Related to: 'Worn out Olly Murs...'

Chapter One

THE YELLOW BIRDS by Kevin Powers

Read the first chapter of Kevin Powers' THE YELLOW BIRDS - described by the Guardian as 'a must-read book'.

Chapter One

COME SUNDAY, by Isla Morley

Read the first chapter of Isla Morley's COME SUNDAY.

Chapter One: A Morning in Vermillion

SHADES OF GREY, by Jasper Fforde

Read the first chapter of Jasper Fforde's brilliant SHADES OF GREY.

Chapter One

TINKER TAILOR SOLDIER SPY, by John le Carré

Read the first chapter of John le Carré's acclaimed TINKER TAILOR SOLDIER SPY, now a major film.

Chapter One

BROKEN HARBOUR, by Tana French

Read the first chapter of Tana French's newest novel, BROKEN HARBOUR.

Prologue

LIFESAVING FOR BEGINNERS by Ciara Geraghty

Read the prologue of Ciara Geraghty's newest novel, LIFESAVING FOR BEGINNERS.

Chapter One: Suicide Corner

SCARP by Nick Papadimitriou

Read the first chapter of Nick Papadimitriou's SCARP.

Members of the Hodder team on David Mitchell's brilliant novel

The Week of a Thousand Autumns

Over the course of a week, various members of the Hodder team write about their experience with David Mitchell's THE THOUSAND AUTUMNS OF JACOB DE ZOET.

Sceptre

Colour

Victoria Finlay

Part travelogue, part narrative history, 'Colour' unlocks the history of the colours of the rainbow, and reveals how paints came to be invented, discovered, traded and used. This remarkable and beautifully written book remembers a time when red paint was really the colour of blood, when orange was the poison pigment, blue as expensive as gold, and yellow made from the urine of cows force-fed with mangoes. It looks at how green was carried by yaks along the silk road, and how an entire nation was founded on the colour purple.Exciting, richly informative, and always surprising, 'Colour' lifts the lid on the historical palette and unearths an astonishing wealth of stories about the quest for colours, and our efforts to understand them.

Chapter One: The Rules of Play

EDGE by Jeffery Deaver

Read the first chapter of Jeffery Deaver's 2010 thriller, EDGE.

Coronet

Mummy's Boy

Larry Lamb

Acting wasn't a long-held childhood dream for Larry Lamb, instead his childhood memories are filled with recollections of his parents continuously fighting. His mother and father were totally mismatched, the only thing they shared in common was their children and life in the Lamb household veered from laughter and happy moments to hysterical outbursts and terrifying episodes. Larry, the eldest of three children was only too often caught in the middle and found himself at the centre of his father's raging anger, tormented by a man who struggled with the enormity of fatherhood. When his parents' marriage finally broke down, Larry's mother moved out along with her baby daughter and as they grew up, Larry and his brother, Wesley, lived with their father, seeing their mother and sister only in rushed meetings at bus stops and in public parks. For years Larry didn't know where his mum lived and he didn't dare talk of her at home, his mother's presence left a gaping hole. As soon as Larry was old enough, he left home. Putting as much distance as he could between himself and his volatile childhood, he set off on a journey that would take him to work as an encyclopaedia salesman in Germany, in the oil business in Libya and Nova Scotia until he found himself starring on Broadway. In time it would take him to Hollywood too and bring him leading roles on the Square in Eastenders and in Billericay in the much-loved comedy Gavin and Stacey.Along the way Larry wasn't just trying to make his own way in the world, he was seeking the close female companionship he'd missed out on with his mother too. After a series of relationships, he found himself back in England and father to George. Facing fatherhood was a pivotal moment, so easily he could have fallen into the ways of his own father but whilst his marriage to George's mother didn't last, he couldn't let the same mistakes be repeated again and he vowed to have the relationship with his son that he'd never been able to have with his father. Mummy's Boy is by turns heartrending as Larry recalls the relationship broken beyond repair with his father, searingly honest as he describes the effect his childhood had in later life and hugely entertaining as he tells captivating tales of making it as an actor, breaking out from his little world in Essex and finding himself in a new life on stage and screen.'What a life! I loved it. Almost as good as sitting with him and listening to his stories.' Rob Brydon'A wonderful story of survival against the odds told with compassion and humour. This is so much more than a showbiz autobiography.' Anne Robinson'Mummy's Boy manages to be touching, funny and uniquely warm all at once. A must-read.'Best

Chapter One

RIVER OF SMOKE, by Amitav Ghosh

Read the first chapter of Amitav Ghosh's RIVER OF SMOKE, the second book of his Ibis trilogy.

Chapter One: Fellow Travellers

A STREET CAT NAMED BOB, by James Bowen

Read the first chapter of James Bowen's inspiring A STREET CAT NAMED BOB.

Chapter One

UNEXPECTED LESSONS IN LOVE, by Bernardine Bishop

Read the first chapter of Bernardine Bishop's new book, UNEXPECTED LESSONS IN LOVE, published by John Murray in January 2013.

Chapter One: God's Work or the Devil's Machinations

THE BOOK OF MADNESS AND CURES, by Regina O'Melveny

Read the first chapter of Regina O'Melveny's THE BOOK OF MADNESS AND CURES.

Chapter One: God's Work or the Devil's Machinations

THE BOOK OF MADNESS AND CURES, by Regina O'Melveny

Read the first chapter of Regina O'Melveny's THE BOOK OF MADNESS AND CURES.

Extract

GRACE WILLIAMS SAYS IT LOUD, by Emma Henderson

Read an excerpt of Emma Henderson's GRACE WILLIAMS SAYS IT ALL, shortlisted for the Orange Prize 2011.

Coronet

The 100 Most Pointless Arguments in the World

Alexander Armstrong, Richard Osman
Chapter One: The Old Long Since

RULES OF CIVILITY, by Amor Towles

Read the first chapter of Amor Towles' RULES OF CIVILITY.

Reading Group Guide

AUTHENTIC: RELATIONSHIPS FROM THE INSIDE OUT by Sarah Abell

Reading group questions intended as a guide for anyone wishing to go through AUTHENTIC: RELATIONSHIPS FROM THE INSIDE OUT by Sarah Abell as a group.