Richard Sharpe returns to England to save the regiment.

Stories do not have to be long. In the space of a couple of sentences -- or even a page or two -- we may see the human heart exposed in a way that is more powerful than occurs in many much longer narratives. In Tiny Tales Alexander McCall Smith explores romance, ambition, kindness and happiness in thirty short stories that range in length from the short to the minuscule. The settings are as diverse as the characters -- Scotland, England, Australia, the United States -- combining to create a rich and surprising tableau. An Australian pope? A persuasive cosmetic surgeon? The world's laziest cat. A group of students living together and getting romantically entangled? All human and animal life is here -- in miniature. These stories are inspired and accompanied by the thirty magnificent strip Tiny Tales created by McCall Smith and illustrated by the brilliant Iain McIntosh -- each cartoon a little gem of observation.

NOW AN EMMY-NOMINATED HULU ORIGINAL SERIES • NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • “A stunning novel about the transformative power of relationships” (People) from the author of Conversations with Friends, “a master of the literary page-turner” (J. Courtney Sullivan). ONE OF THE TEN BEST NOVELS OF THE DECADE—Entertainment Weekly TEN BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR—People, Slate, The New York Public Library, Harvard Crimson AND BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR—The New York Times, The New York Times Book Review, O: The Oprah Magazine, Time, NPR, The Washington Post, Vogue, Esquire, Glamour, Elle, Marie Claire, Vox, The Paris Review, Good Housekeeping, Town & Country Connell and Marianne grew up in the same small town, but the similarities end there. At school, Connell is popular and well liked, while Marianne is a loner. But when the two strike up a conversation—awkward but electrifying—something life changing begins. A year later, they’re both studying at Trinity College in Dublin. Marianne has found her feet in a new social world while Connell hangs at the sidelines, shy and uncertain. Throughout their years at university, Marianne and Connell circle one another, straying toward other people and possibilities but always magnetically, irresistibly drawn back together. And as she veers into self-destruction and he begins to search for meaning elsewhere, each must confront how far they are willing to go to save the other. Normal People is the story of mutual fascination, friendship and love. It takes us from that first conversation to the years beyond, in the company of two people who try to stay apart but find that they can’t. Praise for Normal People “[A] novel that demands to be read compulsively, in one sitting.”—The Washington Post “Arguably the buzziest novel of the season, Sally Rooney’s elegant sophomore effort . . . is a worthy successor to Conversations with Friends. Here, again, she unflinchingly explores class dynamics and young love with wit and nuance.”—The Wall Street Journal “[Rooney] has been hailed as the first great millennial novelist for her stories of love and late capitalism. . . . [She writes] some of the best dialogue I’ve read.”—The New Yorker

“this happened on December 30, 2003. That may seem a while ago but it won’t when it happens to you . . .” In this dramatic adaptation of her award-winning, bestselling memoir (which Michiko Kakutani in The New York Times called “an indelible portrait of loss and grief . . . a haunting portrait of a four-decade-long marriage), Joan Didion transforms the story of the sudden and unexpected loss of her husband and their only daughter into a stunning and powerful one-woman play. The first theatrical production of The Year of Magical Thinking opened at the Booth Theatre on March 29, 2007, starring Vanessa Redgrave and directed by David Hare.

Escape with Jenny Colgan this Christmas . . . 'Nobody does cosy, get-away-from-it-all romance like Jenny Colgan' Sunday Express 'An evocative, sweet treat' Jojo Moyes 'This sweet romance will lift your spirits' Sunday Mirror 'Gorgeous, glorious, uplifting' Marian Keyes 'Irresistible' Jill Mansell 'Just lovely' Katie Fforde 'Naturally funny, warm-hearted' Lisa Jewell 'A gobble-it-all-up-in-one-sitting kind of book' Mike Gayle 'A sheer delight from start to finish' Sophie Kinsella ___________________________________ On the tiny Scottish island of Mure, Christmas preparations are even more hectic than usual . . . Flora MacKenzie is worried about her brother. Fintan hasn't got over the death of his partner, Colton, and Flora thinks he needs a project. The Rock - the rambling, disused hotel on the tip of the island - was Colton's passion project before he died. With Flora's help, Fintan is going to get the hotel up and running in time for Christmas, transforming it into a festive haven of crackling log fires and delicious food. But running a hotel, they are about to discover, is not that easy. Especially when their motley staff includes a temperamental French chef, a spoilt Norwegian kitchen boy who can't peel a potato without mutilating his own hand and a painfully shy kitchen assistant who blushes when anyone speaks to her. Can they pull it together in time for the big opening? And can Flora help her family find happiness this Christmas? ____________________ Why readers ADORE Jenny Colgan 'Jenny Colgan has a way of writing that makes me melt inside' 'Her books are so good I want to start over as soon as I have finished' 'There's something so engaging about her characters and plots' 'Her books are like a big, warm blanket' 'Her stories are just so fabulous' 'She brings her settings and characters so vividly to life' 'The woman is just magic'

Local

Local

OVER 12 MILLION COPIES SOLD WORLDWIDE SOON TO BE A MAJOR MOTION PICTURE A NUMBER ONE NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER 'Painfully beautiful' New York Times 'Unforgettable . . . as engrossing as it is moving' Daily Mail 'A rare achievement' The Times 'I can't even express how much I love this book!' Reese Witherspoon ------------------------------------------------- For years, rumours of the 'Marsh Girl' have haunted Barkley Cove, a quiet town on the North Carolina coast. So in late 1969, when handsome Chase Andrews is found dead, the locals immediately suspect Kya Clark, the so-called Marsh Girl. But Kya is not what they say. Sensitive and intelligent, she has survived for years alone in the marsh that she calls home, finding friends in the gulls and lessons in the sand. Then the time comes when she yearns to be touched and loved. When two young men from town become intrigued by her wild beauty, Kya opens herself to a new life - until the unthinkable happens. ------------------------------------------------- '[It] will reach a huge audience though the writer's old-fashioned talents for compelling character, plotting and landscape description' Guardian 'For sheer escapism pick up Where the Crawdads Sing . . . there is writing that takes your breath away' The Times 'All is not as it seems in this heartbreaking coming-of-age bestseller' i newspaper

A heartwarming and hilarious novel from the Sunday Times bestselling author ‘The feeling you get when you read a Milly Johnson book should be bottled and made available on the NHS’ Debbie Johnson Tis the season to be jolly… But can Eve find happiness through the frost? Eve has never liked Christmas. So when her adored elderly aunt dies, the last thing she is expecting is to be left a theme park in her will. A theme park with a Christmas theme … And that's not the only catch. Her aunt's will stipulates that Eve must run the park with a mysterious partner, the exotically named Jacques Glace. Who is this Jacques, and why did Aunt Evelyn name him in her will? But Eve isn't going to back down from a challenge. She's determined to make a success of Winterworld, no matter what. Can she overcome her dislike of Christmas, and can Jacques melt her frozen heart at last? Praise for Milly Johnson: 'Every time you discover a new Milly book, it’s like finding a pot of gold' heat 'A glorious, heartfelt novel' Rowan Coleman ‘Absolutely loved it. Milly's writing is like getting a big hug with just the right amount of bite underneath. I was rooting for Bonnie from the start' Jane Fallon ‘Bursting with warmth and joie de vivre’ Jill Mansell ‘Warm, optimistic and romantic’ Katie Fforde

KILLERS DON'T JUST DISAPPEAR . . . The unmissable brand new thriller from the Queen of Crime Drama, Lynda La Plante - now available in hardback, eBook and audiobook. ______________________ When an eccentric widow claims she is being stalked by her former lodger, Detective Jack Warr is the only person who believes her wild claims. Days later, she is found brutally murdered in her home. When the investigation uncovers an international drugs operation on the widow's property, the case grows even more complex. And as the hunt for the widow's lodger hits dead end after dead end, it seems that the prime suspect has vanished without a trace. To find answers, Jack must decide how far is he willing to go - and what he is willing to risk - in his search for justice. Because if he crosses the line of the law, one wrong move could cost him everything . . . __________________ PRAISE FOR LYNDA LA PLANTE: 'DC Jack Warr is clearly destined for higher things, and I look forward to following his progress' - PETER ROBINSON, No. 1 Sunday Times bestselling author of the DCI Banks series 'A compelling, clever plot with a brilliant cast of diverse characters. Utterly riveting' - RACHEL ABBOTT, million-selling author of ONLY THE INNOCENT 'Lynda La Plante practically invented the thriller' - KARIN SLAUGHTER