The nation's favourite annual guide to the short story, now in its twelfth year.Best British Short Stories invites you to judge a book by its cover – or, more accurately, by its title. This critically acclaimed series aims to reprint the best short stories published in the previous calendar year by British writers, whether based in the UK or elsewhere. The editor's brief is wide ranging, covering anthologies, collections, magazines, newspapers and web site...

Mona Dash’s first child is born with SCID (Severe Combined Immuno-Deficiency) for which there is no treatment in his country. And so begins her roller-coaster journey which spans ten years, takes her from India to London, and involves her in the complexities of genetic medicine. Mona Dash writes her story of genetics roulette without self-pity, with astounding courage and even humour. Her memoir contains valuable information for couples facing infertility and complicated pregnancies, for p...

THE MILLION COPY BESTSELLERBOOK OF THE YEAR AT THE NATIONAL BOOK AWARDS'Painfully funny. The pain and the funniness somehow add up to something entirely good, entirely noble and entirely loveable.' - Stephen FryWelcome to the life of a junior doctor: 97-hour weeks, life and death decisions, a constant tsunami of bodily fluids, and the hospital parking meter earns more than you.Scribbled in secret after endles...

Everything you need to know about caring for your new baby, from feeding to sleeping and everything in between - every parent's new best friend.'Cath Curtin is the newborn baby guru! A calming voice, a gentle hand and a wealth of knowledge during one of the most incredible but terrifying times of your life - new parenthood. To have Cath's support after the birth of my first son was invaluable and I don't know how I would have done it without her!' Rebecca Judd...

At the age of twenty-eight, with his Beijing-based science communications business doing well and a new relationship blossoming, Ben Bravery woke from a colonoscopy to be told he had stage 3 colorectal cancer.As a scientist, Ben understood the seriousness of his condition. Cancer had quite literally whacked him in the guts, after all. But what he didn't expect was how being a patient, and a young one at that, would make him feel. Why hadn't he been better prepared for the embarrass...

A book on pregnancy loss, dispelling the myths about miscarriage and stillbirth.'Invaluable for those dealing with pregnancy loss - medically and emotionally' Dr Devora Lieberman, MD, MPH, FRANZCOG, gynaecologist and fertility specialist When a pregnancy fails, grieving parents often wonder why no one mentioned it could happen. Yet one in every four women will experience miscarriage or stillbirth. Mother of two and health writer Zoe taylor has survived repeated pregnancy losses. In ...

Soon to be a major film directed by Coky Giedroyc and starring Ladybird's Beanie Feldstein as Johanna Morrigan and Game of Thrones's Alfie Allen as John KiteMy name’s Johanna Morrigan. I’m fourteen, and I’ve just decided to kill myself.I don’t really want to die, of course! I just need to kill Johanna, and build a new girl. Dolly Wilde will be everything I want to be, and more! But as with all the best coming-of-age stories, it doesn’t exa...

Since its launch in June 2000, hundreds of thousands of mums (and a fair few dads too) have swapped answers, recommendations and war stories on Mumsnet.com. They have debated the pros and cons of organic baby food, fretted over whether or not to use dummies - and how to wean children off them - shared breast-feeding tips, agonised over the best nursery schools, helped each other through the upheavals of returning to work and swapped tips on anything from feuding siblings, to mysterious ill...

‘None of us get out of life alive, so be gallant, be great, be gracious, and be grateful for the opportunities you have.’ Jake Bailey’s inspirational end-of-year speech as head boy at Christchurch Boys’ High School was delivered from a wheelchair just one week after he was diagnosed with the most aggressive of cancers. As he lay in hospital fighting to stay alive, his speech grabbed headlines around the world. Jake’s cancer, and that speech, became the start of a bigger journey that contin...

The best of the best …This essential book takes a decade of Best Australian Stories and selects the most outstanding short fiction by the country’s finest writers. These stories range widely in style and subject matter: there is drama and comedy, subtlety and extravagance, tales of suspense, love, fantasy, grief and revenge. Together they showcase the strength and diversity of Australian fiction at its very best.Contributors include: Murray Bail, D...

At the age of 38 acclaimed novelist Julia Leigh made her first visit to the IVF clinic, full of hope. So started a long and costly journey of nightly injections, blood tests, surgeries and rituals.Writing in the immediate aftermath of her decision to stop treatment, Leigh lays bare the truths of her experience: the highs of hope and the depths of disappointment; the grip of yearning and desire; the toll on her relationships; the unexpected graces and moments of black humour. Along t...

'An intricately crafted novel, sharp-eared, current and full of heart' Guardian, Books of the YearA spirited fourteen-year-old, Fay, goes missing from a Lincoln council estate. Is she a runaway, or a victim – another face on a poster gradually fading with time? The story of her last few days before she vanishes is interwoven with the varied lives of six locals – all touched in life-changing ways.David is on a family holiday on the bleak Lincolnshir...