Literature

Sebastian Barnack, a handsome English schoolboy, is on bad terms with his socialist father who disapproves of his hedonistic lifestyle. He escapes to Florence in order to learn about life. His education there, thanks to the contradictory influences of his scurrilous Uncle Eustace and a saintly bookseller, is both sacred and profane. A haunting novel from one of the twentieth century's most powerful commentators.

Tod. T. Friendly is living his life backwards. Doctor Friendly has just died, but after weeks of improving in the hospital, he is sent home to his affable, melting-pot, primary-colour existence in suburban America. From the fresh-cut lawns of his retirement to the hustle of New York, and then the boat back to war-torn Europe, Friendly carries with him a secret. Trapped in his body from grave to cradle, Friendly's consciousness can only watch as he struggles to make sense of the good doctor's most ambitious project yet - the final solution. SHORTLISTED FOR THE BOOKER PRIZE'Amis's most daring and ambitious novel' Daily Telegraph

"The first novel in #1 New York Times bestselling author John le Carrâe's Karla trilogy The man he knew as "Control" is dead, and the young Turks who forced him out now run the Circus. But George Smiley isn't quite ready for retirement--especially when a pretty, would-be defector surfaces with a shocking accusation: a Soviet mole has penetrated the highest level of British Intelligence. Relying only on his wits and a small, loyal cadre, Smiley recognizes the hand of Karla--his Moscow Centre nemesis--and sets a trap to catch the traitor. Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy is a heart-stopping tale of international intrigue"--

**THE REESE WITHERSPOON BOOK CLUB PICK, SOON TO BE A DISNEY+ ORIGINAL SERIES**Rich with humour, insight, compassion - and absolute honesty - Tiny Beautiful Things is a balm for everything life throws our way, administered by the author of the New York Times-bestselling memoir, Wild. For more than a decade, thousands of people have sought advice from Dear Sugar - the pseudonym of bestselling author Cheryl Strayed - first through her online column at The Rumpus, later through her hit podcast Dear Sugars, and now through her popular Substack newsletter. Tiny Beautiful Things collects the best of Dear Sugar in one volume, bringing her wisdom to many more readers.

This edition features six new columns and a new preface by Strayed. Rich with humour, insight, compassion -and absolute honesty - this book is a balm for everything life throws our way.

From Alaska to the Yukon, from the Klondike to the Arctic tundra, Jack London knew the outlaws and the wolves, the prospectors and the grizzlies. In these collected stories of man against the wilderness London lays claim to the title of greatest outdoor adventure writer of all time. Reprint.

In the mid-1970s, Saul Bellow visited Israel and To Jerusalem and Back is his account of his time there. Immersing himself in its landscape and culture, he records the opinions, passions and dreams of Israelis of varying viewpoints - from Prime Minister Rabin, novelist Amos Oz and the editor of an Arab-language newspaper to a kibbutznik escaped from the Warsaw ghetto and the barber at Bellow's hotel. Through meditations steeped in history and literature he adds his own reflections on being Jewish in the twentieth century. Bellow's exploration of a beautiful and troubled city is a powerful testament to the unique spirit and challenges of Israel, its history and its future.

"'Shoot all the Bluejays you want, if you can hit 'em, but remember it's a sin to kill a Mockingbird.' Lawyer Atticus Finch gives this advice to his children as he defends the real mockingbird of Harper Lee's classic novel - a black man charged with the rape of a white girl. Through the young eyes of Scout and Jem Finch, Harper Lee explores with exuberant humour the irrationality of adult attitudes to race and class in the Deep South of the 1930s. The conscience of a town steeped in prejudice, violence and hypocrisy is pricked by the stamina of one man's struggle for justice. But the weight of history will only tolerate so much... A benchmark of classic American literature, To Kill A Mockingbird approaches the highly sensitive topic of racism in 1930s America with humour, warmth and compassion, making it widely recognised as one of the best books of the twentieth century and in American literature."

To Paradise is a bold, brilliant novel spanning three centuries and three different versions of the elusive idea of utopia; driven by Yanagihara's understanding of our desire to protect those we love - partners, lovers, children, friends, family and even our fellow citizens - and the pain that ensues when we cannot. In an alternate version of 1893 America, New York is part of the Free States, where people may live and love as they please (or so it seems). In a 1993 Manhattan besieged by the AIDS epidemic, a young Hawaiian man lives with his much older, wealthier partner, hiding his troubled childhood and the fate of his father. In 2093, in a world riven by plagues and governed by totalitarian rule, a powerful scientist's damaged granddaughter tries to navigate life without him - and solve the mystery of her husband's disappearance. What unites these characters, and these Americas, are their reckonings with the qualities that make us human - fear, love, shame, need, loneliness - and the longing to find a place in an earthly paradise. 'I'm not sure I've ever missed the world of a book as much' - Observer'Not only rare . . . revolutionary' - Michael Cunningham'Prepare to weep in public and be utterly transformed' - Stylist