British Book Awards 2025

Hello to you — I have news. I have a new book: I Haven’t Been Entirely Honest With You. I know — what an intriguing title!Basically, I have had an unexpectedly difficult decade — there have been surprising joys, but also deep revelations and challenging lows. I shall be honest about those, because what I discovered in the difficult times were my, what I call, treasures. Treasures — practical tools, values, ways, answers researched from some great scientists, neuroscientists, therapists, sociologists (all the ‘ists’) out there, that have genuinely led to a sense of freedom, joy, peace and physical recovery I never would have thought possible. Life now, amazingly, with what I will share, is — such fun! (always important to quote your own catchphrases...)If you fancy having a read, then I hope my story might help your story. After all, we are in this beautiful, mysterious, challenging life together. Rest assured there are funny stories along the way — we will have a laugh too, my dear reader chum. Oh, and I couldn’t possibly say if there is a love story in it... (There is — shush) Exciting.

A stunning, deeply moving autobiographical novel about growing up in Beijing in the 1970s and 80s and taking part in Tiananmen Square protests.It is Beijing in the 1970s, and Lai lives with her parents, grandmother and younger brother in a small flat in a working-class area. Her grandmother is a formidable figure — no-nonsense and uncompromising, but loving towards her granddaughter — while her ageing mother snipes at her father, a sunken figure who has taken refuge in his work.As she grows up, Lai comes to discern the realities of the country she lives in. An early encounter with the police haunts her for years; her father makes her see that his quietness is a reaction to experiences he has lived through; and an old bookseller subtly introduces her to ideas and novels that open her mind to different perspectives. But she also goes through what anyone goes through when young — the ebbs and flows of friendships, troubles and rewards at home and at school, and the first steps and missteps in love.A gifted student, she is eventually given a scholarship to study at the prestigious Peking University. While there she meets new friends and starts to get involved in the student protests that have been gathering speed. It is the late 1980s, and change is in the air...A truly remarkable novel about coming to see the world as it is, Tiananmen Square tells the story of one girl's life growing up in China in the 1970s and 80s, and of the events in 1989 that reflect the hope and idealism of a generation, their heroism and courage, and the price some of them paid.

When an ex-Catholic woman develops a sexual relationship with a vampire, she is forced to confront the memories that haunt her religious past. Struggling to deal with the familial trauma of her Catholic upbringing, hotel cleaner Noelle travels to the Isle of Bute. There she meets a man who claims to be a vampire, and a relationship blooms between them based solely on confession. But as talk turns sacrilegious and the weather outside grows colder, Noelle struggles to come to terms with her blasphemous sexuality. She becomes hounded by memories of her mother's affair with the local priest, and the part she played in ending it.

And I have done more than just simply get bySo much more than escape or surviveThrough the galvanisation of love, time and patienceI’ll take hold of my story and thrive.After life that was seldom what life ought to beThrough laughter and love I’ll be wholeThis story is mine from the cover to spineAnd the narrative I will controlWhether she’s writing letters to her younger self, advocating for women’s rights or adapting fairy tales to process an abusive relationship, Len’s voice is bold, unashamedly frank and unmistakably hers.The poems in this collection, both funny and fiercely feminist, announce a formidable new talent. Moving deftly between English and Scots, poyums is as approachable as it is affecting.

The kingdom of Ilya is in turmoil…After surviving the Purging Trials, ordinary-born Paedyn Gray has killed the king and kickstarted a resistance throughout the land. Now she’s running from the one person she had wanted to run to.Kai Azer is now Ilya’s enforcer, loyal to his brother Kitt, the new king. He has vowed to find Paedyn and bring her to justice.Across the deadly Scorches and deep into the hostile city of Dor, Kai pursues the one person he wishes he didn’t have to. But in a city without elites, the balance between the hunter and hunted shifts — and the battle between duty and desire is deadly.

Alexei Navalny began writing Patriot shortly after his near-fatal poisoning in 2020. It is the full story of his life: his youth, his call to activism, his marriage and family, his commitment to challenging a world superpower determined to silence him, and his total conviction that change cannot be resisted—and will come.In vivid, page-turning detail, including never-before-seen correspondence from prison, Navalny recounts, among other things, his political career, the many attempts on his life, the lives of the people closest to him, and the relentless campaign he and his team waged against an increasingly dictatorial regime.Written with the passion, wit, candor, and bravery for which he was acclaimed, Patriot is Navalny’s final letter to the world: a moving account of his last years spent in the most brutal prison on earth; a reminder of why the principles of individual freedom matter so deeply; and a rousing call to continue the work for which he sacrificed his life.The powerful and moving memoir of a fearless political opposition leader who paid the ultimate price for his beliefs.Endorsements“This book is a testament not only to Alexei’s life, but to his unwavering commitment to the fight against dictatorship—a fight he gave everything for, including his life. Through its pages, readers will come to know the man I loved deeply—a man of profound integrity and unyielding courage. Sharing his story will not only honor his memory but also inspire others to stand up for what is right and to never lose sight of the values that truly matter.” — Yulia Navalnaya

When the enslaved Jim overhears that he is about to be sold to a man in New Orleans, separated from his wife and daughter forever, he decides to hide on nearby Jackson Island until he can formulate a plan. Meanwhile, Huck Finn has faked his own death to escape his violent father, recently returned to town. As all readers of American literature know, thus begins the dangerous and transcendent journey by raft down the Mississippi River toward the elusive and too-often-unreliable promise of the Free States and beyond.While many narrative set pieces of The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn remain in place (floods and storms, stumbling across both unexpected death and unexpected treasure in the myriad stopping points along the river’s banks, encountering the scam artists posing as the Duke and Dauphin…), Jim’s agency, intelligence and compassion are shown in a radically new light.A brilliant, action-packed reimagining of The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, both harrowing and ferociously funny, told from the enslaved Jim's point of view.

Aside from the fact that they are brothers, Peter and Ivan Koubek seem to have little in common.Peter is a Dublin lawyer in his thirties — successful, competent and apparently unassailable. But in the wake of their father's death, he's medicating himself to sleep and struggling to manage his relationships with two very different women — his enduring first love Sylvia, and Naomi, a college student for whom life is one long joke.Ivan is a twenty-two-year-old competitive chess player. He has always seen himself as socially awkward, a loner, the antithesis of his glib elder brother. Now, in the early weeks of his bereavement, Ivan meets Margaret, an older woman emerging from her own turbulent past, and their lives become rapidly and intensely intertwined.For two grieving brothers and the people they love, this is a new interlude — a period of desire, despair and possibility — a chance to find out how much one life might hold inside itself without breaking.

Eilis Lacey is Irish, married to Tony Fiorello, a plumber and one of four Italian American brothers, all of whom live in neighboring houses on a cul-de-sac in Lindenhurst, Long Island, with their wives and children and Tony’s parents, a huge extended family that lives and works, eats and plays together. It is the spring of 1976 and Eilis, now in her forties with two teenage children, has no one to rely on in this still-new country. Though her ties to Ireland remain stronger than those that hold her to her new land and home, she has not returned in decades.One day, when Tony is at his job and Eilis is in her home office doing her accounting, an Irishman comes to the door asking for her by name. He tells her that his wife is pregnant with Tony’s child and that when the baby is born, he will not raise it but instead deposit it on Eilis’s doorstep. It is what Eilis does—and what she refuses to do—in response to this stunning news that makes Tóibín’s novel so riveting.Long Island is about longings unfulfilled, even unrecognized. The silences in Eilis’ life are thunderous and dangerous, and there’s no one more deft than Tóibín at giving them language. This is a gorgeous story of a woman alone in a marriage and the deepest bonds she rekindles on her return to the place and people she left behind, to ways of living and loving she thought she’d lost.A spectacularly moving and intense novel of secrecy, misunderstanding, and love, the story of Eilis Lacey, the complex and enigmatic heroine of Brooklyn, Tóibín’s most popular work twenty years later.EndorsementsFrom the beloved, critically acclaimed New York Times bestselling author.

Marnie is stuck. Stuck working alone in her London flat, stuck battling the long afternoons and a life that increasingly feels like it's passing her by.Michael is coming undone. Reeling from his wife's departure, increasingly reclusive, taking himself on long, solitary walks across the moors and fells.When a persistent mutual friend and some very English weather conspire to bring them together, Marnie and Michael suddenly find themselves alone on the most epic of walks and on the precipice of a new friendship.But can it survive the journey?A new love story by beloved bestseller David Nicholls, You Are Here is a novel of first encounters, second chances and finding the way home.

Being an adult isn’t quite what Ellie Allard dreamed it would be when she was fourteen years old. Though she’s got her beautiful daughter Lottie, life-long best friends in Magda and Nadine and her trusty cat Stella, her love life is non-existent and she feels like she’s been living on auto-pilot, just grateful to be able to afford the rent on her pokey little flat. But this year on her birthday, the universe seems to decide it’s time for all that to change — whether Ellie wants it to or not. As she navigates new, exciting and often choppy waters, she’s about to discover that life will never stop surprising you — if only you let it.Whatever happened to beloved Girls series characters Ellie, Magda and Nadine? They're all grown up now — but if they think life's done surprising them, they'd better think again...

A semi-famous artist announces her plan to drive cross-country from LA to NY. Thirty minutes after leaving her husband and child at home, she spontaneously exits the freeway, beds down in a nondescript motel, and immerses herself in a temporary reinvention that turns out to be the start of an entirely different journey. Miranda July's second novel confirms the brilliance of her unique approach to fiction. With July's wry voice, perfect comic timing, unabashed curiosity about human intimacy, and palpable delight in pushing boundaries, All Fours tells the story of one woman's quest for a new kind of freedom. Part absurd entertainment, part tender reinvention of the sexual, romantic, and domestic life of a 45-year-old female artist, All Fours transcends expectations while excavating our beliefs about life lived as a woman. Once again, July hijacks the familiar and turns it into something new and thrillingly and profoundly alive.

The pressure is building for Greg Heffley, who discovers that when you mix heaps of family, a tiny beach house, and sweltering heat, it’s a recipe for disaster. Speaking of recipes—the secret ingredients behind Gramma’s famous meatballs have been closely guarded for years. Can Greg unpack all of his family’s mysteries before their vacation is over? Or will he just stir the pot?This sidesplittingly relatable summer story is the funniest Wimpy Kid book yet!

On the streets of White Roaring, Arthie Casimir is a criminal mastermind and collector of secrets. Her prestigious tearoom transforms into an illegal bloodhouse by night, catering to the vampires feared by society. But when her establishment is threatened, Arthie is forced to strike an unlikely deal with an alluring adversary to save it—she can’t do the job alone.Calling on some of the city’s most skilled outcasts, Arthie hatches a plan to infiltrate the sinister, glittering vampire society known as the Athereum. But not everyone in her ragtag crew is on her side, and as the truth behind the heist unfolds, Arthie finds herself in the midst of a conspiracy that will threaten the world as she knows it.Dark, action-packed, and swoonworthy, this is Hafsah Faizal better than ever.

Rebel is a good dog, and he loves his simple, perfect life on the farm with his owner, Tom, until one day the war comes too close. Now Tom is determined to join the rebellion to defeat the King's men. But Rebel knows war is dangerous, and he will stop at nothing to save the human he loves.

Kira North hates Christmas, which is unfortunate since she just bought a Christmas tree farm in a town that’s too cute for its own good.Bennett Ellis is on vacation in Dream Harbor, taking a break from his life in California and, most importantly, from his latest run of disastrous dates.After a run-in with Kira in her fields, Ben has no intention of offering to help the grumpy owner set up her tree farm, despite the fact she clearly has no idea what she’s doing.Kira knows she should stop being so stubborn, but her farm is not all cute and cozy like people always show on social media. It’s borderline dangerous with no heating, and she’d rather no one saw it.But somehow fate finds Ben at Kira’s farm once more, and as Kira watches him swing an ax at the first tree, she finds herself appreciating his strength and questioning why she refused help in the first place.Tropes:• grumpy x sunshine • small town • forced proximity • one bedThe Christmas Tree Farm is a spicy romantic mystery for fans of Gilmore Girls with a guaranteed HEA.

Lottie Brooks is back and she's as brilliant as ever! Join Lottie as she navigates the many perils of growing up.Fantastically funny, illustrated series for a 9-12 audience - filled with friendship, embarrassing moments and plenty of LOLs.

Meet Sam...She's not got much, but she's grateful for what she has: a job she's just about clinging on to and a family who depend on her for everything. She knows she's one bad day away from losing it all — and just hopes today isn't it...Meet Nisha...She's got everything she always dreamed of — and more: a phenomenally rich husband; an international lifestyle; and... she's just been locked out of all of it after her husband initiates divorce proceedings...Sam and Nisha should never have crossed paths. But after a bag mix-up at the gym, their lives become intertwined — even as they spiral out of control.Each blames the other as they feel increasingly invisible, forgotten, lost — and desperately alone.But they're not.Who are you when you are forced to walk in someone else's shoes? No woman is an island. Look around. Family. Friends. Strangers. Even the woman you believe just ruined your life might turn out to be your best friend. Because together you can do anything — like take back what is yours...

Yeeran is a warrior in the elven army and has known nothing but violence her whole life. Her sister, Lettle, is trying to make a living as a diviner, seeking prophecies of a better future.When a fatal mistake leads to Yeeran’s exile from the Elven lands, they are both forced into the terrifying wilderness beyond their borders. There they encounter the fae court.The fae haven’t been seen for a millennium. But now Yeeran and Lettle are thrust into their seductive world – torn between their loyalty to each other, their elven homeland, and their hearts...

Nuneaton, 1875.Lily Moon, the local miner's daughter, spends her days as a parlour maid for Lord and Lady Bellingham at Oakley Manor, on the outskirts of Nuneaton. She's always been happy with her lot in life and never expected more. But one day everything changes when she temporarily becomes lady's maid to the Bellinghams' daughter, Arabella, who is pregnant with an illegitimate child.When Arabella suddenly disappears and Lily is left holding the baby, it is only Arabella's brother, the handsome son and heir of the estate, who shows any interest in the child. Soon a friendship forms between him and Lily. Or perhaps more than a friendship if the village gossips are to be believed...When Lily is called to Paris to try to bring Arabella home to her family, a new opportunity emerges that could change her life forever.Could Lily dare to believe that she could be more than just a parlour maid?

Bryce Quinlan never expected to see a world other than Midgard, but now that she has, all she wants is to get back. Everything she loves is in Midgard: her family, her friends, her mate. Stranded in a strange new world, she's going to need all her wits about her to get home again. And that's no easy feat when she has no idea who to trust.Hunt Athalar has found himself in some deep holes in his life, but this one might be the deepest of all. After a few brief months with everything he ever wanted, he's in the Asteri's dungeons again, stripped of his freedom and without a clue as to Bryce's fate. He's desperate to help her, but until he can escape the Asteri's leash, his hands are quite literally tied.In this sexy, breathtaking sequel, Sarah J. Maas's Crescent City series reaches new heights as Bryce and Hunt's world is brought to the brink of collapse — with its future resting on their shoulders.

Steve Wheeler is enjoying retired life. He does the odd bit of investigation work, but he prefers his familiar habits and routines: the pub quiz, his favorite bench, his cat waiting for him when he comes home. His days of adventure are over: adrenaline is his daughter-in-law Amy’s business now.Amy Wheeler thinks adrenaline is good for the soul. As a private security officer, she doesn’t stay still long enough for habits or routines. She’s currently on a remote island keeping world-famous author Rosie D’Antonio alive, which was meant to be an easy job.Then a dead body, a bag of money, and a killer with their sights on Amy have her sending an SOS to the only person she trusts. A breakneck race around the world begins, but can Amy and Steve stay one step ahead of a lethal enemy?A brand new series. An iconic new detective duo. And a puzzling new murder to solve...

'Life ain't always sunshine and flowers... I'm learning how to own my own s**t and refusing to let it own me. I hope this book will help you do the same.'This year's breakout Strictly Come Dancing favourite shares the journey that has seen him overcome grief, mental health trials and challenges and burst onto our screens. This is Pete Wicks off-camera, raw, honest and without the bravado.Behind the humour, swearing, dogs and nonsense, Never Enough is a no-holds-barred account of life through Pete Wicks' lens. He shares his mental health challenges and approach to life — starting with his journey as a 16-year-old who had the words 'Never Enough' tattooed across his body, a marker of a time of anger and sadness, but also of his struggles with self-worth.Still very much a work-in-progress, Pete reveals the lessons he has learned — the good, the bad and the ugly. He calls time on toxic positivity, the damaging impact of social media, the pressures of masculinity and our desire to remain relevant, opening up about grief, love and friendship along the way.

For the last 100,000 years, we Sapiens have accumulated enormous power. But despite all our discoveries, inventions and conquests, we now find ourselves in an existential crisis. The world is on the verge of ecological collapse. Misinformation abounds. And we are rushing headlong into the age of AI — a new information network that threatens to annihilate us. If we are so wise, why are we so self-destructive?Nexus considers how the flow of information has shaped us, and our world. Taking us from the Stone Age through the Bible, early modern witch-hunts, Stalinism, Nazism and the resurgence of populism today, Yuval Noah Harari asks us to consider the complex relationship between information and truth, bureaucracy and mythology, wisdom and power. He explores how different societies and political systems have wielded information to achieve their goals, for good and ill. And he addresses the urgent choices we face as non-human intelligence threatens our very existence.Information is not the raw material of truth, nor is it a mere weapon. Nexus explores the hopeful middle ground between these extremes and how we might rediscover our shared humanity.

In 1413, when Henry V ascended to the English throne, his kingdom was hopelessly torn apart by political faction and partisanship. Public finances and law and order were in a state of crisis. Pirates tormented the coast; plots, conspiracies, and heresy threatened society. The lingering effects of the worst pandemic in human history continued to menace daily life. And then, in less than ten years, Henry turned it all around.By common consensus in his day, and for hundreds of years afterward, Henry was the greatest medieval king that ever lived. Through skillful leadership, unwavering vision, and seemingly by sheer force of personality, he managed to catapult his realm into its greatest triumphs: he united the political community behind the crown, renewed the justice system, and revived England’s maritime dominance. His military achievements in France, most notably the resounding, against-the-odds victory at Agincourt, are central to that legacy. He was tough, lucky, intelligent, farsighted, and cultured, but he was also, at times, cold, callous, violent, by instinct a traditionalist, and even a reactionary. A historical titan, his legacy over the years has become a complicated one.As an exceptional leader, Henry V transcends the Middle Ages that produced him, and his life story has much to teach us today. Drawing on the latest scholarship and writing with his characteristic wit and style, Dan Jones examines the king’s legendary life—and he puts Henry’s claim to greatness vigorously to the test.EndorsementsThe New York Times bestselling author returns with a biography examining the dramatic life and unparalleled leadership of England's greatest medieval king.

'Your friends would probably describe me as nice. But guess what? I can't stand your friends. I'm a liar. I'm a thief. I'm highly manipulative. I don't care what other people think. I'm capable of almost anything.'Ever since she was a small child, Patric Gagne knew she was different. Although she felt intense love for her family and her best friend, David, these connections were never enough to make her be 'good', or to reduce her feelings of apathy and frustration. As she grew older, her behaviour escalated from petty theft through to breaking and entering, stalking, and worse.As an adult, Patric realized that she was a sociopath. Although she instantly connected with the official descriptions of sociopathy, she also knew they didn't tell the full story: she had a plan for her life, had nurtured close relationships, and was doing her best (most of the time) to avoid harming others. As her darker impulses warred against her attempts to live a settled, loving life with her partner, Patric began to wonder — was there a way for sociopaths to integrate happily into society? And could she find it before her own behaviour went a step too far?Sociopath: A Memoir is at once a mesmerizing tale of a life lived on the edge of the law, a redemptive love story, and a moving account of one woman's battle to create a place for herself and the 5% of the population who are, like her, sociopaths.

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.Anna has just lost her taste for the Big Apple… We all make mistakes. But when do we stop making the same one over and over again?Endorsements'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

When retired math teacher Grace Winters is left a run-down house on a Mediterranean island by a long-lost friend, curiosity gets the better of her. She arrives in Ibiza with a one-way ticket, no guidebook and no plan.Among the rugged hills and golden beaches of the island, Grace searches for answers about her friend’s life, and how it ended. What she uncovers is stranger than she could have dreamed. But to dive into this impossible truth, Grace must first come to terms with her past.“What looks like magic is simply a part of life we don’t understand yet…” Filled with wonder and wild adventure, this is a story of hope and the life-changing power of a new beginning.

WARNING - this book includes: heavy crimes, car journeys, dreadfulness, large fruits, romance, planning applications, and a lot of pie.Gary Thorn is struggling with a big decision. Should he stay in London, wallowing in the safety of his legal job in Peckham and eating pies with his next door neighbour, Grace and her dog Lassoo, or should he move to Brighton, where his girlfriend Emily is about to open The Hotel Avocado? Either way, he’d be letting someone down.But sinister forces are gathering in a cloud of launderette scented-vape smoke, and the arrival of the mysterious Mr Sequence puts Gary in an even worse predicament: soon he might be dead.All Gary wants is a happy life. But he also wants to be alive to enjoy it…

Welcome to the woods. It's chaos in there! Bunny and his friends — Weenie the Squirrel, Pig (the pig), Action Beaver and Skunky the Inventor — lived a peaceful life in the forest until Monkey's rocket crash-landed and he decided to take over.Now Monkey is causing mayhem, Bunny is determined to put a stop to it, and... what's that? It's an out-of-control shark tank, ruining a lovely picnic!Fast and furry-ous!

Winston Smith is a low-rung member of the Party, the ruling government of Oceania. He works in the Ministry of Truth, the Party's propaganda arm, where he is in charge of revising history. He is but a small brick in the pyramid that is the Party, at the head of which stands Big Brother, the infallible. Big Brother, the all-powerful. In a totalitarian society where individuality is suppressed and freedom of thought has its antithesis in the Thought Police, Winston finds respite in the company of Julia. Originality of thought awakens, love blooms, and hope is rekindled. But what they don't know is that Big Brother is always watching...

A new true-crime fueled mystery thriller about a girl determined to uncover the shocking truth about her missing mother while filming a documentary on the unsolved case.Lights. Camera. Lies.18-year-old Bel has lived her whole life in the shadow of her mom’s mysterious disappearance. Sixteen years ago, Rachel Price vanished and young Bel was the only witness, but she has no memory of it. Rachel is gone, long presumed dead, and Bel wishes everyone would just move on. But the case is dragged up from the past when the Price family agree to a true crime documentary. Bel can’t wait for filming to end, for life to go back to normal. And then the impossible happens. Rachel Price reappears, and life will never be normal again.Rachel has an unbelievable story about what happened to her. Unbelievable, because Bel isn’t sure it’s real. If Rachel is lying, then where has she been all this time? And – could she be dangerous? With the cameras still rolling, Bel must uncover the truth about her mother, and find out why Rachel Price really came back from the dead . . . From world-renowned author Holly Jackson comes a mind-blowing masterpiece about one girl’s search for the truth, and the terror in finding out who your family really is.

A breakout thriller from an award-winning writer. Can two parents find their lost children before disaster strikes?In London, the police storm Heathrow Airport to bring in a father for questioning about his missing daughter.In Florida, a mother makes a connection between her son and the bomber, fearing he has been radicalized.And in Oregon, an unknown organization’s conspiracy to bring America to its knees unfolds…On the run from the authorities, the two parents are thrown together in a race against time to stop a catastrophe that will derail the country’s future forever.But can they find their kids before it’s too late?For fans of The Chain and I Am Pilgrim, this groundbreaking, blockbuster thriller is unlike any other thriller you will read.Endorsements“Enthralling.” — New York Times Book Review

1975 is a time of change in America. The Vietnam War is ending. Muhammad Ali is fighting Joe Frazier. And in the small town of Monta Clare, Missouri, girls are disappearing.When the daughter of a wealthy family is targeted, the most unlikely hero emerges—Patch, a local boy with one eye, who saves the girl, and, in doing so, leaves heartache in his wake.Patch and those who love him soon discover that the line between triumph and tragedy has never been finer and that their search for answers will lead them to truths that could mean losing one another.A missing-person mystery, a serial-killer thriller, a love story — with a unique twist on each. Chris Whitaker has written a novel about what lurks in the shadows of obsession, and the blinding light of hope.From the New York Times bestselling author of We Begin at the End comes a soaring thriller and an epic love story that spans decades.Endorsements“Impeccably crafted, deeply emotional, entirely shattering. I was captivated from page one.” — Bonnie Garmus

Tasha has always felt in the shadow of her older sister, Alice. Their lifestyles couldn't be more different: Alice is married to wealthy entrepreneur Kyle and has a high-flying career. Tasha is married to her childhood sweetheart and lives in a Bristol suburb with their four-year-old twins.When Alice realises that Tasha is struggling — with money, the kids, losing her identity — she suggests they do a life-swap for a week. Alice and Kyle will come to stay at Tasha's terraced house to look after the twins, while Tasha and Harry spend the week in Alice and Kyle's Venice apartment.But a few days in, it all goes terribly wrong. Tasha receives a phone call saying Alice is in hospital and Kyle is dead after an intruder broke into their house. They think it must have been a burglary gone wrong.Until a note arrives through the letterbox saying "It was supposed to be you."Who was there that night, and why?Is it really Tasha they are targeting?And can these two sisters find the answers they need, or are they about to stumble upon something more sinister?

When beautiful and vivacious Charlotte Salter fails to turn up to her husband Alec’s 50th birthday party, her kids are worried, but Alec is not. As the days pass and there’s still no word from Charlie, her daughter, Etty, and her sons, Niall, Paul and Ollie, all struggle to come to terms with her disappearance.How can anyone just vanish without a trace? Left with no answers and in limbo, the Salter children try to go on with their lives, all the while thinking that their mother’s killer is potentially very close to home.After years away, Etty returns home to the small East Anglian village where she grew up to help move her father into a care home. Now in his eighties, Alec has dementia and often mistakes his daughter for her mother.Etty is a changed woman from the trouble-free girl she was when Charlie was still around — all the Salter children have spent decades running and hiding from their mother’s disappearance.But when their childhood friends, Greg and Morgen Ackerley, decide to do a podcast about Charlotte’s disappearance, it seems like the town’s buried secrets — and the Salters’ — might finally come to light.After all this time, will they finally find out what really happened to Charlotte Salter?She’s loved by all who meet her. But someone wants her gone…

'What if we decided to try and find him?''What on earth are you on about?' she said. 'How are we going to catch the Yorkshire Ripper, when the police haven't even managed to?'I sighed. Her questioning my ideas was a recent and unwelcome element to our friendship. But it was a valid point. How would we catch him? We needed some sort of plan, a way of gathering clues and putting them into order.I thought about what the policeman had said about structure, and then about Aunty Jean and her notebook, and the idea I had hardened like toffee. I knew exactly what we needed to do.'We'll make a list,' I said. 'A list of the people and things we see that are suspicious.''And then... And then we'll investigate them.'The List of Suspicious Things is a tender and moving coming of age story about family, friendship and community. Sometimes the strongest connections are found in the most unlikely of places.EndorsementsBBC Radio 2 Book Club pick

Hera is in her mid-twenties, which seems young to everyone except people in their mid-twenties.Since leaving school, she has been trying to kick and scream into existence a life she cares about, but with little success so far.Until she meets Arthur.He works with her, he is older than her, he is also married. But in her soulless office—the large cold room she feels destined to spend her life in—he is a source of much-needed sustenance.And though Hera has previously dated women, she soon falls headlong into a workplace romance that will quickly consume her life.Laugh-out-loud funny, deeply moving and whip smart, Green Dot is a story about the terrible allure of wanting something that promises nothing and the winding, torturous, often hilarious journey we take in deciding who we are and who we want to be.EndorsementsA best book of 2024 in Stylist, Daily Mail, The I, Irish Times, Sunday Times and Red."One of the best books you will read all year" — Elizabeth Day"Incredibly funny. Every sentence sparkles" — Caitlin Moran"Imagine the intensity of Annie Ernaux's Simple Passion written with the lightness of Bridget Jones's Diary and the irreverence of Fleabag" — The Sunday Times"One of the most entertaining reads we've had in a long time" — Stylist"This year's Sorrow and Bliss. Hilarious and heartbreaking" — Daily Mail"So droll, bawdy, sexy, hilarious and good fun, everything you read thereafter seems dull in comparison" — The I"The debut of the year" — The I"A hilarious novel about falling in love with someone you really shouldn't ... I raced through it with increasing delight" — Daily Mail"Witty as Fleabag, psychologically insightful as Sally Rooney" — Lucie Whitehouse"If you liked Fleabag you will love Green Dot" — Pandora Sykes"It's positively indecent that a book this funny should also be so moving and wise and well-observed" — Rebecca Wait"Gutting, funny, smart, smart, smart. Madeleine Gray is a hilarious, humane, and highly perceptive writer" — Claire Lombardo"Sentence by sentence perfection. Razor sharp, hilarious, clever, and devastatingly honest" — Louise O'Neill"A novel everyone will be talking about" — Grazia"Full of incredibly sharp sentences and darkly comic moments" — BBC Culture

It's 412 BC, and Athens' invasion of Sicily has failed catastrophically. Thousands of Athenian soldiers are held captive in the quarries of Syracuse, starving, dejected and hanging on by the slimmest of threads.Lampo and Gelon are local potters, young men with no work and barely two obols to rub together. With not much to fill their time, they take to visiting the nearby quarry, where they discover prisoners who will, in desperation, recite lines from the plays of Euripides in return for scraps of bread and a scattering of olives.And so an idea is born: the men will put on Medea in the quarry. A proper performance to be sung of down the ages. Because after all, you can hate the Athenians for invading your territory, but still love their poetry.But as the performance draws near and the audacity of their enterprise dawns on them, it becomes difficult to distinguish between enemies and friends. And Lampo, whose ambitions have never stretched beyond having enough coin for the next jug of wine, finds his aspirations elevated, his heart entangled and his courage tested in ways he could never have imagined.Glorious Exploits is an exhilarating and fiercely original story of brotherhood, war and art; and — in the face of the Gods' apparent indifference — of daring to dream of something bigger than ourselves.Endorsements'Bold and totally unexpected, I loved this book' — Douglas Stuart, author of Shuggie Bain'A very special, very clever, very entertaining novel' — Roddy Doyle, author of Paddy Clarke, Ha Ha Ha'Madly ambitious, cathartic like all great tragedy, but shockingly funny too, Ferdia Lennon's outstandingly original début is just glorious' — Emma Donoghue, author of Room

Imagine you could hold a baby hare and bottle-feed it. Imagine that it lived under your roof and lolloped around your bedroom at night, drumming on the duvet cover when it wanted your attention. Imagine that, over two years later, it still ran in from the fields when you called it and snoozed in your house for hours on end. This happened to me.When lockdown led busy professional Chloe to leave the city and return to the countryside of her childhood, she never expected to find herself the custodian of a newborn hare. Yet when she finds the creature, endangered, alone and no bigger than her palm, she is compelled to give it a chance at survival.Raising Hare chronicles their journey together and the challenges of caring for the leveret and preparing for its return to the wild. We witness an extraordinary relationship between human and animal, rekindling our sense of awe towards nature and wildlife.This improbable bond of trust serves to remind us that the most remarkable experiences, inspiring the most hope, often arise when we least expect them.

There are two things that I can simply not tolerate: feminists and margarine.Gourmet cook Manako Kajii sits in Tokyo Detention Center convicted of the serial murders of lonely businessmen, whom she is said to have seduced with her delicious home cooking. The case has captured the nation’s imagination but Kajii refuses to speak with the press, entertaining no visitors. That is, until journalist Rika Machida writes a letter asking for her recipe for beef stew, and Kajii can’t resist writing back.Rika, the only woman in her news office, works late each night, rarely cooking more than ramen. As the visits unfold between her and the steely Kajii, they are closer to a masterclass in food than journalistic research. Rika hopes this gastronomic exchange will help her soften Kajii, but it seems that she might be the one changing. With each meal she eats, something is awakening in her body. Might she and Kajii have more in common than she once thought?Inspired by the real case of the convicted con woman and serial killer, "The Konkatsu Killer," Asako Yuzuki’s Butter is a vivid, unsettling exploration of misogyny, obsession, romance and the transgressive pleasures of food in Japan.

As an assassin for the rebellion, Raeve's job is to complete orders and never get caught. When a rival bounty hunter shatters her world, Raeve finds herself captured by the Guild of Nobels - a group of powerful fae.Crushed by the loss of his great love, dragon rider Kaan Vaegor took the head of a king and donned his melted crown. Now on a tireless quest to quell the never-ebbing ache in his chest, a clue lures him into the capital's high-security prison where he stumbles upon the imprisoned Raeve...Together, they seek truths that threaten to unravel everything they knew about their world - and each other.When the Moon Hatched will transport you into a world filled with magic, dragons and a love that blazes through the ages.

A boy meets a girl. The past meets the future. A finger meets a trigger. The beginning meets the end. England is forever. England must fall.In the near future, a disaffected civil servant is offered a lucrative job in a mysterious new government ministry gathering 'expats' from across history to test the limits of time-travel.Her role is to work as a 'bridge': living with, assisting and monitoring the expat known as '1847' - Commander Graham Gore. As far as history is concerned, Commander Gore died on Sir John Franklin's doomed expedition to the Arctic, so he's a little disoriented to find himself alive and surrounded by outlandish concepts such as 'washing machine', 'Spotify' and 'the collapse of the British Empire'. With an appetite for discovery and a seven-a-day cigarette habit, he soon adjusts; and during a long, sultry summer he and his bridge move from awkwardness to genuine friendship, to something more.But as the true shape of the project that brought them together begins to emerge, Gore and the bridge are forced to confront their past choices and imagined futures. Can love triumph over the structures and histories that have shaped them? And how do you defy history when history is living in your house?

What do you want, when no one is watching?What do you want, when the lights are off?What do you want, when you are anonymous?When we talk about sex, we talk about womanhood and motherhood, infidelity and exploitation, consent and respect, fairness and egalitarianism, love and hate, pleasure and pain. And yet for many reasons—some complicated, some not—so many of us don’t talk about it. Our deepest, most intimate fears and fantasies remain locked away inside of us, until someone comes along with the key.Here’s the key.Gillian Anderson collects and introduces the anonymous letters of hundreds of women from around the world (along with her own anonymous letter). From a Sikh woman who writes about her secret lust for her brother-in-law, an Apache American woman who wants to be worshipped like a divine creature, a white British woman who just wants to be properly kissed one last time, another who likes to role play as a panther, or a Hispanic Jewish woman living in Bangladesh, for whom the pinnacle of sexual arousal is a doorknob, Want reveals how women feel about sex when they have the freedom to be totally anonymous.A collection of women's sexual fantasies from around the world, Want is a revelatory, sensational and game-changing exploration of women's sexuality that asks, and answers: How do women feel about sex when they have the freedom to be totally anonymous? What do you want?

Sir Chris Hoy knows better than most how life can change in the blink of an eye.In elite sport, the margin between victory and defeat is minuscule, and the pressure is immense. Chris has built a glittering sporting career by understanding how to feel that pressure, how to cope with it, and how to make it count.Last year, he faced another life-changing moment. He found out that the ache in his shoulder was in fact a tumour, and that he had Stage 4 cancer.He will be living with this disease for the rest of his life.In this memoir, Chris shares the next phase of his extraordinary life with exceptional bravery. He reflects on the challenges he has faced and the ways he has taken them on. With his wife Sarra and their young children by his side, he shares how he has used these experiences to find ways to focus on the moments that matter, showing us how to do the same.EndorsementsThe instant no. 1 Sunday Times bestsellerA Sunday Times best biography of the year'It's an incredible read for anyone facing adversity in their life; how to cope with it, how to stay positive in really difficult situations.' — Sally Nugent'A throat-catching love letter to his wife and children . . . this lovely man has reframed a universally sad story into a life-enhancing one. The overall message is one of hope.' — The Times'It's just stunning; funny and beautifully written.' — The Chris Evans Breakfast Show'A candid, sad yet ultimately life-affirming book. There is a thread of gratitude that runs far deeper than performative celebrity humility.' — The Guardian

Underlying everything in the book is Johnson’s belief that the UK is an extraordinary country and should have an exceptional future.From trouncing Ken Livingstone in the London mayoral race in 2008 to becoming Prime Minister, he takes readers through all the big decisions during his time in power and the reasons he took them. The challenges and crises, how they were resolved – or not – and how he nearly died from Covid. Riots, knife crime, bikes, buses, the London Olympics and so much more. He writes about his role in Brexit and the constitutional sea-change that took place in British politics in 2019 – with his landslide election victory and the massive expansion in the groups that think of themselves as Conservative.Shattering the mould of the modern prime ministerial memoir and written in his inimitable style, Boris Johnson’s Unleashed is an honest, unrestrained and deeply revealing book by the politician who has dominated our times. This is the reality as he saw it: unvarnished, uncensored, unleashed.

Set in a country where being gay is punishable by law, These Letters End in Tears is the heart-wrenching forbidden love story of a Christian girl with a deviant heart and a Muslim girl leading a double life.Bessem notices Fatima for the first time on the soccer field—muscular and focused, she’s the only woman playing and seems completely at ease. When Fatima chases a rogue ball in her direction, Bessem freezes, mesmerized by the athlete’s charm and beauty. One playful wink from Fatima, and Bessem knows her life will never be the same.In Cameroon, a country where same-sex relationships are punishable by law, the odds are stacked against Bessem and Fatima from the start. And when Fatima’s older brother, a staunch Muslim, finds out about their affair, he intervenes by physically assaulting them, an incident that precedes a police raid at the only gay bar in town. After spending days in jail, Fatima goes missing without a trace, and Bessem is left with only rumors of her whereabouts. Has Fatima been sentenced to an unknown prison? Has she been banished from her community, or married off, as some have suggested? Or something even more sinister?Thirteen years later, Bessem is now a university professor leading a relatively quiet life, occasionally and secretly dating other women. However, she has never forgotten Fatima. After spotting a mutual friend for the first time in years—the last person who may have seen Fatima—Bessem embarks on a winding search for her lost love.

Everyone is originally from Africa, and this book is therefore for everyone.For too long, Africa's history has been neglected. Dominated by Western narratives of slavery and colonialism, its past has been fragmented, overlooked and denied its rightful place in our global story.Now, Zeinab Badawi guides us through Africa's spectacular history, from the origins of humanity through ancient civilisations and medieval empires with powerful queens and kings, to the miseries of conquest and the elation of independence.Seeking out occluded histories from across the continent, meeting with countless historians, anthropologists, archaeologists and local storytellers, and travelling through more than thirty countries, Badawi weaves together a fascinating new account of an epic, sweeping history of the oldest inhabited continent on the planet, told through the voices of Africans themselves.

Winnifred "Win" McNulty has always been wildly independent. Not one to be coddled for her limb difference, Win has spent most of her life trying to prove that she can do it all on her own. And, with some minor adjustments, she's done just fine. That is until she has a one-night stand with the incredibly charming Bo, a perfect stranger. And that one night changes everything. While Bo is surprisingly elated to step up to the plate, Win finds herself unsure of whether she can handle this new challenge on her own or if she’ll need a helping hand. Together, Win and Bo decide to get to know one another as friends and nothing more. But, as they both should know by now, life rarely goes according to plan.