Six Days In Rome
'A stunning writer and a brilliant transporting experience' Lisa Taddeo, bestselling author of Three Women and Animal
'Sensorial as hell... An ode to funky wine labels, good taste, and true inspiration, Francesca Giacco has penned a stunningly cool and stylish debut' Paul Beatty, Man Booker Prize winning author of The Sellout
'If Sally Rooney and Frances Mayes co-wrote a novel in an Airbnb near the Spanish Steps, it might read something like Six Days in Rome' David Ebershoff, bestselling author of The Danish Girl
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Emilia, an artist, arrives in Rome alone. What was supposed to be a romantic trip has, with the sudden end of her relationship, become a solitary one.
Six days lie ahead. She wanders the streets, surrendering herself to the music, food and beauty of the city.
But when she meets John, an American living out a seemingly idyllic existence in Rome, their instant connection challenges how she sees her past, her family and herself. As their intimacy deepens, can Emilia begin to imagine life anew?
Visceral, decadent and deeply evocative, Six Days in Rome is a novel about reckoning with complex pasts and choices made - and finding what you didn't know you were looking for.
Heartburn
A BESTSELLING NOVEL AND MAJOR FILM STARRING MERYL STREEP AND JACK NICHOLSON
'I have bought more copies of this book to give to people, in a frenzy of enthusiasm, than any other . . . Heartburn is the perfect, bittersweet, sobbingly funny, all-too-true confessional novel' NIGELLA LAWSON
'A perfect example of Ephron's gift for turning tragedy into comedy' PAULA HAWKINS, THE GIRL ON THE TRAIN
'She is wit without cynicism, the ultimate romantic' GAIL COLLINS, NEW YORK TIMES
Seven months into her pregnancy, Rachel discovers that her husband is in love with another woman. The fact that this woman has a 'neck as long as an arm and a nose as long as a thumb' is no consolation. Food sometimes is, though, since Rachel is a cookery writer, and between trying to win Mark back and wishing him dead, she offers us some of her favourite recipes. Heartburn is a roller coaster of love, betrayal, loss and most satisfyingly revenge.
This is Nora Ephron's (screenwriter of When Harry Met Sally and Sleepless in Seattle) roman a clef: 'I always thought during the pain of the marriage that one day it would make a funny book,' she once said - And it is!
Books included in the VMC fortieth anniversary series include: Frost in May by Antonia White; The Collected Stories of Grace Paley; Fire from Heaven by Mary Renault; The Magic Toyshop by Angela Carter; The Weather in the Streets by Rosamond Lehmann; Deep Water by Patricia Highsmith; The Return of the Soldier by Rebecca West; Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston; Heartburn by Nora Ephron; The Dud Avocado by Elaine Dundy; Memento Mori by Muriel Spark; A View of the Harbour by Elizabeth Taylor; and Faces in the Water by Janet Frame
Once Upon a Tome : The misadventures of a rare bookseller
'Peculiarly hilarious!' - William Gibson
'Every page is a pleasure' - Lindsey FItzharris
'Utterly charming' - Tom Holland
'Laugh-out-loud' - Garth Nix
'A must read' - Fergus Butler-Gallie
'Brims with self-effacing charm' - Caitlin Doughty
'Unfortunately I have mislaid the book in question' - Neil Gaiman
Welcome to Sotheran's, one of the oldest bookshops in the world, with its weird and wonderful clientele, suspicious cupboards, unlabelled keys, poisoned books and some things that aren't even books, presided over by one deeply eccentric apprentice.
Some years ago, Oliver Darkshire stepped into the hushed interior of Henry Sotheran Ltd on Sackville Street (est. 1761) to interview for their bookselling apprenticeship, a decision which has bedevilled him ever since.
He'd intended to stay for a year before launching into some less dusty, better remunerated career. Unfortunately for him, the alluring smell of old books and the temptation of a management-approved afternoon nap proved irresistible. Soon he was balancing teetering stacks of first editions, fending off nonagenarian widows with a ten-foot pole and trying not to upset the store's resident ghost (the late Mr Sotheran had unfinished business when he was hit by that tram).
For while Sotheran's might be a treasure trove of literary delights, it sings a siren song to eccentrics. There are not only colleagues whose tastes in rare items range from the inspired to the mildly dangerous, but also zealous collectors seeking knowledge, curios, or simply someone with whom to hold a four hour conversation about books bound in human skin.
By turns unhinged and earnestly dog-eared, Once Upon a Tome is the rather colourful story of life in one of the world's oldest bookshops and a love letter to the benign, unruly world of antiquarian bookselling, where to be uncommon or strange is the best possible compliment.
Norwegian Wood
A beautifully packaged hardback edition of Haruki Murakami's breakout hit, now with a new introduction by the author
When he hears her favourite Beatles song, Toru Watanabe recalls his first love Naoko, the girlfriend of his best friend Kizuki. Immediately he is transported back almost twenty years to his student days in Tokyo, adrift in a world of uneasy friendships, casual sex, passion, loss and desire - to a time when an impetuous young woman called Midori marches into his life and he has to choose between the future and the past.
'Evocative, entertaining, sexy and funny; but then Murakami is one of the best writers around' Time Out
The Idiot
Discover TikTok's new favourite book.
'I loved it and could have read a thousand more pages of it' Emma Cline, author of The Girls
Selin, a tall, highly strung Turkish-American from New Jersey turns up at Harvard with no idea what to expect. What she doesn't expect is:
- How much time she will spend thinking about language and its limitations
- An opinionated cosmopolitan Serb named Svetlana, who will become her confidante
- A mathematician from Hungary called Ivan, whom she will obsess over when she is supposed to be studying
- Feeling dangerously overwhelmed by the challenges and possibilities of adulthood
But most of all, Selin does not expect to embark on a study of precisely how baffling love can be when you are trying to forge a self...
_______________-
PRAISE FOR THE IDIOT:
'A moving, continent-hopping coming-of-age story' Observer
'Elif Batuman surely has one of the best senses of humour...refreshing and unique' Sheila Heti
'Full of zingy one-liners' Financial Times
'Hilarious, brilliant observations about writing, life and crushes' Curtis Sittenfeld
'Delightful and slyly funny' Red
Kafka on the Shore
A beautifully packaged hardback edition of Haruki Murakami's mesmerizingly surreal classic, now with a new introduction by the author
Kafka Tamura runs away from home at fifteen, under the shadow of his father's dark prophesy.
The aging Nakata, tracker of lost cats, who never recovered from a bizarre childhood affliction, finds his pleasantly simplified life suddenly turned upside down.
As their parallel odysseys unravel, cats converse with people; fish tumble from the sky; a ghost-like pimp deploys a Hegel-spouting girl of the night; a forest harbours soldiers apparently un-aged since World War II. There is a savage killing, but the identity of both victim and killer is a riddle - one of many which combine to create an elegant and dreamlike masterpiece.
'Wonderful... Magical and outlandish' Daily Mail
'Hypnotic, spellbinding' The Times
'Cool, fluent and addictive' Daily Telegraph
The Little Prince (Penguin Clothbound Classics)
Antoine de Saint-Exupery's timeless tale, reissued in a beautiful clothbound edition designed by Coralie Bickford-Smith.
Antoine de Saint-Exupery first published The Little Prince in 1943, only a year before his plane vanished over the Mediterranean during a reconnaissance mission. Nearly eighty years later, this fable of love and loneliness has lost none of its power.
The narrator is a downed pilot in the Sahara Desert, frantically trying to repair his wrecked plane. His efforts are interrupted one day by the apparition of a little prince, who asks him to draw a sheep. "In the face of an overpowering mystery, you don't dare disobey," the narrator recalls. "Absurd as it seemed, a thousand miles from all inhabited regions and in danger of death, I took a scrap of paper and a pen out of my pocket." And so begins their dialogue, which stretches the narrator's imagination in all sorts of surprising, childlike directions.
Life Time: The New Science of the Body Clock, and How It Can Revolutionize Your Sleep and Health
** THE SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER **
A GUIDE TO USING THE SCIENCE OF THE BODY CLOCK TO CREATE THE OPTIMUM PERSONAL ROUTINE: SLEEP BETTER, WORK BETTER, FEEL BETTER.
'A superlative guide to some of the most intriguing questions of human existence' - Bill Bryson, author of The Body: A Guide for Occupants
'Who knew our body clocks determined so much of our health, happiness, and lifespan? I learned so much' - James Nestor, author of Breath
In the twenty-first century, we increasingly push our daily routines into the night, carrying out work, exercise and our social lives long after dark. But we have forgotten that our bodies are governed by a 24-hour biological clock which guides us towards the best time to sleep, eat and think.
In Life Time, Professor Russell Foster shares his life's work, taking us on a fascinating and surprising journey through the science of our body clocks. Using his own studies, as well as insights from an international community of sleep scientists and biologists studying circadian rhythms, he illustrates the surprising effects the time of day can have on our health, including:
- how a walk outside at dawn can ensure a better night's sleep
- how eating after sundown can affect our weight
- the extraordinary effects the time we take our medication can have on our risk of life-threatening conditions, such as strokes
In the modern world, we have neglected an essential part of our biology. But with knowledge of this astonishing science, we can get back into the rhythm, and live healthier, sharper lives.
Seven Days in June
A REESE WITHERSPOON BOOK CLUB PICK
THE INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER (JUNE 2021)
'A sexy, modern love story' Reese Witherspoon
'I absolutely loved it' Jodi Picoult
Seven days to fall in love, fifteen years to forget, and seven days to get it all back again...
When Eva Mercy, a single mother and bestselling erotica writer, and the enigmatic, award-winning novelist Shane Hall meet at a literary event in New York, sparks fly. But what no one knows is that fifteen years earlier, teenage Eva and Shane spent one week together, madly in love. While they may pretend to be strangers, they can't deny their chemistry.
Over the next seven days, amidst a steamy Brooklyn summer, Eva and Shane reconnect. But Eva is wary of the man who broke her heart and wants Shane out of the city so her life can return to normal. Before he disappears, though, she needs a few questions answered . . .
With its keen observations of creative life in America today, as well as the joys and complications of being a mother and a daughter, Seven Days in June is a hilarious, romantic, and sexy-as-hell story of two writers discovering their second chance at love.
'Deliciously witty' Zoella Book Club
'Hilarious, romantic and incredibly sexy' Hello!
'An absolute page turner . . . exuding love, hope and desire' Evening Standard
'Electric and alive' Kirkus
'A captivating love story' Melan Mag
'A vision of life as it truly is: complications and difficulties punctuated by profound joy' Rumaan Alam
Small Things Like These
** A Book of the Year in The Times - The New Statesman - Observer - Financial Times - Irish Times - Irish Independent - Times Literary Supplement **
WINNER OF THE ORWELL PRIZE AND THE KERRY GROUP IRISH NOVEL OF THE YEAR AWARD
SHORTLISTED FOR THE RATHBONES FOLIO PRIZE AND THE IRISH NOVEL OF THE YEAR AT THE DALKEY LITERARY AWARDS
'Exquisite.' Damon Galgut
'Masterly.' The Times
'Miraculous.' Herald
'Astonishing.' Colm Toibin
'Stunning.' Sunday Independent
'Absolutely beautiful.' Douglas Stuart
It is 1985, in an Irish town. During the weeks leading up to Christmas, Bill Furlong, a coal and timber merchant, faces into his busiest season. As he does the rounds, he feels the past rising up to meet him - and encounters the complicit silences of a people controlled by the Church.
Madame Bovary (Penguin Clothbound Classics)
Emma Bovary is beautiful and bored, trapped in her marriage to a mediocre doctor and stifled by the banality of provincial life. An ardent reader of sentimental novels, she longs for passion and seeks escape in fantasies of high romance, in voracious spending and, eventually, in adultery. But even her affairs bring her disappointment and the consequences are devastating. Flaubert's erotically charged and psychologically acute portrayal of Emma Bovary caused a moral outcry on its publication in 1857. It was deemed so lifelike that many women claimed they were the model for his heroine; but Flaubert insisted: 'Madame Bovary, c'est moi'.
Rejtély az Antillákon
A Karib-tenger partján fekvő Arany Pálma Szálló vendégei kellemes napokat töltenek az idilli környezetben. Kényelmükről a szálloda új tulajdonosa, egy fiatal házaspár, Molly és Tim Kendal gondoskodik. Egy nap az idős Palgrave őrnagy, szokásához híven, számtalan kalandjai egyikével traktálja kissé unott hallgatóságát. Váratlanul egy gyilkos fényképét húzza elő a tárcájából, hogy megmutassa az elképedt Miss Marple-nak, ám valami megzavarja...
Másnap a gondterhelt Molly Palgrave halálhírét hozza: az őrnagy magas vérnyomásának áldozata lett. Miss Marple-nek azonban valami nagyon nem tetszik. Vajon összefügg a rejtélyes fénykép említése Palgrave hirtelen halálával? Lehet, hogy egy gyilkos ólálkodik a szálló vendégei között? Miss Marple maga veszi kezébe a dolgokat...
Magunkról
Dr. Benkovics Júlia nőgyógyász, szoptatási tanácsadó 2020-ban indította Magunkról című Instagram-oldalát, amelyet azóta több mint 38000-en követnek. Népszerűségének titka, hogy írásai érthetőek, közvetlenek, humorosak, ugyanakkor rendkívüli szakmai háttértudás áll mögöttük. Ugyanebben a szellemben született meg ez a könyv is, amelynek célja, hogy a kiskamasz korosztálytól egészen az érett nőkig információkkal lássa el az olvasókat és eloszlassa a rengeteg tévhitet, amely a női test, a nemi szervek és a szexualitás körül évtizedek óta generációs örökségünk. Hiszen csak a tudás, a megismerés révén hozhatunk felelős döntéseket a saját testünkkel, egészségünkkel kapcsolatban. Márpedig az egészséges test az egészséges lélek alapfeltétele, önmagunk elfogadásának és szeretetének első lépése pedig, hogy megismerjük és értsük azt a lenyűgöző rendszert, amelyet úgy hívunk: női test.
A tartalomból:
A szüzesség legendája A szőrtelenítés praktikus kérdései A mellvizsgálat technikája A normál hüvelyfolyás Az egészséges hüvelyi lakóközösség Mikor érdemes nőgyógyászhoz menni? Mi az a rákszűrés? Egyéjszakás kaland utáni teendők Méhszájsebem van! Tévhitek a hüvelygombáról Fáj a szex Fáj a pisilés A női ciklus Menopauza Mi a menstruáció? A menses előtti napok kínjai
Az én mensesem normális? Az endometriózis Babagyár OFF/ON A próbálkozás A világ leghíresebb randevúja, a megtermékenyülés Terhes vagyok, most mi legyen? A vetélésekről általában A szülésről Mi az, hogy medencefenék? Napi puncitorna A libidócsökkenés biológiai okai Az orgazmusról
Úton - Az eredeti tekercs
1951 áprilisában Jack Kerouac három hét alatt, a spontán alkotás lázában írta meg az Úton eredeti változatát egyetlen, a végtelen utat jelképező papírtekercsre: annak a történetét, ahogy Neal Cassadyvel többször is beutazták Amerikát - ahogy száguldoztak a "jajongó kontinensen" át, s közben mindent meg akartak tapasztalni, ami csak kifacsarható az életből.
A beatnemzedék első nagy műve volt ez - előbb született, mint Ginsberg Üvöltése vagy Burroughs regénye, a Meztelen ebéd -, de csak 1957-ben jelenhetett meg, miután Kerouac átírta: kihagyta az akkoriban még botrányosan merésznek számító részeket, és minden szereplőnek más nevet adott.
Az ős-Úton csak jóval Kerouac halála után, 2007-ben jelent meg először, s azóta a mű két változatban létezik - mindkettő autentikus, de az Eredeti tekercs a maga nyersebb módján még inkább kifejezi a beatnemzedék életérzését és törekvését: hogy spontán, gátlástalan, lázadó, lüktető, száguldó, őrült, az élet titkának mélyére hatoló, új irodalmat akartak létrehozni.
A Félőlény
"Félőlénynek van egy könyvtára, a könyvtárában sok-sok mese, a sok-sok mese pedig arról szól, mint tudjuk, hogy a gonoszoknak a mesék végén tutira annyi lesz. És mert ez le van írva, akkor ez is a világ, sőt, ez a világ, és amíg ezeket a meséket mondja valaki, vagy akár ha nem mondja, de mondhatja, csak a kezébe kell vennie az egyik könyvet a sok közül, és már olvashatja is fennhangon, mondjuk teázás közben, addig a szörnyek világa csak rút látszat, illúzió, kamu." Békés Pál
Az Utolsó Kiserdő az egyetlen hely, amit még nem hajtottak rémuralmuk alá a triplatokájú vahordályok, hurkoltfarkú csökött sarabolók, kukkoló berregények és társaik, vagyis a SZÖRNYEK. Az erdő lakója, a Félőlény annyira retteg, hogy már elő sem bújik odújából. Nem mesél barátainak, Rakoncnak, Porhanynak és Csupáncnak könyvtára csodálatos köteteiből, pedig eddig ezek a történetek tartották úgy-ahogy távol a szörnyeket. A Félőlény legjobb barátja, Csatang már elhagyta otthonát, a Kiserdőt. Egy nap azonban Csatang visszatér, hogy megossza barátaival: a helyzet menthetetlen, legjobb lesz, ha mind szörnnyé válnak. A Félőlény enged az unszolásnak, és a szörnyfelvételi irodába indul, hogy kiállja a három próbát...
Békés Pál klasszikussá vált meséje bátorságra és őszinteségre tanít; arra, hogy inkább nevezzük nevén a rosszat, mert csak így lehet vele szembeszállni.
"Szörnnyé válni könnyű. Nagyon könnyű. Nem lenni szörnnyé: az a nehéz."