The Lonely Life Of Biddy Weir

A stark but uplifting story of bullying and redemption, for anyone who's ever been a weirdo A charming and uplifting story, perfect for fans of A Man Called Ove or Jonas Jonasson. 'If you're a bit of a weirdo you will love Biddy Weir' - Ian Sansom, bestselling author of The Norfolk Mystery Biddy Weir is a quirky girl. Abandoned by her mother as a baby, and with a father who's not quite equipped for the challenges of modern parenting, Biddy lives in her own little world, happy to pass her time painting by the sea and watching the birds go by. That is, until she meets Alison Flemming. Because there are a few things about Biddy that aren't normal, you see. And Alison isn't afraid to point them out to the world. All of a sudden, Biddy's quiet life is thrown into turmoil. If only there was someone to convince her that, actually, everyone's a little bit weird . . . A story of abuse and survival, of falling down and of starting again, and of one woman's battle to learn to love herself for who she is, The Lonely Life of Biddy Weir is Lesley Allen's startlingly honest debut novel. PRAISE FOR THE LONELY LIFE OF BIDDY WEIR "A wonderful debut: poignant, powerful and moving, with ripples of dark humour." Colin Bateman "I'm a little bit in love with Biddy Weir. In her, Lesley Allen has created a character who is the embodiment of all our adolescent insecurities" Bernie McGill, author of The Butterfly Cabinet "In Biddy Weir, Lesley Allen has created one of those characters that gets under your skin and won't leave . . . A must-read for anyone who has ever wondered about life and where we fit in" Doreen Finn, author ofMy Buried Life "One of my favourite reads this year . . . raw, real and authentic . . . You will be enthralled" Bibliomaniac "Truly uplifting . . . I can not believe this is Lesley Allen's debut novel" Steph and Chris's Book Review

Poets are Eaten as a Delicacy in Japan opens as thirty-year-old Tommie Shaw is shown a newspaper report by her Dettol-huffing sister Georgie, revealing that their estranged mother, Gloria, is set to expose the family's sad and sordid history in a scandalous new memoir. What follows is a hilarious and touching black comedy, as Tommy and Georgie's panic spirals and they clamber to control Gloria, while dealing with the painful legacy of their childhood in an eccentric Irish commune.

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER Globe and Mail bestseller Toronto Star bestseller A Washington Post “FEEL-GOOD BOOK guaranteed to lift your spirits” "I loved The Authenticity Project. It's a clever, uplifting book that entertains and makes you think."--Sophie Kinsella, #1 New York Times bestselling author The story of a solitary green notebook that brings together six strangers and leads to unexpected friendship, and even love Julian Jessop, an eccentric, lonely artist and septuagenarian believes that most people aren't really honest with each other. But what if they were? And so he writes--in a plain, green journal--the truth about his own life and leaves it in his local café. It's run by the incredibly tidy and efficient Monica, who furtively adds her own entry and leaves the book in the wine bar across the street. Before long, the others who find the green notebook add the truths about their own deepest selves--and soon find each other In Real Life at Monica's Café. The Authenticity Project's cast of characters--including Hazard, the charming addict who makes a vow to get sober; Alice, the fabulous mommy Instagrammer whose real life is a lot less perfect than it looks online; and their other new friends-is by turns quirky and funny, heartbreakingly sad and painfully true-to-life. It's a story about being brave and putting your real self forward--and finding out that it's not as scary as it seems. In fact, it looks a lot like happiness. The Authenticity Project is just the tonic for our times that readers are clamoring for--and one they will take to their hearts and read with unabashed pleasure.

*Shortlisted for the PEN/Diamonstein-Spielvogel Award for the Art of the Essay* Selected as a Book of the Year 2016 by the Financial Times, Guardian, New Statesman, Observer, The Millions and Emerald Street 'Flâneuse [flanne-euhze], noun, from the French. Feminine form of flâneur [flanne-euhr], an idler, a dawdling observer, usually found in cities. That is an imaginary definition.' If the word flâneur conjures up visions of Baudelaire, boulevards and bohemia – then what exactly is a flâneuse? In this gloriously provocative and celebratory book, Lauren Elkin defines her as ‘a determined resourceful woman keenly attuned to the creative potential of the city, and the liberating possibilities of a good walk’. Part cultural meander, part memoir, Flâneuse traces the relationship between the city and creativity through a journey that begins in New York and moves us to Paris, via Venice, Tokyo and London, exploring along the way the paths taken by the flâneuses who have lived and walked in those cities. From nineteenth-century novelist George Sand to artist Sophie Calle, from war correspondent Martha Gellhorn to film-maker Agnes Varda, Flâneuse considers what is at stake when a certain kind of light-footed woman encounters the city and changes her life, one step at a time.

A life-changing gift with a shadowy origin - a dark and suspenseful debut novel ONCE YOU KNOW, YOU CAN'T FORGET A DEVASTATING CRIME John Michael Adams is just a small schoolboy, when a sudden shocking event tears his life and his family apart. A LIFE-CHANGING GIFT Years later, Ellen Sutherland is stunned when she inherits a beautiful cottage in the Cotswolds from a woman she's never heard of. A LONG-BURIED SECRET As she begins to investigate, the mysteries around her new home only deepen. And it's not long before she realises she's not the only one asking questions about the cottage . . . A powerful and suspenseful tale for fans of Val McDermid and Liane Moriarty PRAISE FOR THE HIDDEN LEGACY 'The Hidden Legacy is the best kind of mystery novel, a cool and compelling story of secrets within secrets, all delivered to the page with a powerful sense of human need and frailty. It's a story that's hard to put down - and hard to forget.' Alison MacLeod, Booker-longlisted author of Unexploded 'I was gripped from page one by GJ Minett's debut thriller. He approaches a tough subject with remarkable skill and sensitivity. I loved it.' Fleur Smithwick, author of How To Make A Friend 'A thought provoking, subtle novel. GJ Minett explores with delicacy the aftershocks of this terrible event, not simply the media outrage at the time but the ongoing reverberations which span decades. The ending is tender and moving. I was left thinking about the crucial role played by simple human kindness in our lives; the devastation caused by its absence. Great stuff!' Jane Rusbridge, author of Rook

Brilliant, dark stories of women’s lives by “a very major talent” (Joseph O’Connor, Irish Times) In these visceral, stunningly crafted stories by the author of the much-acclaimed Trespasses, women’s lives are etched by poverty—material, emotional, sexual—but also splashed by beauty, sometimes even joy, as they search for the good in the cards they’ve been dealt. A wife is abandoned by her new husband in a derelict housing estate, with blood on her hands. An expectant mother’s worst fears about her husband’s entanglement with a teenage girl are confirmed. A sister is tormented by visions of the man her brother murdered during the Troubles. A woman struggles to forgive herself after an abortion threatens to destroy her marriage. Plumbing the depths of intimacy, violence, and redemption, these stories are “dazzling, heartbreaking . . . keen to share the lessons of a lifetime” (Guardian).

Sarah Yates is a thirty-something history teacher, divorced, disillusioned and desperate to have more excitement in her life. Then one evening the door bell rings and the handsome and mysterious John Needler brings more excitement than Sarah could ever have imagined. John wants Sarah to go back in time trying to make sure people find their happy endings. The question is, will she ever be able to find hers?

Getting a life isn't always easy. And hanging on to it is even harder . . . Discover this funny, heart-warming tale of self-discovery from Jodi Taylor, author of the internationally bestselling Chronicles of St Mary's series. Known as 'The Nothing Girl' because of her severe stutter and chronically low self-confidence, Jenny Dove is only just prevented from ending it all by the sudden appearance of Thomas, a mystical golden horse only she can see. Under his guidance, Jenny unexpectedly acquires a husband - the charming and chaotic Russell Checkland - and for her, nothing will ever be the same again. With over-protective relatives on one hand and the world's most erratic spouse on the other, Jenny needs to become Someone. And fast! Readers love Jodi Taylor: 'I haven't met a Jodi Taylor book I didn't love, they get you right in the feels' 'Has you laughing and crying in equal measure' 'Beautifully written, captivating and witty' 'A surprising gem of a book'