Romantik & erotik

In 1963, Annie Ernaux, 23 and unattached, realizes she is pregnant. Shame arises in her like a plague: understanding that her pregnancy will mark her and her family as social failures, she knows she cannot keep that child. This is the story, written forty years later, of a trauma Ernaux never overcame.

What does it mean to create, not in "a room of one's own" but in a domestic space? Do children and genius rule each other out? In The Baby on the Fire Escape, award-winning biographer Julie Phillips traverses the shifting terrain where motherhood and creativity converge.With fierce empathy and vivid prose, Phillips evokes the intimate struggles of brilliant artists and writers, including Doris Lessing, who had to choose between her motherhood and herself; Ursula K. Le Guin, who found productive stability in family life; Audre Lorde, whose queer, polyamorous union allowed her to raise children on her own terms and Alice Neel, who once, to finish a painting, was said to have left her baby on the fire escape of her New York apartment. A meditation on maternal identity and artistic greatness, The Baby on the Fire Escape illuminates some of the most pressing conflicts in contemporary women's lives.

As Ellie stood on the boat, watching the small island come into view, she wondered what awaited her on shore. What secrets would she uncover in this place? When Ellie Roberts inherits a cottage on a remote Scilly Isle, she's shocked. She's never heard of the previous owner, Patience Ellis, so why did she leave Ellie her legacy? Overwhelmed with unanswered questions, Ellie travels to the isolated island. Windswept from the boat, salt spray still on her skin, she searches for Patience's whitewashed cottage, hidden behind overgrown ivy. But when she steps inside, the house feels strangely familiar, and she has a memory of laughing as a child with her beloved mother in the window seat overlooking the sea... The mother she lost when she was only a child. Determined to find out more, Ellie meets enigmatic local Branok Shore. While at first he seems uninterested, he believes he can help. Charmed by his green eyes, and curious about his past on the island, he and Ellie grow closer, but Ellie knows she needs to understand her own story before she can embrace the future. And when Branok prises open Patience's dresser, filled with letters from the Second World War, Ellie discovers the shocking secret Patience was forced to hide - and the truth that will change her own life forever. The letters tell the story of a brutal storm on a dark night in the depths of war, and of an injured soldier who begged Patience for help, and asked her to make an impossible choice... But the letters don't hold the answers Ellie so desperately needs. Why did Patience leave her home to her? And how can Ellie have memories of the cottage, when she's never been there before? When Ellie finally uncovers the truth, will she be strong enough to put the fragments of her life back together? An absolutely heartbreaking and unforgettable read, perfect for fans of gripping family dramas, and for those who enjoy the novels of Debbie Macomber, Fiona Valpy and Nancy Thayer. What readers are saying about Secrets of the Cottage by the Sea: 'Oh my goodness... Wish I could give the book more than five stars.' Netgalley reviewer ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 'Outstanding. I'll be sorry to not have it to read tonight, but couldn't put the book down!' Netgalley reviewer ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 'Absolutely spectacular... best I've read... will pull at your heartstrings.' Goodreads reviewer ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 'Beautiful... It really made me smile... took me back to a special place. Wonderful.' @surfchicksarah ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 'Utterly captivating... Delightful beyond words!' Rain 'N' Books ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 'A feel good book to read on a rainy day (or anytime!). I loved it.' Niki's Book Blog ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 'I was fully immersed in this from the start... fascinating.' Goodreads reviewer ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

"For the first time ever, legendary singer-songwriter Dolly Parton brings you behind the lyrics of 175 of her songs to reveal the personal stories and vibrant memories that have inspired sixty years of songwriting. Lushly illustrated and told in Dolly's inimitable voice, this rich collection offers an intimate, exclusive look at the colorful life, prolific career, and rags-to-rhinestones journey of one of the most revered entertainers of our time"--

A charming isekai comedy about an unremarkable merchant summoned to another world to be a hero...or maybe just hang out.

She's Mine. She's always been mine, married or not.

I'm a curvy, outgoing girl. Always have been. Just like I've always had a soft spot for my childhood best friend.

The story of a life. The story of the year.'Lessons shows [McEwan] at the very peak of his powers. He has written his masterpiece' Daily TelegraphWhen the world is still counting the cost of the Second World War and the Iron Curtain has descended, young Roland Baines's life is turned upside down. Stranded at boarding school, his vulnerability attracts his piano teacher, Miriam Cornell, leaving scars as well as a memory of love that will never fade.Twenty-five years later Roland's wife mysteriously vanishes, and he is left alone with their baby son. Her disappearance sparks of journey of discovery that will continue for decades, as Roland confronts the reality of his rootless existence and attempts to embrace the uncertainty - and freedom - of his future.'Ian McEwan is a masterful storyteller' Elif Shafak'A beautiful book about love, loss and regret' Observer'Luminous, beautifully written... about lives imperfectly lived' Vogue'A whole, unruly life between the covers of a single book: a literary feat' Spectator'A tour de force... A single life is silhouetted against global happenings' Sunday Times* A Book of the Year for The Times, Sunday Times, Financial Times, Spectator, New Statesman, Washington Post, Vogue and New Yorker *

The new novel from the bestselling author of The Idiot follows one young woman's quest for self-knowledge, as she travels abroad and tests the limits of her newfound adulthood. 'Elif Batuman is the queen of the campus novel... Enchanting' Sunday TimesSELIN IS THE LUCKIEST PERSON IN HER FAMILY:The only one who was born in America and got to go to Harvard. Now it's her second year, and Selin knows she has to make it count. The first order of business: to figure out the meaning of everything that happened over the summer...On the plus side, her life feels like the plot of an exciting novel. On the other hand, why do so many novels have crazy, abandoned women in them? And how does one live a life as interesting as a novel - a life worthy of becoming a novel - without turning into a crazy, abandoned woman oneself?'Stupendous... Hilarious... Batuman is a genius' Vogue'This novel wins you over in a million micro-observations' New York Times'Searingly smart' Evening Standard

"When Cecile Tremblay lost everyone and everything in the French Revolution, she never imagined that she'd earn her living as a markswoman in a London circus. But Farnham's Fantastical Female Fayre has become her home, her family, and her future. Another thing Cecile never imagined was becoming entangled with the man gossip columns call The Darling of the Ton. But mere weeks after her rejection of his insulting carte blanche--and his infuriating engagement to an heiress--Darlington is back, this time to beg Cecile for help. And help him she will, by teaching him about honest work--and the right way to treat a woman. Gaius Darlington has always led a charmed life. Until now. Suddenly, a long-lost heir has appeared to claim his title, possessions, and property, Not only that, but Guy's fianéce has jilted him to marry the usurper! Yet there is a silver lining: it's no longer Guy's duty to marry an heiress to save the dukedom. He's free to wed the woman he loves--if only he can earn her forgiveness. They say hell hath no fury like a woman scorned. But fury is just a step away from passion, and Guy knows just how to arouse Cecile's. . ."--Publisher marketing.

A CRY FOR WAR. OR A CHANCE AT PEACE? . . . DISCOVER THE SPELLBINDING DARK FANTASY TIKTOK SENSATION FROM THE SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLING AUTHOR OF A FATE INKED IN BLOOD'Do not walk to pick up this book. Run' JENNIFER L. ARMENTROUT, bestselling author of FROM BLOOD AND ASH'The perfect combo of high-stakes fantasy and swoonworthy romance' 5***** READER REVIEW'A badass heroine, a fantastic world, gripping storytelling, with a forbidden romance that will have you unable to put the book down' 5***** READER REVIEW___________She was raised as a soldier. And as an heir to an empire . . .General Zarrah is motivated by two truths: The Veliant family murdered her mother and that she will be the one to deliver vengeance.The Endless War has devastated Zarrah's people. So when she's given command of the city at the center of the conflict, Zarrah vows to destroy the gathered forces and their Veliant prince leader.Yet a chance encounter with an anonymous, and handsome, enemy soldier complicates Zarrah's plans. Especially as they discover they have the same dreams - and begin to find passion in each other's arms.When the enemy's identity is revealed, Zarrah must decide . . . war or peace?Tropes/themes: 1. Political Intrigue2. Alternate World3. Enemies to Lovers4. Action & Adventure5. Romantasy ___________'I loved this book from the first to the last page. The plot is incredible' 5***** READER REVIEWPRAISE FOR THE BRIDGE KINGDOM SERIES'Exquisite, phenomenal and sexy' Olivia Wildenstein, USA Today bestselling author of Feather'An epic, action-packed tale of love, revenge, and betrayal' Jennifer Estep, New York Times bestselling author of Kill the Queen'Heart-pounding romance and intense action wrapped in a spellbinding world. I was hooked from the first page!' Elise Kova, USA Today bestselling author of A Deal with the Elf KingPRAISE FOR DANIELLE L. JENSEN'Richly-woven, evocative and absolutely impossible to put down . . . I loved every word' Sarah J. Maas, bestselling author of A Court of Thorns and Roses'Stellar world-building and multidimensional characters' Kirkus'Stunning world-building, a vivid cast of secondary characters, and a steamy slow-burn romance' BookistA Fate Inked in Blood, No. 1 Sunday Times bestseller, March 2024A Fate Inked in Blood, New York Times bestseller, March 2024

The Prize-Winning International Bestseller'I can't help but be moved by a story about women meeting, fighting, helping each other, looking after one another, and raising their voices against the prejudice and criticism they are subject to.' Cho Nam-joo, author of Kim Jiyoung, Born 1982When a mother allows her thirty-something daughter to move into her apartment, she wants for her what many mothers might say they want for their child: a steady income, and, even better, a good husband with a good job with whom to start a family. But when Green turns up with her girlfriend, Lane, in tow, her mother is unprepared and unwilling to welcome Lane into her home. In fact, she can barely bring herself to be civil. Having centred her life on her husband and child, her daughter's definition of family is not one she can accept. Her daughter's involvement in a case of unfair dismissal involving gay colleagues from the university where she works is similarly strange to her. And yet when the care home where she works insists that she lower her standard of care for an elderly dementia patient who has no family, who travelled the world as a successful diplomat, who chose not to have children, Green's mother cannot accept it. Why should not having chosen a traditional life mean that your life is worth nothing at all?In Concerning My Daughter, translated from Korean by Jamie Chang, Kim Hye-jin lays bare our most universal fears on ageing, death, and isolation, to offer finally a paean to love in all its forms.