A gripping spy thriller filled with duplicity, distorted conspiracies and liberation. The story unfolds as an elderly French couple have been viciously killed whilst on holiday in Egypt, and shortly after events swiftly unravel as Amelia Levene, the first chief of MI6, happens to mysteriously vanish just weeks before she is due to become the most powerful spy in Europe, with no sign of a ransom or contact from foreign intelligence services. The power to unearth darkness and uncover Amelia’s location rests in the hands of Thomas Kell, a discredited ex-police officer. He soon discovers that he is caught in a web of inconceivable dirty secrets, and the rules aren’t played the same as they are in Britain.

An ingenious novel of second chances and unique circumstances when a snowstorm hits Britain in 1910. One day a child is born and dead; without explanation the day repeats itself, and this

time the baby survives. Protagonist Ursula Todd is an ordinary women except for the fact she has the chance to live and change aspects of her life repeatedly. She reflects on her unique powers continuously. Atkinson takes us through Ursula’s personal journey and the major events of the twentieth century, successfully providing a fresh and innovative story where anything is possible but the effects are never far behind.

Primo Levi provides his unforgettable memoirs as a survivor of the Holocaust, descr i b i n g h is imprisonment in Auschwitz from March 1944 to January 1945 and exposing the terrifying truth of the 650 Jews that entered the camp with him, 525 of whom were forced into gas chambers. It has been republished to celebrate the 40th anniversary of Abacus Books. His need for inner freedom is evident, and through his writing he destroys his demons, providing intelligent pose that is written gracefully and lucidly without hedonism, giving readers a vital first hand insight into some of the most tragic events in history. This incredible book is fundamentally about stamina, optimism and spirited man’s persistence.

Sara Wheeler rediscovers America as she draws upon the lives of six determined women

who escaped their troubled lives in England during the 19th century. Her travellers include

victorious actress Fanny Kemble who relived her first-hand experience of slavery, spinster and intellectual Harriet Martineau, homesteader Rebecca Burlend, Victorian traveler Isabelle Bird and Catherine Hubback, the niece of Jane Austen and an author in her own right. Wheeler’s biographical script is tied together by her own sharp and truthful observations as she follows these women on their intrepid journeys.

 

A compelling tale of one fractured family struggling to reconnect the pieces of their damaged family. Ghanaian father Kwaku is an unparal lel ed surgeon in the USA, tortured by injustice. His unmerited death opens old wounds for his abandoned family as Nigerian wife Fola struggles to re-build what once was. Children Olu, Taiwo and Sadie battle with their own demons as they are driven down diverse paths, with absence drawing them back to old roots over time. Intense emotions are captured through multiple narratives, and intimate accounts are beautifully interwoven over generations with culture injected from West Africa, New England, London and New York. It is poignant, exhilarating and a delightfully original story of separation and reunion.

John Yorke offers a fascinating insight into the structure and essence of storytelling. Remarkable detail is infused, and Yorke lucratively addresses the questions that revolve around story telling. Yorke depicts the structure beneath all narrative forms and draws upon rich insights of great thinkers such as Aristotle, David Hare and Christopher Booker, embarking on a journey which includes historical, psychological and philosophical elements. Although storytelling and screenwriting isn’t a new concept, Yorke identifies that everyone is a storyteller in their own right, from simple tales to blockbuster movies, making for a stimulating and incisive read.

The Booker Prize-winner offers a power ful piece on life’s potential collapses, exploring balloon in grand photography at a period when it was considered barbaric, using a familiar style to interweave unusual narratives. Barnes links personal accounts, fiction and history, portrayed in aerostatic photos taken in 1858 by French balloonist Nadar. Combining this and other technological advances to take a new step into an unknown era of change, self understanding and growing truths, Barnes outlines the next two decades in which aeronautics became more popular. This short and touching book exposes the high and lows of Barnes life, and the underlined geology unearths his emotional state, revealing love and grief and changing the world when putting two unimaginable things together.

 

Tony Judt’s final book reveals a mesmeric journey through unparalleled and unique history of the last century with the help of professional historian Timothy Snyder. Twentieth Century contains captivating accounts of modern intellectual life in Europe and America with an infusion of Judt’s memories of significant moments. These include his parents meeting in London during wartime as well as references to the Holocaust, in which his father’s cousin was killed. The book questions the past in order to shape the expectations of the twenty-first century whilst providing historical knowledge in order to escape mistakes of the past.