No catches, no fine print just unadulterated book loving, with your favourite books saved to your own digital bookshelf.
New members get entered into our monthly draw to win £100 to spend in your local bookshop Plus lots lots more…
Find out more
Nick Hornby was born in 1957, and is the author of Fever Pitch, High Fidelity, About a Boy and How to be Good. He also edited the collection of short stories Speaking With the Angel. He is the pop music critic for the New Yorker. In 1999, he was awarded the E.M.Forster award by the American Academy of Arts and Letters. He lives and works in Highbury, North London.
May 2015 Book of the Month. I would like to say ‘classic’ Hornby but the thing I most like about his writing is that the stories are all different, so one can hardly say ‘classic’. But it is all one would expect. Light but entertaining, a story about people. It’s about an inspiring actress-cum-comedian from Blackpool who wins a beauty contest but really doesn’t want to spend a year opening supermarkets! We are in the early 1960s. She gives back her crown and flees to London. We follow her through early struggles and on into falling on her feet in a ‘ground breaking’ series for the BBC. A Lancashire accent, a working-class character and dealing with man/woman becoming husband/wife and eventually baby issues. Years later, at the 50 year celebration, a young producer gets the idea of putting on a play about “what happened next”. We, of course, have followed the main players all the way through in a clever slice of cultural history. Utterly enthralling and highly recommended. ~ Sarah Broadhurst One of our Books of the Year 2014.
One of our Books of the Year 2014. November 2014 MEGA Book of the Month. I would like to say ‘classic’ Hornby but the thing I most like about his writing is that the stories are all different, so one can hardly say ‘classic’. But it is all one would expect. Light but entertaining, a story about people. It’s about an inspiring actress-cum-comedian from Blackpool who wins a beauty contest but really doesn’t want to spend a year opening supermarkets! We are in the early 1960s. She gives back her crown and flees to London. We follow her through early struggles and on into falling on her feet in a ‘ground breaking’ series for the BBC. A Lancashire accent, a working-class character and dealing with man/woman becoming husband/wife and eventually baby issues. Years later, at the 50 year celebration, a young producer gets the idea of putting on a play about “what happened next”. We, of course, have followed the main players all the way through in a clever slice of cultural history. Utterly enthralling and highly recommended.
A Long Way Down - Nick Hornby's hilarious bestseller now a major motion picture starring Pierce Brosnan. ' Can I explain why I wanted to jump off the top of a tower block?' For disgraced TV presenter Martin Sharp the answer's pretty simple: he has, in his own words, 'pissed his life away'. And on New Year's Eve he's going to end it all ...but not, as it happens, alone. Because first single-mum Maureen, then eighteen-year-old Jess and lastly American rock-god JJ turn up and crash Martin's private party. They've stolen his idea - but brought their own reasons. Yet it's hard to jump when you've got an audience queuing impatiently behind you. A few heated words and some slices if cold pizza later and these four strangers are suddenly allies. But is their unlikely friendship a good enough reason to carry on living? Shortlisted for the 2005 Whitbread Award and the Commonwealth Writers Prize, A Long Way Down is a darkly hilarious and moving novel by bestselling author Nick Hornby. If you like Jonathan Coe, David Sedaris and David Nicholls, you will love this book. A page-turning plot and rich, funny characters with several big laughs on every page...Hornby's best yet . (Literary Review). Hornby's best novel to date, impossible to put down...how can an examination of four people's anguish be so enthralling? (Ruth Rendell, Guardian). Masterful...some of the finest writing, and some of the most outstanding characters I've ever had the pleasure of reading . (Johnny Depp). Nick Hornby has captivated readers and achieved widespread critical acclaim for his comic, well-observed novels About a Boy, How to be Good, Juliet, Naked, Slam and High Fidelity. His three works of non-fiction, 31 Songs (shortlisted for the National Book Critics Circle Award), Fever Pitch (winner of the William Hill Sports Book of the Year Award) and The Complete Polysyllabic Spree are also available from Penguin.
Featured on The TV Book Club on More4 on 7 February 2010. As you would expect in a book about relationships revolving around a music obsession Nick Hornby manages to get in his musical references and loves in to the pages throughout this book. The story is about a relationship where the characters are facing middle age and wondering if they have wasted years not really achieving anything in their lives. If it sounds a little bit depressing don’t worry, as always, Hornby injects his humour throughout the story and creates interesting and memorable characters.
Being an Arsenal supporter, this has special significance, but the beauty of this book about the all-consuming nature of supporting a football team is that it speaks to anyone who's experienced the agonies and ecstasies of following the beautiful game, no matter what team or division you follow. This oft-quoted excerpt sums up the spirit of both the book and its subject: I fell in love with football as I was later to fall in love with women: suddenly, inexplicably, uncritically, giving no thought to the pain or disruption it would bring with it. Joanne Owen, from our Best Autobiographies Ever Blog. A book that many a football fan can, no doubt, relate too. Hornby tells the story of his fanatical love of football from the age of 11. The amazing recall of every match, every player, every goal, every touch of the ball that some fans manage to have Nick Hornby certainly has. It’s a miracle he manages to find time to write his fiction!
Gripping and funny this novel will appeal to all those who have ever picked up a skateboard and even those who haven't. From the author who brought you High Fidelity and Fever Pitch comes a new novel written for the teenage audience.
From the author who brought you ‘High Fidelity’ and ‘Fever Pitch’ comes a new novel written for the teenage audience. It is gripping, funny and will appeal to all those who have ever picked up a skateboard.
Shortlisted for the Whitbread Novel Award. Narrated in turns by Martin, Maureen, Jess and JJ, four strangers with absolutely nothing in common - save where they end up that night - Nick Hornby’s A Long Way Down is a funny, sad and deeply moving new novel which asks some of the big questions: about life and death, strangers and friendship, love and pain, and whether a group of losers, and pizza, can really see you through a long, dark night of the soul.
'Hornby is the poet of the everyday' Observer The person you are with is just like you: same background, same age, same interests. The perfect match. And it is a disaster. Then, when and where you least expect it, you meet someone new. You seem to have nothing in common and yet, somehow, it feels totally right. Nick Hornby's brilliantly observed, tender but also brutally funny new novel gets to the heart of what it means to fall surprisingly and headlong in love with the best possible person - someone who is not just like you at all. _____________________________________________ 'A writer who dares to be witty, intelligent and emotionally generous at once' New York Times 'Hornby's prose is artful and effortless, his spiky wit as razored as a number-two cut' Independent 'Hornby writes with a funny, fresh voice which skewers male and female foibles with hilarious accuracy' Guardian
'Hornby is the poet of the everyday' Observer The person you are with is just like you: same background, same age, same interests. The perfect match. And it is a disaster. Then, when and where you least expect it, you meet someone new. You seem to have nothing in common and yet, somehow, it feels totally right. Nick Hornby's brilliantly observed, tender but also brutally funny new novel gets to the heart of what it means to fall surprisingly and headlong in love with the best possible person - someone who is not just like you at all. _____________________________________________ 'A writer who dares to be witty, intelligent and emotionally generous at once' New York Times 'Hornby's prose is artful and effortless, his spiky wit as razored as a number-two cut' Independent 'Hornby writes with a funny, fresh voice which skewers male and female foibles with hilarious accuracy' Guardian
*THE SIDE-SPLITTING NEW COMIC SHORT FROM ONE OF BRITAIN'S BEST-LOVED WRITERS, NOW A MAJOR BBC TV SERIES* ______________________________ 'It is as honest and multi-faceted an examination and appreciation of marriage as you could hope to find' The Guardian on Hornby's script adaptation Each week, Tom and Louise meet for a quick drink in the pub before they go to meet their marriage counsellor. Married for years and with two children, a recent incident has exposed the fault lines in their relationship in a way that Tom, for one, does not wish to think about. In the ten minutes in the pub they talk about the agenda for the session, what they talked about last week, what they will definitely not talk about with the counsellor, and how much better off they are than the couple whose counselling slot immediately precedes their own. Over the ten weeks that follow Tom and Louise begin to wonder: what if marriage is like a computer? When you take it apart to see how it works you might just be left with a million pieces you can't put back together . . .
NICK HORNBY'S HILARIOUS INTERNATIONAL BESTSELLER IS NOW A MAJOR FILM 'A comic delight' Evening Standard _____________ Annie's put fifteen years into safe, slightly obsessive Duncan, and now she'd like her money back, please. It's time to move on. But she lives in Gooleness, the north's answer to a question nobody asked. Is she really going to find real, proper, feel-it-deep-down-in-your-boots love on a damp and windy seafront? Or perhaps she should follow her heart and pursue Tucker, the reclusive American rock star, who keeps emailing her his smart advice. But between Annie and her second chance lie a few obstacles. There's Malcolm, the world's most judgemental therapist, and Barnesy, the north's most extrovert dancer. There's what men and women will do and won't do for love. And, of course, there's Tucker. . . Hilarious and tender, this bestselling novel will move you in ways both profound and surprising. It's Nick Hornby at his brilliant best. If you like David Nicholls, David Sedaris and Jonathan Coe you will love this book. _________________ 'Ingenious, funny and moving' Daily Mail 'Sharply funny, touching' Daily Telegraph 'Pitch-perfect' Observer
Nick Hornby's internationally bestselling first novel, available as a Penguin Essential for the first time. Do you know your desert-island, all-time, top five most memorable split-ups? Rob does. He keeps a list, in fact. But Laura isn't on it - even though she's just become his latest ex. He's got his life back, you see. He can just do what he wants when he wants: like listen to whatever music he likes, look up the girls that are on his list, and generally behave as if Laura never mattered. But Rob finds he can't move on. He's stuck in a really deep groove - and it's called Laura. Soon, he's asking himself some big questions: about love, about life - and about why we choose to share ours with the people we do. A million-copy bestseller, and adapted into a 2000 film starring John Cusack, High Fidelity explores the world of break-ups, make-ups and what it is to be in love. This astutely observed and wickedly funny book will be enjoyed by readers of David Nicholls and William Boyd, and by generations of readers to come. 'It will give enormous pleasure at the same time as expanding in a small but worthwhile way, the range of English literature' Independent on Sunday 'Leaves you believing not only in the redemptive power of music but above all the redemptive power of love. Funny and wise, sweet and true' Independent 'A triumphant first novel. True to life, very funny and moving' Financial Times
Pearson English Active Readers present stories carefully written and graded across five levels for teachers of English who want to activate their students' language through reading, . From original stories, classic and contemporary fiction, to film adaptations and nonfiction titles, an integrated skills approach consolidates vocabulary and develops language skills while learners experience the joy of reading. Find out more at english.com/readers
Eine Liebeserklarung ans LesenNick Hornby schreibt bers Lesen - was kann seinen Lesern Besseres passieren? Bcher, die er gekauft hat, Bcher, die er gelesen hat, Bcher, die er in der Bahn liegen gelassen hat oder die unters Bett gerutscht sind - mit seinem unnachahmlichen Blick fr die komischen Seiten des Lesens beweist Nick Hornby, dass man auch als Vater kleiner Kinder die Zeit finden kann, sich in ein Buch zu vertiefen. Man muss nur das Getse aus dem Zimmer nebenan ignorieren knnen. Von Patti Smith ber Muriel Spark, Dennis Lehane (halb), Michael Ondaatje, John Updike bis hin zu Charles Dickens u.v.a.m. reicht die Liste der gelesenen Bcher, von der Liste der bisher noch nicht gelesenen Bcher ganz zu schweigen. Hornby empfiehlt und macht dabei unbndige Lust aufs Lesen. Und beweist ganz nebenbei, dass ernst zu nehmende Literaturkritik auch unterhaltsam und lustig sein kann.
Stuff I've Been Reading by Nick Hornby - the bestselling novelist's rich, witty and inspiring reading diary 'Read what you enjoy, not what bores you,' Nick Hornby tells us. And in this new collection of his columns from the Believer magazine he shows us how it's done. From historical tomes to comic books, literary novels to children's stories, political thrillers to travel writing, Stuff I've Been Reading details Nick's thoughts and experiences on books by George Orwell, J.M. Barrie, Muriel Spark, Claire Tomalin, Charles Dickens, Mark Twain, Jennifer Egan, Ian McEwan, Cormac McCarthy and many, many more. This wonderfully entertaining journey in reading differs from all other reviews or critical appreciations - it takes into account the role that books actually play in our lives. This book, which is classic Hornby, confirms the novelist's status as one of the world's most exciting curators of culture. It will be loved by fans of About a Boy and High Fidelity, as well as readers of Will Self, Zadie Smith, Stewart Lee and Charlie Brooker.
The Complete Polysyllabic Spree is Nick Hornby's wickedly funny journey through reading This is not a book of reviews. This is not a book that sneers at other books. This is a book about reading - about enjoying books wherever and however you find them. Nick Hornby, author of the bestsellers About a Boy and Fever Pitch - takes us on a hilarious and perceptive tour through the books he bought, the books he read and his thoughts on literature. He is first and foremost a reader and he approaches books like the rest of us: hoping to pick up one he can't put down. The Complete Polysyllabic Spree is a diary of sorts, charting his reading life over two years. It is a celebration of why we read - its pleasures, its disappointments and its surprises. And above all, it is for you - the ever hopeful reader. For fans of Bill Bryson and Stephen Fry, and for bookworms everywhere, this witty, passionate book will make you cherish the world of letters anew. 'An engaged and engaging ramble around one reader's mind' The Times 'Not only does it make you want to read more but, like all great books, it's also terrific company' Metro 'For anyone whose idea of a good time is arguing with friends about their favourite books...amusing and contagiously enthusiastic' Big Issue
Vpervye na russkom - novejshij roman ot proslavlennogo Nika Hornbi, avtora takih bestsellerov, kak "e;Hi-Fi "e;Moj mal'chik "e;Dolgoe padenie i dr., razoshedshihsya po miru tirazhom svyshe pyati millionov ehkzemplyarov i uspeshno ehkranizirovannyh. Kak pisali kritiki, "e;Hornbi s neizmennym uspekhom vystupaet zashchitnikom populyarnoj kul'tury ot intellektual'nogo snobizma - i "e;Smeshnaya devchonka zvuchit kak priznanie v lyubvi k vazhnomu ehlementu ehtoj kul'tury: klassicheskim komedijnym serialam. Itak, Barbara Parker pobezhdaet v konkurse na zvanie "e;Miss Blehkpul no ona ne hochet byt' korolevoj krasoty. Ona hochet smeshit' lyudej, kak ee kumir Lyusil' Boll - zvezda sitkoma "e;YA lyublyu Lyusi. Barbara uezzhaet iz Blehkpula v London, ustraivaetsya rabotat' v otdel kosmetiki modnogo univermaga i pytaetsya probit'sya na televidenie. I vot blagodarya sluchajnoj vstreche s akterskim agentom u nee poyavlyaetsya sperva novoe imya, a zatem - shans ispolnit' glavnuyu zhenskuyu rol' v novom komedijnom seriale, zapuskayushchemsya na Bi-bi-si...
Funny Girl - the latest novel from Nick Hornby, the million-copy bestselling author of About a Boy Make them laugh, and they're yours forever . . . Barbara Parker is Miss Blackpool of 1964, but she doesn't want to be a beauty queen. She only wants to make people laugh. So she leaves her hometown behind, takes herself off to London, and lands a life-changing audition for a new BBC comedy series. Overnight she becomes Sophie Straw: charming, gorgeous, destined to win the nation's hearts. Funny Girl is the story of a smash-hit TV show and the people behind the scenes: the writers, Tony and Bill, friends since national service and comedy obsessives; producer Dennis, Oxbridge educated, clever, mild and not-so-secretly devoted to his star actress Sophie; and dashing male lead Clive, who firmly believes he's destined for better things. The show's success continues rocketing and the cast and crew are having the time of their lives. But when the script begins to get a bit too close to home, and life starts imitating art, they all face a choice. How long can they keep going before it's time to change the channel? Nick Hornby's novel is about popular culture and the swinging sixties. Sophie Straw is learning about youth and old age, fame and hard work, class and collaboration. Funny Girl offers a captivating portrait of youthful exuberance and freedom at a time when Britain itself was experiencing one of its most enduring creative bursts. Hornby fans will love his latest book, as will readers of David Nicholls, Mark Haddon and William Boyd. 'Fans won't be disappointed by this new story... endearing, humorous and touching, full of spot-on period detail, all brought to vivid life by a cast of very human characters. Hugely enjoyable' Sunday Mirror 'Resolutely, winningly light-hearted' Observer 'Nick Hornby's funny, winningly perceptive novel is a pleasure to read' Telegraph 'If you devoured About a Boy and whizzed through High Fidelity you're going to love Nick Hornby's brilliant new novel. Hilarious and captivating, this is a fabulous read' Take a Break 'There is something about Hornby's writing that is so simple, so easy-to-read and yet so sensitive and profound at the same time, that anything he writes turns out very special. The premise of Funny Girl is like a lot of Nick Hornby's irritatingly genius ideas: something so obvious you can't believe no one thought of it before.' Independent 'Everything he writes is addictively readable and clever, but with this one he just surpasses himself' Red 'Effortlessly engaging... Hornby's writing is so fluid, he has a great knack for capturing atmosphere and skewering a character with a killer phrase' - Evening Standard
From the bestselling author ofHigh Fidelity,About a Boy, andA Long Way Downcomes a highly anticipated new novel. Set in 1960s London,Funny Girlis a livelyaccount ofthe adventures of the intrepid young Sophie Straw as she navigates her transformation fromprovincial ingenue to television starlet amid a constellation of delightful characters. Insightful andhumorous, Nick Hornby's latest does what he does best: endears us to a cast of characters who are funny if flawed, and forces us to examine ourselves in the process.
Sehm - molodoj paren' iz ne slishkom blagopoluchnoj sem'i. Edinstvennaya radost' v zhizni dlya nego - katanie na rolikovoj doske. Kumir Sehma - legendarnyj skejtbordist Toni Houk. V glazah podrostka on bozhestvo, tot, kto navernyaka pomozhet preodolet' vse trudnosti, kakimi by ne preodolimymi oni ni kazalis'. I kogda v zhizni Sehma voznikaet real'naya problema - zaberemenela ego nesovershennoletnyaya podruzhka, - on obrashchaetsya za pomoshch'yu k posteru s portretom kumira v nadezhde, chto sovershitsya chudo...
Nick Hornbys grandioser neuer Roman: ein Ausflug ins Swinging London der SixtiesDie hbsche Barbara entflieht der Provinz und zieht nach London, um berhmt zu werden. Sie bekommt tatschlich die Hauptrolle in einer neuen Fernseh-Sitcom, die zu einer der erfolgreichsten TV-Shows Englands wird. Das Team wird ihre Familie - doch was passiert, wenn Ruhm und Glanz irgendwann verblassen?Anfang der 60er: Barbara nimmt die Wahl zur "e;Miss Blackpool"e; nicht an, als ihr aufgeht, dass sie dann ein weiteres Jahr in diesem verschlafenen Provinzstdtchen verbringen msste. Stattdessen zieht sie nach London, ins Herz der neu entstehenden Popkultur, um Komikerin zu werden. Was zunchst aussichtslos erscheint, wird Wirklichkeit, und die Truppe rund um die beiden Drehbuchschreiber Tony und Bill, den Produzenten Dennis sowie Schauspielkollegen Clive ersetzt Barbara fortan die Familie. Alle sind von der Idee besessen, aus ihrer Sitcom einen Riesenerfolg zu machen, was ihnen trotz privater groer und kleiner Katastrophen auch gelingt. Doch was passiert, wenn Schnheit und Ruhm mit der Zeit verblassen?Nick Hornby nimmt den Leser mit ins brodelnde London der 60er-Jahre, mitten hinein in die Welt der am Hungertuch nagenden Gagschreiber, der berarbeiteten Regisseure, der egozentrischen Schauspieler und der vom groen Durchbruch trumenden Mdchen. Ein Buch ber ganz groe Auftritte, lebenslange Freundschaft und die groe Liebe.
Klassiker, Bestseller und Kultbuch - jetzt in einer brillanten neuen Ubersetzung erstmals als eBookGleich sein erstes Buch machte Nick Hornby 1992 mit einem Schlag weltweit berhmt: "e;Fever Pitch"e; hat beim Publikum und bei den Journalisten wahre Begeisterungsstrme entfacht. Hornbys Buch war bahnbrechend, weil es als erstes auf den Punkt brachte, was Fuballbesessenheit in all ihren ernsten und komischen Facetten ausmacht."e;Fever Pitch"e; erzhlt die Geschichte eines Fuballfans, dessen Leben von den seltenen Siegen und zahlreichen Niederlagen seines Clubs bestimmt wird. Der Fan heit Nick Hornby, sein Verein Arsenal London. Mit wunderbarer Leichtigkeit und sprhendem Witz schildert Hornby die Spiele und sein Leben.
Stellen Sie sich vor, alle Ihre Vergehen stehen in der ZeitungAls Charlie und Elaine sich scheiden lassen, leben sie schon seit Lngerem getrennt. Die Scheidung ist also einvernehmlich, so lautet jedenfalls Charlies Aui assung. Dass Elaine das ganz anders sieht und Charlie an allem die Schuld gibt, erfhrt er aus der Zeitung, fr die Elaine schreibt: In einer wchentlichen Kolumne zerrt sie jegliches Fehlverhalten ihres Exmannes gensslich in die ffentlichkeit. Wie soll Charlie jemals wieder eine Frau kennenlernen, wer will mit einem solchen Fiesling schon zusammen sein? Doch da meldet sich eine Frau, der mit ihrem Exmann hnliches widerfhrt, und die beiden Geschmhten kommen zusammen Mit seinem unnachahmlichen Humor, dem Blick fr die Absurditten des Alltags und der liebevollen Beschreibung naiver Loser erzhlt Nick Hornby, warum eine Trennung ganz schn gefhrlich sein kann.