"Spellbinding stories of childhood and change in voices so vibrant they leave you speechless." — Sunday HeraldFrom a little girl who wants to look "subtle" for her father's funeral, to a child who has an email pen pal on Jupiter, to an old lady who becomes a star through "zimmerobics," these witty, tender short stories introduce us to a unique cast of characters in a collection centered around the Scottish city of Glasgow.From the author of Bei...

International bestseller: "A tender, lyrical coming-of-age narrative, its people drawn with love in that singing Glasgow voice that is Donovan's signature." — The GuardianThings are never dull in the O'Connell family. And young Fiona has her artistic pursuits, and her budding relationship with a handsome Sikh boy. Still, squeezed between her quiet brother and her mischievous twin sisters, Fiona thinks life in their tenement flat in the Scottish city of Gla...

It is freezing – an unusually cold winter day. The sun hints deceptively of a warmth that’s not there – at least in temperature. But the snow on the fields and the icy waters of the nearby creek reflect the sunlight in a dazzling array of diamonds and jewels reserved for this horse and rider. No coldness for this rider who is enveloped in the warm vibrations generated by the horse beneath whose breath advances in a musky-smelling steam. All thought dissipates as the rider is lost in the he...

Feilamort can remember very little of his childhood before he became a choir boy in the home of the Laird and his French wife. Feilamort has one of the finest voices in the land. It is a gift he believes will protect him . . .Deirdre has lived in the castle all her short life. Apprentice to her mother, she embroiders the robes for one of Scotland's finest families. She can capture, with just a few delicate stitches, the ripeness of a bramble or the glint of bronze on a fallen leaf....

Meet Christina Aguilera through a thorough and honest portrayal of her life and career and the things that have influenced both.Christina Aguilera appeared on Star Search when she was eight years old and hasn't stopped performing since. Christina Aguilera: A Biography traces the life and career of this exceptional performer, looking also at the historical, political, and philosophical influences that have affected and motivated her. Readers will l...

(Re)discover the Ottawa's ByWard Market with this easy-to-follow guide which will bring you to all four corners of the old Market grid while exploring the history of this neighborhood. With the option of a one or two day expedition, the foreign travelers and locals alike will find this walk exciting, fresh, and full of surprises. From unique boutiques to delicate confectionery, you are sure to stumble upon a few new favorites. An excerpt from the guide: "Making your way ...

Anne Marie’s Da, a Glaswegian painter and decorator, has always been game for a laugh. So when he first tells his family that he’s taking up meditation at the Buddhist Centre in town, no one takes him seriously. But as Jimmy becomes more involved in his search for the spiritual his beliefs start to come into conflict with the needs of his wife, Liz, and cracks begin to form in their previously happy family.With grace, humour and humility Anne Donovan’s beloved debut tells the story...

A young New Yorker grieving his mother's death is pulled into a gritty underworld of art and wealth in this “extraordinary” and beloved novel that "connects with the heart as well as the mind" (Stephen King, New York Times Book Review), named a New York Times Best Book of the 21st Century.Theo Decker, a 13-year-old New Yorker, miraculously survives an accident that kills his mother. Abandoned by his father, Theo is taken in by the family of a weal...

**#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • The “mercilessly entertaining” (Vanity Fair) instant classic “about the nature of identity and the terrible secrets that can survive and thrive in even the most intimate relationships” (Lev Grossman, Time “One of the Best Books of the Decade”)—now featuring never-before-published deleted scenesTHE NEW YORK TIMES’S BEST THRILLER OF THE CENTURY • ONE OF TIME'S 100 BEST MYSTERY AND THRILLER BOOKS OF ...

This autobiographical coming of age classic offers a "visceral, comic and tragic" portrait of rural life in Wales during the Great War ( The Guardian, UK).Named the greatest Welsh novel by the Wales Arts Review, this beautifully rendered novel tells of a boy's hardscrabble life in rural Wales and his challenging—yet at times transcendent—journey into adulthood. In the 1910s, the village of Bethesda is a place of poverty and religion; illn...

"And in this quiet moment as I close my eyes, spent and sated, I think I'm in the eye of the storm. And in spite of all he's said, and what he hasn't said, I don't think I have ever been so happy."When literature student Anastasia Steele goes to interview young entrepreneur Christian Grey, she encounters a man who is beautiful, brilliant, and intimidating. The unworldly, innocent Ana is startled to realize she wants this man and, despite his enigmatic reserve, find...

This "beautifully written," international bestselling novel charts the triumphs and tragedies of an Iranian family on the brink of national revolution ( Daily Mail, UK).Senejan, Iran, 1969. The family of Aqa Jaan has lived for eight centuries in the house of the mosque. Now it is occupied by the families of three cousins: Aqa Jaan, a merchant and head of the city's bazaar; Alsaberi, the imam of the mosque; and Aqa Shoja, the mosque's muezzin. The ...