The scene is dark age Britain. Tales wrought through time and travels across misty islands, impenetrable forests, and giant-ridden mountains, are being told around a winters fire. This book is an illustrated set of narrative poems aimed at those that love myth and legend. It would appeal to a secondary readership of youngsters and teenagers.

THE FEEL GOOD NOVEL OF THE YEAR 'I loved this funny, heartwarming read' Libby Page The Patron Saint of Plumbing is not answering Nino Speranza's prayers. Without expensive repairs to the pipes, the water board will cut off Speranza's crumbling Italian village. All 212 inhabitants will be forced to leave. In a desperate bid to find the money to save his hometown, he starts a rumour that Italian heart-throb Dante Rinaldi is coming to town to film his next movie. Soon, the place is teeming with fans and everyone wants to be involved: Speranza's assistant has a screenplay and the butcher will invest - if Speranza can find roles for each of his fifteen enormous sons. Even the priest is on board. It seems the only way to give their beloved town a second chance is to actually make a movie. What could possibly go wrong? Funny, charming and utterly heartwarming, this is the feel-good novel of the year; a celebration of the underdog, of family and of what really matters in life. * 'A rare treasure: both hilariously funny and beautifully written.' Julia Claiborne Johnson, author of Better Luck Next Time and Be Frank With Me 'The most charming, original and hilarious novel I have read in ages. This novel is something special. Everyone with a sense of humour must pick this up immediately.' Elyssa Friedland, author of Last Summer at The Golden Hotel 'A glorious romp of a book with a cast of characters to fall in love with. Gorgeous, hilarious and brimming with joy. Christine Simon's writing is just a delight.' Helen Paris, author of Lost Property 'Simon's warm-hearted, original gem of a novel is the feel-good read we all need.' Amy Poeppel, author of Musical Chairs 'A charming, fast-paced and warm-hearted farce. Upbeat, escapist and a lot of fun.' Caroline Hulse, author of The Adults 24/08/22 - emailed Gabriele to ask when publishing.

For readers who have been moved and overwhelmed by Hanya Yanagihara’s A Little Life, Emma Donoghue’s Room and Douglas Stuart’s Shuggie Bain, Sparrow tells the story of Jacob, son of no one, last survivor of an abandoned British Roman town. Raised in a brothel on the Spanish coast in the waning years of the Roman Empire, a boy of no known origin creates his own identity. He is Sparrow, who sings without reason and can fly from trouble. His world is a kitchen, the herb-scented garden, then the loud and dangerous tavern, and finally the mysterious upstairs where the ‘wolves’ - prostitutes of every ethnic background from the far reaches of the empire - do their mysterious business. When not being told stories by his beloved ‘mother’ Euterpe, he runs errands for her lover the cook, while trying to avoid the blows of their brutal overseer or the machinations of the chief wolf, Melpomene. A hard fate awaits Sparrow, one that involves suffering, murder, mayhem, and the scattering of the little community that has been his whole world.

Through meticulous research and bold imagination, Hynes brings the entirety of the Roman city of Carthago Nova - its markets, temples, taverns of the lowly and mansions of the rich - to vivid life. You will feel you have been to this place, and understand how a slave class - conquered people of every age, walk of life, or skin colour - made the brutal empire function.

Sparrow recreates a lost world of the last of old pagan Rome as its codes and morals give way before the new religion of Christianity, and introduces readers to one of the most powerfully affecting and memorable characters of recent fiction.

The complete four-book boxed set of the greatest fantasy epic of all time: The Lord of the Rings and its enchanting prequel, The Hobbit

When Thorin Oakenshield and his band of dwarves embark upon a dangerous quest to reclaim the hoard of gold stolen from them by the evil dragon Smaug, Gandalf the wizard suggests an unlikely accomplice: Bilbo Baggins, an unassuming Hobbit dwelling in peaceful Hobbiton.

Along the way, the company faces trolls, goblins, giant spiders, and worse. But as they journey from the wonders of Rivendell to the terrors of Mirkwood and beyond, Bilbo will find that there is more to him than anyone—himself included—ever dreamed.

Unexpected qualities of courage and cunning, and a love of adventure, propel Bilbo toward his great destiny . . . a destiny that waits in the dark caverns beneath the Misty Mountains, where a twisted creature known as Gollum jealously guards a precious magic ring.

From #1 bestselling author Brandon Sanderson, a newly-designed boxed set showcasing where the Mistborn Saga all began―the original trilogy.

Once, a hero rose to save the world. He failed. For a thousand years since, the world has been a wasteland of ash and mist, ruled by the immortal emperor known as the Lord Ruler. Every revolt has failed miserably.

Somehow, hope survives. Hope that dares to dream of ending the empire and defeating the Lord Ruler. A new kind of uprising is being planned―one that depends on the cunning of a brilliant criminal mastermind and the determination of an unlikely heroine: a teenage street urchin named Vin. Once, a hero rose to save the world and failed. This time, can a young heroine succeed?

Mistborn:
For a thousand years, the ash has fallen and no flowers have bloomed. For a thousand years, the Skaa have slaved in misery and lived in fear. For a thousand years, the Lord Ruler has reigned with absolute power and ultimate terror. Until Kelsier, a brilliant, half-Skaa thief and natural leader, finds in himself the powers of a Mistborn, and turns his talents to the ultimate caper, with the Lord Ruler himself as the mark.

The Well of Ascension:
The impossible task has been accomplished. The Lord Ruler has been vanquished. But with Kelsier dead, too, the awesome task of building a new world has been left to former street urchin and Kelsier's protégé, Vin, who is now the most powerful Mistborn in the land. Vin is now worshipped as a hero in her own right, but she is haunted by a strange, vaporous entity hidden in the mists.

The Hero of Ages:
Having escaped death only by becoming a Mistborn himself, Emperor Elend Venture now hopes to find clues left behind by the Lord Ruler that will allow him to save the world. But with the return of lethal mists, increasingly heavy ashfalls, and ever more powerful earthquakes, Elend and Vin aren't sure that killing the Lord Ruler to end the Final Empire was the right thing to do after all.

When the truth is the worst lie of all ...Traumatised after overhearing the shocking truth about her family, nine year-old Violet Grey realises that her entire life has been based on lies. Meanwhile, her mother, Doris, slides towards social isolation as the consequences of bygone secrets begin to manifest themselves in her rebellious daughter's behaviour. When war is declared in 1939, no one can predict the devastating events that will follow. Melody of Raindrops is the story of a mother and daughter, driven apart by the family's patriarch, Tom Jeffson, as he struggles to overcome his recently diagnosed psychopathic disorder. A harrowing tale of misplaced family loyalty, envy and manipulation, will Tom conquer the demons that haunt him, win back the trust of those he has wronged in the past and keep his promises to his wife and daughters? Although the novel is the second book in the Jeffson Family Trilogy, it can be enjoyed as a stand-alone family saga, covering the period 1932 to 1945.

As Tom Jeffson inserts the key into the lock of an empty house on Easter Saturday in 1922, he is completely unaware that his youngest daughter, eight year-old Daisy, is hiding there following a childish prank. Although Daisy is the innocent witness to her father's adulterous liaison that day, it is her older sister, Rose, who forever carries the burden of his deception. Sunlight on Broken Glass is a story of two sisters, united as they endure the consequences of their father's increasingly appalling behaviour. But, as the story reaches its climax and Tom is diagnosed with a chilling psychopathic disorder, can their love for each other withstand the strain? Based on a true story, Sunlight on Broken Glass is the first novel in the Jeffson Family Trilogy, an epic saga of love, loss, hopes, dreams and family loyalty.

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!

In this romantic adventure story David Greason Walker applauds youth, life, love, adventure and the wide landscapes that are far beyond the restrictions of a cosy fireside. The story explores the twilight world between youth and adulthood, with its mixture of idealism, love, realism and sheer caprice. When Carl Hafod first meets Vreni outside a busy pub on a cold, snow-blown winter's day, he is totally unaware of the new direction his life will follow; including the discovery of a hoard of Nazi gold and how the gold has political implications that have remained buried in secrecy since World War Two. The story revolves not only around Carl and Vreni, and Carl's business interests in Fiji, but also around the lives of six other closely knit students. How they become victims of the ever increasing value of the gold. The final decisions they make and the all-encompassing passion Carl feels for Vreni and her abject beauty.

The Sunday Times bestselling sequel to Wolf Hall and Bring Up the Bodies, the stunning conclusion to Hilary Mantel's Man Booker Prize-winning Wolf Hall trilogy. Shortlisted for the Women's Prize for Fiction 2020 Longlisted for the Booker Prize 2020 'Mantel has taken us to the dark heart of history...and what a show' The Times 'If you cannot speak truth at a beheading, when can you speak it?' England, May 1536. Anne Boleyn is dead, decapitated in the space of a heartbeat by a hired French executioner. As her remains are bundled into oblivion, Thomas Cromwell breakfasts with the victors. The blacksmith's son from Putney emerges from the spring's bloodbath to continue his climb to power and wealth, while his formidable master, Henry VIII, settles to short-lived happiness with his third queen, Jane Seymour. Cromwell is a man with only his wits to rely on; he has no great family to back him, no private army. Despite rebellion at home, traitors plotting abroad and the threat of invasion testing Henry's regime to breaking point, Cromwell's robust imagination sees a new country in the mirror of the future. But can a nation, or a person, shed the past like a skin? Do the dead continually unbury themselves? What will you do, the Spanish ambassador asks Cromwell, when the king turns on you, as sooner or later he turns on everyone close to him? With The Mirror and the Light, Hilary Mantel brings to a triumphant close the trilogy she began with Wolf Hall and Bring Up the Bodies. She traces the final years of Thomas Cromwell, the boy from nowhere who climbs to the heights of power, offering a defining portrait of predator and prey, of a ferocious contest between present and past, between royal will and a common man's vision: of a modern nation making itself through conflict, passion and courage. A Guardian Book of the Year * A Times Book of the Year * A Daily Telegraph Book of the Year * A Sunday Times Book of the Year * A New Statesman Book of the Year * A Spectator Book of the Year Sunday Times Bestseller (08/03/2020)

THE SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER AND NATIONAL BOOK AWARD FINALIST 'A dazzling epic of love, war and the joy of books' Guardian 'There is magic in this place ... You just have to sit and breathe and wait and it will find you' Fifteenth-century Constantinople. Present day Idaho. The future, and humanity's last hope. Across time and space, five young dreamers are bound by a single ancient text. Together, they tell a story of a world in peril; of the power of words, of resilience, and of hope against all odds. The Pulitzer Prize-winning author of All the Light We Cannot See returns with a heart-breaking, magnificent epic of human connection and a love letter to storytelling itself. 'Wonderment and despair, love and destruction and hope - all find their place in its sumptuously plotted pages' Observer 'Ingenious, hopeful and totally absorbing' Financial Times 'This engagingly written, big-hearted book is a must-read' Daily Mirror

An epic and transporting novel, the latest installment of the “heart-wrenching, uplifting, and utterly enthralling” (Lucy Foley, author of The Guest List) Seven Sisters series, unravelling between the dazzling streets of modern-day New York City and the breathtaking plains of 1940s colonial Kenya.

Electra d’Aplièse is a top model who seems to have it all: beauty, fame, and wealth. But beneath the glittery veneer, she’s cracking under all the pressure. When her father dies, she turns to alcohol and drugs to ease the pain. As friends and colleagues fear for her health, Electra receives a shocking letter from a stranger who claims to be her grandmother.

In 1939, New Yorker Cecily Huntley-Morgan arrives in Kenya’s Lake Naivasha region for the exciting chance to stay with her godmother, the famous socialite Kiki Preston. But after a sheltered upbringing, she’s astounded by the hedonistic antics of the other ex-pats in the infamous Happy Valley set. Cecily soon grows to love her stunning but complicated new home, and she even accepts a proposal of marriage from an enigmatic older cattle farmer. After a shocking discovery and with war looming, Cecily feels isolated and alone. Until she meets a young woman in the woods and makes her a promise that will change the course of her life forever.

Featuring Lucinda Riley’s “engaging and mesmerizing” (Library Journal, starred review) storytelling and filled with unforgettable and moving characters, The Sun Sister explores how love can cross seemingly impossible boundaries.

In Finding Ashley, a deeply moving novel from the number one bestseller Danielle Steel, two estranged sisters get the chance to reconnect and right the wrongs of the past. Melissa Henderson leads a quiet life. Once a bestselling author, she now pours all her energy into renovating a Victorian house in the foothills of rural New England. Six years ago, her life was derailed by tragedy and she stopped writing. The house has given her new purpose. When her beloved home appears on the news, Melissa receives a call from her estranged sister, Hattie. They were close once, but that was before Melissa withdrew from the world. Now Hattie is determined to help Melissa turn a new page, even if it means reopening one of the most painful chapters of her life. All these years later, Hattie feels compelled to embark on a journey that will change both their lives forever, to find the child that Melissa was forced to give up when she was only a teenager in Ireland. Finding Ashley is a powerful love story of two strong, brave women turning loss into reconnection, and a family reunited.

God. Hero. Idol. Monster. Murderer. The story of Hercules is one of the most famous ever told. But what if it's wrong? Locus and Nebula Award-winning author John Wiswell brings his gentle, human storytelling to the most infamous of stories and discovers the heart inside us all.

Furious with Zeus for once again siring a child with a mortal woman, Hera finds herself redirecting all her fury at the baby himself, Heracles, an innocent named in her honour. As Heracles grows into a man - an unfathomably strong, loving man - he thanks Hera for all the blessings he feels she's seen fit to bestow upon him.

In a moment of misdirected rage, however, Hera sends a fury to kill Heracles' family. Heracles sets out on an epic quest to discover the name of the god who set their murders in motion. Desperate to keep him busy until she can come up with a solution, Hera sets Heracles a series of tests, as impossible as they are deadly: the Nemean lion, the hydra, the Stymphalian birds, the Aegean stables . . .

But Heracles' innate kindness, along with his determination to discover the identity of the god who cost him everything he loves, carries him through each task. As his legend grows, so does Hera's desperation.

A novel of friendship, of found family, of kindness and of legend, this is the story of Hercules as it has never been told before.