Best known for his hardboiled Harlem Detective series, Chester Himes was also a superb literary writer, beginning his creative life by writing short stories in the 1930s while serving jail time for armed robbery. Selected here are some of his best stories – from a satirical tale about a student bet that purportedly disproves the existence of racism in Los Angeles to a chilling drama in which a snake invades a family home.
‘I’m not the sort of husband you dream of when you’re walking alone along the avenue in the evening, am I? And it would be a disaster, wouldn’t it?’
How does love die? This question lies at the heart of Tolstoy’s desperately sad novella. It tells the story of seventeen-year-old Masha who, despite their differences, falls passionately in love with an older man, and marries him. Soon, however, the gap between them becomes unbridgeable.
No thinking person can or does genuinely keep out of politics, in an age like the present one
Unfailingly wise and often startlingly prophetic, George Orwell’s essays are masterpieces of plain English prose. This stirring new collection brings together his most cherished pieces with lesser-known gems, ranging over everything from tree planting to living with the atom bomb, sleeping rough to the perils of getting what you want in politics.
Edgar Allen Poe’s short stories have lost none of their power to horrify. He remains a destabilizingly terse sketcher out of ideas, a writer who allows the reader to fill in the many ghastly blanks in his narratives of violence, retribution and animalism. It is hard to recommend Hop-Frog wholeheartedly (its original subtitle was: Or, The Eight Chained Ourang-Outangs) as it is such an affront to decency, but you will certainly never forget it.
Longing shimmers from these spare but profoundly moving short stories by one of Denmark’s most fearless and sharp-eyed authors. In these tales of inarticulate desire and repression, Ditlevsen pulls to the surface our deepest interiorities in devastating, exacting prose.
Few artists' letters are as self-revelatory as Vincent van Gogh's. From the humanistic inspiration behind The Potato Eaters to his long-time obsession with painting the vision that eventually became The Starry Night, the letters in this selection paint an intense personal narrative of his artistic development and creative process across the years. They reveal a man of great spiritual and emotional depths who – in his own words – did everything ‘for art and for life itself’.
‘I had rather die in the adventure of noble achievements, than live in obscure and sluggish security’
In 1666, Margaret Cavendish had a vision: there was a crack in reality at the North Pole leading to a utopian parallel universe, where gender roles, scientific orthodoxy and political norms had been razed to the ground. She slipped through the portal and returned with the first science fiction novel in English – an explosive account of the Blazing World.
It’s terribly important that I get in touch with a gentleman who may have stopped in here to buy flowers this morning. Terribly important.
Sometimes, the person you think you love isn’t who they seem. And sometimes, you can be your own deception. Spanning Shirley Jackson's entire career, these devilish tales of love, death, and despair show us how all that keeps us safe in suburbia can strike up, leave, and instantly disappear.
Collecting two of his most celebrated works – Rescue, written in Warsaw in the shadow of Nazi occupation, and A Treatise on Poetry – a momentous history of Poland, told in four cantos – here lie the sharpest fruits of one of the greatest poets of the 20th century: the Nobel Laureate who narrates the rise and fall of nations, who ‘voices man’s exposed condition in a world of severe conflicts’.
Plagued by ill-health, violently sick at sea, irritated by renovation costs: Seneca is never less than sympathetically human. In these letters written 2000 years ago, the ancient philosopher speaks to the reader today with lucidity and warmth. Whether advising on how to live a good life, spend time alone or free oneself from fears of death, Seneca is the wise and compassionate friend we all need now.
What can you say, when a man asks you to dance with him? I most certainly will not dance with you. I’ll see you in hell first. Why, thank you, I’d like to awfully, but I’m having labor pains.
Acerbic, pithy and vibrant, Dorothy Parker’s writings capture the dizzying decadence of Jazz Age New York. Though Parker refuses to be swept along: she gleefully deconstructs its hypocrisy, prejudice and taboos with style and precision.
My dear friend, he said, life is strange and strange things happen in life'
It is a hot July Sunday in Lisbon and our narrator has an appointment to meet someone by the quayside. But when his guest does not arrive, he spends the day wandering the deserted city, encountering some memorable characters along the way: a disoriented taxi driver, an accordionist, a Seller of Stories and, finally, the long-awaited ghost of the late, great Fernando Pessoa.
The old, top-down approach to leadership doesn't work any more. What we need is a more flexible, creative approach – one that empowers people to do their best work, rather than tells them to do so.
In Creative Leadership, Rama Gheerawo applies the mind of a design expert to the twenty-first-century organisation. In particular, his book shows how success in the future will increasingly be dependent on a mastery of three basic principles: creativity, clarity and empathy. Drawing on his own experience in leading over 100 design projects with government, business and the third sector, it sets out a blueprint for engagement and success that applies to everything from small enterprises, to large multinationals.
'This book is essential for anyone looking for more empathetic, creative, and resilient forms of leadership' Caroline Casey, Co Founder, The Valuable 500
When Hitler comes to power in 1933, a tight-knit group of friends and lovers become hunted outlaws overnight. United in their resistance to the madness and tyranny of Nazism, they must flee the country. Dora, passionate and fearless, her lover, the great playwright Ernst Toller, her younger cousin Ruth and Ruth's husband Hans find refuge in London. Here they take breath-taking risks in order to continue their work in secret. But England is not the safe-haven they think it to be, and a single, chilling act of betrayal will tear them apart…
6th June 1944 saw the largest seaborne assault in human history: D-Day. The landings on the five Normandy beaches, Utah, Omaha, Gold, Juno and Sword, will go down in legend as the first footsteps on the journey to end the war in northern Europe.
While much has been written about the operation as a whole, little detailed attention has been paid to the battle for Sword Beach itself, the easternmost of the amphibious attack areas. For the first time, historian and archaeologist Stephen Fisher puts the British landing under the spotlight and using previously unseen research, documents and personal testimonies pieces together the buildup, the day itself and its aftermath in such a way as to uniquely bring the operation to vivid life.
Following a massive air and naval bombardment that began before the sun had even risen, the stage was set for the first of tens of thousands of troops to come ashore on Sword that day. It was to be a day of triumph and tragedy as the Allies pushed forward to the key objective of Caen against German defenders who were, uniquely on D-Day, backed up by an armoured division.
Never before has this campaign been afforded such insightful and detailed scrutiny. Stephen Fisher brings his considerable knowledge and expertise to paint a thrilling picture of how the deep beachhead was established and pays tribute to the heroism and sacrifices that were made on that fateful day.
Ahnna is haunted by the destruction of her homeland so when the wealthy kingdom of Harendell claims her as a bride for its crown prince, Ahnna is prepared to do whatever it takes to gain influence as the future queen.
But she soon discovers that beneath the beautiful surface of Harendell's court lurk dark secrets and the only person who she feels she can trust is not her future husband, but his infuriating half brother, James.
And it isn't long before Ahnna finds herself attracted to a forbidden prince . . ,
A family completely disappears from their dinghy in the middle of a lake.
A man detained in a casino holding cell vanishes.
Missing persons investigator David Raker is an expert at solving missing persons puzzles - but these mysteries are unlike anything he’s ever seen.
He employs his long-time ally, ex-detective Colm Healy to help him.
But the men are in danger. Because buried in the shadows of both cases is a deadly secret that was never meant to come out…
The clock is ticking.
To save her life you must take another.
When Jack Morgan is invited to the luxurious Monaco coast to set up a new Private office, it seems like the perfect opportunity to relax in an iconic destination.
But the vacation is quickly cut short when Jack's partner Justine is abducted.
The kidnappers send Jack clear instructions - and a gun. If he wants to see the woman he loves again, he must take a life in exchange for hers.
Jack soon becomes entangled in a dangerous conspiracy that will come to a head at the Monaco Grand Prix.
Hours from disaster, Jack must find Justine and her kidnappers - and put a stop to whatever they have planned next.
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PRAISE FOR THE PRIVATE THRILLERS
'Great action sequences ... breathtaking twists and turns' ANTHONY HOROWITZ
'An unmissable, breakneck ride' JAMES SWALLOW
'Exhilarating, high-stakes action' LESLEY KARA
'An exhilarating and totally satisfying read' NB MAGAZINE
'A breakneck fast, brutally good page-turner' DAILY MAIL
'Hits the ground running and the pace never misses a beat' DAILY EXPRESS
'Yet another fine outing from the master of thrillers' CITY A.M.
Three days to fall in love. Six years to try to forget.
Ellie didn’t expect to fall in love while travelling in Europe. But she also didn’t expect to meet a man like Ash.
Three blistering days in Lisbon is all it takes to form an unforgettable connection – deep enough for them to plan to meet again in Madrid. But Ellie arrives late, and Ash is nowhere to be found.
Six years later, the memory of Ash and their time together still burns deeply in Ellie’s heart. She hopes that her dream job as a gardener on a grand estate in Wales will bring the fresh start she desperately needs.
But when Ash unexpectedly crashes back into her life, Ellie is forced to question if the universe has other plans...
Praise for What if I Never Get Over You:
'What a rollercoaster of emotions! Another beautiful offering of love, heartache, belonging, self-worth, obstacles, passion, duty and strength. A perfect book to escape into. I'm bereft that I've finished - a feeling I always get from Paige's books!' Giovanna Fletcher
'What If I Never Get Over You was such a beautiful read. A truly gorgeous love story with a hero everyone is going to fall head over heels for. I loved it' Beth O’Leary
'Without a doubt, Paige's best book to date. What If I Never Get Over You has all the hallmarks of a classic Paige Toon read - heartfelt, utterly swoonworthy and full of twists to make you gasp. As always, Paige packs in the emotion and I was smitten with Ellie and Ash's love complicated story from the start. My forever favourite, no one writes romance quite like Paige Toon' Lindsey Kelk
'A breathtaking, unforgettable tale of fate, class, family, the universe, and love. Paige Toon's writing is utterly charming' Robinne Lee
'A truly unputdownable story drenched in romance and drama... romance at its best' Milly Johnson
'A sweeping love story that is deep, complex and so, so riveting. I devoured this novel in one glorious gulp and still wanted more. Paige Toon’s ability to weave longing, hope, devastation and joy into one powerful, heart-tugging love story is nothing short of spectacular' Jill Santopolo
'An absolute treasure. Paige is a master at toying with the heartstrings and I just keep coming back for more. I gobbled it up' Christina Lauren
'A sweeping romance about first love, and unforgettable connections. It swept me up, and did not put me down until I turned the last page' Sophie Cousens
'Five giant stars. Paige Toon is my go-to for an all-consuming, epic love story, and this might be her best yet. A propulsive and gut-wrenching novel about generational wounds, class, and finding one’s own way, Ash and Ellie’s connection is one for the ages. I loved it!' Annabel Monaghan
'A beautiful story that grabs your heart and doesn’t let go. Unputdownable and utterly entrancing. Paige at her best' Dani Atkins
She could be anyone. She could be you.
Nobody ever found out what happened to Laika Martenwood, the girl who vanished without a trace on her way to school one morning. But for her sister Willa, life shattered into tiny pieces that day, and she has never been able to put them back together again.
Willa sees Laika everywhere: on buses, at parties, in busy streets. It’s been twenty-five years, and the only thing that has kept her going is her belief that her sister is alive, somewhere.
But when a dinner party conversation about childhood memories spirals out of control, a shattering revelation from one of the guests forces Willa to rethink everything she thought she knew about her past. And, out of the debris of that explosive evening, the truth of what really happened begins to emerge. Piece by piece.
Masterfully plotted with shades of Magpie and The Push, Things Don’t Break on their Own is a propulsive debut about how our memories shape us, and the lies we tell to escape them.
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