Equinox

Adam Foulds - The ​Quickening Maze
After ​a lifetime's struggle with alcohol, critical neglect and depression, in 1840 the nature poet John Clare is incarcerated. The asylum, in London's Epping Forest, is run on the reformist principles of occupational therapy. At the same time, the young Alfred Tennyson, moves nearby and became entangled in the life of the asylum. This historically accurate, intensely lyrical novel, describes the asylum's closed world and Nature's paradise outside the walls: Clare's dream of home, of redemption, of escape.

Kate Furnivall - Shadows ​on the Nile
'I'll ​find him. I will.' It's 1932 and 27-year-old Jessica is living London life to the full when her younger brother Tim, an ancient Egyptian archaeology expert, goes missing. Teaming up with Sir Montague Chamford - who can resist neither a damsel in distress nor the chance of adventure - Jessie vows to find her beloved brother. Following the clues Tim has left in his wake, Jessie and Monty head to Egypt. In the relentless heat of the desert, romance is kindled between them, but danger also lurks in every shadow. And then Jessie starts to wonder how much Monty really knows about her brother's disappearance . . . A dramatic story of adventure, excitement, love and romance can all be found in the SHADOWS ON THE NILE

P. G. Wodehouse - Leave ​it to Psmith
Lady ​Constance Keeble, sister of Lord Emsworth of Blandings Castle, has both an imperious manner and a valuable diamond necklace. The precarious peace of Blandings is shattered when her necklace becomes the object of dark plottings, for within the castle lurk some well-connected jewel thieves - among them the Honourable Freddie Threepwood, Lord Emsworth's younger son, who wants the reward money to set up a bookmaking business. Psmith, the elegant socialist, is also after it for his newly married chum Mike. And on patrol with the impossible task of bringing management to Blandings is the Efficient Baxter, whose strivings for order lead to a memorable encounter with the castle flowerpots. Will peace ever return to Blandings Castle ... ?

Sally Spencer - South ​of the River
A ​tale of courage, warmth and grit, continuing the saga begun in old Father Thames. In turn of the century Southwark, times are changing. Traffic on the river is waning, replaced by the railways, and the mass of new inventions - the telephone, moving pictures, motor cars - is beginning to transform every day life. It's all change for the members of the closeknit community too, and some find it easier to adapt than others. Belinda is forgiving her way as an independent woman; Mary tries to find the courage to stand up to her mother; Fred faces the ultimate challenge when the docks go up in fire; Maggie is driven by the loss of her baby, and Tom cannot escape his chequered past.

Wendy Holden - Fame ​Fatale
With ​a wry nod to her own nomination for the Literary Review's Bad Sex Award, Wendy Holden's third novel, Fame Fatale, explores what happens when the literati and the glitterati become entangled. Grace Armiger works for Hatto and Hatto, a crumbly old publisher who produce "books that no one reads" by "obscure and unsuccessful authors". When not tripping over Louis de Bernières at literary parties (something of an occupational hazard for all of the bookish types in this novel), Grace tries "interesting uninterested journalists" in Hatto's wares, usually with little success. If her professional life is a mess then her personal life is (surprise, surprise) even worse. Her ardent Marxist boyfriend Sion, the author of the catchily entitled thesis "Why New Labour are Bastards", is not above discarding his principles and his underpants to further his career. A fling with Hatto author Henry Moon, after one too many glasses of Pinot Grigio (Chardonnay is obviously passé in literary circles these days), leaves Grace feeling confused. Her best friend Ellie and diplomat mother, Lady Armiger, are not short of dating advice but her cleaner Maria (who may have just discovered the next Harry Potter) appears to be casting a very bizarre spell on her love life. Add Champagne D'Vyne, Holden¹s stock vacuous socialite (this time she's gone spiritual); Belinda Black, a big-breasted, leather-skirted, tabloid hack; and Red Campion, an oh-so-sensitive (but possibly sex-addicted) movie star and wannabe writer and an array of familiar comic set pieces are in motion. Fans will delight in (and detractors will still hate) the bad puns, bad sex, slim plotting and an ending that is, without giving too much a way, pure Mills and Boon. Holden is never going to be Evelyn Waugh but there's enough satirical bite to this frothy celebrity romp to make it stand out from the crowd.--Travis Elborough

P. G. Wodehouse - Joy ​in the Morning
This ​book is a Jeeves and Wooster novel. Trapped in rural Steeple Bumpleigh, a man less stalwart than Bertie Wooster would probably give way at the knees. For among those present were Florence Craye, to whom Bertie had once been engaged and her new fiance 'Stilton' Cheesewright, who sees Bertie as a snake in the grass. And that biggest blot on the landscape, Edwin the Boy Scout, who is busy doing acts of kindness out of sheer malevolence. All Bertie's forebodings are fully justified. For in his efforts to oil the wheels of commerce, promote the course of true love and avoid the consequences of a vendetta, he becomes the prey of all and sundry. In fact only Jeeves can save him.

C. S. Forester - Hornblower ​and the Hotspur
April ​1803, and the Peace of Amiens is failing as Horatio Hornblower takes a three-master on a vital reconnaissance mission … On the day of his marriage to Maria, Hornblower is ordered to take the Hotspur and head for Brest – war is coming and Napoleon will not catch His Majesty’s navy with its britches round its ankles. With thoughts of his new life as a husband intruding on his duties, Hornblower must prove himself to be not only the most capable commander in the fleet, but also its most daring if he is to stop the French gaining the upper hand. This is the third of eleven books chronicling the adventures of C. S. Forester’s inimitable nautical hero, Horatio Hornblower.

C. S. Forester - Hornblower ​and the Crisis
The ​final Horatio Hornblower story tells of Napoleon's plans to invade England . . . Set in 1805, Hornblower and the Crisis finds Horatio Hornblower in possession of confidential dispatches from Bonaparte after a vicious hand-to-hand encounter with a French brig. The admiralty rewards Hornblower by sending him on a dangerous espionage mission that will light the powder trail leading to the battle of Trafalgar . . . Hornblower and the Crisis was unfinished at the time of Forester's death, but the author left notes - included here - telling us how the tale would end. Also included are two further stories - Hornblower and the Widow McCool and The Last Encounter - that tell of Hornblower as a very young and very old man, respectively. This is the final book chronicling the adventures of C. S. Forester's inimitable nautical hero, Horatio Hornblower.

Gerald Durrell - My ​Family and Other Animals
When ​the unconventional Durrell family can no longer endure the damp, gray English climate, they do what any sensible family would do: sell their house and relocate to the sunny Greek isle of Corfu. My Family and Other Animals was intended to embrace the natural history of the island but ended up as a delightful account of Durrell's family's experiences, from the many eccentric hangers-on to the ceaseless procession of puppies, toads, scorpions, geckoes, ladybugs, glowworms, octopuses, bats, and butterflies into their home.

David Walliams - Gangsta ​Granny
Another ​hilarious and moving novel from bestselling, critically acclaimed author David Walliams, the natural successor to Roald Dahl. A story of prejudice and acceptance, funny lists and silly words, this new book has all the hallmarks of David's previous bestsellers. Our hero Ben is bored beyond belief after he is made to stay at his grandma's house. She's the boringest grandma ever: all she wants to do is to play Scrabble, and eat cabbage soup. But there are two things Ben doesn't know about his grandma. 1) She was once an international jewel thief. 2) All her life, she has been plotting to steal the crown jewels, and now she needs Ben's help!

H. G. Wells - The ​Time Machine
When ​the "Time Traveller" courageously stepped out of his machine for the first time, he found himself in the year 802,700 - and everything had changed. In another, more utopian age, creatures seemed to dwell together in perfect harmony. The Time Traveller thought he could study these marvelous beings - unearth their secret and then return to his own time - until he discovered that his invention, his only avenue of escape, had been stolen. H. G. Well's famous novel of one man's astonishing journey beyond the conventional limits of the imagination first appeared in 1895. It won him immediate recognition, and has been regarded ever since as one of the great masterpieces in the literature of science fiction. Wells touches gently on time travel as a notion, but mostly The Time Machine is about the terminal future he sees for mankind: His nameless time traveler ventures to the world that will be 802,701 A.D., And there he finds mankind divided among the Eloi and the Morlocks. The Eloi are a gentle, winsome, idle race, who do not labor; the Morlocks, in contrast, are a barbaric race -- who use the Eloi for food. It's a grim vision, and a gripping one. There's a reason that The Time Machine has become a classic.

Jonathan Stroud - The ​Amulet of Samarkand
When ​the 5,000-year-old djinni Bartimaeus is summoned by Nathaniel, a young magician's apprentice, he expects to have to do nothing more taxing than a little levitation or a few simple illusions. But Nathaniel is a precocious talent and has something rather more dangerous in mind: revenge. Against his will, Bartimaeus is packed off to steal the powerful Amulet of Samarkand from Simon Lovelace, a master magician of unrivalled ruthlessness and ambition. Before long, both djinni and apprentice are caught up in a terrifying flood of magical intrigue, murder and rebellion. Set in a modern-day London controlled by magicians, this hilarious, electrifying thriller will enthral readers of all ages.

C. S. Forester - The ​Young Hornblower Omnibus
The ​Young Hornblower - a truly formidable force in His Majesty's Service. The seventeen-year-old Hornblower became notorious as soon as he stepped on board ship - as the midshipman who was seasick in Spithead. But he was soon to gain his sea legs. Amid battle, action and adventure he proves himself time and time again - courageous in danger, resourceful in moments of difficulty and decisive in times of trouble. The reader stands right beside him as he prepares to fight his first duel, feels the heat as he battles to control a blazing ship and shares his horror as he experiences for the first time the panic of the Plague. This omnibus edition contains: "Mr Midshipman Hornblower", "Lieutenant Hornblower", and "Hornblower and the Hotspur".

Terry Pratchett - Snuff
According ​to the writer of the best-selling crime novel ever to have been published in the city of Ankh-Morpork, it is a truth universally acknowledged that a policeman taking a holiday would barely have had time to open his suitcase before he finds his first corpse. And Commander Sam Vimes of the Ankh-Morpork City Watch is on holiday in the pleasant and innocent countryside, but not for him a mere body in the wardrobe. There are many, many bodies and an ancient crime more terrible than murder. He is out of his jurisdiction, out of his depth, out of bacon sandwiches, and occasionally snookered and out of his mind, but never out of guile. Where there is a crime there must be a finding, there must be a chase and there must be a punishment. They say that in the end all sins are forgiven. But not quite all..

Joss Stirling - Finding ​Sky
When ​Sky catches a glimpse of Zed for the first time, lounging against his motorbike at school, she is drawn to him just like every other girl in Wickenridge. But Zed sees something special in her that the other girls don't have. Zed tells her they are both Savants - people with special powers like telepathy and the ability to see into the future. Not only that, she is a Savant too, and his soulfinder - meant to be together. When a soulfinder speaks telepathically to her partner, it's like all the lights coming on in a building. You lit me up like Vegas. But for Sky it's just not that easy - she's a mystery to herself, haunted by nightmares from her past before she was adopted, and riddled with doubt and insecurity. Just when Sky is slowly coming round to the idea of being with Zed she is kidnapped by a family of criminal Savants. In a chilling twist, Sky and Zed's relationship is put to the ultimate test and the fate of those she loves lie in Sky's hands. Will Sky have the strength to embrace her power and be brave enough to control her own destiny, or will the dark demons of her past prevent her from realising her true potential?

Jeanette Winterson - Tanglewreck
The ​world is in trouble. Time is going wrong, moving too fast, or too slowly, whisking people away into the future and the past. It is rumoured that an ancient timekeeper holds the key to this chaos. But no one knows where it is. When the evil Regalia Mason and menacing Abel Darkwater join in the search for the Timekeeper, the resourceful and courageous Silver finds herself up against not just two nasty adversaries, but time itself, in a nail-biting race to find the Timekeeper, and save the world. A fantastically action-packed and exciting novel in which la brave girl, her trusty friend and a run-down old house prove that no matter how big the problem may appear, there is always something that can be done to make a difference.

P. G. Wodehouse - Something ​Fresh
In ​a moment of absentmindedness, Lord Emsworth helps himself to a priceless relic, leaving its owner to offer a thousand pounds for its return. Pretty soon, Blandings is a madhouse with people tripping over one another to claim the prize.

P. G. Wodehouse - Thank ​you, Jeeves
"Unpleasantness ​is rearing its ugly head in Berkeley Mansions, W1. I note also a lack of give-and-take and an absence of the neighbourly spirit. I have just been talking to the manager of the building on the telephone, and he has delivered an ultimatum. He says I must either chuck playing the banjolele or clear out." Jeeves' sympathies do not lie with his master's musical experiment and he threatens to leave. So Bertie seeks refuge in Lord Chuffington's cottage until his peace is shattered by the arrival of his ex-fiancee Pauline Stoker and her formidable father.

Zadie Smith - NW ​(angol)
This ​is the story of a city. The northwest corner of a city. Here you’ll find guests and hosts, those with power and those without it, people who live somewhere special and others who live nowhere at all. And many people in between. Every city is like this. Cheek-by-jowl living. Separate worlds. And then there are the visitations: the rare times a stranger crosses a threshold without permission or warning, causing a disruption in the whole system. Like the April afternoon a woman came to Leah Hanwell’s door, seeking help, disturbing the peace, forcing Leah out of her isolation… Zadie Smith’s brilliant tragi-comic new novel follows four Londoners - Leah, Natalie, Felix and Nathan – as they try to make adult lives outside of Caldwell, the council estate of their childhood. From private houses to public parks, at work and at play, their London is a complicated place, as beautiful as it is brutal, where the thoroughfares hide the back alleys and taking the high road can sometimes lead you to a dead end. Depicting the modern urban zone – familiar to town-dwellers everywhere – Zadie Smith’s NW is a quietly devastating novel of encounters, mercurial and vital, like the city itself.

Trudi Canavan - The ​Magicians' Guild
Each ​year the magicians of Imardin gather to purge the city streets of beggars, urchins and miscreants. Masters of the disciplines of magic, they know that no one can oppose them. But their protective shield is not as impenetrable as they believe. As the mob is herded from the city, Sonea, a young street girl, furious at the authorities' treatment of her family and friends, hurls a stone at the shield, putting all of her rage behind it. To the amazement of all who watch, there is a flash of blue light and the stone passes straight through the barrier and cracks a magician on the temple, rendering him unconscious. After five hundred years of order, the guild's worst fear has been realised - an untrained magician is loose on the streets. She must be found, and quickly, before her uncontrolled powers unleash forces that will destroy both her, and the city that is her home. In the tradition of Garth Nix's Sabriel, The Magicians' Guild is the first volume in a stunning new fantasy trilogy that ripples with magic, action and high adventure.