万本电子书0元读

万本电子书0元读

Little Exiles
Little Exiles
Robert Dinsdale
¥62.59
A stunning novel set in the wake of the Second World War, Little Exiles tells the extraordinary story of the forced child migration between Britain and Australia that took place after World War II and how this flight from home shaped the identity of a generation of children. What if someone you loved asked you to pack a bag and said that they would see you again soon? When Jon Heather’s mother leaves him by the door of the Chapeltown Boys’ Home of the Children’s Crusade, one cold night in post-war Leeds, he is convinced there has been a dreadful mistake. But several weeks later, nine-year-old Jon finds himself on a boat bound for Australia. Promised paradise, he soon realizes the reality of the Australian outback is very different: a life of hard labour on unforgiving terrain, under an alien sun. So begins a journey that will last a lifetime, as Jon Heather and his group of unlikely friends battle to make their way back home.
Mega Sleepover 5 (The Sleepover Club)
Mega Sleepover 5 (The Sleepover Club)
Louis Catt,Fiona Cummings
¥88.39
Join the Sleepover Club: Frankie, Kenny, Felicity, Rosie and Lyndsey, five girls who want to have fun – but who always end up in mischief! In Sleepover on Friday 13th, Kenny plans some spooky surprises – but suddenly, everything starts getting out of control… In Sleepover Girls Go Camping, it’s the Sleepover Club versus the M&Ms on a massive assault course at summer camp. And in Sleepover Girls Go Detective, Lyndz’s cat disappears. Could it be anything to do with a very suspicious-looking neighbour? Three fantastic Sleepover Club stories in one!
Brothers of the Head
Brothers of the Head
Brian Aldiss
¥28.06
Sci-fi legend Brian Aldiss’ dark and compelling story of Siamese twin boys with a third dormant head. Tom and Barry are Siamese twins with a third head growing out of Barry’s shoulder. They are plucked from their deprived home by showbiz entrepreneurs and form a rock band, The Bang Bang. But the twins have a violent relationship and jealousies arise over their shared lover. Can a band split up when the singers are permanently joined together?
The Brightfount Diaries
The Brightfount Diaries
Brian Aldiss
¥34.14
Aldiss’ first novel republished after many years out of print. In a small provincial city, Peter lives with his long-suffering Aunt Anne and his eccentric Uncle Leo, and works in a bookshop called Brightfount’s, which he describes as a ‘shabby outpost of literacy’. Cutting the apron strings, he moves into a bed-sit and composes these witty diaries, in which he includes amusing remarks about publishers, authors, booksellers and customers, a revelation about his dotty uncle, and his efforts to find a suitable girl. First published as a weekly serial in The Bookseller, these fictional diaries became a sensation, prompting fanmail from across the globe and resulting in the author’s first book deal.
The Complete Short Stories:The 1960s (Part 1)
The Complete Short Stories:The 1960s (Part 1)
Brian Aldiss
¥81.03
Following on from the 1950s collection, this is the second collection of Brian Aldiss’ short stories, taken from the 1960s. A must-have for collectors. Part one of four. This collection gathers together, for the very first time, Brian Aldiss’ complete catalogue of short stories from the 1960s, in four parts.
The Malacia Tapestry (The Brian Aldiss Collection)
The Malacia Tapestry (The Brian Aldiss Collection)
Brian Aldiss
¥73.58
In Malacia, a city where change is forbidden and radical ideas are crushed, a war like no other is about to commence. The Brian Aldiss collection includes over 50 books and spans the author’s entire career, from his debut in 1955 to his more recent work. Struggling young actor Perian de Chirolo does as he pleases in the timeless city. He is a lover, a fighter and has no thought for consequence, until the magic of Malacia changes and reality begins to catch up with him. Now de Chirolo must make a choice between his old life, and joining the revolutionaries who will fight to ensure Malacia is never the same again.
The Male Response (The Brian Aldiss Collection)
The Male Response (The Brian Aldiss Collection)
Brian Aldiss
¥73.58
Written at the peak of the swinging sixties, this is an ironic, hilarious and frank investigation of sexual politics and the male sex drive. The Brian Aldiss collection includes over 50 books and spans the author’s entire career, from his debut in 1955 to his more recent work. Events move fast in Umbalathorp, the capital city of the new African republic of Goya. When affable young PR man Soames Noyes arrives fresh off the boat from England to deliver the city’s first computer, he finds himself swept up in a current of women, witch-doctors and promiscuity. Soon the indecisive Soames is saying goodbye to inhibition and hello to a new sexual politics.
Earth Strike (Star Carrier, Book 1)
Earth Strike (Star Carrier, Book 1)
Ian Douglas
¥54.74
The first book in the epic saga of humankind's war of transcendence There is a milestone in the evolution of every sentient race, a Tech Singularity Event, when the species achieves transcendence through its technological advances. Now the creatures known as humans are near this momentous turning point. But an armed threat is approaching from deepest space, determined to prevent humankind from crossing over that boundary—by total annihilation if necessary. To the Sh'daar, the driving technologies of transcendent change are anathema and must be obliterated from the universe—along with those who would employ them. As their great warships destroy everything in their path en route to the Sol system, the human Confederation government falls into dangerous disarray. There is but one hope, and it rests with a rogue Navy Admiral, commander of the kilometer-long star carrier America, as he leads his courageous fighters deep into enemy space towards humankind's greatest conflict—and quite possibly its last.
Sleeping With Ghosts
Sleeping With Ghosts
Lynne Pemberton
¥53.76
A blockbuster novel of suspense, intrigue and revenge, from the celebrated author of Platinum Coast and Eclipse Kathryn de Moubray comes from a respectable English family. So when she discovers that her grandfather was a high-ranking Nazi and wanted war criminal who disappeared in 1944, she is devastated – and compelled to trace the family history that her mother, now dead, kept hidden for so many years. Adam Krantz, a New York art dealer whose family was wiped out in the Holocaust, is on a mission to find their legacy: an exquisite collection of paintings which vanished at the same time as Kathryn’s grandfather. Adam is convinced that the two are connected. They meet in St Lucia, and again in London when a priceless painting turns up mysteriously, amidst a storm of controversy. Despite the bitterness and betrayal of the past, the attraction between them grows stronger. But will it unite them or drive them apart as they unravel the extraordinary events that took place in wartime Berlin more than fifty years ago?
My Fair Man
My Fair Man
Jane Gordon
¥46.11
A modern Pygmalion story with a twist, by the bestselling author of STEPFORD HUSBANDS. Hattie George is a woman with a mission. A dedicated socialist, she wants to make the world a better place. Teased by her friends, especially her best friend’s boyfriend, Jon, she bets that she can transform Jimmy, a young Geordie who lives on the streets and sells the Big Issue, into a drop-dead gorgeous, man-about-town – in just a few weeks. With his taste for brown sauce and brown ale, and his very different table manners, Jimmy will never turn the heads of the chattering classes or change Jon’s cynicism. Or will he? As Hattie’s mission is launched, there is more than one transformation taking place, resulting in chaos, hilarity, heartbreak and misunderstanding. Just who is trying to impress who? MY FAIR MAN is a modern fairy tale and a witty portrayal of men, women and contemporary society, in which Jane Gordon explores with humour, sympathy and incisiveness the important issues of gender, class, and different people’s motivations.
The Dastardly Book for Dogs
The Dastardly Book for Dogs
Rex,Sparky,Joe Garden
¥63.77
It’s time to jump out of the handbag and take control of the lead. From the same kennel as The Dangerous Book for Boys, this hilarious doggy equivalent barks one simple question: What's happened to us?! Designer dog beds? Organic gluten free gourmet doggie biscuits? Spa treatments? Everyone likes to be pampered now and then – but isn't there more to being a dog than wearing a mini cashmere sweater and riding around in a Louis Vuitton handbag? What about the simple pleasures of life – feeling the wind in your fur, digging up the grass beneath your paws, smelling another dog's bottom? Isn't that part of the great joy of being a dog? This book is for good dogs, bad dogs, and the millions of people who love them, either way, but owners will no doubt recognize their own lovable pets, and maybe themselves, in these pages. After all, so many people talk to their dogs, they might as well read to them, and learn a little something in the process. Chapters include: Foul Smells Every Dog Should Roll In, What's Edible?, How to Bury a Bone, Building a Bed out of Laundry, Escaping the Lead, Dogs in Literature, Courageous Dogs in History, Formal Rules of Fetch, Enhancing Your Walk and Amazing Bath Time Escapes. The Dangerous Book for Boys tapped into a male desire to recapture a back-to-basics sense of fun. Now, a boy's sense of fun is perfectly fine, but a dog's sense of fun is hilarious. Leg-humping, bottom-sniffing and tail-chasing – these are not just the bedrock of dog life; they are the bedrock of comedy.
Dark Matter (Star Carrier, Book 5)
Dark Matter (Star Carrier, Book 5)
Ian Douglas
¥69.26
The fifth book in the epic saga of humankind's war of transcendence… An enemy might just have to become an ally . . . in order to save humankind The United States of North America is now engaged in a civil war with the Earth Confederation, which wants to yield to the demands of the alien Sh'daar, limit human technology, and become a part of the Sh'daar Galactic Collective. USNA President Koenig believes that surrendering to the Sh'daar will ultimately doom humankind. But when highly advanced, seemingly godlike aliens appear through an artificial wormhole in the Omega Centauri Cluster 16,000 light years from Earth, President Koenig is faced with a tremendous choice: continue fighting the Sh'daar . . . or ally with them against the newcomers in a final war that will settle the fate of more than one universe.
Star Strike (The Inheritance Trilogy, Book 1)
Star Strike (The Inheritance Trilogy, Book 1)
Ian Douglas
¥45.22
Planet by planet, galaxy by galaxy, the inhabited universe has fallen to the alien Xul… Now only one obstacle stands between them and total domination: the warriors of a resilient race the world-devourers nearly annihilated centuries ago . . . A power vast, ancient, and terrifying, the mighty Xul have lost track of the insignificant humans hundreds of years after devastating their home world—which has enabled the United Star Marines to operate unnoticed and unhindered. A near-autonomous intergalactic policing force, they battle in defense of an Earth they may not live to see again. Now, following the trail of a vanished twenty-fourth-century transport, they are journeying through an unexplored stargate to the edge of an unknown galaxy many light years from their sun. For the last, best, and only chance to defeat the tyrants of the universe may at long last be at hand . . .
The Road to Samarcand
The Road to Samarcand
Patrick O’Brian
¥61.51
A classic Patrick O’Brian novel, back in print after many years. When Derrick’s missionary parents are tragically murdered he is entrusted to his gruff uncle Sullivan, Captain of The Wanderer. After surviving a killer typhoon on the South China Sea, and accompanied by their eccentric elderly cousin, they set off across land to discover the treasures of Central Asia. Derrick befriends a fierce Mongol warrior and must help him battle a ruthless Chinese warlord. Given a gift of priceless jade, the group is pursued into the inhospitable mountains of Tibet where they are caught between fierce mountain monks and a terrifying unnamed creature that stalks them through the snow.
Rogue Lion Safaris
Rogue Lion Safaris
Simon Barnes
¥53.76
A funny, romantic, evocative novel set against the safari tourism business in East Africa, written by an award-winning journalist. After the death of his beloved, bankrupt gambler of a father, Dan Lynch follows his university degree in zoology to a run-down safari camp, where he can work as a trainee guide and, most important, be near George Sorensen, the owner. George is a wildlife genius, but no great businessman, and the camp is threatened by lack of visitors, competition from the much more luxurious set-up across the valley, and corrupt local politicians. In learning about the majestic landscape and fauna of Africa, Dan learns a lot about people – and about himself. A beautiful evocation of place, a warmly observant love story, a suspenseful battle against the odds, Rogue Lion Safaris marks the debut of a very bright new voice in fiction.
The Final Solution
The Final Solution
Michael Chabon
¥70.44
A brilliant reworking of the detective story by the much-acclaimed Michael Chabon, author of the Pulitzer Prize-winning THE AMAZING ADVENTURES OF KAVALIER & CLAY. In the Pulitzer Prize-winning novel ‘The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay’, Michael Chabon conjured up the golden age of comic books, intertwining history, legend and storytelling verve. In ‘The Final Solution’ he has crafted a short, suspenseful tale of compassion and wit that reimagines the classic 19th-century detective story. In deep retirement in the English countryside, an 89-year-old man, vaguely remembered by locals as a once-famous detective, is more concerned with his beekeeping than with other people. Into his life wanders Linus Steinman, nine years old and mute, who has escaped from Nazi Germany with his sole companion: an African grey parrot. What is the meaning of the mysterious strings of German numbers the bird spews out – a top-secret SS code? The keys to a series of Swiss bank accounts perhaps? Or something more sinister? Is the solution to this last case – the real explanation of the mysterious boy and his parrot – beyond even the reach of the once-famed sleuth? Subtle revelations lead the reader to a wrenching resolution. This brilliant homage is the work of a master storyteller at the height of his powers.
Araby
Araby
Gretta Mulrooney
¥66.22
A funny and intensely moving portrait of childhood, death and a man’s relationship with his larger-than-life mother. This poignant, witty, warm-hearted yet unsentimental novel charts the turbulent relationship of a mother and son. As a young boy, Rory Keenan finds his mother bewilderingly and embarrassingly eccentric as his childhood is punctuated by hilarious, cringe-making episodes caused entirely by her unpredictable behaviour and bizarre habits and exploits. Kitty has a huge appetite – for food, for mysterious imaginary illnesses and for strange hobbies. Her irrespressible, opinionated nature ensures that she (and, against his will, Rory too) is the centre of any attention to be had. At the end of Kitty’s life, Rory, now a grown man, begins to come to terms with his confused feelings for Kitty – he loves her devotedly, but nevertheless her cussedness still infuriates him. As memories and secrets from his family’s stormy past in Ireland and London echo through the tragedy of her final, very real illness we are given an outstandingly vivid and compassionate vision of life, love and death.
One Thing Leads to Another
One Thing Leads to Another
Jamie Holland
¥46.11
One Thing Leads to Another is Four Weddings and a Funeral in book form. Three friends, post university, two men and a girl, take up a year’s lease on a house. Sitting in the pub, they make a bet – a challenge to them all – that they will find perfect (if temporary) partners and real jobs by the end of a year. As each season unfolds, with highlights of themed parties (for the girls) and rugby matches (for the boys), romantic holidays in Italy (disastrous), New Year’s Eve’s festivities (even worse), Flin, Geordie and Jessica find (and in some cases, lose) new friends, new jobs and even themselves. The year’s challenge ends completely differently than they – or the readers – anticipate. One Thing Leads to Another has a wonderful warmth and humour, which gives readers a real feel-good factor.
Something Barely Remembered
Something Barely Remembered
Susan Visvanathan
¥53.76
Exquisite Indian short stories Lukose is ready to follow in his grandfather’s footsteps and enter the priesthood; Anna’s parents are drowned as they make their way to a wedding by boat and she must now go and live with her uncle and his Italian wife in Rome; Chako, a doctor, meets a sad little girl whose mother has run away, and then, many years later, he encounters the mother at a party but cannot bear to share with her his knowledge of her daughter. These fifteen stories give us sharp, acute fragments of Indian lives, all linked by family or friendship, or just sheer coincidence, and give us a poignant reminder of how even the smallest event can cause the greatest effect. Beautifully crafted, written with great feeling, this story collection marks the debut of a new and original voice.
Terror Firma
Terror Firma
Matthew Thomas
¥46.11
‘Blessed are the meek, for they shall be stamped upon.’ From the massively successful author that brought you exploding sheep (Before & After) comes the conspiracy theory to end them all. If you’re a cynic, you’re a sucker. ‘They’ want you to believe in aliens, UFOs and ghosts, because if you go chasing lies, you never get to the truth. ‘They’ are the ultra-secret world ‘Committee’ – the real decision makers who tell governments what to do, dictate which way the stock market’s heading, start up a few wars when things get boring. They’ve had five centuries’ experience at the top to know that nothing spreads a rumour faster than a carefully worded denial. Unfortunately, the ‘Committee’ have been so busy manipulating the entire globe they haven’t realised that they themselves are being manipulated. From opposite sides of the globe, former US commando Frank MacIntyre, and UFO enthusiast Dave Pierce, are about to stumble on the biggest conspiracy theory of all. And it’s a discovery that threatens to destabalise the whole planet. The meek have just put on their boots, and they’re ready to do a bit of stamping themselves.
The Taken
The Taken
Vicki Pettersson
¥57.09
The first book in a new sexy, supernatural mystery series, from New York Times bestselling urban fantasy author Vicki Pettersson. Griffin Shaw used to be a PI, but that was back when gumshoes hoofed the streets . . . and he was still alive. Fifty years later, he’s a celestial Centurion, assisting the recently, and violently, dead. Yet just because he’s an angel doesn’t mean he’s a saint. One small mistake has altered fate, and now he’s been dumped back onto to the mortal mudflat to collect another soul – Katherine “Kit” Craig, a journalist whose latest investigation is about to get her clipped. Bucking heavenly orders, Grif refuses to let this sable-haired siren with hairpin curves come to harm. Besides, protecting her offers a chance to find the truth about his own mysterious death – and wreak some vengeance for the murder of his beloved wife, Evie. Joining forces, Kit and Grif’s search for answers leads beyond the blinding lights of the Strip into the dark heart of an evil conspiracy. But a ruthless killer determined to destroy them isn’t Griffin’s biggest threat. His growing attraction to Kit could cost them both their lives, as well as the answer to the greatest mystery of his long afterlife … Who killed Griffin Shaw?