Narrative temaer: død, sorg, tab

"I thought I forgave you," Eugenia Leigh tells the specter of her father in Bianca. "Then I took root and became / someone's mother." Leigh's gripping second collection introduces us to a woman managing marriage, motherhood, and mental illness as her childhood abuse resurfaces in the light of "this honeyed life." Leigh strives to reconcile the disconnect between her past and her present as she confronts the inherited violence mired in the body's history. As she "choose[s] to be tender to [her] child--a choice / [her] mangled brain makes each day," memories arise, asking the mother in her to tend, also, to the girl she once was. Thus, we meet her manic alter ego, whose history becomes the gospel of Bianca: "We all called her Bianca. My fever, my havoc, my tilt." These poems recover and reconsider Leigh's girlhood and young adulthood with the added context of PTSD and Bipolar Disorder. They document the labyrinth of a woman breaking free from the cycle of abuse, moving from anger to grief, from self-doubt to self-acceptance. Bianca is ultimately the testimony of one woman's daily recommitment to this life. To living. "I expected to die much younger than I am now," Leigh writes, in awe of the strangeness of now, of "every quiet and colossal joy."

A rich medley of broad and deep practical knowledge of the natural world.

Intet menneske er en ø. Det gælder også for disse ti personer, selv om nogle af dem føler sig som en sådan, og andre ønsker at være det. I Ud af ti mænd er de ramt på liv og identitet eller i gang med at sætte rammerne for en ny tilværelse. Så forskellige og samtidig alle bundet af bånd, blikke og mønstre. Novellerne handler om tiden, der løber fra en, men også om det, der muligvis kan indhentes eller nås. For uanset hvordan man vrider og vender sig, står mennesket altid midt i denne strøm af andre, hvor ikke engang en historie kan få lov til at stå alene.

"One eveningwhen they are sitting quietly togethershe breaks the silenceand starts to talk"Dorothy tells the complete story of a Yorkshire woman, in verse, from her birth early in the last century to her death in the first years of this. Like so many of her generation, she lived a life both ordinary and extraordinary; shaded by grief, troubled by family dynamics, and restricted by the realities of class, location and gender. Hers was a life where survival itself, the simple act of continuing, was a victory to be celebrated - but one where the reminders of why we continue, the blinding moments of sunshine when the clouds part, were that much sweeter because of it.Tender and insightful, harrowing and uplifting, Dorothy is a stunning act of empathy from a son towards his mother. Her story, told through the author's assured, unpretentious verse, is both specific and universal enough to resonate with all who encounter it; to challenge some, heal others, and leave a lasting impression on the world Dorothy came to love.

In Kindness Separates Night From Day, Marija Dejanovic "looks at herself from a distance until she recognizes herself." This collection is a marvel of refined verse that explores the concept of the eternal stranger: the self. As a deeply perceptive witness with a passion for reflection, Dejanovic's ideas unfold and bloom throughout as memory and history surface in the present, and recast it, to awaken readers from the slumber of self-evident happiness and make clear with crystalline imagery the beneficial truths of harsh realities.

Portals: Poems by Sean Sexton is as expansive in subject, tone, and structure as it is breathtaking in the lyrical quality of its craftsmanship and language. Reading this stunning collection is like looking inside the workings of the mind and soul and spirit of a man who has given his life to poetry but also to nature, family, friends, art, music, and-if that's not enough-the arduous life-work of a cattle rancher.

McHugh's poetry is driven by a profound care and concern for wildlife and our diminishing environment. Today's threats to our mental and physical health are lurking in the underbrush, waiting to be blown or ignited by forces beyond our control. Peace of mind is attainable if we work to protect our common destiny. The near future will determine what that destiny may be.

'Lyrical' Daily Mail'Beautiful' Spectator'Skilled' Financial Times'Vulnerable' Guardian'Deft' Independent'Profound' Observer'The beginning of summer. Perhaps it crosses my mind even now while I wait for news of Amy that something is coming towards us. Like sighting the first slow swell of a wave.'Years ago, in an almost accidental moment of heroism, Ed saved Amy from drowning. Now, in his thirties, he finds himself adrift. He's been living in London for years - some of them good - but he's stuck in a relationship he can't move forward, has a job that just pays the bills, and can't shake the sense that life should mean more than this. Perhaps all Ed needs is a moment to pause. To exhale and start anew. And when he meets Amy again by chance, it seems that happiness might not be so far out of reach. But then tragedy overtakes him, and Ed must decide whether to let history and duty define his life, or whether he should push against the tide and write his own story.Filled with hope and characteristic warmth, Undercurrent is a moving and intimate portrait of love, of life and why we choose to share ours with the people we do.

**THE NO. 1 INTERNATIONAL BESTSELLER**THE PLANNING TOOK MONTHS. THE MURDER JUST MOMENTS . . .'Seductive and twisted. Highly recommended!' SHARI LAPENA'A dazzling and dark 'locked room' murder mystery. A searing and compulsive mystery with deliciously dark twists' 5***** READER REVIEW'Wow. Once started I could not put this book down. It had me gripped from the first to last page. Secrets, lies, twists. A great summer read' 5***** READER REVIEW__________Nadine Walsh's party started with excitement. But it ended in murder . . .In the day, she frets over the final details. She's determined to make this the event of the year. A chance for everyone to forget the past.In the evening, she's distracted. Her husband and two grown children are consumed with their own concerns. The neighbours are getting on her nerves. But it's Nadine's own secrets that threaten the party.By the end of the night, she will be standing over a dead body . . .But which of her guests will she have murdered? And why?__________PRAISE FOR A DEATH AT THE PARTY'Absolutely compulsive reading. I inhaled this book over twenty-four hours' LIZ NUGENT'Made me hold my breath from the first line to the last' SAMANTHA M. BAILEY'Ominous and intimate' ASHLEY AUDRAIN'Chilling' STEPHANIE WROBELREADERS ARE THRILLED TO BE JOINING THE PARTY . . .'I read this gripping book in one day' 5***** READER REVIEW'What a party to be at!' 5***** READER REVIEW'Brilliant story keeping you in suspense from start to finish' 5***** READER REVIEW'I loved the twist at the end' 5***** READER REVIEW'The plot kept me guessing right up until the final revelation' 5***** READER REVIEW'Amy writes captivatingly and brings her characters to life' 5***** READER REVIEW'A brilliantly plotted novel' 5***** READER REVIEW'This book gripped me from the very beginning' 5***** READER REVIEW'Twisty and full of suspense. I was on the edge of my seat' 5***** READER REVIEW'An absolutely riveting story. A must-read' 5***** READER REVIEW

I en jernlunge på Blegdamshospitalet ligger en ung, poliosyg pige, hun er lammet og afhængig af maskinen, som hjælper hende med at trække vejret. På et børnehjemt i en skov uden for Budapest vokser et navnløst barn op og får kaldenavnet Dreng, men Dreng er ikke som de andre. Fanget i hver sin ensomhed længes de to unge mennesker efter kærlighed og frihed, og på tværs af tid og rum opstår et gådefuldt og ubrydeligt bånd imellem dem."Jernlungen" er en roman med historiske og fantastiske elementer; en original og gribende fortælling om køn og krop, kærlighed og frigørelse og om retten til at leve livet, som man selv vil - og som den, man er. Den ene del af handlingen foregår i København i 1950'erne, mens den anden del udspiller sig uden for Budapest i årene 1913–1917.

Deas hamster Kurt er blevet fladmast efter en cykelulykke og har været helt stille siden, men Dea er sikker på, at Kurt rører på sig lige om lidt, for Kurt er da i hvert fald ikke død eller er han?Accept af døden - serveret med morbid humorKurt gider ingenting. Den gider hverken glippe med øjnene eller vinke med poten. Svend mener, at den slet ikke bevæger sig. Dea er ikke helt sikker. På kirkegården møder de en lidt underlig mand, som også hedder Kurt, helt ligesom Deas hamster. Han ser lidt død ud i det, men til gengæld kan han fortælle masser af historier om alle de døde dyrs spændende liv og død. Men hvorfor fortæller han egentlig det? Der er jo ikke noget i vejen med Deas Kurt, eller er der?Graphic novel om den svære samtale om døden serveret med humor til målgruppen 6+En helt særegen graphic novel, som med en superfin balance mellem det humoristiske og det alvorlige åbner op for en ærlig snak om døden og om sorgen ved at miste. Billedsiden er helt fantastisk, med den afdøde Kurt og Deas fladmaste hamster. Helt klar anbefaling til såvel PLC som børnebiblioteker.Lektørudtalelsen

From the author of the award-winning and 'gritty, insightful debut' (Washington Post) Tap Out, Edgar Kunz's sophomore collection of poetry rolls up its sleeves to reckon with legacies of labor and the question of worth in a system built on exploitation.Fixer pairs love poems with elegies. Through the untimely death of his father, a handyman and addict, through first loves and lasting loves, Kunz asks what it costs, exactly, to build lives and relationships together. And is it possible to untether this work from the demands of daily survival?With lyrical yet accessible vignettes, expertly weaving melancholia and humor, Kunz brings the reader on a journey across the country, and through American late capitalism, that is both damning and brimming with hope.

I 1949 bliver Elisabeth og Niels forældre til en lille pige. Familien består i forvejen af tre børn. Niels arbejder oppe på Godset, hvor Elisabeth også hjælper til i køkkenet. De har en uvurderlig hjælp af nabokonen, Maren, som dagligt passer børnene. En uventet begivenhed kort tid efter fødslen kommer til at presse den lille familie yderligere. Inden længe kommer naboparret, Marie og Kresten, og deres søn, Troels, til at spille en større rolle i den lille families liv.På Godset afslører fru Kjærgaard og hendes mand, Chresten, at tiden er inde til et generationsskifte. Sønnen Henning skal køres i stilling til at varetage driften af Godset fremover. Fruen tilbyder Elisabeth en unik mulighed for at sy på Godset, men Elisabeth begynder at føle en vis modvilje fra Henning. Er Elisabeth i stand til at gribe chancen for at udleve sin drøm om at sy, nu hvor hun får muligheden, eller skal hun lade sig begrænse af de forhindringer, hun møder på sin vej?¨Uddrag af bogen”Jamen mor, jeg sagde bare, at det er godt, du starter igen. Så undgår vi at komme på børnehjem og at de tager huset fra os,” sagde Alice og så glad ud. ”Hvor har du den snak fra, sødeste Alice,” sagde Maren og rystede på hovedet. ”Ja, det har nogle af drengene henne i skolen sagt,” røg det ud af Alice. Pigen ville ellers have holdt det for sig selv og nu kiggede hun flovt ned i bordet. ”Det har de så absolut slet ingen forstand på,” svarede Elisabeth hurtigt. Søren og Frederik, der også havde fået deres æggesnaps godkendt af Maren, stoppede i det samme med at indtage mere af den luftige masse. ”Jeg vil ikke på børnehjem,” sagde Søren bestemt. Hans øjne lynede og han lagde armene over kors.Om forfatteren Winnie Sønderholm Kristensen (f. 1971) er opvokset i Drantum ved Brande. Hun er uddannet farmaceut. Elisabeth er hendes debut som romanforfatter.

A vital, poetic reimagining of an ancient text. Grendel's Mother, inspired by the famous Anglo-Saxon epic poem Beowulf, gives a voice to the monster's mother. Gardner tells the story in verse, blending the ancient form of epic poetry with modern forms. Grendel's Mother is unnamed in Beowulf, and she remains unnamed here. This seemingly essential lack speaks about the marginalised everywhere. It shows that the unknown and the disregarded can relate their experiences and that their perspectives have value. The poems evoke images of proud warriors, the music of the psaltery, laughter in the mead hall and the sounds of nature, the forest, and the ocean. They also probe the meaning of monstrousness in womanhood and the struggles of a marginalised human being in the harsh world of our ancestors, and, indeed, in any world.