A tale of the cruelties that took place during the 1947 partition of India, ” Black Taj” is a tragic story about young love s struggle to cross the Indian caste divide. An only child, Simi grows up comfortably in the city of Atmapuri enjoying certainty in her future ahead. Then, unexpectedly, everything changes. Her city, overtaken by the riots that have periodically gripped India since Britain s abrupt withdrawal, is threatening to fall apart along the lines of religion, caste, & community. Shortly before turning twenty-five, Simi meets a wonderful young man. Although he was also raised in Atmapuri, his caste means that he is in many ways from a different world. Without warning, Simi faces difficult new choices but when the past is always present, it can be hard to break free. Against a backdrop of monsoons & heat waves, shanty towns & expensive bungalows, love & tradition, & religious conflict & social upheaval, Simi s life will change forever.” ...

A black porter publicly whips a white Englishman in the hall of a Gloucestershire manor house. A Moroccan woman is baptised in a London church. Henry VIII dispatches a Mauritanian diver to salvage lost treasures from the Mary Rose. From long-forgotten records emerge the remarkable stories of Africans who lived free in Tudor Engl&... They were present at some of the defining moments of the age. They were christened, married & buried by the Church. They were paid wages like any other Tudors. The untold stories of the Black Tudors, dazzlingly brought to life by Kaufmann, will transform how we see this most intriguing period of history. ...

Shortlisted for the Wolfson History Prize 2018A Book of the Year for the Evening Standard & the Observer A black porter publicly whips a white Englishman in the hall of a Gloucestershire manor house. A Moroccan woman is baptised in a London church. Henry VIII dispatches a Mauritanian diver to salvage lost treasures from the Mary Rose. From long-forgotten records emerge the remarkable stories of Africans who lived free in Tudor Engl&... They were present at some of the defining moments of the age. They were christened, married & buried by the Church. They were paid wages like any other Tudors. The untold stories of the Black Tudors, dazzlingly brought to life by Kaufmann, will transform how we see this most intriguing period of history. ...

` Kissing you is like new paint & old pain. It is like coffee & car alarms & a dim stairway & a stain & it`s like smoke.` (` Placing a Call`) How does love change us? & how do we change ourselves for love
- or for lack of it? Ten stories by acclaimed author Deborah Levy explore these delicate, impossible questions. In Vienna, an icy woman seduces a broken man; in London gardens, birds sing in computer start-up sounds; in ad-l&, a sleek copywriter becomes a kind of shaman. These are twenty-first century lives dissected with razor-sharp humour & curiosity, stories about what it means to live & love, together & alone.
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` Elisa said Yes & I said Yes. We said Yes in all the European languages. Yes. We said yes we said yes, yes to vague but powerful things, we said yes to hope which has to be vague, we said yes to love which is always blind, we smiled & said yes without blinking.` (`A Better Way to Live`) ----------- How does love change us? & how do we change ourselves for love
- or for lack of it? Ten stories by acclaimed author Deborah Levy explore these delicate, impossible questions. In Vienna, an icy woman seduces a broken man; in London, a bird mimics an old-fashioned telephone; in adl&, a sleek copywriter becomes a kind of shaman. These are twenty-first century lives dissected with razor-sharp humour & curiosity, stories about what it means to live & love, together & alone.
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John Harper lies awake at night in an isolated hut on an Indonesian isl&, listening to the rain on the roof & believing his life may be in danger. But he is less afraid of what is going to happen than of something he`s already done. In a local town, he meets Rita, a woman with her own troubled history. They begin an affair
- but can he allow himself to get involved when he knows this might put her at risk? Moving between Europe during the cold war, California & the Civil Rights struggle, & Indonesia during the massacres of 1965 & the decades of military dictatorship that follow, Black Water is an epic novel that explores some of the darkest events of recent world history through the story of one troubled man. Black Water confirms Louise Doughty`s position as one of our most important contemporary novelists. She writes with fierce intelligence & a fine-tuned sense of moral ambiguity that makes her fiction resonate in the reader`s mind long after the final page has been turned.
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On a dark night, out on the Houston bayou to celebrate his wife`s birthday, Jay Porter hears a scream. Saving a distressed woman from drowning, he opens a Pandora`s Box. Not the lawyer he set out to be, Jay long ago made peace with his radical youth, tucked away his darkest sins & resolved to make a fresh start. His impulsive act out on the bayou is heroic, but it puts Jay in danger, ensnaring him in a murder investigation that could cost him is practice, his family & even his life. Before he can untangle the mystery that stretches to the highest reaches of corporate power, he must confront the demons of his past. A provocative thriller with an exhilarating climax, ” Black Water Rising” marks the arrival of an electrifying new talent. ...

Desperate to quell her addiction to drugs, disastrous romance, & nineties San Francisco, Michelle heads south for LA. But soon it`s officially announced that the world will end in one year, & life in the sprawling metropolis becomes increasingly weird. While living in an abandoned bookstore, dating Matt Dillon, & keeping an eye on the encroaching apocalypse, Michelle begins a new novel, a sprawling & meta-textual exploration to complement her promises of maturity & responsibility. But as she struggles to make queer love & art without succumbing to self-destructive vice, the boundaries between storytelling & everyday living begin to blur, & Michelle wonders how much she`ll have to compromise her artistic process if she`s going to properly ride out doomsday. ...

A Series of Sandwich Boxes with Cutting Board Lids, the perfect combination for preparing & carrying your sandwich or snack. The containers are made from 0.8mm thick aluminium & feature 5mm bamboo cutting boards (benefiting from the naturally antibacterial properties of the wood), that double as lids. Silicon seals & elastic straps make sure that the boxes are tightly secured. The sandwich boxes come in a variety of bright colours & are ideal for preparing or carrying your sandwich at/to work & for camping trips. Not dishwasher or microwave safe. ...

**THE TOP 5 SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER** ` My book of the year so far. Breathtakingly, heart-stoppingly brilliant` Sophie Hannah, internationally bestselling author of The Narrow Bed A chilling new thriller that gets into the heart & mind of the killer, & the victim.. . Seventeen-year-old Tessa, dubbed a ` Black-Eyed Susan` by the media, became famous for being the only victim to survive the vicious attack of a serial killer. Her testimony helped to put a dangerous criminal behind bars
- or so she thought. Now, decades later the black-eyed susans planted outside Tessa`s bedroom window seem to be a message from a killer who should be safely in prison. Haunted by fragmented memories of the night she was attacked & terrified for her own teenage daughter`s safety, can Tessa uncover the truth about the killer before it`s too late? Praise for Black-Eyed Susans ` It`s a terrific plot, matched by the quality of the writing & superbly paced tension` The Times Book of the Month ` Black Eyed Susans is a compelling read, especially for Serial fans` Cosmopolitan ` Creepy & compelling, Black-Eyed Susans is a shadowy & crooked journey to a very dark place indeed, a twisty fairytale that deceives you just when you think you`ve cracked it & a thriller to make you remember why you love thrillers. Don`t miss it` Observer, Thriller of the Month ` One of the classiest thrillers you`ll read this year` Charlotte Heathcote of Daily Express & Sunday Express ` Mesmerising.. . In a crowded field, Heaberlin is something special, & clearly an author to whom close attention must be paid` Barry Forshaw, Crime Time ` About as good an example of Grip Lit as you could read` Sunday Independent ` Sophisticated, disturbing & with plenty of red herrings` Woman & Home ` We can`t remember the last time a thriller burrowed under our skin like this. Sparkling characters, authentic emotion, & an unpredictable plot makes this a terrific read from start to end` i Books, Books of the Month ` The assured telling of this chiller combines to create a very modern Gothic horror that will keep you up way past your bedtime` Sunday Mirror `A sophisticated take on the serial killer novel` Good Housekeeping ` Black Eyed Susans is haunting, intense & original
- it`ll keep you guessing till the last page` Closer `A masterful thriller that shouldn`t be missed. Heaberlin`s work calls to mind that of Gillian Flynn. Both writers published impressive early novels that were largely overlooked, & then one that couldn`t be: Flynn`s Gone Girl & now Heaberlin`s Black-Eyed Susans. Don`t miss it` Washington Post `A fascinating, twisted book` Koethi Zan, author of Richard & Judy-selected THE NEVER LIST ` This is a deftly organised, impeccably paced psychological suspense thriller that nods to Daphne du Maurier &, like all Heaberlin`s fiction, boasts purr-inducing prose ` Sunday Times, Culture Magazine ` Tense, pacy & compelling, Black-Eyed Susans is a taut psychological thriller that keeps you on the edge of your seat. Julia Haeberlin masterfully ramps up the suspense gradually, building to an explosive denouement that you won`t see coming. Quite simply, the best thriller you`ll read this year
- perhaps decade. Miss it at your peril. Keep Calm & Read a Book Reviews


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