English books
Happy Place – Emily Henry
Harriet and Wyn are the perfect couple - they go together like bread and butter, gin and tonic, Blake Lively and Ryan Reynolds. Every year, they take a holiday from their lives to drink far too much wine with their favourite people in the world. Except this year, they are lying through their teeth, because Harriet and Wyn broke up six months ago. And they still haven't told anyone. But the cottage is for sale so this is the last time they'll all be here together. They can't ...
Hardboiled Wonderland and the End of the World – Haruki Murakami
'A narrative particle accelerator that zooms between Wild Turkey Whiskey and Bob Dylan, unicorn skulls and voracious librarians, John Coltrane and Lord Jim. Science fiction, detective story and post-modern manifesto all rolled into one rip-roaring novel, Hard-Boiled Wonderland and the End of the World is the tour de force that expanded Haruki Murakami's international following. Tracking one man's descent into the Kafkaesque underworld of contemporary Tokyo, Murakami unites East and West, tragedy and farce, compassion and detachment, slang and philosophy.'
HARRY SIDEBOTTOM – WARRIOR OF ROME III: LION OF THE SUN 3
Discover explosive action and white-knuckle drama in the spectacular second instalment in Harry Sidebottom's vivid five-part series, perfect for fans of Bernard Cornwell
Mesopotamia, AD 260
Betrayed by his most trusted adviser, the Roman Emperor Valerian has been captured by the Sassanid barbarians. The shame of the vanquished beats down mercilessly like the white sun, as the frail old emperor prostrates himself before Shapur, King of Kings.
Ballista vows to avenge those who have brought the empire to the brink of destruction with their treachery.
One day, maybe not soon, but one day, I will kill you . . .
But first he must decide what price he will pay for his own freedom. Only the fearless and only those whom the gods will spare from hell can now save the empire from a catastrophic ending.
Ballista, the Warrior of Rome, faces his greatest challenge yet . . .
Praise for Harry Sidebottom
'Sidebottom's prose blazes with searing scholarship' Times
'The best sort of red-blooded historical fiction' Andrew Taylor, author of The American Boy
HELEN BRANDOM – WRITING IN THE SAND
'Amy, wait till you hear this...' I hold my breath.
'What?' I say.
'Last night someone left a baby on our doorstep.'
This is it, I think. No going back now.
16-year-old Amy is used to keeping secrets - Mum's illness, her runaway sister, her ex-boyfriend. But she has one secret that can't be kept. Now she has two choices: tell the truth about the abandoned baby, or keep quiet...for ever.
HELENE DUNBAR – THESE GENTLE WOUNDS
Five years after an unspeakable tragedy, Gordie Allen is living with his half-brother Kevin. Their arrangement works, since Kevin is the only person who can protect Gordie at school and keep him focused on getting his life back on track.
But just when it seems like things are becoming normal, Gordie's biological father comes back into the picture, demanding a place in his life. Now there's nothing to stop Gordie from falling into a tail-spin that could cost him everything-including his relationship with Sarah, the first girl he's ever trusted. With his world spinning out of control, the only one who can help Gordie is himself... If he can find the strenght to confront the past and take back his future.
HOWARD GORDON – THE CHAMBER
From the executive producer of 24, the exciting follow up to Gideon’s War involves a harrowing attempt to stop a terrorist with plans to destroy the U.S. government.
When the Joint Terrorism Task Force ignores evidence of an impending terrorist attack on U.S. soil, Gideon Davis enlists his brother Tillman as an undercover operative to infiltrate a group of white supremacists who may be involved.
Eventually, Gideon and Tillman get on the trail of two men, industrialist Dale Wilmot and his lieutenant, John Collier, who are plotting to eliminate the entire top tier of the U.S. government during the State of the Union Address. If their plan is successful, only one person will be left to take the reigns: the Designated Survivor, a man appointed by Wilmot himself. Gideon and Tillman must stop the extremist group whose influence has reached the highest echelons of political power and whose plans for attack threaten not only many lives, but democracy itself.
With nonstop action and ticking time bomb suspense, Hard Target will thrill anyone who loved Jack Bauer and 24 .
HUGH HOWEY – SAND
The old world is buried. A new one has been forged atop the shifting dunes. Here in this land of howling wind and infernal sand, four siblings find themselves scattered and lost.
Palmer has never been the same since his father walked out twelve years ago. His elder sister, Vic, is trying to run away from the past; his younger brothers, Connor and Rob, are risking their lives to embrace it. His mother, left with nothing but anger, is just trying to forget.
Palmer wants to prove his worth, not only to his family, but to himself. And in the barren, dune-covered landscape of his home, there is only one way to earn respect: sand-diving. Plunging deep below the desert floor in search of relics and scraps of the old world. He is about to embark on the most dangerous dive of his young life, aiming to become the first to discover the rumoured city below.
Deep within the sand lies the key to bringing his family together – and tearing their world apart.
IAIN M. BANKS – MATTER
A novel of dazzling wit and serious purpose. An extraordinary feat of storytelling and breathtaking invention on a grand scale, it is a tour de force from a writer who has turned science fiction on its head.
"Unexpectedly savage, emotionally powerful, and impossible to forget." —The Times
In a world renowned even within a galaxy full of wonders, a crime within a war. For one brother it means a desperate flight, and a search for the one — maybe two — people who could clear his name. For his brother it means a life lived under constant threat of treachery and murder. And for their sister, even without knowing the full truth, it means returning to a place she'd thought abandoned forever.
Only the sister is not what she once was; Djan Seriy Anaplian has changed almost beyond recognition to become an agent of the Culture's Special Circumstances section, charged with high-level interference in civilizations throughout the greater galaxy.
Concealing her new identity — and her particular set of abilities — might be a dangerous strategy, however. In the world to which Anaplian returns, nothing is quite as it seems; and determining the appropriate level of interference in someone else's war is never a simple matter.
IAN HAMILTON – THE DISCIPLE OF LAS VEGAS 2
Uncompromising. Tenacious. Fiercely intelligent. Ava Lee will follow the money . . . wherever it takes her.
Hired by Tommy Ordonez, the richest man in the Philippines, to recover $50 million in a land swindle, Ava has her work cut out. Tommy's brother has messed up and the Filipino billionaire's reputation is on the line.
Tracking the money, Ava uncovers an illegal online gambling ring, and follows the trail to Las Vegas. Once there, she turns her gaze to David Douglas, one of the greatest poker players in the world - and someone who knows more about the missing money than he's letting on.
Meanwhile, Jackie Leung, an old target of Ava's, has made it rich. He wants revenge, and he's going after Ava.
IAN SAMPLE – MASSIVE
In the Flesh – Sylvia Day
In the Flesh is an evocative and unique fantasy romance from the international No.1 bestselling author of Bared to You and Reflected in You, Sylvia Day
An infamous beauty. A daring warrior.
Two hearts are about to collide . . .
For five years, Sapphire has been the King of Sari's most treasured concubine. Independent at last, she refuses to put herself in anyone's control again. But now another's scheming has led her into the path of proud, arrogant Wulfric, Crown Prince of the rival kingdom of D'Ashier, a man who is dangerous to her in every way.
The daughter of Wulfric's fiercest opponent, Sapphire is a prized warrior in her own right and highly skilled in the sensual arts - Wulfric's perfect match. A lasting union is unthinkable, but the bargain they strike - to spend one night together, and then part - proves impossible in the face of a desire powerful enough to bring two countries to the brink of war, and two hearts to the point of surrender. . .
INFINITY RING BOOK 2 – DIVIDE AND CONQUER
Scholastic's next multi-platform mega-even begins here!
Dak, Sera, and Riq are in over their heads when they attempt to stop a Viking invasion!
Hundreds of ships carrying thousands of warriors are laying siege to medieval Paris. And Dak is on the wrong side, captured and forced to work alongside the Vikings while Sera and Riq defend Paris from within. No matter which side wins, the kids lose!
INFINITY RING BOOK 3 – THE TRAP DOOR
Fix the past. Save the future.
Dak, Sera, and Riq return to the United States and walk immediately into a deadly trap. The year is 1850, and the nation is divided over the issue of slavery. In these dark days, the Underground Railroad provides a light of hope, helping runaway slaves escape to freedom. But the SQ has taken control of the Underground Railroad from within. Now Dak and Sera are left wondering who to trust . . . while Riq risks everything to save the life of a young boy.Book includes an all-new, full-color Hystorian's Guide - your key to unlocking the third episode of the action-packed Infinity Ring game!
INFINITY RING BOOK 4 – CURSE OF THE ANCIENTS
IRIS JOHANSEN – WHAT DOESN’T KILL YOU
It’s the deadliest poison known to man.
He’s the only one who knows its true power.
She’s the only one who can stop the evil.
The chase is on. . . .
Number-one bestselling author Iris Johansen showcases one of her most fascinating characters yet, pitted against one of the most ruthless killers, in a novel that will make you forget to breathe. . . .
Catherine Ling was abandoned on the streets of Hong Kong at age four. Schooled in the art of survival, she traded in the only commodity she had: information. As a teenager, she came under the tutelage of a mysterious man known only as Hu Chang---a skilled assassin and master poisoner. As a young woman, she was recruited by the CIA and now she is known as one of their most effective operatives. Having lived life in the shadows, Catherine is aware of the wobbly moral compass of her existence and even more aware of just how expendable she is to those she deals with. When her old friend Hu Chang creates a formula that’s not only deadly but completely untraceable, the race begins to be the first to get it. With rogue operative John Gallo also on the hunt, Catherine finds herself up against a group so villainous and a man so evil that she may not survive in her quest to protect those she cares about: Hu Chang and Luke---the son who was stolen from Catherine and only recently brought home safe. Using all of her formidable skills, Catherine Ling proves the age-old belief that what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger.
Iris Johansen is at her page-turning best in this novel that takes you from the corridors of Langley to the alleyways of Hong Kong and the darkest places of the human soul.
