Inspire

June is Pride Month and the literary world is no exception when it comes to championing the LBGTQIA+ community. Here at Parade’s End we will be celebrating Pride Month 2023 with these 7 novels

The First to Die at the End – Adam Silvera

In this prequel to the NO. 1 INTERNATIONAL BESTSELLING phenomenon of TIKTOK fame, They Both Die at the End, two new strangers spend a life-changing day together after Death-Cast make their first fateful calls.

It’s the night before Death-Cast goes live, and there’s one question on everyone’s mind: Can Death-Cast actually predict death, or is it an elaborate hoax? Orion Pagan has waited years for someone to tell him that he’s going to die, given his serious heart condition. Valentino Prince has a long and promising future ahead of him and only registered for Death-Cast after his twin sister nearly died in a car accident.

Orion and Valentino cross paths in Times Square and immediately feel a deep connection. But when the first End Day calls go out, their lives are changed for ever – one of them receives a call . . . the other doesn’t.

Told with acclaimed author Adam Silvera’s signature bittersweet touch, this story celebrates the lasting impact that people have on each other and proves that life is always worth living to the fullest. 

Rosewater – Liv Little

Elsie is a sexy, funny, and fiercely independent woman living in South London. But, at just 28, she is also tired. Though she spends her days writing tender poetry in her journal, her nights are spent working long hours for minimum wage at a neighbourhood gay bar.

The difficulty of being estranged from her family, struggle of being continually rejected from jobs, and fear of never making money doing what she loves, is too great. But Elsie is determined to keep the faith, for a little longer at least. Things will surely turn around. They have to.

As she tries to breathe through the panic attacks, sleeping with her hot and spirited co-worker Bea isn’t exactly straightforward and offers Elsie just another place to hide.

As Elsie tries to reconnect with her best friend Juliet, her fragile world spirals out of control. Can Elsie steady herself and not fall through the cracks?

Our Wives Under The Sea – Julia Armfield

Our Wives Under The Sea is the haunting debut novel from Julia Armfiled, the critically acclaimed author of Salt Slow. It’s a story of falling in love, loss, grief, and what life there is in the deep, deep sea.

Miri thinks she has got her wife back, when Leah finally returns after a deep sea mission that ended in catastrophe. It soon becomes clear, though, that Leah may have come back wrong. Whatever happened in that vessel, whatever it was they were supposed to be studying before they were stranded on the ocean floor, Leah has carried part of it with her, onto dry land and into their home.

To have the woman she loves back should mean a return to normal life, but Miri can feel Leah slipping from her grasp. Memories of what they had before – the jokes they shared, the films they watched, all the small things that made Leah hers – only remind Miri of what she stands to lose. Living in the same space but suddenly separate, Miri comes to realize that the life that they had might be gone.

Briefly, A Delicious Life – Nell Stevens

Briefly, A Delicious Life is a story about breaking convention, and about love – yearning, secret, forbidden, unrequited.

Blanca has been dead for a few centuries when she falls in love – instantly and devotedly – with celebrated novelist George Sand.

George is unlike anyone Blanca has encountered in hundreds of years of haunting: a woman dressed in men’s clothes, a ferocious writer, a passionate lover of men and women alike and an ambivalent mother.

It is 1838, and George has come to the island of Mallorca with her ailing lover, Frédéric Chopin. As the weather and the locals turn against this strange couple, can the love of a teenage ghost keep them from disaster?

Love and Other Thought Experiments – Sophie Ward

Ambitious, piercingly observant and told through interlinking narratives, Ward’s debut is a riveting exploration of love and how it evolves through time, place and perspective.

Rachel and Eliza are planning their future together. One night in bed Rachel wakes up terrified and tells Eliza that an ant has crawled into her eye and is stuck there.

Rachel is certain; Eliza, a scientist, is sceptical. Suddenly their entire relationship is called into question.

What follows is a uniquely imaginative sequence of interlinked stories ranging across time, place and perspective to form a sparkling philosophical tale of love, lost and found across the universe.

On Earth We Are Briefly Gorgeous – Ocean Vuong

Brilliant, heart-breaking and highly original, discover Ocean Vuong’s shattering coming of age novel.

This is a letter from a son to a mother who cannot read. Written when the speaker, Little Dog, is in his late twenties, the letter unearths a family’s history that began before he was born.

It tells of Vietnam, of the lasting impact of war, and of his family’s struggle to forge a new future.

And it serves as a doorway into parts of Little Dog’s life his mother has never known – episodes of bewilderment, fear and passion – all the while moving closer to an unforgettable revelation.

Queer Life, Queer Love: an Anthology

The anthology comprises 42 stories, non-fiction pieces, flash fiction and poetry, the winning entries from an international competition to capture the best of Queer writing today.

This is writing that explores characters, stories and experiences beyond the mainstream. Celebrating the fascinating, the forbidden, the subversive, and even the mundane, but in essence, the view from outside.

You can’t beat a hardback to give as a gift or for that book you know you’ll want to keep forever, the only downside is their weightiness. Paperbacks are perfect for the daily commute, your next beach read or holding in one hand while you sip your coffee with the other. May has seen a plethora of paperbacks released, here are 7 of our recommendations.

Demon Copperhead – Barbara Kingsolver

WINNER OF A 2023 PULITZER PRIZE IN FICTION AND SHORTLISTED FOR THE WOMEN’S PRIZE 

Demon Copperhead is a once-in-a-generation novel that breaks and mends your heart in the way only the best fiction can.

Demon’s story begins with his traumatic birth to a single mother in a single-wide trailer, looking ‘like a little blue prizefighter.’ For the life ahead of him he would need all of that fighting spirit, along with buckets of charm, a quick wit, and some unexpected talents, legal and otherwise.

In the southern Appalachian Mountains of Virginia, poverty isn’t an idea, it’s as natural as the grass grows. For a generation growing up in this world, at the heart of the modern opioid crisis, addiction isn’t an abstraction, it’s neighbours, parents, and friends. ‘Family’ could mean love, or reluctant foster care. For Demon, born on the wrong side of luck, the affection and safety he craves is as remote as the ocean he dreams of seeing one day. The wonder is in how far he’s willing to travel to try and get there.

Suffused with truth, anger and compassion, Demon Copperhead is an epic tale of love, loss and everything in between.

Young Mungo – Douglas Stuart

THE BRILLIANT SECOND NOVEL FROM THE BOOKER PRIZE-WINNING AUTHOR OF SHUGGIE BAIN

Born under different stars, Protestant Mungo and Catholic James live in a hyper-masculine world. They are caught between two of Glasgow’s housing estates, where young working-class men divide themselves along sectarian lines, and fight territorial battles for the sake of reputation. They should be sworn enemies if they’re to be seen as men at all, and yet they become best friends as they find a sanctuary in the doocot that James has built for his prize racing pigeons. As they begin to fall in love, they dream of escaping the grey city, and Mungo must work hard to hide his true self from all those around him, especially from his elder brother Hamish, a local gang leader with a brutal reputation to uphold.

But the threat of discovery is constant and the punishment unspeakable. When Mungo’s mother sends him on a fishing trip to a loch in western Scotland with two strange men behind whose drunken banter lie murky pasts, he needs to summon all his inner strength and courage to get back to a place of safety, a place where he and James might still have a future.

Imbuing the everyday world of its characters with rich lyricism, Douglas Stuart’s Young Mungo is a gripping and revealing story about the meaning of masculinity, the push and pull of family, the violence faced by so many queer people, and the dangers of loving someone too much.

The Perfect Golden Circle – Benjamin Myers

THE TRIUMPHANT NOVEL FROM THE WALTER SCOTT PRIZE-WINNING AUTHOR OF THE OFFING

England, 1989. Over the course of a burning hot summer, two very different men – traumatized Falklands veteran Calvert, and affable, chaotic Redbone – set out nightly in a clapped-out camper van to undertake an extraordinary project.

Under cover of darkness, the two men traverse the fields of rural England in secret, forming crop circles in elaborate and mysterious patterns.

As the summer wears on, and their designs grow ever more ambitious, the two men find that their work has become a cult international sensation – and that an unlikely and beautiful friendship has taken root as the wheat ripens from green to gold.

Night Crawling – Leila Mottley

LONGLISTED FOR THE BOOKER PRIZE 2022 – MOTTLEY IS THE YOUNGEST EVER BOOKER NOMINEE

We’ll laugh because we can, until the sun disintegrates and nighttime threatens to set us free just to capture us again, back into the things we can’t escape.

Kiara does not know what it is to live as a normal seventeen-year-old. With her mother in a halfway house, she fends for herself – and for nine-year-old Trevor, whose own mother disappears for days at a time.

As the pressures of rent to pay and mouths to feed increase, Kiara finds herself walking the streets after dark, determined to survive in a world that refuses to protect her.

A Heart Full of Headstones – Ian Rankin

THE BRAND NEW REBUS THRILLER FROM THE ICONIC NUMBER ONE BESTSELLER. ONE OF THE MUST-READ CRIME NOVELS OF THE YEAR.

John Rebus stands accused: the once legendary detective is on trial, facing the rest of his life behind bars.

How does a hero turn villain?
Or have times changed, and the rules with them?

Detective Inspector Siobhan Clarke tackles Edinburgh’s most explosive case in years, as a corrupt cop harbouring huge secrets goes missing.

But is her loyalty to the police or the public? And who can she trust when nobody is truly innocent – including her former mentor Rebus – and a killer walks among them?

As the time comes to choose sides, it becomes clear: after a lifetime of lies, the truth will break your heart…

The Satsuma Complex – Bob Mortimer

THE BRILLIANTLY FUNNY FIRST NOVEL BY A MUCH LOVED COMEDIAN.

My name is Gary. I’m a thirty-year-old legal assistant with a firm of solicitors in London. To describe me as anonymous would be unfair but to notice me other than in passing would be a rarity. I did make a good connection with a girl, but that blew up in my face and smacked my arse with a fish slice.

Gary Thorn goes for a pint with a work acquaintance called Brendan. When Brendan leaves early, Gary meets a girl in the pub. He doesn’t catch her name, but falls for her anyway. When she suddenly disappears without saying goodbye, all Gary has to remember her by is the book she was reading: The Satsuma Complex. But when Brendan goes missing, Gary needs to track down the girl he now calls Satsuma to get some answers.

And so begins Gary’s quest, through the estates and pie shops of South London, to finally bring some love and excitement into his unremarkable life…

Haven – Emma Donoghue

THE LATEST NOVEL FROM THE BESTSELLING AUTHOR OF THE ROOM.

In seventh-century Ireland, a priest has a dream telling him to leave the sinful world behind.

Taking two monks with him – young Trian and old Cormac – he travels down the Shannon in search of an isolated spot on which to found a new place of worship.

Drifting out into the Atlantic, the three men find an impossibly steep, bare island inhabited by tens of thousands of birds, and claim it for God. But in such a place, far from all other humanity, what will survival mean?

This weekend is National Gardening Day and the weather is set to improve, so it’s time to get your garden ready for Summer. Our 7 Gardening Books have something for everyone, from children to amateur gardeners and those who just need some inspiration. Happy Gardening!

The Gardener’s Almanac – Alan Titchmarsh

We couldn’t have a list of Garden Books without including one from National treasure and presenter of ITV’s hugely popular Love Your Garden, Alan Titchmarsh.

In The Gardener’s Almanac, Titchmarsh brings us his month by month almanac of garden knowledge, facts, advice and inspiration.

Here is seasonal advice on what to grow and sow, projects to engage in, as well as wildlife to spot, gorgeous gardens to visit, birds and flowers to celebrate, weather notes, and nature to reflect on in poems, music, and books.

A beautifully packaged gift book with illustrations by Alan himself.

You Can Grow Your Own Food – Annabelle Padwick

The ideal gift to help kids learn brilliant new hobbies

Get muddy, get green fingers and get growing!

The how-to book for kids who love gardening. It’s easy to understand and tells them exactly what they need to know step-by-step.

• Easy-peasy tips on how to grow all kinds of fruit, vegetables and herbs outside and indoors
• Space to scribble – make notes, keep track of what they have planted and make the book their own
• Packed with fun gardening activities guaranteed to get their hands dirty!

Kids can try lots of brilliant stuff with the fun You Can series from Collins – write awesome stories, draw brilliant pictures, grow your own food, take amazing photos, have an outdoor adventure, save the planet – there’s something for everyone!

Gardening for Mindfulness – Holly Farrell

Gardening, like mindfulness, is a way of finding a sense of calm in an otherwise chaotic world, a simpler existence, even if it is only for a few minutes. Both forge a connection to the world around us, to nature and wildlife, which can bring pleasure and peace. In this beautifully illustrated guide to gardening for mindfulness, horticulturalist and mindfulness practitioner Holly Farrell provides a blueprint for a more contemplative way to garden, including projects, meditations and inspiration.

Projects for the mindful gardener, including growing something from seed, planting a tree and creating a mandala, put the theory of mindfulness into practice, while plant lists and design ideas aim to enhance mindfulness in the garden through the senses.

Easy to follow and beautifully packaged in a new format, this is the perfect book for keen gardeners, devotees of mindfulness, or simply those looking for calm in a busy and hectic world.

The Curious Gardener – Anna Pavord

In The Curious Gardener, Anna Pavord brings together in 12 chapters – one from each month of the year – 72 pieces on all aspects of gardening.

From what to do in each month and how to get the best from flowers, plants, herbs, fruit and vegetables, through reflections on the weather, soil, the English landscape and favourite old gardening clothes, to office greenery, spring in New York, waterfalls, Derek Jarman and garden design, Anna Pavord always has something interesting to say and says it with great style and candour.

The perfect book to guide you through the gardening year and, on days when the weather keeps the most courageous gardener indoors, the perfect book to curl up with beside the fire.

The Flower Yard – Arthur Parkinson

Arthur Parkinson’s town garden is like a path of pots, a tiny, exposed stage on bricks. Despite its small size, a flower-filled jungle in Venetian tones is grown here each year, in defiance of urbanisation. The plants act like drapes, closing gently as their growth engulfs the front door, from either side of the path, to the buzz of precious bees.

This is gardening done entirely in pots, yet on a grand scale that will inspire anyone who wants their doorstep or patio to be a glamorous and lively canvas that nurtures them visually and mentally. From jewel scatterings of crocus, flocks of parrot tulips and scented sweet peas to galaxies of single dahlias, towering giraffes of amaryllises grown inside for winter and endless vases of cut blooms through the seasons.

With his bantam hens at his feet, Arthur shares his life, knowledge, flair and influences for planting creatively, all of which combine to create a space that’s rich in ever-changing colour and life.

My Garden World – Monty Don

Spend a year with Monty Don. My Garden World is a celebration of every living creature and the natural world that we all share. Recent times have given us the enforced opportunity to learn more about the fascinating natural world around us. Whether you live in the countryside or the town, Monty’s observations and insights are relevant to each and every one of us. My Garden World is Monty Don’s personal journey through the natural year, month by month, season by season, observed from the immediate world around him.

‘Wildlife is not something that we watch happening in remote and exotic parts of the world on our screens, but right here in our own back yards and the more that we encourage it and learn to live with it, the more rewarding it becomes.

If, in our own modest back yards, we can help preserve and treasure our natural world then we will make the world a better place — not just for ourselves but for every living creature.’

The Modern Gardener – Sonya Patel Ellis

Welcome to modern matchmaking – for plants! All you need to do is be honest about what you can invest into your plant relationship (attentiveness, experience … sunlight) and voila – The Modern Gardener will suggest the best matched plant partner for you.

Nothing livens up a room, windowsill or small yard like the presence of leafy Swiss cheese plants, angular succulents, perennial peonies or your own little herb garden. And this comprehensive reference book starts by covering all the best types of plants and planting for every type of indoor room, patio and balcony – from decorative and beneficial, low maintenance or useful edible plants – you’ll find everything you need to know about how to find the perfect plants for you and your lifestyle, and how help them to thrive.

The second half of the book – the Personal Plant Selector – features an extensive directory of over 100 plants, in which you will be introduced to each species and their characteristics, benefits and needs, including quick facts on potting and repotting, correct care and more.

This beautifully designed encyclopedia of plants also includes a comprehensive index and a cross-referencing system, to make it easy to find information quickly. It’s the ultimate guide to your personal plant kingdom.

May is National Share a Story month, an annual month-long celebration of stories and aims to bring children and books together in new ways.  The theme for 2023 is Sail Away in a Story.  We know the adventures that stories can take us on and we want to promote the joys in discovering stories set around the oceans, seas and rivers.  Boats, mermaids, pirates and underwater creatures will fill the imaginations of children across the UK.

Here are our 6 stories to Sail Away in this month.

Son of the Sea by Richard Pickard

HIS FEET WERE THE FIRST CLUE …

Casper dreams of swimming the Channel. Surely, he was born to use his webbed toes … Instead, he’s strictly forbidden to go near water. When his parents have an unlucky accident, Casper is sent to stay with a grandmother he’s never met – where he discovers his special tie to the sea …

From the acclaimed author of The Peculiar Tale of the Tentacle Boy – winner of the Times/Chicken House Competition Chairman’s Choice Award

Packed full of magical realism, humour, LGBTQ+ representation and a message of acceptance 

Perfect for readers aged 9 and up.

Pirate Stew by Neil Gaiman

Long John has a whole crew of wild pirates in tow, and – for two intrepid children – he’s about to transform a perfectly ordinary evening into a riotous adventure beneath a pirate moon. It’s time to make some PIRATE STEW.

Pirate Stew! Pirate Stew! Pirate Stew for me and you! Pirate Stew, Pirate Stew Eat it and you won’t be blue You can be a pirate too!

Marvellously silly and gloriously entertaining, this tale of pirates, flying ships, donut feasts and some rather magical stew is perfect for all pirates, both young and old.With a deliciously rhyming text from master storyteller Neil Gaiman, and spellbinding illustrations by the supremely talented Chris Riddell, three-times-winner of the Kate Greenaway Medal, this is the picture book of the year! Joyful, quirky and action-packed, it makes a spectacular and magical gift.

The Story Thief by Graham Carter

From Waterstones Book Prize shortlisted Graham Carter comes this story perfect for little bookworms, and those who haven’t quite discovered the magic of books yet… 

Olive is a shy girl who prefers reading about adventures to having them herself.

But when a mysterious figure steals all of the books in town, Olive decides to set out straight into an adventure of her own.

The thief, meanwhile, doesn’t quite know what to do with the stories he’s stolen.

Olive must track down the thief and teach him the joys of reading – and sharing – stories.

Grandad’s Island by Benji Davies

At the bottom of Syd’s garden, through the gate and past the tree, is Grandad’s house. Syd can let himself in any time he likes. But one day when Syd comes to call, Grandad isn’t in any of the usual places. He’s in the attic, where he ushers Syd through a door, and the two of them journey to a wild, beautiful island awash in color where Grandad decides he will remain. So Syd hugs Grandad one last time and sets sail for home. Visiting Grandad’s house at the bottom of the garden again, he finds it just the same as it’s always been — except that Grandad isn’t there anymore. Sure to provide comfort to young children struggling to understand loss, Benji Davies’s tale is a sensitive and beautiful reminder that our loved ones live on in our memories long after they’re gone.

Captain Toby by Satoshi Kitamura

It’s a dark and stormy night and Toby cannot sleep.

The whole house seems to be tossing and turning like a ship in the middle of the ocean…and soon Toby enters a fantasy world where he is indeed at sea, caught up in a strange and wild adventure. Luckily, Toby’s cat makes up the crew of his ship, and together they chart a course through the storm and fend off a giant sea monster – with the last minute help of a mystery submarine which comes to their aid. But hang on, the submarine is manned by his Grandma and Grandpa! Soon they are back in the safety of the harbour, ready for breakfast – but lift the flap for one last surprise!

Dramatic and surreal, there is danger and bravery with a large dose of the surreal, and lots more to notice on every re-read.

The Journey Home by Fran Preston -Gannon

The ice is melting so Polar Bear sets off in search of a new home. Join him on his adventures across the seas and discover the many friends he meets along the way.

This beautifully illustrated story has a topical message about looking after our planet and is full of things for parents and children to talk about.

Frann was the winner of an amazing Sendak Fellowship and spent a month living with the great Maurice Sendak himself at his home in Connecticut, USA. She worked on The Journey Home during her stay.

April was Drop Everything and Read Month, so here at Parade’s End that’s what we did. Well, apart from helping our wonderful customers to choose their perfect books of course! We would like to share our April picks with you in the hope of inspiring your next read.

Great Circle – Maggie Shipstead

A soaring, breathtakingly ambitious novel that weaves together the astonishing lives of a 1950s vanished female aviator and the modern-day Hollywood actress who plays her on screen.
From her days as a wild child in prohibition America to the blitz and glitz of wartime London, from the rugged shores of New Zealand to a lonely iceshelf in Antarctica, Marian Graves is driven by a need for freedom and danger.

Determined to live an independent life, she resists the pull of her childhood sweetheart, and burns her way through a suite of glamorous lovers. But it is an obsession with flight that consumes her most.

Now, as she is about to fulfil her greatest ambition, to circumnavigate the globe from pole to pole, Marian crash lands in a perilous wilderness of ice.

Over half a century later, troubled film star Hadley Baxter is drawn inexorably to play the enigmatic pilot on screen. It is a role that will lead her to an unexpected discovery, throwing fresh and spellbinding light on the story of the unknowable Marian Graves.

I really enjoyed this engrossing read. It’s rich, elegantly told, the heroines and supporting characters are complex and interesting and the story really draws you in. I’ve read a lot of fiction recently that feels overwrought or predictable, and this was satisfying. I recommend!

Deb – Parade’s End Bookseller

Games and Rituals – Katherine Heiny

The beloved author of Early Morning Riser brings us eleven glittering stories of love – friendships formed at the airport bar, ex-husbands with benefits, mothers of suspiciously sweet teenagers, ill-advised trysts – in all its forms, both ridiculous and sublime.

The games and rituals performed by Katherine Heiny’s characters range from mischievous to tender. In ‘Bridesmaid, Revisited,’ Marilee, suffering from a laundry and life crisis, wears a massive bridesmaid’s dress to work. In ‘Twist and Shout,’ Ericka’s elderly father mistakes his four-thousand-dollar hearing aid for a cashew and eats it. In ‘Turn Back, Turn Back,’ a bedtime story coupled with a receipt for a Starbucks babyccino reveal a struggling actor’s deception. And in ‘561,’ Charlene pays the true price of infidelity and is forced to help her husband’s ex-wife move out of the family home.

From one of our most celebrated writers, our bard of waking up in the wrong bed, wearing the wrong shoes, late for the wrong job, but loved by the right people, Katherine Heiny has delivered a work of glorious humour and immense kindness.

I’m not usually a fan of short story collections but I enjoyed Games and Rituals as each story felt complete in its own right and had something each of us can relate to. I would recommend dipping in and out, rather than reading all in one sitting.

Gaynor – Parade’s End Marketing Manager

Demon Copperhead – Barbara Kingsolver

Demon Copperhead is a once-in-a-generation novel that breaks and mends your heart in the way only the best fiction can.

Demon’s story begins with his traumatic birth to a single mother in a single-wide trailer, looking ‘like a little blue prizefighter.’ For the life ahead of him he would need all of that fighting spirit, along with buckets of charm, a quick wit, and some unexpected talents, legal and otherwise.

In the southern Appalachian Mountains of Virginia, poverty isn’t an idea, it’s as natural as the grass grows. For a generation growing up in this world, at the heart of the modern opioid crisis, addiction isn’t an abstraction, it’s neighbours, parents, and friends. ‘Family’ could mean love, or reluctant foster care. For Demon, born on the wrong side of luck, the affection and safety he craves is as remote as the ocean he dreams of seeing one day. The wonder is in how far he’s willing to travel to try and get there.

Suffused with truth, anger and compassion, Demon Copperhead is an epic tale of love, loss and everything in between.

Indomitable hero Demon survives just about everything thrown at him, which is a considerable amount. As a reader you’re really put through the wringer, this book certainly makes an impact. I’m wondering how I will view it from a distance because there is some great stuff in it which has stayed with me. A meaty book to discuss with others. Personally I would have preferred a tighter, condensed read (this weighs in at 550 pages but felt longer). 

Sam – Parade’s End Bookseller

The Skeleton Key – Erin Kelly

Summer, 2021. Nell has come home at her family’s insistence to celebrate an anniversary. Fifty years ago, her father wrote The Golden Bones. Part picture book, part treasure hunt, Sir Frank Churcher created a fairy story about Elinore, a murdered woman whose skeleton was scattered all over England. Clues and puzzles in the pages of TheGolden Bones led readers to seven sites where jewels were buried: one by one, the tiny golden bones were dug up until only Elinore’s pelvis remained hidden.

The book was a sensation. A community of treasure hunters called the Bonehunters formed, in frenzied competition, obsessed to a dangerous, murderous degree. The book made Frank a rich man. Stalked by fans who could not tell fantasy from reality, his daughter, Nell, became a recluse.

But now the Churchers must be reunited. The book is being reissued along with a new treasure hunt and a documentary crew are charting everything that follows. Nell is appalled, and terrified. During the filming, Frank finally reveals the whereabouts of the missing golden bone. And then all hell breaks loose.

Inspired by the author’s love for Masquerade, this is a taut, mesmerising novel of danger and obsession.

I love books set in London, so this was a good start for me and I enjoyed the first two-thirds of the story. The last third felt laboured and left me wishing for the end to come quickly. If you enjoy lots of twists, then this is for you.

Gaynor – Parade’s End Marketing Manager

When Breath Becomes Air – Paul Kalanithi

What makes life worth living in the face of death?

At the age of thirty-six, on the verge of completing a decade’s training as a neurosurgeon, Paul Kalanithi was diagnosed with inoperable lung cancer. One day he was a doctor treating the dying, the next he was a patient struggling to live.

When Breath Becomes Air chronicles Kalanithi’s transformation from a medical student asking what makes a virtuous and meaningful life into a neurosurgeon working in the core of human identity – the brain – and finally into a patient and a new father.

Paul Kalanithi died while working on this profoundly moving book, yet his words live on as a guide to us all. When Breath Becomes Air is a life-affirming reflection on facing our mortality and on the relationship between doctor and patient, from a gifted writer who became both.

Paul Kalanithi wrestles with meaning and mortality first as a young man deciding between the pursuit of medicine or literature, then as a doctor on behalf of his patients and, finally, as a patient, when, at the age of 36 and in the last year of his training as a neuroscientist/neurosurgeon, he is diagnosed with metastatic lung cancer. I re-read this after reading it some years ago and it remains one of the most moving, enriching, and well-written books I’ve ever read.

Deb – Parade’s End Bookseller

Doughnut Economics – Kate Raworth

The book that redefines economics for a world in crisis.

Relentless financial crises. Extreme inequalities in wealth. Remorseless pressure on the environment. Anyone can see that our economic system is broken. But can it be fixed?

In Doughnut Economics, Oxford academic Kate Raworth identifies the seven critical ways in which mainstream economics has led us astray – from selling us the myth of ‘rational economic man’ to obsessing over growth at all costs – and offers instead an alternative roadmap for bringing humanity into a sweet spot that meets the needs of all within the means of the planet. Ambitious, radical and provocative, she offers a new cutting-edge economic model fit for the challenges of the 21st century.

An interesting concept which is well written and researched but didn’t convince me it could ever be implemented.

Eszter – Parade’s End Bookseller

Modern life is stressful enough but in these particularly challenging times, many of us are finding our anxiety levels at an all time high. April is Stress Awareness Month, so we sought out these 6 books which might help with some coping techniques. (It goes without saying that we are not medical professionals so please do seek advice if stress is impacting your well-being).

Dopamine Nation

We are a wired generation. In these fast-paced times we are constantly bombarded by high-reward, high-dopamine stimuli. From texting to social media, food to drugs, gambling to shopping, we have become addicted to fleeting and distracting pleasures that are making us sick.

In Dopamine Nation, psychiatrist and bestselling author Dr Anna Lembke reveals why our relentless pursuit of pleasure leads to pain and what we can do about it. Bringing together cutting-edge neuroscience with the gripping real life experiences from her clinical practice, Lembke explores how contentment and connectedness are essential tools in keeping dopamine in check. This is an essential book for anyone wanting to find a balance for a happier life.

Dopamine Nation by Dr. Anna Lembke – order your copy here

Atomic Habits

Transform your life with tiny changes in behaviour, starting now.

People think that when you want to change your life, you need to think big. But world-renowned habits expert James Clear has discovered another way. He knows that real change comes from the compound effect of hundreds of small decisions: doing two push-ups a day, waking up five minutes early, or holding a single short phone call.

He calls them atomic habits.

In this ground-breaking book, Clears reveals exactly how these minuscule changes can grow into such life-altering outcomes. He uncovers a handful of simple life hacks (the forgotten art of Habit Stacking, the unexpected power of the Two Minute Rule, or the trick to entering the Goldilocks Zone), and delves into cutting-edge psychology and neuroscience to explain why they matter. Along the way, he tells inspiring stories of Olympic gold medalists, leading CEOs, and distinguished scientists who have used the science of tiny habits to stay productive, motivated, and happy.

Atomic Habits by James Clear – order your copy here

Zen Wisdom for the Anxious

By dipping into this little book of simple Zen Buddhist sayings, you can calm your anxiety and return serenity to your soul.

Are you feeling stress and anxiety from the demands of daily life? Do you feel overwhelmed by your to-do list and the constant deluge of information from all quarters? Are you unhappy with your life and envious of those around you? At times like these it’s important to step back and take a breath.

Zen meditation may conjure up images of sitting in silence for long hours, but according to Buddhist monk and author Shinsuke Hosokawa, Zen can be summed up as “the knowledge needed for a person to live life with a positive outlook.” With this in mind, he has produced this charmingly illustrated collection of thoughts and sayings to help you live life with less stress and anxiety.

The sayings include:

• Pay attention to what is right in front of your eyes
• Nothing happens by chance. Every encounter has its meaning
• Be careful not to confuse the means and the purpose
• Keep flowing just like water
• Nothing will control you
• Even a bad day is a good day
• Check the ground beneath your feet when you’re in trouble
• You’ll never walk alone

These 52 mindful sayings mirror the 52 steps traditionally taken to achieve Buddhist enlightenment, and they also coincide with the 52 weeks of the year–passing through the seasons, both in the natural world and our lives. Each page has an illustration and a simple, meditative reflection to help you see into your own heart, accept your current state of being, reduce anxiety and find peace.

Whatever the time of year, whatever your time of life, by browsing the pages of this book you are sure to quickly find a piece of universal wisdom that will resonate with your soul.

Zen Wisdom for the Anxious – order your copy here

Burnt Out

People everywhere are burning out.

From CEOs to nurses, to doctors, teachers, entrepreneurs, journalists, social workers, academics, creatives… even yoga teachers are at it.

Technology was supposed to make life easier, free us up, take things off our plates and instead we are feeling more exhausted, more under pressure and more stressed out than ever before. People all over the world are lying awake at night wired from exhaustion and uncertainty, fearful of the looming to-do list that awaits them in the morning and wondering how the hell they are going to keep this up before they lose the plot altogether.

Life doesn’t have to be this way.

This book is a no-nonsense, practical guide to thriving in a fast-paced modern world, for the burnt out, bone tired and brain frazzled. It’s a toolkit that will help you learn what ingredients you need in order to thrive and how to weave those ingredients into your day-to-day, no matter how busy life gets.

Whether you are a classic overachiever, over giver or over thinker, be prepared to take back your boundaries, replenish your energy and design a life you love.

The six steps to take you from burnout to thriving
STEP 1: Commit to making your happiness and wellbeing a top priority in your life
STEP 2: Get to know your inner Shitty Committee and how it is driving you to burn out
STEP 3: Tune into your inner Wise Cheerleader and turn up the volume
STEP 4: Learn how to become a master at managing your own energy
STEP 5: Design your life so that you can thrive
STEP 6: Bring about big change when the people or environments around you are causing you to burn out

Burnt Out by Selina Barker – order your copy here

How Can I Stop Worrying?

Are you weighed down with troubles and worries? Does it feel as though your life is slipping out of control? Are you angst-ridden all of the time? If so, it doesn’t have to be like that.

Based on her personal experience, Kay Johnson shares the key principles of how to stop worrying. She unravels the myths surrounding worry, and explains why it really is possible to find lasting relief from mind-numbing worries, even if you’re someone who has worried all your life. No matter what’s happening on the outside, she explains how you can remain calm and relaxed on the inside.

Written in an easy-to-read style, you will discover:

• How to ease the worries out of your life, one step at a time
• How to tame your doubts and fears
• How to take back control of your life
• How to boost your confidence
• How to lift your mood
• How to brighten up your life
• How to restore your inner peace

From a young age, Kay Johnson worried about everything. Then came the wake-up call when her health faltered and she knew she had to find a better way of handling life’s ups and down. This book is the result of her journey to acquire an effective way of dealing with stress and worry, and find some peace of mind.

How to Stop Worrying by Kay Johnson – order your copy here

The Good Life

What makes for a fulfilling and meaningful life? A good life?

Based on findings from the 80-year-long Harvard Study of Adult Development, this landmark book reveals the simple yet surprising truth: the stronger our relationships, the more likely we are to live happy, satisfying and overall healthier lives.

Revealing the ground-breaking research behind the world’s longest study on happiness, programme directors Dr Robert Waldinger and Dr Marc Schulz bring together scientific precision, traditional wisdom, incredible real-life stories and actionable insights to prove once and for all that our own wellbeing and ability to flourish is absolutely within our control.

The Good Life by Robert Waldinger and Marc Schulz – order your copy here

April is Drop Everything and Read Month so that means the remote control too. With our selection of 6 books that have inspired a TV series you can immerse yourself in the original stories with no ads to skip through or annoying background music.

Daisy Jones & The Six

Everybody knows Daisy Jones and the Six. Their sound defined an era. Their albums were on every turntable. They sold out arenas from coast to coast. Then, on 12 July 1979, Daisy Jones walked barefoot onto the stage at Chicago Stadium. And it all came crashing down.

Everyone was there.

Everyone remembers it differently.

Nobody knew why they split. Until now . . .

This is an unusual book, written in the style of a series of interviews with band members. The Netflix TV series follows the same format but with some character changes.

Daisy Jones & The Six by Taylor Jenkins Reid – buy your copy here

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The Lying Life of Adults

Giovanna’s pretty face has changed: it’s turning into the face of an ugly, spiteful adolescent. But is she seeing things as they really are? Where must she look to find her true reflection and a life she can claim as her own?

Giovanna’s search leads her to two kindred cities that fear and detest one another: the Naples of the heights, which assumes a mask of refinement, and the Naples of the depths, a place of excess and vulgarity. Adrift, she vacillates between these two cities, falling into one then climbing back to the other.

Set in a divided Naples, The Lying Life of Adults is a singular portrayal of the transition from childhood to adolescence to adulthood.

The book has been adapted into a six part series by Netflix.

The Lying Life of Adults by Elena Ferrante – buy your copy here

The Catch

She says he’s perfect. I know he’s lying . . .He caught me watching, and our eyes met. That was when it hit me. There was something not quite right about my daughter’s new boyfriend . . .

The doting father. Ed finally meets his daughter’s boyfriend for the first time. Smart, successful and handsome, Ryan appears to be a real catch. Then Abbie announces their plan to get married.

The perfect fiancé. There’s just one problem. Ed thinks Ryan is lying to them.

Who would you believe?

All of Ed’s instincts tell him his daughter is in terrible danger – but no-one else can see it. With the wedding date approaching fast, Ed sets out to uncover Ryan’s secrets, before it’s too late . . .

The book is the basis for a Channel 5 drama.

The Catch by T.M. Logan – buy your copy here

The Power

The world is a recognizable place: there’s a rich Nigerian boy who lounges around the family pool; a foster kid whose religious parents hide their true nature; an ambitious American politician; a tough London girl from a tricky family.

But then a vital new force takes root and flourishes, causing their lives to converge with devastating effect.

All over the world women are discovering they have the power. With a flick of the fingers they can inflict terrible pain – even death. Suddenly, every man on the planet finds they’ve lost control.

The Day of the Girls has arrived – but where will it end?

The Power is a 9 part series on Amazon Prime.

The Power by Naomi Alderman – buy your copy here

Shadow and Bone

Enter the Grishaverse with book one of the Shadow and Bone Trilogy by number one New York Times-bestselling author, Leigh Bardugo. Perfect for fans of Laini Taylor and Sarah J. Maas.

Now with a stunning new cover and exclusive bonus material: A lost letter from Mal, The Tailor (a Genya story) and a Q&A with Leigh Bardugo.

Soldier. Summoner. Saint. Orphaned and expendable, Alina Starkov is a soldier who knows she may not survive her first trek across the Shadow Fold – a swath of unnatural darkness crawling with monsters. But when her regiment is attacked, Alina unleashes dormant magic not even she knew she possessed.

Now Alina will enter a lavish world of royalty and intrigue as she trains with the Grisha, her country’s magical military elite – and falls under the spell of their notorious leader, the Darkling. He believes Alina can summon a force capable of destroying the Shadow Fold and reuniting their war-ravaged country, but only if she can master her untamed gift.

As the threat to the kingdom mounts and Alina unlocks the secrets of her past, she will make a dangerous discovery that could threaten all she loves and the very future of a nation.

This is book 1 of a trilogy that is on its second Netflix series.

Shadow and Bone by Leigh Bardugo – buy your copy here

Great Expectations

Great Expectations, Dickens’s funny, frightening and tender portrayal of the orphan Pip’s journey of self-discovery, is one of his best-loved works. Showing how a young man’s life is transformed by a mysterious series of events – an encounter with an escaped prisoner; a visit to a black-hearted old woman and a beautiful girl; a fortune from a secret donor – Dickens’s late novel is a masterpiece of psychological and moral truth, and Pip among his greatest creations.

This Dickens classic has been reproduced in film and TV on numerous occasions but is currently a BBC drama starring Olivia Coleman.

Great Expectations by Charles Dickens – buy your copy here

April is National Pet Month and as a nation of animal lovers we also love to read about our furry friends. Pets come in all shapes and sizes from hamsters to horses so here are just a few of our favourite pet related books.

No one captures the graces and idiosyncrasies of cats quite like the painters, printmakers, and haiku masters of Japan. From the Edo to the Showa period, many artists turned their gaze toward an unlikely subject: their small feline companions. Closely observed portraits in words and ink elevate the everyday adventures of cats: taking a nap on a Buddha statue’s lap, daintily eating a rice ball, courting the neighbour’s cat.

This curated collection of poems, prints, and paintings will leave you inspired to cultivate the serenity and wonder embodied by these creators – and by the cats themselves. Presented as a sweet, jacketed paperback with thoughtful design touches, this volume includes each poem in both English and Japanese.

Cats in Spring Rain – order your copy here.

It’s Easter, and the Easter Bunny has hidden some eggs for Spot to find! There’s lots of fun (and chocolate) to be had for Spot and all his friends as they join the hunt.

Toddlers will love discovering the Easter egg hunt in this classic picture book. With fun flaps to train fine motor skills and an adventure to encourage curiosity and exploration, this is great for early learning and play.

If you loved this, try Where’s Spot?, Spot Goes to the Farm and Spot Goes to School for more lift-the-flap fun!

Spot’s First Easter by Eric Hill- order your copy here

Mike White began walking his SPCA-rescue huntaway, Cooper, at Wellington’s dog parks ten years ago, and since then has become part of a remarkable community of people and their pets.

Written with wit, wisdom and heartbreaking poignancy, How to Walk a Dog is a story anyone who has ever owned or loved a dog will relate to. You will laugh, you will cry, and you will learn some of the secrets of living with a dog.

Illustrated with drawings from acclaimed cartoonist Sharon Murdoch.

How to Walk a Dog by Mike White – order your copy here

When Silas Bird wakes in the dead of night, he watches powerlessly as three strangers take his father away. Silas is left shaken, scared and alone, except for the presence of his companion, Mittenwool . . . who happens to be a ghost.

But then a mysterious pony shows up at his door, and Silas knows what he has to do.

So begins a perilous journey to find his father – a journey that will connect him with his past, his future, and the unknowable world around him.

PONY is a breathtaking and powerful read, perfect for fans of Michael Morpurgo and Hannah Gold and destined to become a future classic.

Pony by R.J. Palacio- order your copy here.

A beautifully moving tale of loss and reaching out to the ones we love.

Our narrator’s days are numbered. Estranged from his family, living alone with only his cat Cabbage for company, he was unprepared for the doctor’s diagnosis that he has only months to live. But before he can set about tackling his bucket list, the Devil appears with a special offer: in exchange for making one thing in the world disappear, he can have one extra day of life. And so begins a very bizarre week . . .

Because how do you decide what makes life worth living? How do you separate out what you can do without from what you hold dear? In dealing with the Devil our narrator will take himself – and his beloved cat – to the brink.

Genki Kawamura’s If Cats Disappeared from the World is a story of loss and reconciliation, of one man’s journey to discover what really matters in modern life.

This beautiful tale is translated from the Japanese by Eric Selland, who also translated The Guest Cat by Takashi Hiraide. Fans of The Guest Cat and The Travelling Cat Chronicles will also love If Cats Disappeared from the World.

If Cats Disappeared From The World by Genki Kawamura – order your copy here.

Discover Thomas Savage’s dark poetic tale of a small town in early 20th century America.

Phil and George are brothers and joint owners of the biggest ranch in their Montana valley.

Phil is the bright one, George the plodder. Phil is tall and angular; George is stocky and silent. Phil is a brilliant chess player, a voracious reader, an eloquent storyteller; George learns slowly, and devotes himself to the business. They sleep in the room they shared as boys, and so it has been for forty years.

When George unexpectedly marries a young widow and brings her to live at the ranch, Phil begins a relentless campaign to destroy his brother’s new wife. But he reckons without an unlikely protector.

From its visceral first paragraph to its devastating twist of an ending, The Power of the Dog will hold you in its grip.

The Power of The Dog by Thomas Savage – order your copy here.

We had some glimpses of Spring this March but mostly it has been quite a soggy month. At least when it’s raining, we have a good excuse to close the curtains and curl up on the sofa with a good book. Here at Parade’s End Books we have had a busy month of reading and would like to share our picks for March in the hope to inspire your next read.

The House of Fortune – Jessie Burton

1705. In the golden city of Amsterdam Thea Brandt is turning eighteen, and she is ready to welcome adulthood with open arms. At the city’s theatre, the love of her life awaits her, but at home all is not well – her father Otto and Aunt Nella argue endlessly, and the Brandt family are selling their furniture in order to eat. On Thea’s birthday, also the day that her mother died, the secrets of the past begin to overwhelm the present.

Nella is desperate to save the family and maintain appearances, to find Thea a husband who will guarantee her future, and when they receive an invitation to Amsterdam’s most exclusive ball, she is overjoyed – perhaps this will set their fortunes straight.

But, as Thea discovers new miniatures, Nella’s fears are realized. Eighteen years after she first entered the family’s life, the miniaturist may have plans of her own . . .

“I read The House of Fortune because I loved The Miniaturist and hoped this sequel would live up to it but for me it didn’t. I’m a big fan of Jessie Burton’s style but I felt that it was a forced story just to have a sequel that wasn’t necessary. The new characters weren’t strong and the story somehow managed to dilute those original characters I loved so much in The Miniaturist. Still worth a read if you feel you need an ending to Nella, Otto and Cornelia’s stories.” Gaynor – Parade’s End Marketing Manager.

The Year of The Runaways – Sunjeev Sahota

The Year of the Runaways tells of the bold dreams and daily struggles of an unlikely family thrown together by circumstance. Thirteen young men live in a house in Sheffield, each in flight from India and in desperate search of a new life. Tarlochan, a former rickshaw driver, will say nothing about his past in Bihar; and Avtar has a secret that binds him to protect the chaotic Randeep. Randeep, in turn, has a visa-wife in a flat on the other side of town: a clever, devout woman whose cupboards are full of her husband’s clothes, in case the immigration men surprise her with a call.

“I had been avoiding reading this last year’s shortlisted International Booker book due to the subjects tackled in it. However, once I started reading it, I was mesmerized and touched by the story right to the end. It is a beautiful tale about three Indians and one British Indian woman in Sheffield.  It brings the touching individual stories of life, love and desperation behind the tabloid headlines of “scam marriages”, “abuse of student visas” and “illegal workers”. The first part of the book is about what brings the three runaways from India to Sheffield and second part is how their lives get entangled in their difficulties in finding work and avoiding the authorities.” Rachel – Parade’s End Books Owner.

The Bandit Queens – Parini Shroff

For Geeta, life as a widow is more peaceful than life as a wife…

Until the other women in her village decide they want to be widows, too.

Geeta is believed to have killed her vanished husband – a rumour she hasn’t bothered trying to correct, because a reputation like that can keep a single woman safe in rural India. But when she’s approached for help in ridding another wife of her abusive drunk of a husband, her reluctant agreement sets in motion a chain of events that will change the lives of all the women in the village….

A darkly irreverent and fresh take on a feminist revenge thriller, perfect for readers of My Sister the Serial Killer, How To Kidnap The Rich and the Sharon Horgan series Bad Sisters.

“Set in India, the plot centres on a woman reluctantly embroiled in a neighbour’s murder plot because of a misapprehension that she has successfully disposed of her own awful husband. It is a gritty, subversive and riveting read, brimful of (gallows) humour.” Sam – Parade’s End Bookseller.

Shuggie Bain – Douglas Stuart

It is 1981. Glasgow is dying and good families must grift to survive. Agnes Bain has always expected more from life, dreaming of greater things. But Agnes is abandoned by her philandering husband, and as she descends deeper into drink, the children try their best to save her, yet one by one they must abandon her to save themselves.

It is her son Shuggie who holds out hope the longest. Shuggie is different, he is clearly no’ right. But Shuggie believes that if he tries his hardest, he can be normal like the other boys and help his mother escape this hopeless place.

“A good but difficult read. Misery upon misery…” Eszter – Parade’s End Bookseller