Literature

Jane Hirshfield is a visionary American writer whose poems ask nothing less than what it is to be human. Both sensual meditations and passionate investigations, they reveal complex truths in language luminous and precise. Rooted in the living world, her poems celebrate and elucidate a hard-won affirmation of our human fate. Born of a rigorous questioning of heart, spirit and mind, they have become indispensable to many American readers in navigating their own lives.

While he was still a little boy, Ilyas was stolen from his parents by the German colonial troops. After years away, fighting in a war against his own people, he returns to his village to find his parents gone, and his sister Afiya given away.

Another young man returns at the same time. Hamza was not stolen for the war, but sold into it; he has grown up at the right hand of an officer whose protection has marked him life. With nothing but the clothes on his back, he seeks only work and security - and the love of the beautiful Afiya.

As fate knots these young people together, as they live and work and fall in love, the shadow of a new war on another continent lengthens and darkens, ready to snatch them up and carry them away.

'Beautifully written. Clever, lively, funny, compelling' NINA STIBBE'Funny, heartbreaking, achingly real. Gorgeous. I absolutely loved it' JANE FALLON'Beautifully written, funny, heart-breaking and always wise. A proper treat' DAILY MAIL'An entertaining, growingly poignant contemporary tale' SUNDAY TIMES'No other author marries heartbreak and hilarity so seamlessly' MAIL ON SUNDAY'Marian's mastery of story and character is as impressive as ever' HEAT 'BOOK OF THE YEAR'______Losing the love of your life once is tragic. TWICE looks like carelessness . . . Rachel Walsh is a survivor: she survived rehab and the loss of her greatest love. These days everything in her life is good - good job, good dog, very good boyfriend. Then Luke - her ex of six years - shows up. Suddenly she's fragile and falling. They ended badly and neither can speak of the secret hurt which drove them apart. But is it fear of what happened? Or what might happen next?______**THE BRITISH BOOK AWARDS AUTHOR OF THE YEAR 2022**Why readers LOVE Again, Rachel!'This is Marian's most moving, emotive and brilliantly written book yet. Just wonderful' 5* Reader Review'Again, Rachel has all the ingredients that make Marian's books so uniquely special - warmth, humour, sadness and depth. It's absolutely perfect' 5* Reader Review'Marian Keyes is just the most talented writer. I adore her, and this book is a pinnacle. It left me sobbing with its beauty, and minutes later laughing out loud at the wit and wry humour of the deeply flawed and deeply human characters' 5* Reader Review'I devoured this book and lost myself in the characters that Marian makes so accessible, easy to identify with and so perfectly flawed' 5* Reader Review 'I laughed, I cried, I obsessed and now I'm going to have to read it again because I can't bear to leave the characters behind. Wonderful!' 5* Reader Review

Even though Agatha Raisin loathes Christmas panto, her friend Mrs Bloxby, the vicar's wife, has persuaded her to support the local am dram society in their festive offering. Stifling a yawn at the production of Babes in the Wood, Agatha watches the baker playing an ogre strut and threaten on stage until a trapdoor opens... followed by a scream and silence!Surely this wasn't the way the scene was rehearsed? When it turns out the local baker had been murdered most horribly, Agatha puts her team of detectives on the case. And they soon discover more feuds and temperamental behaviour in amateur dramatics than in a professional stage show - and face more and more danger as Agatha and her team get too close to the killer...

Cold-blooded murder heats up Agatha's summer holiday! Agatha travels to Cyprus, only to contend with her estranged fiance, an egregious group of truly terrible tourists, and a string of murders. . . In this sixth entertaining outing Agatha leaves the sleepy Cotswold village of Carsely to pursue love - and finds a murderer. Spurned at the altar, she follows her fleeing fiance James Lacey to Cyprus, where, instead of enjoying the honeymoon they'd planned, they witness the killing of an obnoxious tourist in a disco. Intrigue and a string of murders surround the unlikely couple, in a plot as scorching as the Cypriot sun! Praise for the Agatha Raisin series:'M. C. Beaton's imperfect heroine is an absolute gem.' Publishers Weekly'The detective novels of M. C. Beaton, a master of outrageous black comedy, have reached cult status.' The Times"Anyone interested in a few hours" worth of intelligent, amusing reading will want to make the acquaintance of Mrs. Agatha Raisin." The Cleveland Pain Dealer"M C Beaton has created a new national treasure... the stories zing along and are irresistible, unputdownable, a joy... Agatha Raisin is The Strongest Link." Anne Robinson'Being a cranky, middle-aged female myself, I found Agatha charming!' Amazon customer review'I dream of being able to speak out like Aggie . . . she's a heroine!' A. Lucas, Essex, reader review

'Every new Agatha Raisin escapade is a total joy' ASHLEY JENSEN'No wonder she's been crowned Queen of Cosy Crime' MAIL ON SUNDAY'A Beaton novel is like The Archers on speed' DAILY MAIL'The detective novels of M C Beaton have reached cult status' THE TIMESNothing could be more relaxing or sedate than a quiet game of bowls on a pristine bowling green bathed in the sunshine of an English summer's afternoon in the Cotswolds - unless there's a dead body lying on the grass. Agatha Raisin becomes embroiled in a turmoil of jealousy and lies when the tranquility of her local bowls club explodes into a storm of accusation and intrigue - and murder. Her private life is no less turbulent when a past suitor reappears just as her ex-husband seems intent on rekindling their romance, and her close friend, Bill Wong, is in danger of losing the woman he loves. Events take an even darker turn when Agatha realises that, in pursuing the bowling green killer, she is putting her own life in danger... Praise for M. C. Beaton's Agatha Raisin mysteries:'Irresistible, unputdownable, a joy' Anne Robinson'Full of perfectly pitched interest, intrigue, and charm' Lee Child'Agatha is like Miss Marple with a drinking problem, a pack-a-day habit and major man lust. In fact, I think she could be living my dream life' Entertainment Weekly'M. C. Beaton's imperfect heroine is an absolute gem' Publishers Weekly'[Agatha] is a glorious cross between Miss Marple, Auntie Mame, and Lucille Ball . . . She's wonderful' St. Petersburg Times'Few things in life are more satisfying than to discover a brand-new Agatha Raisin mystery' Tampa Tribune-Times'Beaton has a winner in the irrepressible, romance-hungry Agatha' Chicago Sun-Times

A visit to the local village fete for a spot of fun and relaxation turns into a nightmare for Agatha Raisin when she discovers the body of the local landowner in the woods - with an arrow in his chest and his trousers round his ankles. At first her old adversary, Detective Chief Inspector Wilkes, declares the death a tragic accident, believing the victim has been hit by a stray arrow from an archery demonstration. Agatha is convinced the man was murdered and is shocked when Wilkes eventually agrees... particularly as he considers her to be his prime suspect!Determined to clear her name and find the real killer, Agatha launches her own investigation, quickly becoming involved with a family at war, an unscrupulous gangster -- and a murderer who is determined to make her the next victim... 'Cosy crime with a touch of bite' - Belfast Telegraph'Agatha finds herself embroiled in intrigue and murder, and her hectic life continues to swirl along at a dizzying pace' - Eastern Daily Press 'R.W. Green comes up trumps with the 33rd case for flirty private eye Agatha Raisin ... Crime in the Cotswolds has never been livelier than in Agatha's fizzingly funny cases' - Peterborough Telegraph

'Every new Agatha Raisin escapade is a total joy' ASHLEY JENSEN'No wonder she's been crowned Queen of Cosy Crime' MAIL ON SUNDAYAgatha and her assistant, Toni, are driving to their friend Bill Wong's wedding, thinking of nothing more than what the beautiful bride will be wearing when a terrified young man comes running down the country lane towards them wearing. . . nothing at all. The encounter leads them to become embroiled with a naturist group, a disappearing corpse, fantasy games, witchcraft, an ice cream empire, intrigue and murder. In the meantime, Agatha's hectic life swirls along at dizzying pace, her private detective agency as busy as ever and her private affairs in turmoil - old loves to contend with and a new suitor on the scene. Then she finds herself in deadly danger when she begins to close in on a suspected murderer and the sinister nature of the ice cream business leads her to a chilling conclusion. 'A Beaton novel is like The Archers on speed' DAILY MAIL'The detective novels of M C Beaton have reached cult status' THE TIMESPraise for M. C. Beaton's Agatha Raisin mysteries:'Irresistible, unputdownable, a joy' Anne Robinson'Full of perfectly pitched interest, intrigue, and charm' Lee Child'Agatha is like Miss Marple with a drinking problem, a pack-a-day habit and major man lust. In fact, I think she could be living my dream life' Entertainment Weekly'M. C. Beaton's imperfect heroine is an absolute gem' Publishers Weekly'[Agatha] is a glorious cross between Miss Marple, Auntie Mame, and Lucille Ball . . . She's wonderful' St. Petersburg Times'Few things in life are more satisfying than to discover a brand-new Agatha Raisin mystery' Tampa Tribune-Times'Beaton has a winner in the irrepressible, romance-hungry Agatha' Chicago Sun-Times