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Find out moreOur new humour section is filled with books with elements of humour. Books that will make you laugh, chortle and chuckle as you read.
So very readable, this debut is an amusing, sparkling and smart look at contemporary life. When separate calamities hit publicist Ginny and her neighbour, actress Cassie, they might just find a helping hand closer than they thought. While the friendship between the two women grows, potential love interests also enter their lives. I adore the fact that the occasionally feisty friendship between two neighbours of different ages takes centre stage. Can I say that Cassie rather steals the show with her antics, she certainly made me smirk, but this isn’t all fun and frothy frolics. Nicola Gill takes a thoughtful step into the more challenging and emotional side of life, handling the difficulties experienced with beautiful consideration. Fresh, witty and sharp, yet warm, wise and loving, The Neighbours really is a rather gorgeous read!
Jackson Brodie has relocated to a quiet seaside village in North Yorkshire, in the occasional company of his recalcitrant teenage son Nathan and ageing Labrador Dido, both at the discretion of his former partner Julia. It's a picturesque setting, but there's something darker lurking behind the scenes. Jackson's current job, gathering proof of an unfaithful husband for his suspicious wife, seems straightforward, but a chance encounter with a desperate man on a crumbling cliff leads him into a sinister network-and back into the path of someone from his past. Old secrets and new lies intersect in this breathtaking new literary crime novel, both sharply funny and achingly sad, by one of the most dazzling and surprising writers at work today.
If books were friends (and more than a few are) then I feel as though I have met the most wonderfully quirky forever friend. Gravity is the Thing is a complete joy of a book, and one that refuses to be pigeonholed into a genre. Abi, a Sydney cafe owner, has been invited to attend a retreat to learn the truth about ‘The Guidebook’, chapters have been arriving since she was a teen, and have kept her company in the darkest of times. The book floats between 1990 and 2010, and as Abi opens up her life, she revisits, examines, and searches for answers. Jaclyn Moriarty writes with the most beautiful eloquence, sharp pointed observations sit alongside the tightest of warm hugs. I wanted to meander, to wander, to eke out my reading time, and yet hoover up the words and the feelings they created in one heady go. I contemplated loss and grief, I smiled, laughed, and believed… oh how I believed! Gravity is the Thing is different (in the best possible way), and I predict that this will be one of my favourite books of the year. So, as well as being one of our Books of the Month, it has also been chosen as a LoveReading Star Book. It really is that gorgeous!
A smirky, fabulously quirky, poignant novel and an absolute joy to read. It is 1980, Lizzie is 18, she starts a new job working for a dentist, moves into her own flat, and thinks she may have got herself a boyfriend (but isn’t entirely sure). Lizzie is a total delight, her courage, spirit and pithy observations mix into a heady cocktail alongside her apprehension and doubt. The other characters are beautifully realised in their own right, every utterance perfectly placed, it is difficult to pick just one out as when I called them forward in my mind, they clambered over each in a riot of energy. Nina Stibbe excels in the small, in fact the incy wincy details that are so beautifully observed you didn’t know they were missing until you read them, and could see and feel the entire picture. The understanding of human frailty and poignancy of human absurdity is so wonderfully explored. There is something compelling about the writing that lodged in my mind, and took up residence in my heart. I snorted (yes actually snorted) out loud with laughter and while heartache and break is never far away, thoroughly loved every word of Reasons To Be Cheerful, it’s just gorgeous!
This is an interesting story, a poor man who seems to embody and "reflect" other people's worst opinions about themselves. The Day Jack sacked his therapist is a good story, like someone taking the "when you point a finger there's three pointing back at you" concept and added a sprinkling of magic. You really feel for Marion and Jack from the start as everyone around them seems desperate to think the worst of Jack and their relationship, if not downright manipulating and actively hindering his attempts at self-improvement. The magical realism aspect of this book appears toward the end of the book and Jack and those nearest to him are caught up in a siege/hostage situation which spins beyond the control of the authorities involved. This book is a struggle against the odds relationship story, with a hint of magic thrown in as well as doubling as a cautionary tale to not judge people by what others have said, form your own opinions because you don't know where other people's have come from. I read this in one sitting and I would recommend it to those wanting to leave reality at the door and step into a slightly different world for a spell. Charlotte Walker, A LoveReading Ambassador
IS ANYONE'S LIFE . . . Beth shows that women really can have it all. Ruby lives life by her own rules. And then there's Lauren, living the dream. AS PERFECT AS IT LOOKS? Beth hasn't had sex in a year. Ruby feels like she's failing. Lauren's happiness is fake news. And it just takes one shocking event to make the truth come tumbling out... The bold and brilliant new novel from Dawn O'Porter, the bestselling author of The Cows.
I stepped willingly inside the pages and gave myself up to the story in this quirky, feel-good tale. When Charlie Price has to relocate his family, they end up in the small town of Coraloo where the Blackwell’s rule the roost at the market. As Charlie, Velveteen, and their son Gideon find their lives turned upside down, will the Blackwell’s be a help or hinderance? Alongside the main story, sits another from long ago, it almost feels like folktale as it meanders along, yet is completely in tune with the occurrences of now. I was absolutely charmed by the characters, town, and storyline on offer. Lauren H .Brandenburg adds enchantment to this tale, without using magic or wizardry. My expectations altered as I read, and the story developed beautifully. I thoroughly enjoyed The Death of Mungo Blackwell, it is gorgeous escapism while focusing on love, family, and friendship.
Four very different characters take centre stage in this unusual and beautifully illustrated book. There’s a horse, wise and reliable; a boy, Christopher Robin-like in his curiosity and kindness; a mole, driven by an optimism, and love of cake; and a fox, vulnerable and in need of love and understanding. The story of their friendship is told through Charlie Mackesy’s evocative pen and ink sketches. Most but not all are accompanied by three or four lines of text, not so much a narrative but rather meditations, little flashes of insight into the human condition: “We have such a long way to go,” sighed the boy. “Yes, but look how far we’ve come,” said the horse. It’s a book full of tenderness and compassion, with much to make readers smile and more yet to prompt a sense of forgiveness, even of ourselves. Though simple enough for the youngest children, words and pictures will resonate just as much with adult readers. A very special book.
A murderous tale with chicken fry-ups, a '66 Chevy Nova, humour and mysterious characters. In the south of the USA, in a Mississippi town called Greenwood, Emmaline is missing. It's down to Ms Felicity Graves, a retired English headmistress to find her. Determined and brilliantly fun to go on this adventure with, Felicity Graves finds an unlikely companion in a tour guide, Willie Cato. Through their travels in the quest for clues to the whereabouts of Emmaline, there are dark secrets trying to stay hidden by dark and mysterious characters that do all they can to thwart the searching duo. The story is written beautifully and the murder mystery unfolds and reveals it's secrets whilst keeping you guessing all the way. You feel you are there with Ms Graves and it leaves you hoping she has many more adventures to share. Nikki Telling, A LoveReading Ambassador
Most definitely sitting on the quirky side of life (and Mars), this is an amusing and mind-bending read. The robots who look down on humanity are determined to end the human rebellion that started on Earth. This is Battlestar Suburbia: Volume Two, if you’ve not read the first in the series you might want to start at the beginning. However, I joined here and felt perfectly comfortable with the Dolestars council estates circling earth and Pam the sentient bread-maker. This is an absolutely fascinating premise from Chris McCrudden, the machines aren’t quite as you may have imagined them. There is no Terminator style human robot on offer (unless you count the human who was pinched for use as a cyborg), instead lamps, photocopiers, and a particularly evil smartphone lead the machine charge. In today’s climate, the utter disdain felt by some of the machines for humanity all feels rather relevant. Battle Beyond the Dolestars is different, a little geeky, and lots of fun, oh, just as a note of warning, you may never look at your lamp in the same way again!
I am well aware of homeless people in Britain and donate to Shelter as you can see the plight of homelessness has gone on too long. I have come across a book such as a Street Cat Named Bob which concerned homeless people but to be honest I am not sure just how many are out there. London 35 years ago the newspaper industry is changing and moving out of the famous Fleet Street area. Tradition is ending, but what about the people who relied on the warmth of the buildings at night as the papers rolled off the press - a hive of activity and somewhere to call home on those long cold nights. The story centres around Nobby and old homeless man who has relied on this area with his friends and it was home. Spencer a boy finds Nobby in his shed and the two become friends next Spencer then introduces Nobby to his friends -as Spencer's father works in the newspaper industry thus begins a plight of the homeless people - this is not just a 21st-century problem. this is about friendship and friendship in unusual circumstances and not writing this man off as a tramp or vagrant and there are aspects that are slightly off the wall - even 35 years go when Spencer is missing from his family for a number of days -with strangers - but saying that it is a powerful piece of writing. These people know the area and with some help, they go on to help Nobby write articles in a newspaper. Powerful story of trust, friendship bonded in unusual circumstances and times where the reader will laugh - a really good read. Jane Brown, A LoveReading Ambassador
Mia is happy, until a bombshell proposal from her boyfriend. Trying hard to let him down easily, another massive surprise sends those plans scattering as well. Just as she thought her life couldn’t get more hectic, in walks the handsome Stephen Fitzgerald. Can she maintain a professional distance between them? Nothing But The Truth is a lovely and very enjoyable book to read at this difficult time. I found it a most charming story, and although at times I felt I knew the outcome, it was well written and a good distraction. I felt part of Mia's life and was with her during her ups and downs. Something to read on holiday or in the garden during a quiet time. A good example of chick lit. Very happy to have read this and hope she writes more. Jayne Burton, A LoveReading Ambassador
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