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The sly and subversive sixth book from Nicola Barker, one of our most funny and anarchic writers.It's the summer of 1981. Medve, sixteen years old and six foot three inches tall (a positive girl giant) is stuck in a semi-derelict art-deco hotel on a tiny island off the South coast of Devon, with the rest of her crazy family members. There's nothing to do but paint Margaret Thatcher mugs to supplement the meagre family income, wait for Soft Cell's 'Tainted Love' to come out and dream of literary murderer Jack Henry Abbott.Into this family affair, strolls 19-year-old La Roux (The Sauce), a deserter from the South African army with flaming ginger hair. It’s not long before Medve and La Roux embark on a barbed flirtation, full of simmering sexuality and bad intentions, which ends in the very destructive "Operation Vagina”… things will never be the same again.

What are the 50 key events you need to understand to grasp British history?If you could choose the 50 things that define British history, events of significance not only in themselves, but in their importance to wider themes running through our past, what would they be? Hugh Williams has made that selection, and the result is a fascinating overview of Britain’s past.He refines British history into a series of key themes that represent a crucial strand in our history, and pinpoints the seminal events within those strands – Roots, from the Roman invasion to Britain’s entry into the Common Market; Fight, Fight and Fight Again, from the Battle of Agincourt to the Falklands War; The Pursuit of Liberty, from the Magna Carta through the Glorious Revolution to the foundation of the NHS; Home and Abroad, from Sir Francis Drake and Clive of India to the arrival of the SS Empire Windrush; and All Change, from Chaucer and the English language to the invention of the web.With great clarity, simplicity and a zest for the marvellous stories that underpin many of these events, Hugh Williams explains the linkage between each one and its importance in the progress of British history as a whole. Along the way, he has some fascinating tales to tell, making this a highly enjoyable read as well as a perceptive insight into our shared past, and vital for anyone who wants quickly and enjoyably to grasp the essential facts about Britain’s history.

Celebrate the heart of Britain in this fun and informative mini-ebook.Rugby, Walkers Crisps, Conkers. These are just a handful of the many great things to have come out of the Midlands. In this celebratory list, journalist and loyal Midlander Robert Shore counts down fifty of the best gifts the Midlands has given the world.Knowledge no Midlander – nay, Brit! – should be without.From the author of Bang in the Middle.

The stunning saga from the bestselling author of Child of the Mersey and Only a Mother Knows. Perfect for fans of Katie Flynn.A stirring, heartrending story of love, passion, duty and family, set in the early years of the 1900s as the First World War looms.After the tragic death of her mother, beautiful, headstrong Ellie Pride must forge her own way in the world. Having made a deathbed promise to her mother to forsake passion for stability and social status, Ellie rejects the advances of local craftsman Gideon Walker, despite her deep attraction to him. With her grieving father struggling to cope, Ellie is exiled to live with her aunt and uncle. Her mother hoped Ellie would be able to escape her humble roots forever. But despite the so-called luxury, Ellie is left frightened and alone.Her uncle quickly reveals a terrifying cruelty that forces her into a loveless marriage in order to escape him. Struggling to support her weak husband against his penny-pinching father, Ellie never forgets her love for Gideon. Their paths are destined to cross again and again.But when events take a tragic turn, Ellie needs all her pride and strength to overcome hardship, and to triumph.

Set during the 1980s civil war in Lebanon, ‘Dreams of Water’ is complusively readable, deceptively simple and overwhelmingly moving.'If you could tell me just one thing about yourself, what would it be?'She begins, 'I would say that I once lost a brother.'As a young man disappears, his family is left wondering, hoping, fearing for what may have become of him. It is only through his loss that they begin to truly understand the deep bond of love that ties their family together.Aneesa, his sister, feels the loss of her brother intensely and, unable to live in the vacuum left by his disappearance, she leaves her home and all she holds dear. She moves to London seeking a new life, new friends, and a release from her sorrow. There she meets an older man, another exile who reminds her of home. Brought together by their shared feeling for their homeland, they form an unlikely friendship. Yet, Aneesa finds she cannot mourn without knowing the truth about her brother's death, she cannot get on with her life without some certainty.Meanwhile, back home, Aneesa's mother is grieving for her son. Unable to cope with his loss, she resorts to her community's traditional beliefs and imagines he has been reincarnated. Aneesa reluctantly returns home, determined to uncover the truth behind her brother's disappearance, and rekindle the sense of belonging that she left behind.‘Dreams of Water’ is a moving story of love, loss and family. Set against a backdrop of upheaval and violence, it reminds us of the importance of hope, of love, and of the strength of family.