Transworld: 509 books

It's 1959, and Boots Adams and his wife Polly are at their favourite Camberwell pub when they witness with horror a sudden and vicious attack on the barman, Joe, by a knife-wielding thug. Is this a sign of the times?Is contempt for old traditions and enthusiasm for everything new and fashionable going...

It is 1953 - Coronation year - and like all of Cockney London the members of the Adams family are looking forward to the celebrations. Chinese Lady, now Lady Finch, worries that her friends will think she is too grand to mingle with them . But her husband has a more pressing worry - the sudden appearance...

As the 1950s progress, several unexpected happenings ruffle the usually calm atmosphere of Adams family life. Sammy and Boots are troubled by the first stirrings of industrial unrest, as the unions start to flex their muscles and old loyalties change, while an attractive new employee causes Sammy...

London, 1583. William Shakespeare has declared Lucy Morgan the inspiration for his work. But what is he hiding from his muse? Meanwhile, Lucy has her own secrets to conceal. Tempted by love, the lady-in-waiting also bore witness to the one marriage forbidden by the queen. England is...

'Only two big facts are known for certain: you are on a large spinning rock hurtling through space at about 67,000 mph, and one day your body is going to die. Will a new pair of shoes really help?' Worth's 12th Rule of Shopping George Worth is a grumpy lifestyle columnist who works in a woman's...

The residents of the Close were much concerned with crime - preventing it, that is. With all those out-of-work teenagers on the nearby council estate hanging around, stealing, joy-riding and goodness knows what else, it was just as well that Paul Mathieson was setting up a Neighbourhood Watch scheme. Not...

'I knew then that there were some things not even Ruby could keep from me for ever and this was one of them. We were coloured girls in a white world that didn't want us.' Born on the wrong side of a racial divide in apartheid-torn Cape Town, young sisters Ruby and Rose exist in a world where...

After twenty years of marriage, Nina had offloaded serial philanderer Joe and was happy enough, thank you, coping alone with their two demanding daughters and her own hectic life. It felt like freedom, not having to wonder constantly where Joe was, who with and up to what. But into Nina's new,...

If you like Milly Johnson and Carole Matthews, you'll love this funny and touching novel from Judy Astley about life after marriage . . . Melanie finds herself single again after years of being one half of a couple. Her friends predict loneliness, frustration, disaster. Her parents are convinced...

Do the friendships you make on holiday have anything to do with real life? It might be sensible to hope that they don't. For the last few years, Beth and Ned have gone to the same Caribbean island to the same luxury spa hotel. There they meet the same crowd, and take up where they left...

Nothing tastes better than a meal eaten outside. Genevieve Taylor's brilliant new book is packed with recipes, inspiration and practical advice for pain-free delicious cooking, eating and having fun in the big outdoors: Pack up a picnic BBQ feasts Wilderness Eats Bonfires Camp cook outs

Greece**,** 1869 Godwin Tudor, a young English photographer recently arrived in Athens, is intrigued by the mysterious and maverick British landowner Edgar Brooke, whose vast estate dominates the island of Pyroxenia. Whilst visiting Brooke's remote home, Godwin is enchanted by the breathtaking...

'An exciting new voice in crime fiction' Clare Mackintosh, author of I LET YOU GO. Kitty Sweet isn’t like anyone you’ve ever met before. She’s an infamous porn star, imprisoned for double murder. As damaged as she is charismatic, as dangerous as she is charming. But once...

Big and beautiful? Or thin and miserable? Jay has always envied her cousin Delphine. While Jay was brought up in a large, noisy and chaotic family, Delphine was indulged, perfectly dressed with a co-ordinated bedroom, an immaculate wardrobe, dancing lessons and monogrammed silver-backed hairbrushes....