Virgin Suicides by Jeffrey Eugenides

Title: The Virgin Suicides
Author: Jeffrey Eugenides
Blurb: The shocking thing about the girls was how nearly normal they seemed when their mother let them out for the one and only date of their lives. Twenty years on, their enigmatic personalities are embalmed in the memories of the boys who worshipped them and who now recall their shared adolescence: the brassiere draped over a crucifix belonging to the promiscuous Lux; the sisters' breathtaking appearance on the night of the dance; and the sultry, sleepy street across which they watched a family disintegrate and fragile lives disappear.

The haunting, humourous and tender story of the brief lives of the five entrancing Lisbon sisters, now a major film.

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A Long Way Down by Nick Hornby

Title: A Long Way Down
Author: Nick Hornby
Blurb: For disgraced TV presenter Martin Sharp the answer's pretty simple: he has in his own words, "pissed his life away". And on New Year's Eve he's going to end it all...But not, as it happens, alone. Because first single-mum Maureen, then eighteen-year-old Jess and lastly American rock-god JJ turn up and crash Martin's private party. They've stolen his idea - but brought their own reasons.

Yes it's hard to jump when you've got an audience queuing impatiently behind you. A few heated words and some slices of cold pizza later and these four strangers are suddenly allies. But is their ulikely friendship a good enough reason to carry on living?

Film rights were rumoured to have been bought, by Hollywood actor Johnny Depp, before this book even made it to publication. It is currently in pre-production, and is currently set to star Emile Hirsch, Pierce Brosnan and Toni Collette (subject to change, of course), with a release date of "2013".


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The Book Thief by Markus Zusak

Title: The Book Thief
Author: Markus Zusak
Blurb: Here is a small fact: You are going to die.

1939. Nazi Germany.  The country is holding its breath. Death has never been so busy.

Liesel, a nine-year-old girl, is living with a foster family on Himmel Street. Her parents have been taken away to a concentration camp. Liesel steals books. This is her story and the story of the inhabitants of her street when the bombs begin to fall.

Some important information: This novel is narrated by death.

It's a small story, about:

• a girl
• an accordionist
• some fanatical Germans
• a Jewish fist fighter
• and quite a lot of thievery.

Another thing you should know: Death will visit the book thief three times.

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This Book Will Save Your Life by A.M. Homes

Title: This Book Will Save Your Life
Author: A.M. Homes
Blurb: Trading stocks and shares out of his beautiful LA home, Richard Novak sees no one except his trainer, housekeeper and nutritionist, who delivers regular supplies of macrobiotic, low card food. He is so out of touch with his feelings that his life has slowed almost to a standstill. Following an attack of inexplicable and excruciating pain that lands him in the emergency room, Richard befriends Anhil, a doughnut shop owner. His solitary routine broken, and his diet sabotaged by sugary baked goods, Richard's dramatic emotion thaw begins...

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Juliet, Naked by Nick Hornby

Title: Juliet, Naked
Author: Nick Hornby
Blurb: Annie's put fifteen years into safe, slightly obsessive Duncan, and now she'd like her money back, please. It's time to move on. But she lives in Gooleness, the north's answer to a question nobody asked, Is she really going to find real, proper, feel-it-deep-down-in-your-boots love on a damp and windy seafront? Or perhaps she should follow her heart and pursue Tucker, the reclusive American rock star, who keeps emailing her his smart advice.

But between Annie and her second chance lie a few obstacles. There's Malcolm, the world's most judgemental therapist, and Barnesy, the north's most extrovert dancer. There's what men and women will do and won't do for love. And of course, there's Tucker...

Hilarious and tender, Juliet, Naked will move you in ways both profound and surprising.

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Girlfriend in a Coma by Douglas Coupland

Title: Girlfriend in a Coma
Author: Douglas Coupland
Blurb: It's 15 December 1979, and Richard's girlfriend Karen has entered a deep coma. She only took a couple of valium washed down with a cocktail, but now she's locked away in suspended animation, oblivious to the passage of time. What if she were to wake up decades later - a 17-year-old in a distant future, a future where world has gone dark?

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