The Golden Sands Theatre for a twice nightly summer season show but with the added pressure of a small theatre in crisis at the neighbouring Brokencliff-on-Sea, that it seems only Rita can help to save. * What secret is the new backstage manager hiding? * Find out if running a hotel is all it is cracked up to be * Who will be topping this year's bill at The Golden Sands? * Rock star Rick O'Shea sets a certain landlady's heart aflutter * Will Freda's new perfume cause a stink with the locals? * A new guest house launches, but with a difference * And the question on every landlady's lips: "Who will be head of GAGGA?" Back with his unique mix of Great Yarmouth locals, landladies and variety stars, Tony Gareth Smith revisits the seaside pleasures of yesteryear and reminds us when summer holidays were simpler and didn't involve the use of electronic mobile gadgets. So settle down with a quarter of your favourite sweets or a cup of tea and a cream horn and enjoy this year's most relaxing read.With the added bonus of a short story, Boarding Tonight preceding the main feature "Curtains", it is fun, fun, fun all the way...

It is 1939, the outbreak of World War Two, and ten year old Ryan Brannigan newly arrived from Ireland experiences the horrors and excitement of war. A rebellious lad in conflict with the parish priest, Father O'Donnell, his teachers, and his father, as well as the Church, he forms an uneasy relationship with Nadina Brown, a vulnerable, ultra-religious, highly sensitive, intelligent girl of the same age. Ryan's father, Fergus, an armchair warrior of the IRA due to a wound sustained in the Easter Rising of 1916, strongly suspects the priest of abusing the girl, though she strenuously denies it. Convinced that she is scared to tell the truth, he hurries round to the presbytery to find O'Donnell gone back to Ireland and a priest to replace him arriving the very next day. Angry and frustrated, Fergus rushes to the police station to demand action, but his complaints are contemptuously dismissed. Ryan, confused over the turn of events has taken a thorough dislike towards Nadina. But soon he will discover the truth and his compassion for her and desire for revenge will know no bounds.

Exotically beautiful but desperately unhappy, Alba lives on a houseboat on the Thames, where she enjoys a life of leisure and entertains an endless and unfulfilling succession of lovers. But then she discovers a portrait of her dead mother, Valentina -- a woman she'd hardly known, whose story has been kept from her by her still grieving father. Determined to learn the truth about Valentina, Alba returns to the olive groves of the Amalfi coast of Italy. There she uncovers a mysterious tale of decadence, deception, murder, and betrayal involving partisans and Nazis, peasants and counts. Alba's journey leads her not only to the truth of her mother's hidden past but to the possibility of happiness in her own future.

The private lives of strangers can be fascinating, as these tales reveal. In them, the strangers are all passengers on the No 13 bus leaving Oxford Station at 1.15pm on a summer's day, arriving some 40 minutes later at the John Radcliffe Hospital. During their journey more passengers get on and others get off and they rarely interact. But behind each inscrutable facade are the joys and fears of complex private worlds and private thoughts. This is a book to dip into. It will, of course, help pass the time on a bus journey or even in hospital but it is intended to give pleasure to anyone who enjoys reading about other people and lives which may be exciting, sad or just plain different. All proceeds from the book's sale are being donated to the Hidden Heroes Fund of the Oxford Radcliffe Hospitals Charitable Funds which supports staff recognition, development and training across all the Trust's hospitals.

Walter Snow is doomed. He stares at the blank pages in his typewriter, hoping for the spark that will finally ignite his ambition to write the Great Armenian Novel.

And then he meets Clyde Potts. She is beautiful, intelligent, charming, perhaps psychic, and, for better or worse, very possibly unbalanced. With Potts's joie de vivre and her certified-insane partner in crime, Fox Harris, Snow is caught up in a series of pranks against corporate sprawl that they execute with a bit of booze and some wacky tobaccy from Australia known as Malabimbi Madness.

Things quickly spin out of control as the trio's ultimate, diuretically inspired prank leads to an unexpected, shocking conclusion, and Walter is left to wonder if the only things you ever keep in this life are the things you let slip through your fingers.

With a rich vocabulary that is poetic and uncluttered, this debut novel is nothing short of a masterpiece. It is both a well-written and philosophical book.

The story begins with Nokwakha giving birth at her village home, and when it is discovered that the child is an albino the midwife convinces her that it is a curse and she should snuff the life out of it before it takes another breath. The dreadful deed is done by the river, but the all-knowing one’has other plans...

With an assured voice and eloquent prose, Magubeni invites us into the life of this extraordinary being, Nwelezelanga, the child who should not have been, contrasting the themes of darkness and light, embracing the unknown and unseen in a way no one else has – or can.

An innocent game of internet poker leads James, an English writer and poet, to Mia; the successful President of her own American companies. As their transatlantic friendship develops, they embark upon a journey of a lifetime which takes them back to younger dreams they had long since abandoned. Against a backdrop of stunning locations incorporating Florida, Cornwall, Scotland and Lancashire, their story unfolds. As the sparks of passion ignite, love begins to blossom in deeper ways than either of them had ever encountered. Their journey begins to deepen and unfold, as passion, desire and their innermost feelings create a world that neither of them can resist or control. The thousands of miles between them cannot stem their desires and against overwhelming odds and life-threatening moments, they fight for the world they know is there. They both examine their hearts, minds and souls, in a bid to live their dreams.

A prisoner in a WWII concentration camp discovers a superpower that could keep him alive – he can make the commandant laugh by telling jokes. Pushed to ends of his wit and humanity, Gagman is propelled into a spiralling madness in which he would sell his soul for a gag simply to live another day.

Evoking themes from The Tattooist of Auschwitz and The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas, Dov Fedler weaves the story of a Faustian bargain brokered in hell, where redemption only comes in the form of a punchline. He must stay funny – or die.

Enhanced by Fedler’s own haunting illustrations, Gagman masterfully juxtaposes humour and pathos, while exploring themes of survivor guilt, desperate determination and the search for the meaning of life in the wake of the Holocaust. Swapping his yellow star for a tattered comic book, Gagman roams the new world and our consciousness determined to find answers to the deepest questions about loss, hope and belonging.

Gagman is a touching and unique tale of survival through unimaginable horror.