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A Song for Arbonne
A Song for Arbonne
Guy Gavriel Kay
¥63.18
Based on the troubadour culture that rose in Provence during the High Middle Ages, this panoramic, absorbing novel beautifully creates an alternate version of the medieval world. The matriarchal, cultured land of Arbonne is rent by a feud between its two most powerful dukes, the noble troubador Bertran de Talair and Urte de Miraval, over long-dead Aelis, lover of one, wife of the other and once heir to the country's throne. To the north lies militaristic Gorhaut, whose inhabitants worship the militant god Corannos and are ruled by corrupt, womanizing King Ademar. His chief advisor, the high priest of Corannos, is determined to irradicate the worship of a female deity, whose followers live to the south. Into this cauldron of brewing disaster comes the mysterious Gorhaut mercenary Blaise, who takes service with Bertran and averts an attempt on his life. The revelation of Blaise's lineage and a claim for sanctuary by his sister-in-law sets the stage for a brutal clash between the two cultures. Intertwined is the tale of a young woman troubadour whose role suggests the sweep of the drama to come.
The Water Children
The Water Children
Anne Berry
¥45.62
Four lives. Four defining moments which will bring them together. Owen Abingdon is haunted by nightmares of the Merfolk. He believes they have stolen his little sister who vanished while he was meant to be minding her on the beach, but he was only a child himself. Is it fair for his mother to blame him? Catherine Hoyle's perfect Christmas with her cousin from America was blighted when they went skating on thin ice and Rosalyn nearly died. Somehow, instead of being praised for raising the alarm, Catherine gets blamed. Sean Madigan grew up on a farm in Ireland. Learning to swim in the Shannon was his way of escaping the bitter poverty of his childhood, but it also incurred his father's wrath. He flees to England, but his heart belongs to the Shannon and her pulling power is evernear… Unlike the other three, Naomi Seddon didn't fear the sea. She'd been orphaned and placed in a children's home in Sheffield and cruelly abused. The sea offered her a way out and she revelled in its cruel power. The "water children" meet in London in the searing hot summer of 1976 and Naomi uses her siren's charm to lure Owen,Catherine and Sean into her tangled web of sexual charm and dangerous passion. A holiday in the Tuscan mountains with a flooded reservoir and its legend of the beautiful Teodora who drowned there brings this emotional drama to a powerful climax. Will the power of family, love and redemption finally help the water children conquer their fears and triumph over their childhood traumas?
The Last Light of the Sun
The Last Light of the Sun
Guy Gavriel Kay
¥86.23
From the multiple award-winning author of Ysabel, Tigana and A Song for Arbonne, this powerful, moving saga evokes the Celtic, Anglo-Saxon, and Norse cultures of a thousand years ago. There is nothing soft or silken about the north. The lives of men and women are as challenging as the climate and lands in which they dwell. For generations, the Erlings of Vinmark have taken their dragon-prowed ships across the seas, raiding the lands of the Cyngael and Anglcyn peoples, leaving fire and death behind. But times change, even in the north, and in a tale woven with consummate artistry, people of all three cultures find the threads of their lives unexpectedly brought together… Bern Thorkellson, punished for his father's sins, commits an act of vengeance and desperation that brings him face-to-face, across the sea, with a past he's been trying to leave behind. In the Anglcyn lands of King Aeldred, the shrewd king, battling inner demons all the while, shores up his defenses with alliances and diplomacy-and with swords and arrows-while his exceptional, unpredictable sons and daughters pursue their own desires when battle comes and darkness falls in the woods. And in the valleys and shrouded hills of the Cyngael, whose voices carry music even as they feud and raid amongst each other, violence and love become deeply interwoven when the dragon ships come and Alun ab Owyn, chasing an enemy in the night, glimpses strange lights gleaming above forest pools.
Told in Silence
Told in Silence
Rebecca Connell
¥88.39
New novel from exciting young author Rebecca Connell From the outside, Violet seems to lead an ordinary and uneventful existence - single, working in a shop, and living with her parents in rural Kent - but her life has already been touched by tragedy. At 21, Violet is a young widow, and the couple she lives with, Harvey and Laura Blackwood, are not her own parents but those of her late husband, Jonathan. Rocked by grief, Violet has shut herself away from the world, but she soon finds that she cannot escape reality. When Max Croft, an old friend of Jonathan's, enters her life, she is faced not only with the possibility of a new attraction, but with the knowledge that there are secrets behind her husband’s death that she has not yet uncovered, and which threaten to shake her faith in everything she knows about their past life together. Told in Silence is a spellbinding and unforgettable novel of desire, deception and the lengths that we will go to for love.
Burning Secrets
Burning Secrets
Clare Chambers
¥51.50
An intense and thrilling teen mystery set on a tranquil island where all seems perfect… Daniel has dark secrets and a troubled past. So when his family move to the island of Wragge, a gentle backwater where local life remains undisturbed he feels he’s escaped. But outsiders aren’t always welcome and the more Daniel tries to conceal, the more he reveals about sinister goings on. Does this picture perfect community have something even greater to hide? An explosive thriller that tingles with brooding menace and ignites as the clues fall into place…
The Lions of Al-Rassan
The Lions of Al-Rassan
Guy Gavriel Kay
¥72.30
Hauntingly evocative of medieval Spain, a deeply compelling story of love, adventure, divided loyalties, and what happens when beliefs begin to remake – or destroy – a world. The ruling Asharites of Al-Rassan have come from the desert sands, but over centuries, seduced by the sensuous pleasures of their new land, their stern piety has eroded. The Asharite empire has splintered into decadent city-states led by warring petty kings. King Almalik of Cartada is on the ascendancy, aided always by his friend and advisor, the notorious Ammar ibn Khairan – poet, diplomat, soldier – until a summer afternoon of savage brutality changes their relationship forever. Meanwhile, in the north, the conquered Jaddites' most celebrated – and feared – military leader, Rodrigo Belmonte, driven into exile, leads his mercenary company south. In the dangerous lands of Al-Rassan, these two men from different worlds meet and serve – for a time – the same master. Tangled in their interwoven fate – and divided by her feelings – is Jehane, the accomplished court physician, whose skills may not be enough to heal the coming pain as Al-Rassan is swept to the brink of holy war, and beyond.
Tigana
Tigana
Guy Gavriel Kay
¥80.25
With this rich, masterfully written extravaganza of myth and magic, the internationally acclaimed author of THE FIONAVAR TAPESTRY trilogy has created an epic that will forever change the boundaries of fantasy fiction. Set in a beleaguered land caught in a web of tyranny, Tigana is the deeply moving story of a people struggling to be free. A people so cursed by the dark sorceries of the tyrant King Brandin that even the very name of their once beautiful land cannot be spoken or remembered. But not everyone has forgotten. A handful of men and women, driven by love, hope and pride, set in motion the dangerous quest for freedom and bring back to the world the lost brightness of an obliterated name: Tigana.
Ysabel
Ysabel
Guy Gavriel Kay
¥63.18
In this exhilarating, moving novel set in modern and ancient Provence, Guy Gavriel Kay casts brilliant light on the ways in which history – whether of a culture or a family – refuses to be buried. Ned Marriner, fifteen years old, has accompanied his photographer father to Provence for a six-week “shoot” of images for a glossy coffee-table book. Gradually, Ned discovers a very old story playing itself out in this modern world of iPods, cellphones, and seven-seater vans whipping along roads walked by Celtic tribes and the Roman Legions. On one holy, haunted night of the ancient year, when the borders between the living and the dead are down and fires are lit upon the hills, Ned, his family, and his friends, are shockingly drawn into this tale, as dangerous, mythic figures from conflicts of long ago erupt into the present, claiming and changing lives.
Blood Brothers
Blood Brothers
Josephine Cox
¥45.62
Another page-turning story of tragedy and triumph from the No.1 bestselling author of The Loner and The Journey. Alice Jacobs has finally found the family she always wanted… With her shy smile and kind nature, Alice wins the hearts of the Arnold family. A decent and well respected couple,Tom and Nancy Arnold have raised two very different sons, Frank and Joe. Frank is a devious, brutal man. Seeing Alice as the key to his fortune, he is determined to have her for himself. However, his younger brother Joe has fallen in love with Alice, so when she and Frank become engaged to marry, Joe leaves home, determined to put a distance between himself and temptation. He reluctantly returns when Frank summons him to be his best man. Alice finds herself inexplicably drawn to Joe, but feeling it to be her duty, she goes ahead and marries Frank, not wishing to hurt him. On their wedding night Frank shows his true colours and when he forces Alice to reveal a devastating secret, his evil nature reaps a shocking revenge. In his blind hatred, intent on punishing those who have crossed him, Frank plans the final, ultimate retribution. An act that could tear apart not only the Arnold family, but shatter the lives of those around them forever. Unless someone can stop him …
The Death of Dalziel: A Dalziel and Pascoe Novel (Dalziel &  Pascoe, Book 20)
The Death of Dalziel: A Dalziel and Pascoe Novel (Dalziel & Pascoe, Book 20)
Reginald Hill
¥63.18
The highly anticipated return of Dalziel and Pascoe, the hugely popular police duo and stars of the long-running BBC TV series, in a new psychological thriller. Caught in a huge Semtex explosion, it seems the only thing preventing Superintendent Andy Dalziel from death is his size – and sheer bloody-mindedness. An injured DCI Peter Pascoe is convinced there’s a conspiracy at work, despite the security services concluding the blast was in fact an accident. Who, then, are the mysterious Knights Templar with their gruesome acts of vengeance? And what of a hit-and-run on one of Pascoe’s colleagues? And, most importantly, will Dalziel ever wake up to hear the truth…?
Cool Irish Names for Babies
Cool Irish Names for Babies
Pamela Redmond Satran,Linda Rosenkrantz
¥73.58
A must-have guide for parents-to-be everywhere. Whether you’re Irish, of Irish heritage or you simply love Celtic-inspired names, this book is packed full of the most popular, unusual and creative names around. By the best-selling authors of Cool Names for Babies and Brilliant Book of Baby Names, this collection takes you beyond the straightforward listings of other books and gives opinion on what’s hot and what’s not in the world of Irish baby names. The information given really helps parents to make the right choices and includes loads of original features – pronunciation guides; which names are going up and which down in popularity; which are unisex, which are good as middle but not first names; and which should really be avoided at all costs. Packed full of creative lists such as Names that are Classic But Not Boring, Place Names, Names from Literature, Spiritual Names and Names of Irish Heroes and Heroines this is every new parent’s one-stop guide to selecting the coolest Irish name for their baby.
A Place of Greater Safety
A Place of Greater Safety
Hilary Mantel
¥70.34
From the double Man Booker prize-winner comes an extraordinary work of historical imagination – this is Hilary Mantel’s epic novel of the French Revolution. Georges-Jacques Danton: zealous, energetic and debt-ridden. Maximilien Robespierre: small, diligent and terrified of violence. And Camille Desmoulins: a genius of rhetoric, charming and handsome, yet also erratic and untrustworthy. As these young men, key figures of the French Revolution, taste the addictive delights of power, the darker side of the period’s political ideals is unleashed – and all must face the horror that follows.
The Yummy Mummy’s Survival Guide
The Yummy Mummy’s Survival Guide
Liz Fraser
¥72.40
Becoming a mother is as challenging as ever. Help is at hand, with this indispensable guide to surviving the biggest transition of your life. Liz Fraser is a (mostly) stylish mother of three young children, and offers a much-needed, fresh look at what happens to us, our relationships and our wardrobes when we take the plunge and fill our tidy homes with Lego. Hilarious, honest and poignant, Liz uses her experiences of motherhood to help you through pregnancy and the first year with your baby, making the whole event seem manageable – even desirable. This indispensable guide is the stylist, personal trainer, box of anti-depressants, bar of chocolate and best friend which every woman can carry around in her handbag. Because becoming a mother doesn't mean you stop wanting to look and feel fabulous – it just becomes a little trickier!
Every Day Is Mother’s Day
Every Day Is Mother’s Day
Hilary Mantel
¥66.22
From the author of the Man Booker prize-winners ‘Wolf Hall’ and ‘Bring Up the Bodies’ comes a story of suburban mayhem and merciless, hilarious revenge. Barricaded inside their house filled with festering rubbish, unhealthy smells and their secrets, the Axon family baffle Isabel Field, the latest in a long line of social workers. Isabel has other problems too: a randy, untrustworthy father and a slackly romantic lover, Colin Sidney, history teacher to unresponsive yobs and father of a parcel of horrible children. With all this to worry about, how can Isabel begin to understand what is going on in the Axon household?
Vacant Possession
Vacant Possession
Hilary Mantel
¥66.22
From the Man Booker Prize-winning author of ‘Wolf Hall’ and ‘Bring Up the Bodies’, a savagely funny tale that revisits the characters from the much-loved ‘Every Day is Mother’s Day’. Muriel Axon is about to re-enter the lives of Colin Sidney, hapless husband, father and schoolmaster, and Isabel Field, failed social worker and practising neurotic. It is ten years since her last tangle with them, but for Muriel this is not time enough. There are still scores to be settled, truths to be faced and rather a lot of vengeance to be wreaked.
The Giant, O’Brien
The Giant, O’Brien
Hilary Mantel
¥66.22
From the two-time Man Booker winner, the story of the 18th Century Irish giant, Charles O’Brien. Charles O’Brien, bard and giant. The cynical are moved by his flights of romance; the craven stirred by his tales of epic deeds. But what of his own story as he is led from Ireland to seek his fortune beyond the seas in England? The Surprising Irish Giant may be the sensation of the season but only his compatriots seem to attend to his mythic powers of invention. John Hunter, celebrated surgeon and anatomist, buys dead men from the gallows and babies’ corpses by the inch. Where is a man as unique as The Giant to hide his bones when he is yet alive? The Giant, O’ Brien is an unforgettable novel; lyrical, shocking and spliced with black comedy.
Quantico
Quantico
Greg Bear
¥35.32
Three FBI agents. One armageddon. It's the near future – sooner than you might hope – and the war against terrorism is almost lost. Nuclear and biological weapons are in the hands of Islamic radicals, and new weapons are being spawned in remote labs that can be used against entire populations. These are some of the problems facing three young agents as they finish their training at the FBI Academy in Quantico, Virginia. And still the threat is escalating to ever crazier heights. The Dome of the Rock has been blown to pieces by terrorists, and in retaliation thousands have died in another major attack on the United States, the equal of 9/11. Rumours fly through international capitals of a plague targeted to ethnic groups―Jews or Muslims or both. No one feels safe. Like the Anthrax terror that followed 9/11, the new plague results from domestic terror, the province of the FBI. The FBI seeks one man who appears to be on a bitter mission to wipe history's slate clean and close the curtain on the last act of the modern world. But the FBI itself is under threat of political extinction. There is a good chance the new agents will be part of the last class at Quantico, ‘Cop Valhalla’. As investigations reveal horror upon horror in the US and the rest of the world, the agents join forces with a veteran bioterror expert to foil attacks on the world's greatest religious cities―Jerusalem, Rome, and Mecca. In the second decade of the War on Terror, victory may be hard to define.
Imajica
Imajica
Clive Barker
¥80.25
A book of revelations. A seamless tapestry of erotic passion, thwarted ambition and mythic horror. Clive Barker takes us on a voyage to worlds beyond our knowledge, but within our grasp. John Furie Zacharias, known as Gentle, a master forger whose life is a series of lies. Judith Odell, a beautiful woman desired by three powerful men, but belonging to none of them. Pie’oh’pah, a mysterious assassin who deals in love as well as death. These three are united in a desperate search for the heart of a universal mystery, and will find the truth that lies in a place as mysterious as the face of God, and as secret as the human soul. They discover the Imajica. Imajica is many things: an epic novel of vast panoramas and intimate, obsessive passions, embracing ghosts and reflections as well as the human and the divine.
The Borgia Bride
The Borgia Bride
Jeanne Kalogridis
¥100.85
This sweeping historical novel tells the dramatic tale of that most intriguing of Renaissance women, Lucrezia Borgia. Incest. Poison. Betrayal. Three wedding presents for the Borgia bride… Italy 1492 Pope Alexander VI is elected. And so begins the Borgia reign of terror. Alexander murders, bribes and betrays to establish his dynasty. No one is immune. Rome is a hotbed of accusation and conspiracy. Every day, the River Tiber is full of new bodies. Sancha de Aragon, daughter of King Alfonso II of Naples, arrives in Rome newly wed to Alexander’s youngest son, Jofre. Their marriage protects Naples against the ambitions of the French King Louis and gains Spanish support for the Borgias. But Rome is very different to her beloved Naples. The debauchery of the Borgia inner-circle is notorious: every lust is indulged and every indiscretion overlooked. Sancha is no innocent: she possesses an indomitable spirit which allows her to survive in the snake-pit, but her ancestors once rivalled the Borgias in cruelty and Sancha’s greatest fear is that blood will out. Lucrezia Borgia’s vicious jealously stings Sancha at first, but gradually the two young women develop a cautious friendship. Lucrezia, adored by her father but used ruthlessly as a political tool, seems deceptively innocent and sympathetic, and their bond strengthens when Lucrezia is married to Sancha’s treasured brother, Alfonso. But when Sancha falls in love with Cesare Borgia, her husband’s enigmatic older brother, she has no idea of how bizarre and internecine are the family's true ties. Alexander is rather more than an indulgent father; Lucrezia not the innocent she appears; and Cesare’s ambition burns wildly. The only safe relationship with the Borgias is none at all: as Sancha, her brother and Naples are soon to discover…
Notorious: The Maddest and Baddest Sportsmen on the Planet
Notorious: The Maddest and Baddest Sportsmen on the Planet
Richard Bath
¥88.39
Straddling humour, trivia and sport, ‘Notorious’ brings together for the first time one hundred of the most potty sportsmen in history. From boxing to cycling, soccer to baseball, and most sports in between, here are the hard-men and the criminals, the psychos and the loonies, that make up the sporting madness hall of shame. Among the prime candidates for sporting lunacy in this book: Prinya Charoenpal, one of the most talented kick-boxers in the sport’s history, who wore make-up and pink nail polish, broke down when asked to strip for the weigh-in, pummelled the opponent who made the mistake of mocking her with a camp embrace, and who fought solely to get the money for a sex-change operation. Jack ‘Hacksaw’ Reynolds, the San Francisco 49-ers linebacker during the 80s, who once got plastered after losing a college game, went out to the car park with a hacksaw, and cut someone’s car in half. The Brazilian football star Edmundo, infamous on the pitch for beating up fans, referees and journalists, and making his name off it by crashing his truck and killing three people, and being arrested for force-feeding beer to a chimpanzee at his son’s birthday party. And there’s more. The rugby league hard-man with a predilection for sticking a rigid digit finger up opponents’ rears on the field of play; the baseball Hall of Famer who wielded his bat to beat up unsuspecting victims; the golfer hospitalised three times for alcohol poisoning, who came through two suicide attempts, three divorces, plus countless hotel room trashings and suspensions; the Irish jockey involved in an air rage incident who copped 110 hours of community service… And closer to home, the likes of Roy Keane, Alex Higgins, Vinnie Jones and Paul Gascoigne are also featured in this wildly captivating, and often shocking, collection of crazed sports celebrities.
God’s Little Book of Peace
God’s Little Book of Peace
Richard Daly
¥36.79
God’s Little Book of Peace offers an inspiring collection of calm-inducing truths on which to call when peace seems far from our hearts. ‘Remember, yesterday is gone and tomorrow is unborn; all you have is today. Live one peaceful day at a time.’ Amid all the worries and stress of everyday life and the problems of the world, we feel the need to reach outside ourselves in order to find lasting peace and strength. Harmony among nations and between people struck by terror and disaster is often hard to come by. Yet in the midst of turmoil, peace can still be achieved. It is possible to live in a world which cries out for peace, yet still to find it in our hearts. Such an experience only comes from knowing God. This small volume is designed to provide you with insightful words to help you discover true peace for yourself. Open this inspirational little book at any page, and restore your sense of peace and calm. Each page has an inspirational thought or idea, along with a related Bible reference for further reading and encouragement.