Secrets in Sicily


Penny Feeny - 2018
     Sun-drenched, touching and inspirational, this is your ultimate summer read for 2018, perfect for fans of Rosanna Ley and Victoria Hislop. Sicily, 1977. Ten-year-old Lily and family arrive for their annual summer holiday in Sicily. Adopted as toddler, Lily's childhood has been idyllic. But a chance encounter with a local woman on the beach changes everything... b>10 years later... Ever since that fateful summer Lily's picture-perfect life, and that of her family, has been in turmoil. The secrets of the baking hot shores of Sicily are calling her back, and Lily knows that the answers she has been so desperately seeking can only be found if she returns to her beloved island once more...

Lalylala's Beetles, Bugs and Butterflies: A Crochet Story of Tiny Creatures and Big Dreams


Lydia Tresselt - 2017
    Watch tiny creatures hatching from their eggs, look on as they munch through a green world, and be astonished at their marvelous transformations when they finally slip out of their cocoons. The wings and hats are interchangeable so you can use the patterns in this book to create new outfits for your little insect friends. Give your caterpillar a new set of wings for every day of the week, or cover your beetle in the most colourful wing suits. Be inspired by nature to make creatures of your own creation. It's a great little world full of possibilities. We wish you lots of fun on your journey of discovery and learning!

Home Ice: Reflections of a Reluctant Hockey Mom


Angie Abdou - 2018
    It’s a national obsession. But what does that really mean when your child wants to play on a team? As a former varsity athlete and university instructor teaching sport literature, novelist Angie Abdou is no stranger to sports obsession, but she finds herself conflicted when faced with the reality of the struggles, joys, and strains of having a child in amateur hockey. In Home Ice, Abdou charts a full season of life as an Atom-level hockey mom, from summer hockey camp to end-of-season tournaments. With equal parts humour and anguish, she offers a nuanced portrait of today’s hockey parent. Her revealing stories and careful research of an often troubling sport culture offer a compellingly honest and complex insider’s view of parenting today’s young athlete in a competitive and high-pressure culture.

In Foreign Fields: How Not To Move To France


Susie Kelly - 2018
    The dream comes true, but not in the way they had imagined.Yes, the countryside is spacious and peaceful. On summer nights the stars skim the rooftops, the owls hoot and the nightingales sing. Sunflowers smile from their fields. The wine is cheap and the baguettes are crusty. Very crusty indeed. The French neighbours are generous and gentle.But then come the drug addicts, builders who cannot build, demanding compatriots, undercover cops and unwelcome guests. Susie begins to lose hope of attracting the fabled French philanderer and, far from appreciating their new home, all the animals do everything they can to make life as difficult as possible. With her house literally crumbling around her, the number of odd characters she manages to attract are matched by all sorts of creatures appearing from in and out of the woodwork. Terry almost dies, and Susie's resilience and good humour are tested to the limit.Sometimes it feels more like taking part in a musical comedy than starting a new life in France.As the date for Britain leaving the European Union draws close, and British living in European countries still have no idea what the future holds for them after Brexit, Susie looks back on the beginning of her life in the country she loves and has called home for 23 years. Another warm, funny, engaging read from Susie Kelly. This is a first digital, edition of Two Steps Backwards, first published by Bantam/Transworld as a UK paperback. This first worldwide edition is revised and updated and, for the first time, includes photographs.

Grow in the Dark: How to Choose and Care for Low-Light Houseplants


Lisa Eldred Steinkopf - 2019
    Author Lisa Eldred-Steinkopf, known as the Houseplant Guru, shares the knowledge she’s gained tending to her own personal jungle of over 1,000 houseplants. Having a south-facing window doesn’t always guarantee you the best light to grow plants—especially if your window faces an alley or a tree-lined street. What’s the point of growing an urban jungle if tall buildings are blocking all your sunshine? This compact guide, designed to look as good on your shelf as it is useful, will help you learn how to make the most of your light so you can reap the physical and emotional benefits of living with plants. Detailed profiles include tips on watering your plants just right, properly potting them, and troubleshooting pests and diseases. You’ll also learn which plants are safe to keep around your pets. Whether you live in a shady top-floor apartment or a dungeon-y garden level, this book will help you grow your plant collection to its healthiest for its Instagram debut.

Knitted Animal Friends: Over 40 Knitting Patterns for Adorable Animal Dolls, Their Clothes and Accessories


Louise Crowther - 2019
    Louise, brings her unique style of coordinated knitwear with cute colourwork details to this new collection of toy animal knitting patterns. There are a total of 12 knitted animals - each with their own unique personality and style. The animals all have the same basic body, with a few colour variations and tail additions, so the clothes can be mixed and matched between them to create endless outfit possibilities. Choose your favourite animals and outfits and have fun making the perfect gift for friends and family.

Mum's Big Break


Louise Emma Clarke - 2020
    Now, with hundreds of thousands of followers, Jess is now navigating the trials and tribulations of a world online. Being a mummy blogger was original an escape, but now it seems to be turning into a career. And after one wrong post on her social media channels, Jess discovers that life in the spotlight isn't always peachy. With a new baby on the way, the possibility of starring in a reality TV show and a husband who's struggling with his wife's new-found fame, Jess has a lot going on. Jess needs to decide whether this is everything she wanted it to be or whether this is all a bit too much for her? Can Jess persevere against the haters, rise up above the pettiness and find the perfect balance of life in the real world and life online? Perfect for fans of Suzy K Quinn, Fiona Gibson and Gill Simms.

Can I Give My Stepkids Back?


Aurélie Tramier - 2021
    Snoopy - Morgan's beagle - is indeed the only living being she has considered family these past few years. When her sister and brother-in-law die in a terrible car crash, she has no choice but to adopt their two children.The unexpected addition to her household is clearly unlikely to get her closer to her canine goals - and as if this wasn't enough, she seems to be getting it all wrong in her new role, ordering bedding her new son Elliot finds terribly childish, and forgetting to bake a cake for school on Lea's birthday. Grandma Catherine is convinced she'd do a much better job...When Snoopy sprains his leg, the kids are swept off their feet by the handsome single vet who's nursing him back to health. They're convinced he and Morgan would be a match made in heaven. Now they only need to convince Morgan...

Rebecca's Children: A saga of love & betrayal in 19th Century Wales


Kate Dunn - 2016
    For fans of Nadine Dorries, Maeve Binchy, Freda Lightfoot and Dilly Court. Lives are on the line as the workers fight back in the Welsh countryside… 1829, Wales For centuries. generations of the Jenkins family have eked out a living from their Carmarthenshire hill farm. But when a fire destroys virtually all of their possessions the children witness their lives crumbling around them. Mary and William find they have barely enough land left to provide for their basic needs. Their only option is to take on more work, but William longs for action, and Mary begins to suspect that he has become embroiled with the Rebecca-ites, a shadowy group of nationalists pitted against the English landowners whose tolls have bankrupted so many Welshman. As tensions mount, Mary becomes ever more torn between her mistrust of the rebels’ violence and her growing attraction to Jac Tŷ Isha, one of their leaders. And when the British government decides to put a stop to the revolt, the danger to the men she loves increases a hundredfold… REBECCA’S CHILDREN is a poignant, beautifully crafted saga of love and betrayal, set against the background of Wales in mid-1800s – a country aflame with political and social unrest. "An accomplished first novel." - The Times "A well-handled tale of passion, social injustice and nationalist fervour in nineteenth century Wales." - The Liverpool Post “Kate Dunn is a fine storyteller.” - Ben Elton

A Shetland Winter Mystery (The Shetland Sailing Mysteries Book 10)


Marsali Taylor - 2021
    

No Fear: The True Story of My Deadly Life After the SAS


Steve Devereux - 2001
     The real revelation for Devereux came when he set up in the security and surveillance business, which brought him hazards that Army training could never anticipate: stakeouts in leafy suburbs, protecting Middle Eastern Royalty and the rich and famous. This book delivers a slice of the exciting life of a former SAS man for hire – don’t miss it, you may learn something.

The Guardian Angel


Kay Seeley - 2017
    Robert can’t speak. He can’t tell her what makes him happy or sad. Nell has to work that out for herself. Not everyone is happy about Robert’s existence. Can Nell save him from a desolate future, secure his inheritance and ensure he takes his rightful place in society? A love story.

The House on Rosebank Lane: A powerful saga of a mother's love and determination in 1950s Edinburgh


Millie Gray - 2019
     Kirsten Mowat, eighteen years old and with a joyful spring in her step, could't be more in love with her sea-faring sweetheart Duncan Armstrong.But, seven years later – after a hasty wedding, a twist of lies and wrenching loss – Duncan and Kirsten's relationship has faded to tatters. When those closest to her turn their backs, Kirsten – alone, with a young family to care for – must gather all her spirit and strength if they are to survive.From much-loved Millie Gray, The House on Rosebank Lane is an Edinburgh story of families entwined, of sorrow and hopefulness . . . and of a young mother's love for her children and a transforming quest for happiness.A poignant and authentic family saga which depicts the reality of working-class life in 1950s Edinburgh, perfect for fans of Annie Murray (Sisters of Gold), Jennifer Worth (Call the Midwife) and Dilly Court (Nettie's Secret).  PRAISE FOR THE HOUSE ON ROSEBANK LANE: "A deserted mother's struggles to survive and help her children thrive no matter the cost. Millie Gray's fast-moving story, set in the Edinburgh of the 1950s and 60s, is an emotional rollercoaster, full of twists and surprises . . ."– ANNIE MURRAY, bestselling author of Sisters of Gold

How a Woman Becomes a Lake


Marjorie Celona - 2020
    Leo takes his two young sons out to the lake to write resolutions on paper boats. That same frigid morning, Vera sets out for a walk with her dog along the lake, leaving her husband in bed with a hangover.But she never returns. She places a call to the police saying she's found a boy in the woods, but the call is cut short by a muffled cry. Did one of Leo's sons see Vera? What are they hiding about that day? And why are they so scared of their own father?Told from shifting perspectives, How a Woman Becomes a Lake is a compelling, lyrical novel about family, new beginnings, and costly mistakes, and asks, what do you do when the people who are meant to love you the most, fail?

The Creature Garden: An Illustrator's Guide to Beautiful Beasts & Fictional Fauna


Zanna Goldhawk - 2018
    This gorgeous art book contains both beautiful stylized art technique and interesting information about natural history, regional folklore, and animals both real and imagined.