Bøger udgivet af Bloomsbury UK

'Riotously original ... A triumph' New York Times'A journey unlike any you've read before' Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah, author of Chain-Gang All-Stars'There is deep wisdom in these pages' Mary Beth Keane, author of Ask Again, YesThe most profound book yet from the visionary author of Milk Fed and The Pisces, a darkly funny novel about grief that becomes a desert survival story.A woman arrives alone at a Best Western seeking respite from an emptiness that plagues her. She has fled to the California high desert to escape a cloud of sorrow - for both her father in the ICU and a husband whose illness is worsening. What the motel provides, however, is not peace but a path, thanks to a receptionist who recommends a nearby hike.Out on the sun-scorched trail, the woman encounters a towering cactus whose size and shape mean it should not exist in California. Yet the cactus is there, with a gash through its side that beckons like a familiar door. So she enters it. What awaits her inside this mystical succulent sets her on a journey at once desolate and rich, hilarious and poignant.This is Melissa Broder at her most imaginative, most universal, and finest. This is Death Valley.PRAISE FOR THE PISCES'Of all the books that I read this summer I think this was my absolute favourite. It really blew me away' DOLLY ALDERTON'Frank, provocative and brilliant' INDEPENDENT'Hilarious, poignant, sexy. A brilliant story about why we crave connection and how to find ourselves' ELLE'Laugh-out-loud funny' i

The first comprehensive account of the rise and fall of what historians consider to be the world's very first empire: Assyria'A work of remarkable synthesis. The range of its sources is truly extraordinary . . . Frahm punctures a fair share of myths too' Pratinav Anil, The TimesAt its height in 660 BCE, the kingdom of Assyria stretched from the Mediterranean Sea to the Persian Gulf. It was the first empire the world had ever seen. Here, historian Eckart Frahm tells the epic story of Assyria and its formative role in global history. Assyria's wide-ranging conquests have long been known from the Hebrew Bible and later Greek accounts. But nearly two centuries of research now permit a rich picture of the Assyrians and their empire beyond the battlefield: their vast libraries and monumental sculptures, their elaborate trade and information networks, and the crucial role played by royal women.Although Assyria was crushed by rising powers in the late seventh century BCE, its legacy endured from the Babylonian and Persian empires to Rome and beyond. Assyria is a stunning and authoritative account of a civilisation essential to understanding the ancient world and our own.

The Financial Times - Best books of 2022: Politics 'The prolific military chronicler and analyst Mark Galeotti has produced exactly the right book at the right time.' The Times A new history of how Putin and his conflicts have inexorably reshaped Russia, including his devastating invasion of Ukraine. Putin's Wars is a timely overview of the conflicts in which Russia has been involved since Vladimir Putin became prime minister and then president of Russia, from the First Chechen War to the two military incursions into Georgia, the annexation of Crimea and the eventual invasion of Ukraine itself. But it also looks more broadly at Putin's recreation of Russian military power and its expansion to include a range of new capabilities, from mercenaries to operatives in a relentless information war against Western powers. This is an engrossing strategic overview of the Russian military and the successes and failures on the battlefield. Thanks to Dr Galeotti's wide-ranging contacts throughout Russia, it is also peppered with anecdotes of military life, personal snapshots of conflicts, and an extraordinary collection of first-hand accounts from serving and retired Russian officers. Russia continues to dominate the news cycle throughout the Western world. There is no better time to understand how and why Putin has involved his armed forces in a variety of conflicts for over two decades.

* Winner of the American Book Award * Longlisted for the Man Booker Prize 2015 * A Finalist for the 2015 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction *'An absorbing story' SALMAN RUSHDIE'Rich, vivid and gripping' GUARDIAN'Feels at once historical and contemporary' NEW YORK TIMES BOOK REVIEWIn 1527, hundreds of settlers arrived on the coast of modern-day Florida and claimed the region for Spain. Within a year of navigational errors, disease, starvation and fierce resistance from indigenous tribes, only four survivors remained. Three were nobleman, whose stories found their way into the official record. The fourth was known only as Estebanico, a vibrant merchant from Barbary forced into slavery and a new name, reborn as the first African explorer of the Americas. This is his story: a journey across the great swathes of the New World, where would-be conquerors are transformed into humble servants, fearful outcasts into healers, and the silenced into storytellers.

Medusa, a gripping novel written by the acclaimed author Jessie Burton, will take you on an unforgettable journey. Published in 2023 by Bloomsbury UK, this book is a must-read for those who appreciate a blend of suspense and mythology. Set in a world filled with mystery and intrigue, Burton's storytelling will captivate you from the first page to the last. Don't miss out on this masterpiece from one of the most talented writers of our time. Experience the magic of Medusa and let it enchant you with its rich narrative and compelling characters.

It was a story about space - Apollo 13 - which first hooked Sheila Kanani, and now, decades later, after achieving a PhD in Saturn's magnetosphere and working as an outreach officer for the Royal Astronomical Society, she has made a career of weaving together the science and tales of the stars.In The Starspotter's Guide, her first book for adults, Sheila pulls together the rich tapestry of the night sky for the armchair stargazer, sharing the stories that cultures across the world have told about the stars for millennia - and how these have shaped our exploration and understanding of the Earth, from astrologers in ancient India using the stars to calculate the length of the year, to Polynesian explorers using them to navigate far beyond their homes. And now, as our knowledge expands about the endless expanse above us - such as what the stars actually are - Sheila takes us on a journey through what you'd see if you could jump on a spacecraft and explore these galaxies yourself.In this endlessly informative and persuasively interesting miscellany of the night sky, Dr Sheila Kanani takes us on a journey through the cosmos and through the human experience of the stars throughout the ages that will have you rushing outside and looking up, searching for the curve of the Milky Way.

Featuring exclusive new work, Precious and Impossible gathers together over three decades of poetry from the T S Eliot Prize-winning Anthony Joseph___________________________________________A poet, musician and academic, Anthony Joseph's work has explored the transnational vibrations of the African Diaspora for over three decades. Interwoven with fresh and exclusive new material, Precious and Impossible brings together thirty years of Joseph's poetry and lyrics - cementing his status as one of our greatest living poets and polymaths. 'Joseph is both a faithful heir and an agnostic rebel; a Black poet haunted by Africa's past as well as a bilingual post-modernist amused by the possibilities of the future' Ali Alizadeh

A sea-soaked story of friendship, community and discovering what it means to carry home in your heart, from Carnegie Medal-winning author Katya Balen.On the Island of Ayrie, everybody knows everyone. They know each other's stories as they know every road, every hill and the coming of the tide. In the summer, there are bonfires to celebrate the migration of the puffins. Everything is familiar, nothing much changes, and for Tilda, nothing ever should - it is beautiful, it is perfect and it is home.When newcomer Albie arrives at the island, Tilda wants to show Ayrie off - Albie wants her to leave him alone. She learns quickly that it'll take more than a tour and some seal viewings to win him around. Then, she remembers stories of the old island just an hour's boat ride away from the shore. The old island is a death trap. The journey there is treacherous. Trips across to it are strictly forbidden. And there's a rumour it's haunted by the ghosts of those left there to die. But with all else having failed, the old island is the only way for Tilda to make Albie see what she sees in Ayrie. Besides, it's a different kind of ghost that worries Tilda. The ghost that's been following her, now, since her brother left the island ...

A practical review of actionable insights and guidance around common social media marketing business issues, to boost both profile and engagement.While 'social media' seems to be a simple concept to understand, the implications of using it strategically to enhance and complement marketing initiatives at work can be more of a challenge. Written by a recognised trainer for both LinkedIn and Meta (the parent company of Facebook, Instagram and Whatsapp), Smart Social Media is grounded in the insights gained from hands-on consultancy work, plus hours of personal research, observations and in-depth reviews of the platforms themselves. It's both practical and informative, while remaining closely connected to marketing fundamentals (which, however fast the social media landscape is changing, continue to underpin the concept of social media marketing) - including social media and changing consumer behaviour; getting to know your customers; planning for business growth; and the importance of branding. Whether you're studying marketing, are at the start of your marketing career, or are an established marketer tackling a new business challenge, Smart Social Media will help you to understand how social media marketing can drive growth for your business, how to build a strong brand presence on relevant social media platforms, how to use social media to guide buyers through their journey from awareness to advocacy, and how to recognise the benefits of collaborations, partnerships and online communities to support business growth.

Adolf Hitler described the Organisation Todt as ?the greatest construction organisation of all time'. In 1945, British intelligence credited it with having carried out in little over five years ?the most impressive building programme since Roman times'. It was from this organisation, headed by Albert Speer, that Hitler enlisted the nation's leading engineers and architects to build his empire. In time, it became an indispensable partner to the SS and the Wehrmacht and led to the deaths of millions. Why, then, have so few heard of it?In Unknown Enemy, Charles Dick reveals for the first time the full extent of the Organisation Todt and its long arm across Europe and the Reich. In wartime, its operations relied mainly on Germany's slave labour system, the largest such exploitation of foreign labour since the end of the Transatlantic Slave Trade - and one in which millions of civilians, Jews and prisoners of war lost their lives. Dick takes us inside the OT's vast building projects throughout German-occupied Europe, from the Arctic circle to the Balkans and deep into what the Third Reich termed its ?eastern Lebensraum', to tell the story of how engineers and builders - so-called ?ordinary men' - perpetrated some of the gravest war crimes under its banner.Despite its extensive network, the Organisation Todt largely managed to slip under the radar of war prosecutors after Germany's defeat. Drawing on extensive new research, first-person accounts and survivor testimony, Unknown Enemy finally unearths its dark story.

The business case for recognising and understanding the importance of kindness at work, and the need to use these skills to enhance performance and develop a healthy and sustainable working culture. In the range of leadership skills, kindness is inherently quieter, more personal, harder to see - and yes, less interesting or cinematic than controversial tweets and 'bullying boss' behaviour. But the most successful leaders and organizations recognise that kindness builds empathy, trust and psychological safety, the cornerstones of so many desirable traits and outcomes in many businesses: more creativity; a better quality of decision-making; safer critical thinking; higher levels of staff loyalty, flexibility and retention; a heightened sense of engagement; and higher productivity and profitability.The central premise of Kind is that if you want to create psychological safety in your organization, then there are no better approaches than to create a culture that encourages kindness. Kindness and empathy act in a sort of loop: acts of kindness inspire more empathy; empathy inspires acts of kindness. This in turn creates more trust between individuals, which ultimately leads to a collective sense of feeling safe to take interpersonal risks. Through this psychological safety, people communicate their riskier and more creative ideas, own their mistakes instead of trying to cover them up, give the feedback that helps people to grow (even when it risks upsetting them) and support each other with a sense of loyalty and reciprocity. By using the language of competency and performance, the author aims to convince the cynics, as well as helping already 'kindful' workers to articulate the power of kindness and make a strong case for its greater profile in their organizations. The author argues that, far from being a ?fluffy' or nebulous idea, kindness and empathy should be seen as 21st century superpowers.Part One of the book makes the case for how kindness can support productive and positive work cultures, and draws upon research and data from psychology, neuroscience, management theory, sociology and business research. It also busts three important myths that need to be addressed to engage the more cynical reader (or the reader's cynical colleagues).Part Two is centred around the Eight Principles of Kindfulness. Each chapter covers one of the eight principles. These offer practical advice for how to make kindness part of the fabric of your team and organisation, and are structured to take the reader on a journey from thinking about themselves and their mindset ("kindness starts with you?), through to thinking about the people around them and then finally organisational culture ("it doesn't end with you?).Each chapter includes: an opening quote, original graphics, a kindful hero story, and a range of exercises to ensure practical action is taken by the reader. The end of each chapter includes questions for reflection and a kindness challenge.

An in-depth look at some of the newest issues in psychology and how they can shape our lives, at home and at work - from AI and eco-psychology, to the great resignation, Zoom fatigue, and the psychology of social media. Psychologists have always shone a torch, and often a spotlight, into many dark corners of the human mind. They study everything, from art preferences to altruism, coaching to criminality, jokes and humour to justice and honesty. But in our hyper-connected, post-pandemic world, new issues are emerging that are less understood, and which can be unsettling for people who are trying to get to grips with the changes that are happening around them. The language of psychology can offer clear descriptions and explanations for all sort of phenomena, including many of these more modern conditions. Ultimately, knowing more about how these conditions manifest themselves and how they can be treated, can help people to feel happier and better able to identify and realise their full potential. Many of them relate specifically to our work lives (Zoom fatigue and hybrid working, for example), allowing for a reassessment of the pressures faced at work and how to identify and pursue a better work/life balance.Written as a follow-up to the highly successful Psychology 101, Adrian Furnham takes a closer look at 50 of the emerging concepts in modern psychology, and what exactly they mean for us in terms of both our personal and professional lives.

A second Cold War is underway. But whereas the Cold War of 1945-90 was dominated by the threat of nuclear conflict, the new front line will be economic. A race for the future of money has begun - and the outcome of who wins is the most significant geopolitical struggle in the new Cold War between China and the US.For decades following the Second World War, the US dollar was the global reserve currency, with oil paid for in dollars and much international trade carried out in the US currency. But no longer. More than a hundred countries are developing Central Bank Digital Currencies (CBDCs), which are digital equivalents to cash rather than digital representations of cash, which means they are programmable, unlike normal money.China was the first country to recognise the significance of this shift, creating the digital yuan. While the West's media focused on the new currency's role in China's surveillance state, it largely overlooked a more important aspect of its existence: as a potential alternative to the dollar. When China's President Xi officially launched the digital yuan in February 2022, he also agreed a pact of ?limitless co-operation' with Russia. Within days, Russia launched its war on Ukraine, secure in the knowledge it would be able to buy oil without paying in dollars.Urgent, clear-eyed and ground-breaking, Brunello Rosa and Casey Larsen will show us how control over the supply of money is going to impact all of our futures. As Lenin once famously said, there are ?decades when nothing happens, and weeks when decades happen'. The weeks are happening right now, and if the West is to claw back China's huge lead, it needs to act fast, and act now to ensure that global digital currencies are democratically controlled.

Oleksandr Zinchenko's story is so much more than a typical footballer's story. He has shown heroism of a very different kind through his extraordinary campaigning in support of Ukraine throughout the ongoing war with Russia. Although his instinct was to join the fight, he decided - following the advice from close loved ones - that he could make the most difference by using his platform to spread awareness and raise money. A fan favourite at Arsenal and previously at Manchester City, Zinchenko, has been lighting up the Premier League with his fearless performances for many years. Although, his success has not come without its challenges. Having begun his career as a teenager at Shakhtar Donetsk, his world was upended when Russia invaded the Donbas region and he was stranded in Russia. But after he joined Manchester City in 2016 he would go on to experience exhilarating career highs, with four league titles in six years, before moving to Arsenal where he has played an integral part in their return to the top.Written with candour and bravery, Triumph & Tears is no ordinary tale of success on the pitch, but one of unwavering strength and integrity, tempered by sadness and anger. It provides unique insights into the methods of Pep Guardiola and Mikel Arteta. It is the story of a selfless man who prioritised his homeland's welfare before his own - delivering his best on and off the field.

Everything is not as it should be.Galatea has taken over the throne, Prince Mather has run off with Cinderella, and now Bari must find a new royal to marry. After discovering that there is an illegitimate prince in another Queendom, Bari sets off to make him fall in love with her - and acquire his land as well. But Bari's mission is soon complicated when South joins her and sparks begin to fly . . .Meanwhile, Farrow is on her own journey to reunite with Cinderella and Prince Mather in the first Queendom. Amid brewing conflict, Farrow continues to grapple with her love for Mather and her loyalty to Cinderella.Once as close as sisters, Bari and Farrow now find themselves on opposing sides. Will malice win out, or will Farrow find a way to bring them all back to their less vengeful selves?

An irresistible coming of age YA from the inimitable Meg Rosoff, this is the tale of 48 chaotic and unforgettable hours in the heat of the scorching Parisian sun.With his train home set to leave in a matter of minutes, Callum is forced to confront an unfortunate truth: that his summer abroad in Paris was a disappointing, unmemorable failure of a trip. There was no teenage adventure, no summer fling, and his French speaking skills didn't even improve. Going home after having accomplished so little would be bad enough, too, without the many foreboding missed calls from his dad. So after a panic attack in the toilets jeopardises Callum's chances of catching the train back, he instead decides to stay in Paris to try and salvage the summer. It's the hottest weekend in France's history, however, and a curfew has been placed on the city. In need of a place to stay Callum seeks out his estranged cousin and concert oboist, Harrison. Things go south after one of Harrison's shows, when his prized oboe is stolen just after a conversation with suspicious oboe super-fan Arnaud and his step-sister, the alluring but enigmatic Lilou. Callum finds Lilou outside the venue, who offers him a choice: stick with Harrison and the remains of his failed trip, or come with her in search of Arnaud, into the heat of the scorching hot streets of Paris...From bestselling, award-winning author Meg Rosoff comes a hilariously chaotic novel of heartbreak, mystery, adventure, and thievery.

For the people who live on the banks of the Thames, the river is a living, breathing thing. It can take your treasures. It can hide your treasures. And, sometimes, it can give them back.Bo and Billy are two children who have never met. Billy is an orphan. Bo's dad died when she was small and now her brother is off to war. Both children are poor, but they have each found half of a priceless treasure, given up by the river. A treasure which - when the pieces are reunited - holds the power to give back to one of them the most precious thing they have ever lost.But should the treasure be put back together again? And why has the river given it up now?For fans of Katherine Rundell and Philip Pullman's The Ruby in the Smoke, Hidden Treasure is a classic in the making, with a rip-roaring plot, spine-tingling twists and an unforgettable cast of characters.

Journalist Lynne Peeples reveals the cutting-edge research of how our circadian rhythms are threatened by modern lifestyles and the scientifically proven ways we can reset our body clocks - before it's too late.At this very moment, a symphony of tiny timepieces is ticking throughout your body - in your stomach and skin, in your liver and lungs, even in your legs. Orchestrating this round-the-clock production is a master timekeeper in your brain. What happens when these circadian rhythms are out of tune? How has our modern lifestyle led to an epidemic of broken body clocks? And how can we reverse it?In Clock Wise, journalist Lynne Peeples travels around the world to discover the ways in which our circadian clocks affect our days - and our nights. Speaking to biologists, professional athletes, surgeons, astronomers, software developers and sleep scientists, she reveals the cutting-edge research that is newly available about the powerful sway circadian rhythms have on our bodies and our cultures. References to a circadian clock date back to the ancient Greeks but research has only recently exposed its complex machinery and the astounding breadth of its functions, and only in the last few years have we begun connecting the dots and developing the tools to put all of this information to use.Threats to our body clocks abound: artificial light, air pollution, jet lag, late-night meals and a myriad of other modern insults. But we can also harness our internal rhythms to our advantage - learning the optimal time to take medication, schedule a job interview or eat dinner. The time has come to reckon with the effects of circadian cycles on our minds, bodies and societies.

It's a clever book ... [Im Seong-sun] offers readers his razor-sharp observations on consumer capitalism and what it means to feel anonymous' M. W. Craven -------------------Sometimes work can be murder...The Consultant is very good at his job. He creates simple, elegant, effective solutions for... restructuring. Nothing obvious or messy. Certainly nothing anyone would ever suspect as murder. The 'natural deaths' he plans have always gone well: a medicine replaced here, a mechanism jammed there. His performance reviews are excellent. And it's not as though he knows these people. Until his next 'customer' turns out to be someone he not only knows but cares about, and for the first time, he begins to question the role he plays in the vast, anonymous Company. And as he slowly starts to understand the real scope of their work, he realises just how easy it would be for the Company to arrange one more perfect murder... But how far will he go to escape The Company? And how far will they go to stop him? The electrifying novel from award-winning Korean thriller-writer Im Seong-sun - now in English for the first time - combines the tension of the best crime fiction with searing social criticism to present a searing take-down of global corporate life.

1883. Cairndale Institute lies in ruins, the orsine finally destroyed. With Marlowe presumed dead, the Talents and their companions have found themselves separated - and struggling to survive.Charlie believes Marlowe is alive in another world, and is determined to find a way to get him out. Together with Komako, Oskar and Miss Davenshaw, he seeks clues to the whereabouts of another orsine - while Miss Davenshaw knows of an old Talent who might have some answers, and Alice and Ribs go in search of the children named in a strange burned journal.In a journey that will take them from Valladolid to Paris to Alexandria, Egypt, the Talents soon learn that they are not as alone as they might think, meeting a shapeshifting boy whose skills rely on the bodies of the dead, and a young bone witch who can bring the dead back to life. As the mystery of the second orsine deepens, the gang assembles to find themselves hunted by a new, more powerful enemy - one who will not stop until every Talent in this world is destroyed.One thing is clear: a war is coming.Praise for Ordinary Monsters (Book One of The Talents Trilogy):'Ordinary Monsters is a towering achievement: a dazzling mountain of wild invention, Dickensian eccentrics, supernatural horrors, and gripping suspense. Be warned... once you step into this penny dreadful to end all penny dreadfuls, you'll never want to leave'Joe Hill, #1 New York Times bestselling author of HEART-SHAPED BOX'Expansive in scope and storytelling, Ordinary Monsters builds an electrifying Victorian world: grimy but luminous, magical but deadly, with a cast of diverse and gripping characters that feel entirely modern'Cari Thomas, bestselling author of THREADNEEDLE'Haunting, tense, earth-shattering ... A riveting mix of magic and terror'Tamora Pierce'Murky as London smog, dark as black pudding, this is a gaslit gothic tour de force . . . The fantasy is so rich and the atmosphere so immersive in this stand-out debut, that it's easy to overlook the crispiness of the writing and the brilliantly propulsive plotting. And while drughrs, litches, keywrasses and orsines make for a wonderful new language of dread, it's the characters that carry the day'Daily Mail'An engrossing piece of Gothic, Dickensian fantasy, centred around children gifted with magical powers . . . Miro's meaty, detailed execution lends his story weight and depth and commands respect'Financial Times'A thrilling blend of fantasy and horror, richly imagined and masterfully executed'SFX'A fantasy series so ambitious that it makes The Lord of the Rings look like a stroll in the Shire . . . Spanning the globe and crammed with good versus evil battles and hair's breadth escapes, this book is great fun despite frim subject matter, thanks to J. M. Miro's darkly witty style . . . Remarkably fresh'Daily Express

A heartbreaking, funny and life-affirming novel about small towns and second chances - from the international bestselling author of Four Letters of LoveDoctor Jack Troy was born and raised in the little town of Faha, but his responsibilities for the sick and his care for the dying mean he has always been set apart from his community. A visit from the doctor is always a sign of bad things to come. His youngest daughter, Ronnie, has grown up in her father's shadow, and remains there, having missed her chance at real love - and passed up an offer of marriage from an unsuitable man. But in the advent season of 1962, as the town readies itself for Christmas, Ronnie and Doctor Troy's lives are turned upside down when a baby is left in their care. As the winter passes, father and daughter's lives, the understanding of their family, and their role in their community are changed forever.

When Dennis comes into possession of a book that shouldn't exist, a new chapter in his life begins and a different, alternate London reveals itself - and with it a cast of characters each more unlikely and fantastical than the last. Long London occupies precisely the same geographical space as our London ­- but it is a city built from dreamscapes and art, from fiction and nightmares. This is the London of penny dreadfuls and William Blake's dark woodcuts, colliding with Dennis' own time - that of a post-war capital, not long rebuilding itself from its own recent nightmare of war and bombing. This series will be a mad and magical A to Z of the greatest city on earth - with a tale of friendship, murder, betrayal and mischief and the very centre of the map...

Brooke is thirty-three, resolutely single and slightly adrift. She wants her work and life to have meaning - and she finds it at the Asher and Carol Jaffee Foundation, where she's tasked with assisting an octogenarian billionaire in the noble quest to give away his hard-earned fortune.When Asher Jaffee takes a special interest in Brooke, it's hard for her not to fall under his spell. He's attracted to her intelligence, her willingness to spar with him, her refusal to be deferential. She's intoxicated by the proximity to his money and power - and his apparent willingness to share both with her. Asher offers Brooke a first-hand look at how the one percent truly live and work: above the rest of us in an atmosphere that exists only for them. But before long, being under Asher's wing is not enough, and Brooke finds herself in deep water as she blurs the lines between what belongs to Asher, and what should belong to her.Keenly observed and compulsively disturbing, Entitlement is an engrossing and resonant tale of money, morality and madness, affirming Rumaan Alam as a major literary talent of our time.

A warm, tender and funny story about unlikely friendships, second chances, and the magic of soul music - perfect for fans of Nick Hornby, David Nicholls and Jonathan CoeDinah has always lived in Scarborough. Trapped with her feckless husband and useless son, her one release comes at her town's Northern Soul nights, where she gets to put on her best and lose herself in the classics. Dinah has an especial hero: Bucky Bronco, who recorded a string of soul gems in the late Sixties and then vanished off the face of the earth. When she manages to contact Bucky she can't believe her luck.Over in Chicago, Bucky Bronco is down on his luck - and has been since the loss of his beloved wife Maybelle. The best he can hope for is to make ends meet, and try and stay high. But then an unexpected invitation arrives, from someone he's never met, to come to somewhere he's never heard of. With nothing to lose - and in need of the cash - Bucky boards a plane.And so Bucky finds himself in rainy Scarborough, where everyone seems to know who is - preparing to play for an audience for the first time in nearly half a century. Over the course of the week, he finds himself striking up new and unexpected friendships; and facing his past, and its losses, for the very first time. Wise, hilarious and profound, Rare Singles is an unforgettable story about the power of music and friendship to bring us back to ourselves.

**AN INTERNATIONAL No. 1 BESTSELLER****Selected as a Washington Post Book of the Summer**'I absolutely adored it' NINA STIBBEFrom bestselling and award-winning author Patrick deWitt comes a novel about an ordinary man who thought life's surprises were behind him - until a chance encounter changed everythingBob Comet is a retired librarian passing his solitary days surrounded by books in a mint-colored house in Portland, Oregon. One morning on his daily walk he encounters a confused elderly woman lost in a market and returns her to the senior centre that is her home. Hoping to fill the void he's known since retiring, Bob begins volunteering at the center. Here, as a community of strange peers gathers around Bob, and following a brush with a painful complication from his past, the events of his life and the details of his character are revealed. Behind Bob Comet's straight man facade is the story of an unhappy child's runaway adventure during the last days of the Second World War, of true love won and stolen away, of the purpose and pride found in the librarian's vocation, and the pleasures of a life lived to the side of the masses.