Come, dearest reader, and dive into this book. It's warm and safe in here, which you will have guessed already because it's about a human and three animals. You might not be able to remember the animals or the order they fall within the title, but that doesn't matter. The pictures will remind you that the story is about a woman, a mink, a cod and a donkey. Let us tell you a bit more about them... The woman is embarking on an important journey. She does not know her destination, but she knows what she'll find when she gets there: an open pub. It has been a long time since she has been in one due to a strange, sad region of yester-year called 'Lockdown'. On her travels she finds a mink. The mink is wise because he's known the cruelties of life, having been maligned because Danish minks were found to be spreading Coronavirus. The woman helps the mink forget the cruelties of life through something as old as time itself: love. The mink helps the woman withstand the journey to the pub through something else as old as time itself: wine. As they wander on their quest, a cod and a random donkey tag along, and together they discuss their most valued life lessons, such as the value of travel insurance, and why it's always important to wear breathable pants.

Isolation commiserations from the creator of the iconic “Cathy” comic strip, Cathy Guisewite! We’re all in this together…but it helps to see someone else with her face planted in the bowl of mashed potatoes. In the same way that Cathy was a relatable friend during the comic strip years, she’s returned to offer some happy relief, support, and a much-needed AACK from isolation. This little book is a compassionate companion for right now and, long after the pandemic is over, will be a treasured scrapbook of what we survived—the fear of droplets, the work-from-refrigerator wear, the revenge retail therapy of online shopping, the frustration of trying to teach Grandma to Zoom from 3,000 miles away, the little shreds of hope mixed in with the sourdough bread dough. From the introduction: I’ve worn the same pair of sweatpants for fourteen months. I’ve binge watched, binge eaten, binge shopped, binge prayed. I’ve Zoomed. Streamed. Screamed. Googled how to get hot fudge out of a duvet cover. Googled how to chop my insulting blue jeans into face masks. Googled how to permanently delete my Google search history. I’ve meditated, looked within and asked the big questions: “If no one’s allowed in my house for months, what’s the point of vacuuming?”

'Riveting, twisty, page-turning stuff' Guardian A 'best books of 2020' pick for BBC Radio 4 Open Book, the Guardian, the Telegraph and Good Housekeeping 'The page turner you've been looking for. Sly, witty and gripping . . . I devoured it' Naomi Alderman 'An utter joy . . . wonderfully skilled' Sarah Perry 'Beguiling, brilliantly creepy, and an utterly compelling read' Claire Fuller 'Tender, creepy and gripping' Sunday Times 'Spellbinding and spooky . . . a dazzling high wire act, superbly absorbing' Sunday Mirror When the eight-year-old daughter of an Oxford College Master vanishes in the middle of the night, police turn to the Scottish nanny, Dee, for answers. As Dee looks back over her time in the Master's Lodging - an eerie and ancient house - a picture of a high achieving but dysfunctional family emerges: Nick, the fiercely intelligent and powerful father; his beautiful Danish wife Mariah, pregnant with their child; and the lost little girl, Felicity, almost mute, seeing ghosts, grieving her dead mother. But is Dee telling the whole story? Is her growing friendship with the eccentric house historian, Linklater, any cause for concern? And most of all, why is Felicity silent? Roaming Oxford's secret passages and hidden graveyards, Magpie Lane explores the true meaning of family - and what it is to be denied one. 'Enthralling . . . creepy and compelling' The Times 'Deliciously dark' Alexandra Shulman 'A gorgeously satisfying triumph' Lucy Mangan 'A rare thing . . . simply stunning' Daily Express 'I was gripped . . . highly original' Alex Clark 'Creepy, suspenseful' Independent 'One of the most intriguing narrators since Notes on a Scandal' Sara Collins 'Grown-up and cleverly written . . . a dizzying sense of uncertainty' Literary Review 'Keeps you guessing . . . a real sense of menace' Good Housekeeping 'Wholly beguiling' Mick Herron 'Dazzlingly good' Diane Setterfield 'Beautiful writing' Polly Samson 'Clever, tense and twisty' Amanda Craig 'Highly intelligent' Sarah Vaughan 'Simply brilliant!' JP Delaney 'Darkly atmospheric' Jane Fallon 'Clever and creepy' Erin Kelly 'Highly recommended' Louise Candlish

SHORTLISTED FOR THE POLARI PRIZE 2022. One woman. Two lives. How far will she go to find herself? *WILD MEETS SLIDING DOORS IN THE UNFORGETTABLE NEW NOVEL FROM BETH LEWIS* On the outside, Iris and Claude have a perfect marriage, but that couldn't be further from the truth. One terrible night Claude's abuse goes too far and Iris flees into the Catskill mountains. In the wilderness, Iris comes face to face with another version of herself. A woman who never met Claude and seemingly made all the right choices in life. Trapped by an oncoming storm, Iris must uncover why they are there, what it means, and if the other Iris is even real. As the storm hits, the truth of what happened that fateful night will change everything. An important, searing novel about one woman's journey in fleeing an abusive relationship and confronting the secrets of her past. Author of the critically-acclaimed debut The Wolf Road, Beth Lewis returns with her brand new novel The Origins of Iris where Wild meets Sliding Doors. 'Evocative and unexpected, tender and fierce, The Origins of Iris is unlike any other thriller I've read in years . . . Outstanding' Sarah Hilary 'This novel is like a dream, from the haunting narrative to the beautiful prose to the way Iris and her wilderness kept making their way into my subconscious at night. It is everything I could want from a book' Anna Bailey 'Atmospheric, thought-provoking, complex. A haunting exploration of one woman's journey into the dark heart of herself' Tamar Cohen 'A tale of wonder, heart-break and mystery, beautifully told. Loved every word' Emma Haughton

Streaming on Apple TV+ on Christmas Day #1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER · WALL STREET JOURNAL BESTSELLER · USA TODAY BESTSELLER “The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse is not only a thought-provoking, discussion-worthy story, the book itself is an object of art.”- Elizabeth Egan, The New York Times From British illustrator, artist, and author Charlie Mackesy comes a journey for all ages that explores life’s universal lessons, featuring 100 color and black-and-white drawings. “What do you want to be when you grow up?” asked the mole. “Kind,” said the boy. Charlie Mackesy offers inspiration and hope in uncertain times in this beautiful book, following the tale of a curious boy, a greedy mole, a wary fox and a wise horse who find themselves together in sometimes difficult terrain, sharing their greatest fears and biggest discoveries about vulnerability, kindness, hope, friendship and love. The shared adventures and important conversations between the four friends are full of life lessons that have connected with readers of all ages.

What if you could earn money doing what you love? What if you could live more and work less? What if you could Make Money While You Sleep? You can! Forget the old ways of unhealthy working hours and pressing pause on your life until retirement - especially in uncertain economic times. In Make Money While You Sleep, Lucy Griffiths, passive income strategist and coach, will share how you can create a course-based business that works 24 hours a day for you while you get on with the business of living your life. Packed with advice, knowledge and refreshing honesty, Lucy will take you through the process of course creation: from inspiration to getting it done, to actually selling it! * Learn how to stand out in an increasingly content-saturated world by using a proven system that turns your ideas into a bestselling brand. * Package up your expertise and sell your courses on repeat. * Learn how to position yourself as an expert in your industry and harness the power of social media and YouTube to upscale your business. Now is the time to take your digital course idea and turn it into a money-making machine!

THE 12 MILLION COPY BESTSELLING AUTHOR OF THE LEWIS TRILOGY AND THE CHINA THRILLERS AWARD WINNING AUTHOR OF THE CWA DAGGER IN THE LIBRARY 2021 'Enzo MacLeod is one of the most unusual crime solvers I have ever met.' BookBrowse 'No one can create a more eloquently written suspense novel than Peter May.' New York Journal of Books In a sleepy French village, the body of a man shot through the head is disinterred by the roots of a fallen tree. A week later a famous art critic is viciously murdered in a nearby house. The deaths occurred more than seventy years apart. Asked by a colleague to inspect the site of the former, forensics expert Enzo Macleod quickly finds himself embroiled in the investigation of the latter. Two extraordinary narratives are set in train - one historical, unfolding in the treacherous wartime years of Occupied France; the other contemporary, set in the autumn of 2020 as France re-enters Covid lockdown. And Enzo's investigations reveal an unexpected link between the murders - the Mona Lisa. Tasked by the exiled General Charles de Gaulle to keep the world's most famous painting out of Nazi hands after the fall of France in 1940, 28-year-old Georgette Pignal finds herself swept along by the tide of history. Following in the wake of Da Vinci's Mona Lisa as it is moved from château to château by the Louvre, she finds herself just one step ahead of two German art experts sent to steal it for rival patrons - Hitler and Göring. What none of them know is that the Louvre itself has taken exceptional measures to keep the painting safe, unwittingly setting in train a fatal sequence of events extending over seven decades. Events that have led to both killings. The Night Gate spans three generations, taking us from war-torn London, the Outer Hebrides of Scotland, Berlin and Vichy France, to the deadly enemy facing the world in 2020. In his latest novel, Peter May shows why he is one of the great contemporary writers of crime fiction. LOVED THE NIGHT GATE? Read the first book in the acclaimed China Thrillers, THE FIREMAKER LOVE PETER MAY? Order his thrilling standalone, A SILENT DEATH