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From the author of Standard Deviation comes a wryly tender story of crises and cardboard boxes; of marriage and moving on. *Includes a free extract from Katherine Heiny’s debut novel, Standard Deviation*'Just as Jane Austen believed that four people cannot comfortably walk abreast, Charlene believes that three people cannot amicably move one person's belongings. At least not when two of the people used to be married to each other, and the marriage resulted in a bitter divorce in order for one of them to marry the third person'When Forrest's ex-wife Barbara calls on him to help her move out of the home they once shared, his second wife Charlie finds herself carrying not only dozens of boxes, but also the weight of their shared past. Barbara and Charlie first met twenty years ago when they volunteered at a suicide crisis hotline, and one night in particular is seared into Charlie's memory…From the author of Standard Deviation comes a wryly tender story of crises and cardboard boxes; of marriage and moving on.

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The weirdest stories you will ever read.A bizarre collection of short stories, each featuring a character with an unusual superpower.Meet The Photocopier, a woman who can reproduce herself at will and who attempts to teach her daughter to do the same.Or the zombie hairdresser who is able to reanimate every time she dies.And the man who can break his way into his lover’s dream.Over fifty freaks and misfits feature in this unforgettable book, and each is illustrated by comic book artist Darren Craske.This book contains some text-based images that are optimised for tablet devices.

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Conversations from the buses, boardrooms and bars of BritainThink you've heard it all before? Think again with this hilarious collection of conversations from around Britain, overheard at tourist hotspots, in queues, at work and on public transport.Packed full of verbal wit and gags it is guaranteed to get people talking and remember the stupid things that they have overheard.MicrocosmA tired looking mother stands hands on hips in the play park watching her two young children tumble in the dirt.MOTHER:(shouting)Jordan! Syria! Play nice!Casanova on the 137A young Casanova is chattin' on his mobile, while sitting on a bus.CASANOVA:I am so glad you called sweet. Yeaaaahh. Girl I ain't sitting on no bus. I'm here, driving, yeah? Yeah, well you soon see it girl. You gonna come out with me tonight? Cooool. I'm sooo glad you called yeah? I was thinking 'bout you…let's meet up…where? Okay I'll take you there…Yeah I'll take you there girl. I won't bring my wheels if we'ze going there. Thas alright. Thas alright…I'll be there. What's your name girl..? I know what your name is girl, I want you to spell it. Donna, Dana! D-a-n-a yeah? I knew that. I am sooo glad you called yeah? I was thinking 'bout you.A hilarious record of what people really do say. Watch out-you never know who might be listening!

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This Booker Prize-winning novel from the author of ‘The Blue Flower’ is set among the houseboat community of the Thames.‘Offshore’ is a dry, genuinely funny novel, set among the houseboat community who rise and fall with the tide of the Thames on Battersea Reach. Living between land and water, they feel as if they belong to neither…Maurice, a male prostitute, is the sympathetic friend to whom all the others turn. Nenna loves her husband but can’t get him back; her children run wild on the muddy foreshore. She feels drawn to Richard, the ex-RNVR city man whose converted minesweeper dominates the Reach. Is he sexually attractive because he can fold maps the right way? With this and other questions waiting to be answered, ‘Offshore’ offers a delightful glimpse of the workings of an eccentric community.

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Already a huge hit in France, the new novel from Independent Foreign Fiction Award-winning author of ‘Windows on the World’.In his most autobiographical text to date, Beigbeder recounts his stay in a French police cell in January 2008, after he was arrested for snorting cocaine off a car bonnet outside a nightclub in the super-chic 8th arrondissement of Paris. As he lies in the cell, he revisits his childhood, from the carefree days when his grandfather taught him to skim pebbles at the beach in Cénitz, to his parents’ divorce, the conflicting influences of his hedonistic father and studious, seemingly conventional brother who ‘has it all’, and his own first, unrequited loves. This patchwork of memories is as much a portrait of the era as it is the story of a fragile, self-critical man who has finally dropped the mask.Sharp, witty – with a particularly pitiless irony directed at himself – and yet tender, ‘A French Novel’ is a gem. Beigbeder’s reminiscences, his search for answers in the lost country of his childhood, will speak to a whole generation searching for its soul.

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From the Booker Prize-winner of ‘Offshore’, ‘The Blue Flower’ and ‘Innocence’ comes this brilliant novel about life at an eccentric stage school.In the 1960s, Freddie’s was the usual name for the Temple Stage School, which supplied the West End theatres with children for roles in everything from Shakespeare to pantomime. Freddie, the proprietress, is a formidable woman, of unknown age and provenance. But everybody who is anybody claims to know her. By sheer force of character and single-minded thrust she has turned herself into a national institution.This story of what happened at Freddie’s is not only for theatre-lovers, but for people who care about children or hate them, or were – once upon a time – children themselves. In particular, it is for those of us who sometimes pretend to be what we are not – that is to say, act a little.

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This Christmas is about to go off with a bang!Things can’t possibly get worse for Tabby. Framed for her boss’s dodgy dealings, she’s landed up in prison. Then Tabby’s boyfriend dumps her and gives her cat away to a shelter.But rescue comes in the form of Mercy. A master of saving waifs and strays, Mercy wants Tabby to breathe new flair into her ailing cracker business. Together, they’ll save Marwood’s Magical Christmas Crackers.But someone’s not happy. Mercy’s nephew Randal thinks Tabby’s a fraudster. Stubborn, difficult and very attractive, her future depends upon winning him round. Standing under the mistletoe, Tabby’s Christmas is set to be one that she will never forget . . .

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For all women of a dangerous age, a warm and witty two-book collection from the author of The Secrets Women KeepWhat Women WantBea is grappling with a job in jeopardy, a stroppy teenage son and the prospect of dating again.Kate is contending with an empty nest and a marriage which has lost its sheen.And then there is Ellen. Widowed at a young age, she is finally ready to date. But her choice of man will put her friendship with Bea and Kate to the ultimate test.Women of a Dangerous AgeLou is celebrating her new-found freedom following the breakdown of her marriage. To celebrate, she travels to India, where she befriends Ali.Ali is a serial mistress. But when she returns home, she discovers her latest lover is not the man she took him for.As Lou and Ali put their pasts behind them, they discover a world of possibilities, until the shocking realisation that they have far more in common than they thought.

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‘A sweet and charming story.’ Kaye Temanson (NetGalley reviewer) on The Little Cottage in the CountryA delightfully heartwarming romantic comedy to get you in the mood for summer! A summer of new beginnings…Daisy Ronaldson’s whole life is turned upside-down when her husband dies from cancer. So when she discovers that he left her a wish: to turn their big English country house into a guest house, she’s in shock…At first it seems like just too big a challenge, but in the rush of making beds, painting rooms and preparing breakfasts, with her helpful (and handsome) friend James, Daisy realises that her heart is beginning to heal. In fact, she might even be falling in love again!Perfect for fans of Christie Barlow, Holly Martin and Tilly Tennant.Readers love Lottie Phillips:‘This book has left me with a great big smile on my face and a great big warm hug around my heart.’‘There is no amount of love and gushing too big for how much I simply adored this book. A must read for all.’‘such a charming read and amazingly brilliant from the first page.’‘Simply fantastic book highly recommend reading it worth more than five stars for sure.’‘A lovely warm hearted book’

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‘Fresh, funny and wise’ Katie Fforde‘I love Jane’s writing!’ Jill Mansell‘feel-good’ Woman and HomeTess has downsized to a lively new town and is ready for “me” time. But her Zen-like calm is tested by her boomerang offspring, who keep fluttering back to the nest (usually with a full bag of dirty washing) and by her elderly mother’s struggle to hold on to her independence.Tess is also surprised to discover that there are dark resentments simmering beneath the vintage charm of her new hometown and a spate of vandalism has exposed the rift between the townsfolk and new arrivals like Tess.Tess enlists the help of gruff newspaper editor Malcolm to get to the bottom of the mystery but when her ex-husband pays an unexpected visit and her mother stages a disappearance, Tess starts to feel her new-found freedom wearing just a little thin…

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