Fifteen-year-old Charley Thompson wants a home, food on the table and a high school he can attend for more than part of a year. But as the son of a single father working in warehouses across the Pacific Northwest, Charley's been pretty much on his own. When tragic events leave him homeless weeks after their move to Portland, Oregon, Charley seeks refuge in the tack room of a run-down horse track. Charley's only comforts are his friendship with a failing...

'Brave, acute, elated, naked, brutal, tender, humane and beautiful... If you can't handle the violence of regret the novel will awaken in you, or the agony of remembering wanting someone more than you wanted anything in your life, or the exquisite suffering that comes with the gain, and loss, of something that neared perfect understanding, then don't read this book... Otherwise, open the cover and let Aciman pull the pin from the grenade.' Nicole...

Ham on Rye follows the path of Bukowski's alter-ego Henry Chinaski through the high school years of acne and rejection and into the beginning of a long and successful career in alcoholism. The novel begins against the backdrop of an America devastated by the Depression and takes the Chinaski legend up to the bombing of Pearl Harbour. Arguably Bukowski's finest novel.

The Truth of Things: Life is pretty tough for Nicky and Kenny. Their mum is gone and their dad has had his troubles. Money is tight and people can be cruel about Kenny's learning difficulties. But through it all, the brothers stick together, sharing adventures and their love of the natural world, while finding humour in the most difficult of circumstances. Lark: Things are tense at home for Nicky and Kenny. Their mum's coming to visit and it will...

David is funny and quirky and has always felt different from other people - but he also has a huge secret that only his two best friends know. Ever since he can remember, he has felt like a girl trapped in the body of a boy.

Grace Makutsi's husband Phuti is in a bind. An international firm is attempting to undercut his prices in the office furniture market. Phuti has always been concerned with quality and comfort, but this new firm seems interested only in profits. To make matters worse, they have a slick new advertising campaign that seems hard to beat. Nonetheless, with Mma Ramotswe's help, Phuti comes up with a campaign that may just do the trick. Meanwhile, Mma Makutsi...