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21 May
Plato, the Greek philosopher, mathematician and writer born in 427 BC. Along with his mentor, Socrates, and his student, Aristotle, Plato helped to lay the foundations of natural philosophy, science, and Western philosophy. Read more about Plato's life
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This month's 'featured books'
Books of the Month
Flight Behaviour Barbara Kingsolver
May 2013 Book of the Month.
Winner of the Orange Prize for Fiction in 2010 and on the shortlist for the Women's Prize for Fiction 2013.
A topical, engrossing and thought-provoking read exploring how... Format: Paperback - Released: 18/04/2013
The Shining Girls Lauren Beukes
May 2013 Book of the Month.
The girl who wouldn't die, hunting a killer who shouldn't exist... The Time Traveler's Wife meets The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo in this terrifying... Format: Hardback - Released: 25/04/2013
Walking Home Simon Armitage
May 2013 Travel Book of the Month.
A uniquely charming, droll, moving, British narrative from writer and poet Simon Armitage as he recounts his 256 mile (North to South) walk along the Pennine... Format: Paperback - Released: 04/04/2013
The Twelve Justin Cronin
May 2013 Book of the Month and eBook of the Month.
The Passage was a huge and sweeping thriller telling the story of the end of civilisation and what happened to the... Format: Paperback - Released: 25/04/2013
This month's 'featured books'
F Scott Fitzgerald
Tender is the Night F. Scott Fitzgerald
Peopled by an unforgettable cast of aristocrats and high-fliers, Tender is the Night is at once a scathing critique of the materialism and hypocrisy of the Roaring Twenties and a poignant and sensitive account of personal tragedy and disillusionment.
Baz Luhrmann's... Format: Paperback - Released: 17/08/2012
The Last Tycoon F. Scott Fitzgerald
The Last Tycoon is a sophisticated, gripping tale of love and intrigue in the Golden Age of Hollywood, containing what many critics have claimed are Fitzgerald's most modern and engaging characters.
Baz Luhrmann's film adaptation of The Great Gatsby, starring Leonardo... Format: Paperback - Released: 28/05/2013
This Side of Paradise F. Scott Fitzgerald
A critical account of its own era, introducing many themes which would be developed in later works, Fitzgerald's first novel was an instant critical and commercial success, propelling him into the limelight as a literary celebrity.
Baz Luhrmann's film adaptation of... Format: Paperback - Released: 27/09/2012
The Great Gatsby F. Scott Fitzgerald
Jay Gatsby's parties are legendary. Night and day, the rich and beautiful descend upon his mansion to drink and to dance. For Nick Carraway, newly arrived on Long Island, the handsome, wealthy Gatsby seems to lead the perfect life. But... Format: Paperback - Released: 11/04/2013
This month's 'featured books'
Author of the Month
The Poisonwood Bible Barbara Kingsolver
One of Susan Fletcher's favourite books.
A fascinating story told from the perspective of a mother and her four daughters who have been taken to the Congo, by the father of the family, on a mission to bring God to... Format: Paperback - Released: 11/04/2013
The Bean Trees Barbara Kingsolver
One of Kerry Reich's favourite books.
A book about love and friendship. Kingsolver always creates believable and interesting characters who enthral the reader and this story is no different. Taylor does not want to get pregnant young and live in... Format: Paperback - Released: 01/03/2001
Flight Behaviour Barbara Kingsolver
May 2013 Book of the Month.
Winner of the Orange Prize for Fiction in 2010 and on the shortlist for the Women's Prize for Fiction 2013.
A topical, engrossing and thought-provoking read exploring how... Format: Paperback - Released: 18/04/2013
Pigs in Heaven Barbara Kingsolver
Pigs in Heaven travels the roads from rural Kentucky and the urban Southwest to Heaven, Oklahoma, and the Cherokee Nation, testing the boundaries of family and the many separate truths about the ties that bind. It is a spellbinding novel... Format: Paperback - Released: 11/04/2013
This month's 'featured books'
Debuts of the Month
This is How it Ends Kathleen MacMahon
This is when it begins Autumn, 2008. This is where it begins The coast of Dublin. This is why it begins Bruno, an American, has come to Ireland to search for his roots. Addie, an out-of-work architect, is recovering from... Format: Paperback - Released: 09/05/2013
The Prophet of Bones Ted Kosmatka
If Carlsson discovers the truth too many powerful interests have far too much to lose. But not every prophet is without honour. And Carlsson, alone and on the run, is determined to reveal the discovery to a world in which... Format: Paperback - Released: 25/04/2013
The Burial Courtney Collins
May 2013 Debut of the Month.
A breathtakingly brilliant debut novel in the tradition of Cormac McCarthy, inspired by the life of legendary female... Format: Paperback - Released: 02/05/2013
Golden Boy Abigail Tarttelin
May 2013 Debut of the Month.
This controversial book dealing with issues of identity, gender and sexuality and freedom of the press is set to... Format: Hardback - Released: 09/05/2013
This month's 'featured books'
Reading Groups
The Memory of Lost Senses Judith Kinghorn
A lyrically written and wonderfully evocative, romantic historical novel that draws you into the intriguing and secret lives of the characters in the hot lazy summer of 1911. A Countess, her grandson, a famous author writing her memoir and a... Format: Paperback - Released: 23/05/2013
The Conception of Zachary Muse Jason Hinojosa
This compelling, allegorical tale of the transformative power of nature, the devastatingly positive and negative effects of love and the power of feminine beauty is frankly hard to categorise. The writing is evocative and lyrical and the story has more... Format: Book - Released: 26/02/2013
The Cleaner of Chartres Salley Vickers
A captivating, magical and slightly sinister story of secrets, forgiveness, loss and love. It’s the perfect book for readers who loved Joanne Harris' Chocolat. No one knows where the mysterious cleaner came from, and she is happy to hide... Format: Paperback - Released: 23/05/2013
Elijah's Mermaid Essie Fox
May 2013 Book of the Month.
A panoply of characters bring Victorian London’s polarised society vividly to life. The lives of two orphans brought up by their grandfather and a baby found in... Format: Paperback - Released: 09/05/2013
Bring Up the Bodies Hilary Mantel
Shortlisted for the Women's Prize for Fiction 2013.
With her dazzling, utterly absorbing style of writing Bring Up the Bodies focuses on the downfall and destruction of the charismatic Anne Boleyn. This is the sequel to the 2009 Man Booker-winning Format: Paperback - Released: 07/05/2013
Dead Ever After A True Blood Novel Charlaine Harris
Sookie Stackhouse has one last adventure in store. Life has taken her from a waitress in Merlotte's Bar, Bon Temps, to part owner; from social outcast to the heart of her community; from a vampire's girlfriend to the wife of... Format: Hardback - Released: 07/05/2013
The Summer House Santa Montefiore
Antoinette's world has fallen apart: her husband, the man she has loved for as long as she can remember, has died tragically in an accident. He was her rock, the man she turned to for love and support, the man... Format: Paperback - Released: 25/04/2013
This month's 'featured books'
eBooks
Sweet Tooth Ian McEwan
The year is 1972. The Cold War is far from over. Britain is being torn apart by industrial unrest and terrorism. Serena Frome is being groomed for MI5. Serena is sent on a secret mission which brings her into the... Format: Paperback - Released: 09/05/2013
Deadlands Lily Herne
Yes there are zombies in this book, but don’t be put off as you will miss a gritty, sharply written, even at times funny, dystopian novel. An unspecified apocalypse leaves Capetown a wasteland of zombies and cowering humans protected by... Format: Paperback - Released: 18/04/2013
Telegraph Avenue Michael Chabon
From the bestselling author of 'The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay'; his first novel in 5 years is a lovingly painted pop-culture epic. As summer in Oakland, California, draws to a close, Archy Stallings and Nat Jaffe are hanging... Format: Paperback - Released: 15/04/2013
Zoo Time Howard Jacobson
Winner of the Bollinger Everyman Wodehouse Prize 2013.
The new novel from the author of The Finkler Question, winner of the Man Booker Prize 2010. Zoo Time is a novel about love - love of women, love of literature and love... Format: Paperback - Released: 23/05/2013
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