Saturday May 19th. On the way to Hackney City Farm

Second Oldest (title NM, text JC)
"Throughout my life, 'second oldest' has always equalled 'second best' - read how I turned my life around and came out the other side an addict of Soft Cell, fried egg sandwiches and perverse thoughts.

Captured 23 (title NM, text DJ)
The chilling tale of the capture and kidnap scenario of 'Cathy', a 23 year old pure breed cat, the only one of her breed to live to this old age. This gripping psychocelestial tale will tug on your heartstrings and leave you questioning the morals of animal welfare

Spicy Tomato (title NM, text JM)
Spicy Tomato is a bit of a character! She has an exotic adventure when she falls from the shopping bag into a jar of chutney. Ooo, what a mess!
Spicy Tomato is the latest in our colourful series 'The Tomato Kids', suitable for children 5-8 years old. Also in the series: 

• Grilled Tomato: a tale set in early 80's London, in the days  of 'stop and search'.  'Grilled Tomato' is beautifully illustrated
• Fried Tomato: a morality story warning children about the dangers of heavy drug use. Written in a style that is both accessible and enjoyable.
• Sun-dried Tomato: little Cherry Tomato visits her middle-aged aunt, who has lived in Ibiza for 20 years. Cherry is a bit frightened of her auntie's scary face.

May 12th

Two gems of London life...

The Impoverished (title NM, text JM)

Hal Jape has reached crisis point. His cushy job writing online reviews of digital equipment looks to be coming to an end, his long-term girlfriend has left him for a would-be property developer, and his children have stopped speaking to him. His early mid-life crisis leads him to book into the notorious spiritual retreat ‘Urban Hope’.  Hosted by an inner-city priest, the retreat is located in a disused tower block in Newham.  During his time of spiritual cleansing, Hal meets the charismatic Reverend Blush and an ill-matched cast of media has-beens, long-term no hopers and second-rate academics all hoping, like Hal, for a 21^st century redemption.   Part tragi-comedy, part dark satire of modern civilisation, ‘The Impoverished’ offers hope, critique and ripe belly laughs to a discerning reader.  

The 21^st Century (title NM, text JM)

A sobering tale set in the not-too-distant future. ‘The 21^st Century’ is an antique shop with a difference: most of the objects it contains are not antiques, and many of them do not even exist yet. Conceptual artist-turned-shop-keeper Alan Sand, disillusioned with modern society and achingly frustrated with his failure to succeed as first an artist then as an entrepreneur, burns his collection of artworks and business stock, and rebrands his Dalston shop as ‘The 21^st Century’, throwing open  his doors one evening to reveal nothing for sale bar two carriage clocks.  Alan finally unwittingly achieves the fame he has so long craved through offering an increasingly jaded metropolitan public what they never realised they wanted: a baroque assortment of nothing for the home.   The story of his fall, rise and eventual final fall are told with wry affection in this startling first novel.

Rum Blazer 3 (May 2nd)

Linger (title JM, text NM)
A stunning debut from a former pimp turned adviser to the Mayor of London on sex-trafficking, 'Linger' is a tragi-comic Proustian fable of addiction and hedonism.  Kenneth Pocket is a long-serving member of Dagenham Council, who has worked his way up through the political ranks to join the Board of the Metropolitan Police Authority. The story, and Kenneth's life, his past, present and future, are reflected through one moment in a presentation on the effects of sex work, which is described in a tour-de-force of 86 pages, in which Kenneth's gaze is held for a few seconds too long by the Latvian prostitute giving evidence to his board of enquiry. Melding a history of popular culture of the seventies, eighties and nineties with a personal romantic and sexual memoir, the author has created a work like no other.

Mix and Mash (title NM, text JM)
The cook book you've been waiting for! Just the thing for those long, cold winters, a set of 100 chop-smacking recipes to fill your boots. Each recipe features a new take on that humble staple - the mashed potato.  Spud-u-Like? You bet! You'll be entertained and entranced with this exotic collection. From the Victorian-inspired "Mash and Brains" to the ethereal "Mash with Peacock Feathers", you'll never be stuck for a mid-week supper again!

•  "Powerful Stuff" - Heston Blumenthal

• "Make mine a 'Mash with Beans Explosion'" - Prince Charles