26 May
Ben Schott born London 1974. The son of a neurologist and a nurse achieved a double First from Cambridge. Schott's Almanac was first published in 2005 and is now a bestselling reference book published annually. Discover Schott's Almanac
Bring Up the Bodies Hilary Mantel
May 2012 MEGA Book of the Month.
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... Format: Hardback - Released: 10/05/2012
The Chaperone Laura Moriarty
May 2012 Book of the Month.
I am reminded of the 20s musical number "Anything Goes" here, for in "The Chaperone" it certainly does. This is 20s New York, the girl being chaperoned... Format: Paperback - Released: 26/04/2012
Changeling Philippa Gregory
May 2012 MEGA Book of the Month. Best-selling Philippa Gregory’s first book for teenagers is a thrilling story of malice and betrayal, courage and passion. Tricked out of her inheritance by her greedy and duplicitous brother, Isolde must swap ruling... Format: Hardback - Released: 24/05/2012
Jasmine Nights Julia Gregson
May 2012 Book of the Month.
Set in WW2 with star crossed lovers, espionage and exotic locations, Jasmine Nights is a captivating and enjoyable read from the award-winning author of East of... Format: Hardback - Released: 26/04/2012
Rome : The Eagle of the Twelfth M. C. Scott
M. C. Scott makes these ancient landscapes jump off the page, with bold and brutal storylines inhabited by touchingly real and compelling characters. After a particularly bloody and catastrophic defeat, the ill-fortuned Twelfth Legion loses its treasured eagle. It is... Format: Hardback - Released: 24/05/2012
Rome : The Coming of the King M. C. Scott
The second in an excellent Roman historical series following the adventures of the very real Sebastos Pantera, who in AD 65 was Emperor Nero's most trusted and most effective spy. These books are meticulously researched and bring to life the... Format: Paperback - Released: 24/05/2012
Other Featured Books this Month
The Last Summer Judith Kinghorn
May 2012 MEGA Debut of the Month.
An enchanting, sweeping debut of big storytelling, of social and political change spanning the First World War and beyond, perfect for reading groups and fans of... Format: Paperback - Released: 26/04/2012
The Light Between Oceans M. L. Stedman
May 2012 MEGA Debut of the Month.
What a brilliant and memorable debut. Superb characters, heart-rending plot and, set on an island 100 miles from Australia, a uniquely beautiful setting. After the horrors... Format: Hardback - Released: 26/04/2012
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: Hardback - Released: 10/05/2012
Dreams of Joy Lisa See
Set in 1950s China during Mao’s brutal ’great leap forward’ this heart-rending story of a mother's love is a gripping and mesmerising read. And with the research the author has done, an education as well. This book can be read... Format: Paperback - Released: 10/05/2012
The Song of Achilles Madeline Miller
Shortlisted for 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: 12/04/2012
The King's Concubine Anne O'Brien
For fans of historical fiction by Philippa Gregory we have an excellent alternative author to try - Anne O’Brien. Her well-researched novels, based on real characters in history make for an absorbing, entertaining and educational read. The King’s Concubine... Format: Paperback - Released: 04/05/2012
The Midnight Palace Carlos Ruiz Zafon
From the author of The Shadow of the Wind, the haunting story of a secret society and a labyrinthine railway station with a dark past. Written with a teenage audience in mind but enjoyable by all. Format: Paperback - Released: 26/04/2012
The Waste Land Simon Acland
Shortlisted for the People's Book Prize for Fiction 2012.
Set during the extraordinary historical events of the First Crusade this is an original and compelling debut full of mystery, betrayal, secrecy, romance, humour and suspense. Like Dan Brown’s adventures... Format: Paperback - Released: 10/06/2010
All That I Am Anna Funder
May 2012 Debut of the Month.
An historical 'flash-back' novel based on the life of the author's friend. It recounts the challenges faced by German emigres living abroad during the rise of Hitler... Format: Paperback - Released: 10/05/2012
Lucky Bunny Jill Dawson
'Crime's a man's business. So they say. Who was that small figure then, slender enough to trot along the moonlit track, swift and low, virtually invisible? Who was it that covered the green signal with a glove to stop the... Format: Paperback - Released: 10/05/2012
River of Smoke Amitav Ghosh
In September 1838 a storm blows up on the Indian Ocean and the Ibis, a ship carrying a consignment of convicts and indentured laborers from Calcutta to Mauritius, is caught up in the whirlwind. When the seas settle, five men... Format: Paperback - Released: 10/05/2012
Sacrilege S. J. Parris
We loved her debut Heresy, with the ex-monk turned secret agent Giordano Bruno and the follow up historical mystery, Sacrilege, is just as gripping. Assassinations, threats of plague and dark secrets hidden in the crypt of Canterbury Cathedral prove... Format: Hardback - Released: 26/04/2012
The Map of Time Felix J. Palma
An epic, ambitious and page-turning mystery that will appeal to fans of The Shadow of the Wind, Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell and The Time Traveller's Wife London, 1896. Andrew Harrington is young, wealthy and heartbroken. His lover Marie Kelly... Format: Paperback - Released: 10/05/2012
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...
Live 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)...
On Canaan's Side Sebastian Barry
April 2012 Book of the Month.
Getting a copy of a new novel from award-winning Sebastian Barry in the office is always a...
Island of Bones Imogen Robertson
April 2012 Book of the Month.
Shortlisted for the CWA Ellis Peters Historical Award 2011.
This is the third in the series of historical...
The Lady of the Rivers Philippa Gregory
Fact and fiction are woven beautifully together to bring to life the story of Jacquetta Woodville, mother of the White Queen in this 3rd instalment of medieval history from the...
Hereward James Wilde
1062, a time many fear is the End of Days. With the English King Edward heirless and ailing, across the grey seas in Normandy the brutal William the Bastard waits...
Women and Children First Gill Paul
During her research to write the poignant Titanic Love Stories Gill Paul became so taken up in the stories she decided to create this engaging romantic story. The central...
A Place Called Armageddon C. C. Humphreys
Meticulous research, brilliant characterisation, compelling storytelling and stunning battle sequences bring this epic novel about one of Western civilisation's most traumatic events, the Fall of Constantinople, to life. From the...
The Secret Life of William Shakespeare Jude Morgan
The greatest writer of them all, brought to glorious life. How well do you know the man you love? How much do you think you know about Shakespeare? What if...
The History of a Pleasure Seeker Richard Mason
This lusty, erotic tale of an exceedingly handsome provincial dutch lad, Piet Barol, making his way in the world is a pleasure to read. Rich period detail, beautifully observed social...
Winter King The Dawn of Tudor England Thomas Penn
This title is nominated for Sunday Times, Daily Telegraph, TLS, Financial Times, Guardian, Daily Mail and Sunday Telegraph Books Of The Year. He were a dark prince, and...
Time & Tide : A Hew Cullan Mystery Shirley Mckay
The adventures of Hew Cullan, the young 16th century lawyer continue in this 3rd instalment. A shipwreck in St Andrews leads Hew to Ghent where the discovery of a strange...
Fatherland Robert Harris
April 1964. The naked body of an old man floats in a river on the outskirts of Berlin. In one week it will be Adolf Hitler's 75th birthday. A terrible...
The Month Before's Featured Books
Highland Storms Christina Courtenay
Winner of the RNA Historical Romantic Novel Award 2012.
November 2011 Book of the Month.
Although following on from the excellent Trade Winds,...
The Paris Wife Paula McLain
Featured on The Book Show on Sky Arts on 28 April 2011.
A heart-wrenching story of ambition and betrayal that captures a remarkable period of time and a love affair between...
Marathon Christian Cameron
March 2012 Book of the Month.
The author first came to prominence by penning a series of fictional books on the pharaohs of...
The Lost and Found Girl Catherine King
Beth thought she had been rescued from a life of servitude by an offer of marriage from gentleman farmer Edgar Collins, but her future would be bleaker than she could...
The Captain's Daughter Leah Fleming
The secrets in a woman's heart are deeper than the ocean...For May Smith, travelling with her husband and baby girl Ellen, stepping foot on the Titanic marks the start of...
The Land of Painted Caves Jean M. Auel
The triumphant finale of the hugely successful Earth's Children series. Once again, Jean Auel combines her brilliant narrative skills and
appealing characters with a remarkable re-creation of the way life...
Waiting for Sunrise William Boyd
Featured on The Book Show on Sky Arts on 8 March 2012.
A thrilling, plot-twisting new novel set in Europe during the first world war, from the bestselling author of Any...
Master and Commander Patrick O\'Brian
March 2012 Guest Editor Alan Bradley on Patrick O'Brian...
Beginning with “Master and Commander” this beautifully-written series follows the fortunes of a most unlikely couple of companions: Jack Aubrey, a...
War Horse Michael Morpurgo
Featured on The Book Show on Sky Arts on 1 March 2012.
Best-selling War Horse, a magnificent First World War story of human and animal courage on the battle field in...
Silver Return to Treasure Island Andrew Motion
Featured on The Book Show on Sky Arts on 10 May 2012.
Featuring a cast of noble seamen, murderous pirates and stories of love, valour and terrible cruelty, Silver is a...
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Books of the Month
