Recommendations based on "The Birds and the Bees"

A BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR • A USA TODAY BESTSELLER • A brilliantly funny novel about friends, lovers, Ireland in chaos, and a young woman desperately trying to manage all three • “O'Donoghue deepens the familiar coming-of-age premise with riveting moral complications." —People"If you’ve ever been unsure what to do with your degree in English; if you’ve ever wondered when the rug-buying part of your life will start...if you’ve ever loved the wrong person, or the right person at the wrong time…In short, if you’ve ever been young, you will love The Rachel Incident like I did.” —Gabrielle Zevin, New York Times best-selling author of Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and TomorrowRachel is a student working at a bookstore when she meets James, and it’s love at first sight. Effervescent and insistently heterosexual, James soon invites Rachel to be his roommate and the two begin a friendship that changes the course of both their lives forever. Together, they run riot through the streets of Cork city, trying to maintain a bohemian existence while the threat of the financial crash looms before them.When Rachel falls in love with her married professor, Dr. Fred Byrne, James helps her devise a reading at their local bookstore, with the goal that she might seduce him afterwards. But Fred has other desires. So begins a series of secrets and compromises that intertwine the fates of James, Rachel, Fred, and Fred’s glamorous, well-connected, bourgeois wife. Aching with unrequited love, shot through with delicious, sparkling humor, The Rachel Incident is a triumph.

No one’s ever told Eleanor that life should be better than fine.Meet Eleanor Oliphant: She struggles with appropriate social skills and tends to say exactly what she’s thinking. Nothing is missing in her carefully timetabled life of avoiding social interactions, where weekends are punctuated by frozen pizza, vodka, and phone chats with Mummy.But everything changes when Eleanor meets Raymond, the bumbling and deeply unhygienic IT guy from her office. When she and Raymond together save Sammy, an elderly gentleman who has fallen on the sidewalk, the three become the kinds of friends who rescue one another from the lives of isolation they have each been living. And it is Raymond’s big heart that will ultimately help Eleanor find the way to repair her own profoundly damaged one.Soon to be a major motion picture produced by Reese Witherspoon, Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine is the smart, warm, and uplifting story of an out-of-the-ordinary heroine whose deadpan weirdness and unconscious wit make for an irresistible journey as she realizes. . .The only way to survive is to open your heart.

Thirty-two-year-old Hetty Greengrass is the star around which the rest of her family orbits. Marriage, motherhood and helping Dan run Sunnybank Farm have certainly kept her hands full for the last twelve years. But when her daughter Poppy has to choose her inspiration for a school project and picks her aunt, not her mum, Hetty is left full of self-doubt. Hettys always been generous with her time and until now, her biggest talent baking deliciously moreish shortcrust pastry pies has been limited to charity work and the village fete. But taking part in a competition run by Cumbrias Finest to find the very best produce from the region might be just the thing to make her daughter proud . . . and reclaim something for herself.Except that life isnt as simple as producing the perfect pie. Changing the status quo isnt easy and with cracks appearing in her marriage and shocking secrets coming to light, Hetty must decide where her priorities really lie . . .Your favourite authors have loved reading bestseller Cathy Katie Fforde'Full of joy and fun' Milly Johnson'Delightfully warm with plenty of twists and turns' Trisha Ashley

INTERNATIONAL BESTSELLERIn this utterly charming debut—perfect for fans of Cecelia Ahern’s P.S., I Love You andAllison Winn Scotch’s Time of My Life—one woman sets out to complete her old list of childhood goals, and finds that her lifelong dreams lead her down a path she never expects.1. Go to Paris2. Have a baby, maybe two3. Fall in loveBrett Bohlinger seems to have it all: a plum job, a spacious loft, an irresistibly handsome boyfriend. All in all, a charmed life. That is, until her beloved mother passes away, leaving behind a will with one big stipulation: In order to receive her inheritance, Brett must first complete the life list of goals she’d written when she was a naïve girl of fourteen. Grief-stricken, Brett can barely make sense of her mother’s decision—her childhood dreams don’t resemble her ambitions at age thirty-four in the slightest. Some seem impossible. How can she possibly have a relationship with a father who died seven years ago? Other goals (Be an awesome teacher!) would require her to reinvent her entire future. As Brett reluctantly embarks on a perplexing journey in search of her adolescent dreams, one thing becomes clear. Sometimes life’s sweetest gifts can be found in the most unexpected places.Praise for The Life List“A wonderful, touching story that reminds us to live life to its fullest.”—Cecelia Ahern, New York Times bestselling author of P.S., I Love You“Spielman’s debut charms.”—Kirkus Reviews“You won’t want to miss Lori Nelson Spielman’s remarkable debut, an intensely emotional novel of transformation and trust. It’s about how we let go, and how we never let go. The Life List has great heart, and even greater soul.”─Sarah Addison Allen, New York Times bestselling author of The Peach Keeper“Irresistible! Everything I love and look for in women’s fiction. A clever, funny, moving page-turner.”─Susan Elizabeth Phillips, New York Times bestselling author of The Great EscapeLook for special features inside. Join the Random House Reader’s Circle for author chats and more.

**Josie Lloyd's heart-warming and joyful new novel, Lifesaving for Beginners, is available for pre-order now!** *** 'Amazing, heartbreaking and inspiring' Jenny Colgan 'A love letter to the power of friendship, honest and uplifting' Jill Mansell 'A fiercely positive story, about the power of hope' Mike Gayle *** Sometimes we need our friends to help us find our feet... When Keira first receives her breast cancer diagnosis, she doesn't want to have to tell her family, or step back from work. She doesn't want to sit in a hospital, or be part of a group of fellow cancer patients. Cancer is not her club. But as she accepts that her health is no longer something she can rely on, Keira finds herself embracing running. And running in the company of a group of brilliant, funny women each going through treatment unexpectedly gives Keira the hope she needs. Because the C-word is not going to define Keira's identity. And with the Cancer Ladies' Running Club cheering her on, she's going to reclaim her life. One step at a time. Life isn't always the race we expected to run but this moving and uplifting novel is full of hope and about love, family, friendship and the power of finding your tribe. ****** 'A wise, warm and wonderful novel ... an incredibly moving, uplifting and hopeful story that looks at the power of finding your tribe. It will make you smile and love life just a little bit more' Adele Parks, Platinum 'Uplifting and positive, you will be cheering them along' Prima 'An honest read that, despite its heart-wrenching topic, will uplift and inspire you' Heat 'Made me believe in life and in love. Hopeful and life-changing' Katie Marsh, author of The Rest of Me 'An amazing story that shows us all the strength of the human spirit and the power of friendship. An inspiration!' Magic Radio

A breathtaking, joy-filled novel about the people we love, the secrets we keep, and the enduring power of family, from the bestselling author of The Unsinkable Greta James.The four Endicott siblings—Gemma, Connor, Roddy, and Jude—were once inseparable, a bond created by the absence of their dazzling, mercurial mother, who would return for a few weeks each summer to whisk them off on sprawling road trips around the country.Decades later, the unthinkable has happened: the Endicotts haven’t spoken in years . . . until an out-of-the-blue text arrives from Jude, now a famous actress, summoning them to a small town in North Dakota. They’re each at a crossroads: Gemma, who put her own ambitions aside to raise the others, now isn’t sure if she wants to be a mother herself; Connor, a celebrated novelist, is floundering after his recent divorce and suffering from an epic case of writer’s block; and Roddy, at the tail end of a professional soccer career, is dangerously close to losing his future husband for the chance at one last season.Jude is the only Endicott who seems to have it all together—but appearances can be deceiving. As the weekend unfolds, and the siblings wrestle with their shared past and uncertain futures, they’ll discover that Jude has been keeping three secrets . . . each of which could change everything.A captivating journey and an ode to forgiveness that takes readers across all fifty states, Fun for the Whole Family brims with heart and resonates long after the final page.

“[An] irresistible invitation to share the lives of people who believe in enduring values.”—Detroit Free PressIt began with Benny Hogan and Eve Malone, growing up, inseparable, in the village of Knockglen.Benny—the only child, yearning to break free from her adoring parents. . . .Eve—the orphaned offspring of a convent handyman and a rebellious blueblood, abandoned by her mother's wealthy family to be raised by nuns.Eve and Benny—they knew the sins and secrets behind every villager's lace curtains . . . except their own.It widened at Dublin, at the university where Benny and Eve met beautiful Nan Mahlon and Jack Foley, a doctor's handsome son. But heartbreak and betrayal would bring the worlds of Knockglen and Dublin into explosive collision. Long-hidden lies would emerge to test the meaning of love and the strength of ties held within the fragile gold bands of a. . . Circle Of Friends.Praise for Circle of Friends“A rare pleasure . . . at terrific tale, told by a master storyteller.”—Susan Isaacs, The New York Times Book Review“Circle of Friends welcomes you in.”—The Washington Post

Romantic and escapist debut fiction from the nation's best loved TV presenter, Carol Kirkwood. 'Loved it! ! It sizzles with secrets and passion. A real page turner!' Jo Thomas 'Utterly engaging, deliciously escapist, with a heart as warm as its author's' Cathy Kelly, bestselling author of The Family Gift

Aisling Is 31, And She's Still A Complete Aisling. With Ballygobrunch Flying And The Door Firmly Closed On Her Relationship With John, Aisling Accepts An Unexpected Job Offer And Boards A Business-class Flight To New York In Her Best Wrap Dress And Heels. As She Finds Her Feet In The Big Apple, She Throws Herself Into The Dating Game, Grapples With 'always-on' Work Culture, Forges And Fights For New Friendships And Brings Her Good Wedges To A Party In The Hamptons, Much To Sadhbh's Dismay. But Catching Up With Family And Friends On Whatsapp And Email Is Not The Same As Sitting In Maguire's Putting The World To Rights Over Mini Bottles Of Pinot Greej And A Shared Bag Of Taytos. And Yet New York Has So Much To Offer, Not Least In The Ridey Fireman Department. When A Crisis In Ballygobard Makes Her Doubt Her Place In Manhattan, Can Aisling Retain Her New York State Of Mind, Or Will The Lure Of Home Be Too Much To Resist? 'emer Mclysaght And Sarah Breen Offer Their Many Readers A Safe, Convivial, Unceremonious Berth In Challenging Times.' The Irish Times 'aisling Is The Best Of Us; The Sort Of Person The World Needs.' The Irish Times 'a Fictional Creature Now As Beloved By Irish Women As Anyone Who Comes From The Pens Of Marian Keyes Or Maeve Binchy, Two Other Writers Whose Work Could Also Be Said To Sum Up The Essential Experience Of Being An Irish Woman.' Lia Hynes, Sunday Independent 'emer Mclysaght And Sarah Breen Can Look Into Their Hearts And Know Exactly What The Women Of Ireland Want.' Irish Independent 'the Literary Equivalent Of Lightning In A Bottle. Aisling Is A Tremendous Creation: Fun, Warm, Charming, Kind ... Breen And Mclysaght Have A Canny Knack Of Hitting On Emotional Truths. A Brilliantly Breezy, Companionable Read.' Tanya Sweeney, Irish Independent 'a Charming Creation. Aisling Seems On Course To Match The Longevity Of Her Masculine Polar Opposite Ross O'carroll Kelly.' Irish Mail On Sunday 'oh My God, Such A Warm Glow This Book Gave Me. In A Sometimes Sad World It Lifted My Heart.' Marian Keyes 'soul Soothing - L Laughed On Every Page.' Sophie White, Sunday Independent 'a Tribute To The Warmth, Charm And Resilience Of Modern Irish Women, Aisling Is Well On Her Way To Becoming One Of The Most Beloved Characters In Irish Literature.' Irish Independent

One summer can change everything . . .Perfect for readers who love Debbie Johnson, Cathy Bramley and Trisha Ashley.“Warm and funny and feel-good. The best sort of holiday read.” Katie Fforde"Filled with warm and likeable characters. Great fun!" Jill MansellDemi doesn’t expect her summer in Cornwall to hold anything out of the ordinary. As a waitress, working all hours to make ends meet, washing dishes and serving ice creams seems to be as exciting as the holiday season is about to get.That’s until she meets Cal Penwith. An outsider, like herself, Cal is persuaded to let Demi help him renovate his holiday resort, Kilhallon Park. Set above an idyllic Cornish cove, the once popular destination for tourists has now gone to rack and ruin. During the course of the Cornish summer, Demi makes new friends – and foes – as she helps the dashing and often infuriating Cal in his quest. Working side by side, the pair grow close, but Cal has complications in his past which make Demi wonder if he could ever truly be interested in her.Demi realises that she has finally found a place she can call home. But as the summer draws to a close, and Demi’s own reputation as an up and coming café owner starts to spread, she is faced with a tough decision . . .A gorgeous story exploring new beginnings, new love and new opportunities, set against the stunning background of the Cornish coast – starring a feisty, compelling heroine who leaps off the page and encourages you to live your summer to the full.If you loved Summer at the Cornish Cafe, don’t miss the next in the Penwith Trilogy, Christmas at the Cornish Cafe!Phillipa Ashley's book 'Four Weddings and a Christmas' was a Sunday Times bestseller w/c 2023-11-13.