Fall

Fall
Author: West Camel
Publisher: Orenda Books
Total Pages: 364
Release: 2021-10-09
Genre: Fiction
ISBN: 1913193934
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Estranged brothers are reunited over plans to develop the tower block where they grew up, but the desolate estate becomes a stage for reliving the events of one life-changing summer. ––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– Twins Aaron and Clive have been estranged for forty years. Aaron still lives in the empty, crumbling tower block on the riverside in Deptford where they grew up. Clive is a successful property developer, determined to turn the tower into luxury flats. But Aaron is blocking the plan and their petty squabble becomes something much greater when two ghosts from the past – twins Annette and Christine – appear in the tower. At once, the desolate estate becomes a stage on which the events of one scorching summer are relived – a summer that shattered their lives, and changed everything forever... Grim, evocative and exquisitely rendered, Fall is a story of friendship and family – of perception, fear and prejudice, the events that punctuate our journeys into adulthood, and the indelible scars they leave – a triumph of a novel that will affect you long after the final page has been turned. –––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– Praise for West Camel's debut novel Attend 'From its opening gambit to its final line, Attend demands and rewards attention' Foreword Reviews 'With its blend of dark, gritty themes and gorgeous imagery, this is a book to make you believe there's still magic in the world' Heat 'I've fallen in love with this absolutely glorious, spell-binding tale' LoveReading 'It's a genuinely pleasurable experience to encounter something couched in such alert and transparent language as West Camel's Attend ... In three hundred finely judged pages, West Camel leaves the reader eager for more from his pen' Barry Forshaw, CrimeTime 'Lyrical and intense, the spellbinding prose is full of carefully chosen words which create an emotive and flowing' Crime Review 'Rich, lively and intelligent, Attend is a novel of mystery, morality and meaning, but so delicately sewn together, you never notice the seams...' Rosie Goldsmith 'There is such a joy to the language. West Camel is a truly gifted wordsmith, and a beautiful storyteller' Louise Beech

The Age of Miracles

The Age of Miracles
Author: Karen Thompson Walker
Publisher: Random House
Total Pages: 255
Release: 2012-06-26
Genre: Fiction
ISBN: 0679644385
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NAMED ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY People ∙ O: The Oprah Magazine ∙ Financial Times ∙ Kansas City Star ∙ BookPage ∙ Kirkus Reviews ∙ Publishers Weekly ∙ Booklist NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER “A stunner.”—Justin Cronin “It’s never the disasters you see coming that finally come to pass—it’s the ones you don’t expect at all,” says Julia, in this spellbinding novel of catastrophe and survival by a superb new writer. Luminous, suspenseful, unforgettable, The Age of Miracles tells the haunting and beautiful story of Julia and her family as they struggle to live in a time of extraordinary change. On an ordinary Saturday in a California suburb, Julia awakes to discover that something has happened to the rotation of the earth. The days and nights are growing longer and longer; gravity is affected; the birds, the tides, human behavior, and cosmic rhythms are thrown into disarray. In a world that seems filled with danger and loss, Julia also must face surprising developments in herself, and in her personal world—divisions widening between her parents, strange behavior by her friends, the pain and vulnerability of first love, a growing sense of isolation, and a surprising, rebellious new strength. With crystalline prose and the indelible magic of a born storyteller, Karen Thompson Walker gives us a breathtaking portrait of people finding ways to go on in an ever-evolving world. “Gripping drama . . . flawlessly written; it could be the most assured debut by an American writer since Jennifer Egan’s Emerald City.”—The Denver Post “Pure magnificence.”—Nathan Englander “Provides solace with its wisdom, compassion, and elegance.”—Curtis Sittenfeld “Riveting, heartbreaking, profoundly moving.”—Kirkus Reviews (starred review) Look for special features inside. Join the Circle for author chats and more.

Swing Time

Swing Time
Author: Zadie Smith
Publisher: Penguin
Total Pages: 494
Release: 2016-11-15
Genre: Fiction
ISBN: 0399564314
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“Smith’s thrilling cultural insights never overshadow the wholeness of her characters, who are so keenly observed that one feels witness to their lives.” —O, The Oprah Magazine “A sweeping meditation on art, race, and identity that may be [Smith’s] most ambitious work yet.” —Esquire A New York Times bestseller • Finalist for the National Book Critics Circle Award for Fiction • Longlisted for the Man Booker Prize An ambitious, exuberant new novel moving from North West London to West Africa, from the multi-award-winning author of White Teeth and On Beauty. Two brown girls dream of being dancers—but only one, Tracey, has talent. The other has ideas: about rhythm and time, about black bodies and black music, what constitutes a tribe, or makes a person truly free. It's a close but complicated childhood friendship that ends abruptly in their early twenties, never to be revisited, but never quite forgotten, either. Tracey makes it to the chorus line but struggles with adult life, while her friend leaves the old neighborhood behind, traveling the world as an assistant to a famous singer, Aimee, observing close up how the one percent live. But when Aimee develops grand philanthropic ambitions, the story moves from London to West Africa, where diaspora tourists travel back in time to find their roots, young men risk their lives to escape into a different future, the women dance just like Tracey—the same twists, the same shakes—and the origins of a profound inequality are not a matter of distant history, but a present dance to the music of time. Zadie Smith's newest book, Grand Union, published in 2019.

Sir Vidia's Shadow

Sir Vidia's Shadow
Author: Paul Theroux
Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
Total Pages: 379
Release: 2014-02-11
Genre: Biography & Autobiography
ISBN: 0547526199
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The acclaimed writer shares an intimate portrait of his former mentor V.S. Naipaul in this memoir of their thirty-year friendship and sudden falling out. Paul Theroux was a young aspiring writer when he met the legendary V.S. Naipaul in Uganda in 1966. There began a friendship that would span continents as both men ascended the ranks of literary stardom. Naipaul’s early encouragement of Theroux’s talent had a profound impact on him—yet the apprenticeship was not always easy. This heartfelt and revealing account of Theroux's thirty-year friendship with Naipaul explores the unique effect each writer had on the other. Built around exotic landscapes, anecdotes that are revealing, humorous, and melancholy, and three decades of mutual history, this is a personal account of how one develops as a writer and how a friendship waxes and wanes between two men who have set themselves on the perilous journey of a writing life. A New York Times Notable Book

African Icons

African Icons
Author: Tracey Baptiste
Publisher: Algonquin Books
Total Pages: 177
Release: 2021-10-19
Genre: Juvenile Nonfiction
ISBN: 1616209003
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Every year, American schoolchildren celebrate Black History Month. They study almost exclusively American stories, which are not only rooted in struggle over enslavement or oppression, but also take in only four hundred years of a rich and thrilling history that goes back many millennia across the African continent. Through portraits of ten historical figures - from Menes, the first ruler to be called Pharaoh, to Queen Idia, a sixteenth-century power broker, visionary, and diplomat - African Iconstakes readers on a journey across Africa to meet some of the great leaders and thinkers whose ideas built a continent and shaped our world.

This Is How We Are Human

This Is How We Are Human
Author: Louise Beech
Publisher: Orenda Books
Total Pages: 330
Release: 2021-04-10
Genre: Fiction
ISBN: 1913193721
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When the mother of an autistic young man hires a call girl to make him happy, three lives collide in unexpected and moving ways ... changing everything. A devastatingly beautiful, rich and thought-provoking novel that will warm and break your heart... 'One of the best writers of her generation' John Marrs, author of The One 'A brilliant premise, executed beautifully ... such a moving, tender and unexpected read' Catherine Isaac, author of Messy, Wonderful Us 'I guarantee you will not read anything like it this year ... you will fall in love with this book' Miranda Dickinson, author of Our Story 'Incredibly moving, gripping, and full of heart ... The novel everyone will be talking about this year' Gill Paul, author of The Secret Wife _______________ Sebastian James Murphy is twenty years, six months and two days old. He loves swimming, fried eggs and Billy Ocean. Sebastian is autistic. And lonely. Veronica wants her son Sebastian to be happy ... she wants the world to accept him for who he is. She is also thinking about paying a professional to give him what he desperately wants. Violetta is a high-class escort, who steps out into the night thinking only of money. Of her nursing degree. Paying for her dad's care. Getting through the dark. When these three lives collide – intertwine in unexpected ways – everything changes. For everyone. A topical and moving drama about a mother's love for her son, about getting it wrong when we think we know what's best, about the lengths we go to care for family ... to survive ... This Is How We Are Human is a searching, rich and thought-provoking novel with an emotional core that will warm and break your heart. _______________ 'Every now and then you read a book that takes your breath away. This is How We Are Human does just that ... you feel from the first page to the last' Liz Fenwick, author of The River Between Us 'A writer of beautiful sentences, and they are in abundance. This sensitive subject is treated with the utmost care' Nydia Hetherington, author of A Girl Made of Air 'Such a complex and emotive book' Claire King, author of The Night Rainbow 'It had me gripped from the start and changed the way I see the world. Beautiful, bold and compelling – another fearless story from Beech' Katie Marsh, author of Unbreak Your Heart 'A searching, rich and thought-provoking novel with an emotional core' LoveReading 'This book is just what the world needs right now' Fiona Mills, BBC 'Oh, Sebastian, I'll never forget him. Heart is always at the core of Louise's books and this one is no exception' Madeleine Black, author of Unbroken 'What a brave and prejudice busting story this is ... brava' S. E. Lynes, author of Can You See Her 'A convincing, bittersweet tale of misplaced kindness, a myriad types of vulnerability, and unexpected consequences ... All the stars and more' Carol Lovekin, author of Wild Spinning Girls 'A tender, insightful read' Michael J. Malone, author of A Song of Isolation 'An exceptional book that will make you laugh, cry and feel better for having read it' Audrey Davis, author of Lost in Translation 'The most exquisite and moving story I have read in a very long time’ Book Review Café ‘I don’t know of another writer who portrays characters so true, flaws and all … mesmerising, the characters are beautiful but, more importantly, they’re REAL’ J. M. Hewitt, author of The Quiet Girls For fans of Maggie O’Farrell, David Nicholls, Ali Smith and JoJo Moyes.

Just One Drop

Just One Drop
Author: Quinn Loftis
Publisher: Quinn Loftis Books, LLC
Total Pages: 338
Release: 2012-08-15
Genre: Fiction
ISBN: 1465734082
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Jennifer Adams, best friend to Jacque Pierce and Sally Morgan, spicy, out spoken, a little crazy and human...or so she thought. Jen has just found out that human DNA is not the only thing that resides in her veins, she happens to share that little pesky werewolf gene, although it isn't more than just a drop. Now that she and her friends are living in Romania with Fane's pack, she is also oh so conveniently stuck with the object of her affection, the fur ball Decebel. Drawn to each other by something they don't understand Jen finds herself frustrated by the lack of mating signs between her and said fur ball. Not only is she dealing with that not so un-frustrating problem, she now has been informed that because of that little drop of werewolf blood in her she is now required to attended a multi-pack gathering for un-mated wolves. This type of gathering hasn't taken place in over a century but with a shortage of females among the werewolf population the males are getting worried they won't ever find their true mates. Meanwhile, Decebel struggles with the emotions he is feeling towards Jen. He tries to keep his distance but there is just something about the mouthy blonde that keeps him coming back for more of her verbal abuse that he just can't seem to get enough of...go figure.

And We Stay

And We Stay
Author: Jenny Hubbard
Publisher: Ember
Total Pages: 242
Release: 2015-05-12
Genre: Young Adult Fiction
ISBN: 0385740581
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A Michael L. Printz Honor Award Winner in the vein of This is Where It Ends “A gentle, lyrical story of incomprehensible sorrow faced with quiet courage.”—ELIZABETH WEIN, New York Times bestselling author “Hubbard treats tragedy and new beginnings with a skilled, delicate hand.”—JOHN COREY WHALEY, author of Where Things Come Back, winner of the Michael L. Printz Award Senior Paul Wagoner walks into his school with a stolen gun, threatens his girlfriend, Emily Beam, and then takes his own life. Soon after, angry and guilt-ridden Emily is sent to a boarding school in Amherst, Massachusetts, where two quirky fellow students and the spirit of Emily Dickinson offer helping hands. But it is up to Emily Beam to heal her own damaged self, to find the good behind the bad, hope inside the despair, and springtime under the snow. A Boston Globe Best YA Novel of the Year A Kirkus Reviews Best Book of the Year A Tayshas High School Reading List Selection A North Carolina Young Adult book Award Nominee * "As graceful as a feather drifting down, this lyrical story delivers a deep journey of healing on a tragic theme.”—Kirkus Reviews, Starred * "And We Stay is a little gem of a book. . . . there is certainly something for anyone looking for a good read with a strong, believable female lead who is working her hardest to overcome tragedy.”—School Library Journal, Starred “Hubbard’s writing is elegant and emotional.”—Publisher’s Weekly “This novel is accomplished, polished, and mixes prose and poetry to stunning effect.”—Booklist “Hubbard . . . captures perfectly the turbulence of young love, the bonds of friendship, and the push-and-pull dynamic between teens and adults.”—VOYA

The Book of the Dead

The Book of the Dead
Author: Muriel Rukeyser
Publisher:
Total Pages: 0
Release: 2018
Genre: History
ISBN: 9781946684219
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Written in response to the Hawk's Nest Tunnel disaster of 1931 in Gauley Bridge, West Virginia, The Book of the Dead is an important part of West Virginia's cultural heritage and a powerful account of one of the worst industrial catastrophes in American history. The poems collected here investigate the roots of a tragedy that killed hundreds of workers, most of them African American. They are a rare engagement with the overlap between race and environment in Appalachia. Published for the first time alongside photographs by Nancy Naumburg, who accompanied Rukeyser to Gauley Bridge in 1936, this edition of The Book of the Dead includes an introduction by Catherine Venable Moore, whose writing on the topic has been anthologized in Best American Essays.