All she wants is somewhere to call home...Frances Sweet can't really remember her real parents. Brought up by her uncle, her cousins Ruby and Mary have always treated her like their little sister. As the war continues to keep her cousins separated from the men they love - Frances is growing up fast enough to catch the eye of dashing American soldier Declan. But she also has a greater longing - to find the mother who abandoned her years before... Full of hardship, love and emotion, discover the final instalment in Lizzie Lane's bestselling Sweet Sisters trilogy. Praise for Lizzie Lane: 'A gripping saga and a storyline that will keep you hooked' Rosie Goodwin 'The Tobacco Girls is another heartwarming tale of love and friendship and a must-read for all saga fans.' Jean Fullerton 'Lizzie Lane opens the door to a past of factory girls, redolent with life-affirming friendship, drama, and choices that are as relevant today as they were then.' Catrin Collier 'If you want an exciting, authentic historical saga then look no further than Lizzie Lane.' Fenella J Miller

"Mrs. Dalloway said she would buy the flowers herself." So begins Virginia Woolf's beloved fourth novel. First published in 1925, Mrs. Dalloway has long been considered Woolf's masterpiece. A pivotal work of literary modernism, its simple plot-centred on an upper-class Londoner preparing to give a party-is complicated by Woolf's satire of the English social system. For decades, Woolf's rapturous style and vision of individual consciousness have challenged and inspired readers, novelists and scholars alike. In this annotated volume based on the original British edition, acclaimed essayist and Oxford don Merve Emre mines Woolf's diaries and notes on writing to take us into the making of Mrs. Dalloway, revealing the novel's artistry and astonishing originality. Alongside her generous commentary, Emre offers hundreds of illustrations and little-seen photographs from Woolf's life. The result is not only an essential volume for students and Woolf devotees but an incomparable gift to all lovers of literature.

When terrorists loyal to Robert Mugabe's Zimbabwe African National Union win control of the Honde Valley on the eastern border of Rhodesia, the government must decide whether to concede defeat or take a stand.

Prime Minister Ian Smith decides to fight back, and he calls upon Jamie Ross, a district commissioner, to relocate 21,000 people into protected villages. To restore the Honde Valley, Ross must first re-establish authority, win over the hearts and minds of the people, and create conditions necessary to re-open the tea estates-a source of vital foreign exchange.

Meanwhile, Josiah Makoni, one of Mugabe's most terrifying lieutenants, is winning followers and accumulating power with a series of vicious terrorist acts. As the war escalates, Makoni faces setbacks, and cannot escape the internal conflicts that plague his nights and lead him to question whether life is worth living.

Find out whether Jamie and his team can overcome the unbridled fury of the terrorists while learning about the history of Rhodesia from multiple perspectives in Dawn of Deliverance.

Learn what has happened to the country of Zimbabwe under one of the most brutal dictators in modern history.

A gripping mystery with a classic feel, for fans of Agatha Christie 'Haunting and exquisitely written. Part intricate mystery and part ghost story. This book will stay with me for a long time' Anna Mazzola The drive leads past the gate house and through the trees towards the big house, visible through the winter-bared branches. Its windows stare down at Harkin and the sea beyond . . . January 1921. Though the Great War is over, in Ireland a new, civil war is raging. The once-grand Kilcolgan House, a crumbling bastion shrouded in sea-mist, lies half empty and filled with ghosts - both real and imagined - the Prendevilles, the noble family within, co-existing only as the balance of their secrets is kept. Then, when an IRA ambush goes terribly wrong, Maud Prendeville, eldest daughter of Lord Kilcolgan, is killed, leaving the family reeling. Yet the IRA column insist they left her alive, that someone else must have been responsible for her terrible fate. Captain Tom Harkin, an IRA intelligence officer and Maud's former fiance, is sent to investigate, becoming an unwelcome guest in this strange, gloomy household. Working undercover, Harkin must delve into the house's secrets - and discover where, in this fractured, embattled town, each family member's allegiances truly lie. But Harkin too is haunted by the ghosts of the past and by his terrible experiences on the battlefields. Can he find out the truth about Maud's death before the past - and his strange, unnerving surroundings - overwhelm him? A haunting, atmospheric mystery set against the raw Irish landscape in a country divided, The Winter Guest is the perfect chilling read. Praise for THE WINTER GUEST and W.C. Ryan 'A snowflake of a novel: intricate, exquisite, and unlike any other. If Sebastian Faulks and Laura Purcell were to join forces, they might produce a novel like this... yet I can't imagine anyone but WC Ryan shaping it with such imagination, or charging it with such intelligence, or gracing it with such heart' A.J. Finn, author of The Woman in the Window 'Haunting, gripping . . . hugely evocative' Elodie Harper 'Works superbly on several levels. This is a most welcome winter guest indeed, to be greeted by the fire with drink in hand' Irish Times 'Ryan evokes this moody, gothic atmosphere with convincing skill. Harkin is a sensitive, complex character and his quest to solve the mystery is deftly plotted. A treat' The Times 'A perfectly crafted mystery. Vivid, compelling and deeply moving, it is a triumph both as a crime novel and a work of historical fiction' Jane Casey 'A beautifully taut and evocative thriller' Sarah Hilary 'Superb . . . I could not put it down' Elizabeth Buchan 'Atmospheric and genuinely eerie, this is an ideal winter read' Sinead Crowley 'A terrifically atmospheric, gripping novel' Amanda Craig, The Golden Rule 'Haunting, beautifully crafted, and full of heart. Perfect reading for dark days' A.K. Benedict, author of The Christmas Murder Game 'Beautifully written, haunting and unmissable' Cass Green 'Excellent murder mystery/ghost story set during the Irish war of independence and as usual with W.C. Ryan, beautifully written' Liz Nugent 'Intriguing, haunting, romantic and beautifully written, I cared as much about the fate of the characters as about the gripping mystery' Laura Marshall

Trailblazer, superstar, activist, and spy: Alice Marble was a true American icon.

At seventeen, Alice Marble has no formal tennis skills and no coach. What she does have is an ability to hit the ball as hard as she can and a strong desire to prove herself. With steadfast determination and one sacrifice after another, Alice plays her heart out on the courts of the rich and famous, at national tournaments, and—the greatest of them all—at Wimbledon, rising to be one of the top-ranked players in the world.

But then her world falls apart.

With the outbreak of war with Germany, Alice’s tennis career and life come to a screeching halt, and for the first time, she is forced to confront who she is without tennis. As she seeks to understand her new place in the world and how she can aid in the war efforts, a telegram arrives with devastating news from overseas. Heartbroken and lost, she feels like she can only watch as the war wreaks havoc in every area of her life.

Alice is given the chance to fight back when the US Army sends her a request: Under the guise of playing in tennis exhibition games in Switzerland, she would be a spy for them. Alice aches for nothing more than to avenge what the war has taken from her and to prove herself against this new opponent. But what awaits her might be her greatest challenge yet.

From her start as a promising athlete with worn-out shoes to her status as a glamorous international star, Alice Marble’s determination to control her own life and destiny fuels a story of achievement, discipline, loss, and love.

Jenni L. Walsh’s Ace, Marvel, Spy brilliantly showcases the life of Alice Marble, a real-life tennis sensation known for her extraordinary talent and indomitable spirit. This fast-paced and action-packed historical novel spans multiple international settings and is enhanced by discussion questions that prompt readers to reflect on Alice’s challenges and triumphs, making it an ideal choice for book clubs.

As leader of the Israeli submarine Tekumah, Commander Gilad has the sole authority to launch nuclear-tipped cruise missiles against cities housing millions. But while out at sea, the unthinkable occurs. Devastating nuclear explosions in Israel and attacks against Israeli embassies destroy any chance of peace in the Middle East.

Following the attacks, Gilad has no way to receive orders from civilian or military authorities, and must draw on all his training to lead his men and decide how and when to retaliate. Faced with a lengthy mission, food and fuel shortages, a fire, and an attack by a surface ship, Gilad struggles to maintain order.

As tensions rise, Gilad must persuade his own officers and crew, as well as the vengeful commander of a second Israeli submarine, of the path he has chosen. Sharon, a feisty female intelligence officer onboard, staunchly supports him as well as heroic crew members who stand ready to make the ultimate sacrifice. Now, with millions of lives at stake, Gilad has some hard choices to make, ones that may very well decide the fate of the free world.

‘I live here alone in a garage, together with a laptop and an old hand grenade. It’s pretty cosy.’

And...she’s off. Eighty-year-old Herra Björnsson lies alone in her garage waiting to die. One of the most original narrators in literary history, she takes readers with her on a dazzling ride of a novel as she reflects – in a voice by turns darkly funny, bawdy, poignant, and always, always smart – on the mishaps, tragedies and turns of luck that shaped her life.

Born into a prominent political family, Herra’s idyllic childhood in the islands of western Iceland was brought to an abrupt end when her father foolishly cast his lot with a Hitler on the rise. Separated from her mother, and with her father away at war, she finds herself abandoned and alone in war-torn Germany, relying on her wits and occasional good fortune to survive. Now, with death approaching, forced to hack into her sons’ emails to have any contact with them at all, Herra decides to take control of her destiny and sets a date for her own cremation – at a temperature of 1,000 degrees.

In this international bestseller, Hallgrímur Helgason invites readers on a journey that is as hilarious as it is heartbreaking, and which ultimately tells the deeply moving story of a woman swept up by the forces of history.

Including brand-new paintings, this is a fully illustrated new edition of the forerunner to The Lord of the Rings, telling the earlier history of Middle-earth, recounting the events of the First and Second Ages, and introducing some of the key characters, such as Galadriel, Elrond, Elendil and the Dark Lord, Sauron. The Silmarillion is the core of J.R.R. Tolkien's imaginative writing, a collection of narratives ranging in time from the Elder Days of Middle-earth, through the Second Age and the rise of Sauron, to the end of the War of the Ring. They are set in an age when Morgoth, the first Dark Lord, dwelt in Middle-earth, and the Elves made war upon him in his impenetrable fortress in Angband for the recovery of the Silmarils, three jewels containing the last remaining pure light of Valinor, seized by Morgoth and set in his iron crown. Accompanying these tales are several shorter works. The Ainulindale is a myth of the Creation and in the Valaquenta the nature and powers of the gods is described. The Akallabeth recounts the downfall of the great island kingdom of Numenor at the end of the Second Age and Of the Rings of Power tells of the great events at the end of the Third Age, as told in The Lord of the Rings. Tolkien could not publish The Silmarillion in his lifetime, as it grew with him, so he would leave it to his son, Christopher, to edit the work from many manuscripts and bring his father's great vision to publishable form, so completing the literary achievement of a lifetime. This special edition presents anew this seminal first step towards mapping out the posthumous publishing of Middle-earth, and the beginning of an illustrious forty years and more than twenty books celebrating his father's legacy. Also included is a letter by J.R.R. Tolkien written in 1951 which provides a brilliant exposition of the earlier Ages, and almost 50 full-colour paintings by Ted Nasmith, including some which appear here for the first time.

David Sternlight is a Wall Street executive, whose career is on the ropes despite numerous contributions to his former firm, Dean, Adams & Company. Now semi-retired, David stays active trading the markets; but has many internal battles raging under a calm exterior. His wife Eva is one of his few sources of comfort. After a celebratory party for the promotion of his ex-boss, Jack Howell, David is aggressively recruited to join a secretive government agency led by a shadowy figure named John McCabe. The reason is McCabe's belief that certain predictive applications of Sternlight's financial software, Excalibur, can be adapted to the war on terror. Without much choice, Sternlight agrees and sees an opportunity to do good things while also fighting the severe mental depression he suffers since the death of his son, Andy, in the 9/11 World Trade Center attacks. Meanwhile in Iraq, a young Muslim boy, Hassan al Hassan, tips off American soldiers as to the location of their kidnapped squad member, who is saved at the last minute, from beheading. As the boy grows older, his peaceful interpretation of Islam gives him many followers and he becomes a young Imam known as "The Boy Prophet." However, militant supporters of Jihad continue in the world, one of which is a young Palestinian doctor named Samir Hijami. The doctor plans a biological strike with an Ebola-like virus that he plans to take within him from Pakistan to London, and then on to Las Vegas. Self-infected, he carries the virus like a viral suicide vest. The biological attack is somewhat obscured by other lesser terrorist actions predicted by Excalibur and going on simultaneously. The new terror strategy is a main strike within numerous head-fakes for distraction. Due to miscalculations by Hijami, the main center of the virus outbreak prematurely becomes London. The culmination of many events leads to the intersection of good and evil, and a surprising reaction within the Muslim world. In the aftermath of the terrorist attacks and the ongoing influence of the Boy Prophet, Sternlight comes to grips with his strengths and weaknesses; and the realization that more battles will still follow.

A chance meeting of two gay men from different backgrounds results in a romance that spans 60 years. They meet in the tumultuous year of 1968.

The dateline includes the important events of the gay movement agenda as well as the challenging events such as the Vietnam War. Rico is a war hero to the nation and becomes a celebrity to gay and lesbian people.

Their kennel in northern California becomes their life's work. They specialize in Shepherd dogs.

Rico and Kent marry in 2015 after 47 years together. Their founding of EUROCLONE proves interesting.

Skip O'Neill lies dying of leukemia in a New York hospital, determined to live until the new millennium. His wasted body shows scant evidence of the man he once was-an Air Force fighter pilot and decorated combat veteran.

O'Neill's first assignment as a young lieutenant places him among hard drinking World War II-and Korean War-era fighter pilots who quickly teach him their ways. He almost washes out of pilot training but is persistent and manages to graduate. In Vietnam, he proves to be a skillful and courageous pilot who faces dangers of all kinds with equanimity. But the greatest-and most deadly danger-materializes years after O'Neill volunteers to be an observer at an atomic test site.

In the end, O'Neill decides that when his time comes, he will dash at it fearlessly. He anticipates being greeted by departed friends-but what awaits him is something totally unexpected.