A richly inventive collection of stories about our enduring love of books from the Booker Prize-shortlisted, Women's Prize-winning author of How to be both and the critically acclaimed Seasonal quartet

'Smith is dazzling in her daring. Sheer inventive power' Observer

Why are books so powerful?
What do the books we read make of us?
And what does the vanishing of public libraries say about us?

These stories are about what we do with books and what they do with us: how they travel with us; how they shock us, change us, challenge us, banish time while making us older, wiser and ageless all at once; how they remind us to pay attention to the world we make.

Public libraries are places of joy, freedom, community and discovery - and they are under threat from funding cuts and widespread closures across the UK and further afield. With this brilliantly inventive collection, Ali Smith raises her voice in defence of our public libraries, celebrating their essential place in our culture and history.

*****

'Ali Smith is a one-off. Her imagination and originality make her one of the most exciting novelists of her generation' Daily Express

'In Ali Smith we have a writer whose dazzling sophistication will surely be celebrated, studied and argues over hundreds of years after we're gone' Scotsman

'Smith's world is incredibly generous - it's a place where all sorts of stories and human connections are possible' Metro

The stories in Ali Smith's new collection are about what we do with books and what they do with us- how they travel with us; how they shock us, change us, challenge us, banish time while making us older, wiser and ageless all at once; how they remind us to pay attention to the world we make.


About the Author
Ali Smith was born in Inverness in 1962. She is the author of several novels and short story collections including, The Accidental, Hotel World, How to Be Both and the Seasonal Quartet. She has been four times shortlisted for the Booker Prize, has won the Goldsmiths Prize, Orwell Prize, Costa Best Novel Award and the Women's Prize. Ali Smith lives in Cambridge.

Reviews
Publisher's description. A story collection from the peerless, multi-award-winning Ali Smith. What do we do with books - and what do they do with us? How do books shock us, change us, challenge us, banish time while making us older, wiser and ageless all at once? And how might they remind us to pay attention to the world we make? * Penguin *
Smith is dazzling in her daring. Sheer inventive power * Observer *
Ali Smith is a one-off. Her imagination and originality make her one of the most exciting novelists of her generation * Daily Express *
In Ali Smith we have a writer whose dazzling sophistication will surely be celebrated, studied and argues over hundreds of years after we're gone * Scotsman *
Smith's world is incredibly generous - it's a place where all sorts of stories and human connections are possible * Metro *



Book Information
ISBN 9780241974599
Author Ali Smith
Format Paperback
Page Count 240
Imprint Penguin Books Ltd
Publisher Penguin Books Ltd
Weight(grams) 172g
Dimensions(mm) 197mm * 129mm * 15mm