23 May
Henrik Ibsen died in 1906. Ibsen was a major 19th-century Norwegian playwright, theatre director, and poet. He is often referred to as "the god father" of modern drama and is one of the founders of Modernism in the theatre. Read more Ibsen plays
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
Other Featured Books this Month
The Silver Thread Kylie Fitzpatrick
A beautiful, vividly written, historical murder mystery based around the lives of a group of the 30,000 convict women shipped to Australia in the 1840s. The inspiration for this story came from a 3m sq quilt, called The... Format: Paperback - Released: 01/05/2013
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
Appetite Philip Kazan
May 2013 Debut of the Month.
14th Century Florence is vibrantly and sensually brought to life in this captivating story of a chef with an... Format: Hardback - Released: 09/05/2013
The Lacuna Barbara Kingsolver
Winner of the prestigious 2010 Orange Prize for Fiction.
The Poisonwood Bible was a very special book, this one, her first in ten years, is a very worthy book. You need stamina and time to tackle it and you do... Format: Paperback - Released: 11/04/2013
The Light Between Oceans M. L. Stedman
Isolated at the tip of Australia as a lighthouse keeper, emotionally traumatised World War I veteran Tom fears for his wife's sanity after her third miscarriage. Then a boat turns up carrying a dead man and a newborn baby. They... Format: Paperback - Released: 09/05/2013
Blood of Kings Andrew James
May 2013 eBook of the Month.
Author Andrew James spent three years living in a snake and scorpion infested oasis, in the shadow of the Oracle of Ammon, the ram-headed Egyptian god, to... Format: eBook - Released: 07/03/2013
The River of No Return Bee Ridgway
What an original and engaging debut. Who would have thought you could have put romance, science fiction, magic historical fiction and time travel into such an unforgettable story. If you loved The Time Traveler's Wife or The Night... Format: Hardback - Released: 23/05/2013
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 Colour of Milk Nell Leyshon
Written by 15-year old Mary in her dungeon awaiting the gallows in the 1830s, with a secret she cannot tell - this is an amazing book. Her country, semi-literate voice is highly compelling, forcing you to race through the slim... Format: Paperback - Released: 02/05/2013
The Child Thief Dan Smith
A page-turning, atmospheric and taut historical thriller, set in 1930s Russia. Perfect for any fan of snowy-scened Scandinavian crime. A stranger appears in a village and soon after a girl vanishes. Only her uncle, an ex-soldier, has the necessary skills... Format: Paperback - Released: 09/05/2013
The Candle Man Alex Scarrow
Jack the Ripper’s London... an eerily quiet dining room on the Titanic and a series of murders that covers two decades are the outline of Alex Scarrow’s (October Skies) stunning new historical thriller. Once you read the first chapter... Format: Paperback - Released: 23/05/2013
1356 Bernard Cornwell
Shortlisted for the Specsavers National Book Awards 'Popular Fiction of the Year' 2012.
With characteristically meticulous research Cornwell’s new historical blockbuster weaves a complex story, epic in scope, that has as its climax the battle of Poitiers, the second but less... Format: Paperback - Released: 06/06/2013
Vengeance Quirke Mysteries Book 4 Benjamin Black
Murderous jealousy, ruthless ambition and pride among Ireland’s most prominent families gives Quirke a new case where nothing is quite as it seems. The latest irresistible Dublin mystery from the Booker Prize-winning author.
The Quirke series1. Christine... Format: Paperback - Released: 09/05/2013
The Knot Jane Borodale
From the author of the Orange New Writers shortlisted The Book of Fires comes The Knot, an extraordinarily evocative story of obsession, love and secrets. Format: Paperback - Released: 25/04/2013
The Song of Achilles Madeline Miller
Winner of the Orange Prize for Fiction 2012.
A breathtakingly original rendering of the Trojan War - a devastating love story and a tale of gods and kings, immortal fame and the human heart. Format: Paperback - Released: 09/05/2013
The Secret Keeper Kate Morton
1961: On a sweltering summer's day, while her family picnics by the stream on their Suffolk farm, sixteen-year-old Laurel hides out in her childhood tree house dreaming of a boy called Billy, a move to London, and the bright future... Format: Paperback - Released: 09/05/2013
The Liars' Gospel Naomi Alderman
Naomi Alderman's The Liars' Gospel makes the oldest story - the story of Jesus - entirely new. 'He was a traitor, a rabble-leader, a rebel, a liar and a pretender to the throne. We have tried to forget him here.'... Format: Paperback - Released: 25/04/2013
Sword and Scimitar Simon Scarrow
Bestselling author Simon Scarrow brings the Great Siege of Malta to vivid and unforgettable life in this gripping standalone novel. 1565, Malta: a vital outpost between the divided nations of Europe and the relentlessly expanding Ottoman Empire. Faced with ferocious... Format: Paperback - Released: 25/04/2013
Historical fiction is such a great way to experience the past. It’s fascinating, thrilling and you learn from it. Wonderful! The best way to make sure you’re ahead of history is through our emails, which will guide you to the latest and best so you can...
Travel back to ancient Egypt (Christian Jacq) or real life in 18th Century London (Maureen Waller)... Experience the terrifying menace of Vesuvius (Robert Harris) or get a fix on Troy as it actually was (Michael Wood)... Play politics at the mercurial court of Henry VIII (Philippa Gregory) or watch as the Romanov dynasty self-destructs (Carolly Erickson)... Analyse Napoleon’s misguided march on Moscow (Adam Zamoyski) or share an ordinary soldier’s experience of the Great War (Richard Holmes)...
Girl with a Pearl Earring Tracy Chevalier
A 2013 World Book Night selection.
Centring on Vermeer’s household in the 1660s in Delft, this speculative historical novel tells of his relationship with a servant girl, Griet, who became his...
Pilgrim Soul Gordon Ferris
Described as ‘the new Ian Rankin’ by the Daily Mail, Gordon Ferris writes disturbingly good post WW2 Glasgow-based crime thrillers with ex policeman turned journalist Douglas Brodie at their centre....
Major Benjy Guy Fraser-Sampson
April 2013 Book of the Month.
The delightful reinvention of E F Benson’s world of Mapp and Lucia continues with the trials and...
The Last Runaway Tracy Chevalier
April 2013 Book of the Month.
Set in Ohio in 1850, the stunning new novel from the bestselling author of Girl With...
The Trader's Dream Anna Jacobs
Bram Deagan dreams of bringing his family from Ireland to join him in Australia, where he now runs a successful trading business. But when a typhus epidemic strikes Ireland, it...
The Perfume Collector Kathleen Tessaro
April 2013 Book of the Month.
In 1955 Grace finds she is the sole beneficiary of the estate of an unknown French relative...
Tales of the Jazz Age F. Scott Fitzgerald
A collection of early short stories which helped make F. Scott Fitzgerald's name.
Baz Luhrmann's film adaptation of The Great Gatsby, starring Leonardo DiCaprio, opened the 66th Cannes Film Festival.
A 'Piece...
All the Sad Young Men F. Scott Fitzgerald
Published a year after The Great Gatsby, this short-story collection showcases many of the celebrated novel's themes, as well as its unique writing style.
Baz Luhrmann's film adaptation of The Great...
The Beautiful and Damned F. Scott Fitzgerald
Containing obvious parallels with F. Scott and Zelda Fitzgerald's own lives, The Beautiful and Damned is a tragic examination of the pitfalls of greed and materialism and the transience of...
The Great Gatsby F. Scott Fitzgerald
Regarded as Fitzgerald's masterpiece and one of the greatest novels of American literature, The Great Gatsby is a vivid chronicle of the excesses and decadence of the Jazz Age, as...
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...
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...
Labyrinth Kate Mosse
Winner of the Richard & Judy Best Read of the Year at the British Book Awards 2006.
I was privileged to visit Kate in her Carcassonne retreat and be shown...
Elegy for Eddie Jacqueline Winspear
April, 1933. To the costermongers of London, Eddie Pettit is simply a gentle soul with a near-magical gift for working with horses. When he is killed in a violent accident,...
The Apothecary's Daughter Charlotte Betts
Winner of the Romantic Novelists' Association Historical Romantic Novel Award 2013.
A debut novel from an exciting new voice in historical romance set in bustling, malodorous London at the time of...
Witchstruck Victoria Lamb
Winner of the Romantic Novelists' Association Young Adult Romantic Novel Award 2013.
Meg Lytton has always known of her dark and powerful gift. Raised a student of the old magick by...
Beneath the Major's Scars Sarah Mallory
Winner of the Romantic Novelists' Association Rose Award 2013.
After being shamelessly seduced by a married man, Zelah Pentewan finds her reputation is in tatters. Determined to rise above the gossip-mongers,...
Burning Bright Tracy Chevalier
Tracy Chevalier's new novel is set in London at the end of the eighteenth century and its a wonderful read on every level. It is three years after the French...
Falling Angels Tracy Chevalier
A poignant and historical tale of two families brought reluctantly together, Falling Angels is an intimate story of childhood friendships, sexual awakening and human frailty. Its epic sweep takes in...
Remarkable Creatures Tracy Chevalier
In this story of female friendship and fortitude, Tracy Chevalier shows her skill for working history’s lost individuals into far-reaching fiction. Set in 19th century Lyme Regis, it centres on...
The Lady and the Unicorn Tracy Chevalier
Jean le Viste, a newly-wealthy member of the French court, commissions a series of tapestries to hang in his chateau named 'The Lady and the Unicorn.' Nicolas, his chosen designer,...
The Virgin Blue Tracy Chevalier
The compelling story of two women, born four centuries apart, and the ancestral legacy that binds them. Perfect for fans of Barbara Erskine, Kate Morton and Sarah...
Manuscript Found in Accra Paulo Coelho
Through a translated 10th century manuscript, based on the words and wisdom of a mysterious man known only as the Copt, Paulo Coelho addresses some fundamental human questions such as...
The Month Before's Featured Books
Queen's Gambit Elizabeth Fremantle
March 2013 MEGA Debut of the Month.
Rich in atmosphere and period detail, and told through the eyes of Katherine and her young...
The Gilded Fan Christina Courtenay
From the author of four successful award-winning novels, this is a gorgeous historical romance and the sequel to Christina’s second novel, The Scarlet Kimono, that won The Big Red...
Habits of the House Fay Weldon
Aimed squarely at fans of Downton Abbey this is a pitch-perfect, witty and fun romp of life above and below stairs and an elegy to the last days of aristocracy...
The Crown Nancy Bilyeau
March 2013 Debut of the Month.
Shortlisted for the 2012 CWA Ellis Peters Award.
Who would have thought a murder mystery set in 1537...
River of Destiny Barbara Erskine
March 2013 Book of the Month.
Travelling across three times periods, Anglo Saxon, Victorian and today, and linked by bodies and buildings, this...
Lucia on Holiday A Mapp & Lucia Novel Guy Fraser-Sampson
Lucia on Holiday is a new addition to the Mapp and Lucia canon, based on the immortal characters first created by E.F. Benson. Perfect reading for followers of Benson's original...
Poseidon's Spear Christian Cameron
3rd in the epic and sweeping Long War series following the adventures of Arimnestos around 485 BC. After the death of his wife and child Arimnestos feels he has nothing...
A Lady Cyclist's Guide to Kashgar Suzanne Joinson
It is 1923 and Evangeline English, keen lady cyclist, arrives with her sister Lizzie and their zealous leader Millicent at the ancient city of Kashgar to establish a mission. As...
The Chalice Nancy Bilyeau
Second in this compelling and highly readable Tudor thriller series following the 16th century adventures of (now cast out) nun Joanna Stafford. Treason, conspiracies and a dangerous prophecy draw Joanna...
Billy Lynn's Long Halftime Walk Ben Fountain
Nineteen-year-old Billy Lynn is home from Iraq. And he's a hero. Billy and the rest of Bravo Company were filmed defeating Iraqi insurgents in a ferocious firefight. Now Bravo's three...
The Kingmaker's Daughter Philippa Gregory
4th instalment of the fascinating Cousins’ War series again, cleverly blending fact and fiction together to bring to life the riveting story of Anne Neville, youngest daughter of the ruthless...
The Sandcastle Girls Chris Bohjalian
One woman's journey into her family's past reveals a shocking story that has never been told. 1915, Aleppo, Syria. When Elizabeth Endicott steps off the boat from Boston, armed only...
Life After Life Kate Atkinson
Chosen by the prestigious Kirkus Reviews as one of 10 titles in 2013 that ‘will sweep you off your feet’
Shortlisted for the Women's Prize for Fiction 2013.
What if you had...
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Books of the Month
