{"title":"Books by Lucy Mangan","description":null,"products":[{"product_id":"9781788161077","title":"Are We Having Fun Yet?","description":"Shortlisted for the 2022 Bollinger Everyman Wodehouse Prize for Comic Fiction'Utterly, utterly perfect and brilliant - I think it is, simply, a new classic, and the book every woman will be able to trust to make her happy when she picks it up' - Caitlin Moran'Utterly wonderful ... full of love. Enormously uplifting, funny and witty and wry' - Marian Keyes'A glorious, outrageously funny retelling of E.M. Delafield's Diary of a Provincial Lady. At once, a celebration of the joy of family life and a cry of anguish at the utter hell of it. Laugh out loud, compulsive reading' - Nina StibbeMeet Liz: all she wants is some peace and quiet so she can read a book with her cat Henry, love of her life, by her side. But trampling all over this dream is a group of wild things also known as Liz's family. Namely: Richard - a man, a husband, no serious rival to Henry.Thomas - their sensitive seven year old son, for whom life is a bed of pain already.Evie - five year old acrobat, gangster, anarchist, daughter. And as if her family's demands (Where are the door keys? Are we made of plastic? Do 'ghost poos' really count?) weren't enough, Liz must also contend with the madness of parents, friends, bosses, and at least one hovering nemesis. Are We Having Fun Yet? is a year with one woman as she faces all the storms of modern life (babysitters, death, threadworms) on her epic quest for that holy grail: a moment to herself.","brand":"Gardners","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":43205078548658,"sku":"9781788161077","price":8.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0612\/7193\/3106\/files\/9781788161077.jpg?v=1786026916"},{"product_id":"9781784709228","title":"Bookworm","description":"\u003cb\u003eA love letter to the joys of childhood reading from Wonderland to Narnia.\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cp\u003eWhen Lucy Mangan was little, stories were everything. They opened up new worlds and cast light on all the complexities she encountered in this one.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eShe was whisked away to Narnia - and Kirrin Island - and Wonderland. She ventured down rabbit holes and womble burrows into midnight gardens and chocolate factories. She wandered the countryside with Milly-Molly-Mandy, and played by the tracks with the Railway Children. With Charlotte's Web she discovered Death and with Judy Blume it was Boys. No wonder she only left the house for her weekly trip to the library or to spend her pocket money on amassing her own at home.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eIn Bookworm, Lucy revisits her childhood reading with wit, love and gratitude. She relives our best-beloved books, their extraordinary creators, and looks at the thousand subtle ways they shape our lives. She also disinters a few forgotten treasures to inspire the next generation of bookworms and set them on their way.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eLucy brings the favourite characters of our collective childhoods back to life - prompting endless re-readings, rediscoveries, and, inevitably, fierce debate - and brilliantly uses them to tell her own story, that of a born, and unrepentant, bookworm.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003e'Passionate, witty, informed, and gloriously opinionated' Jacqueline Wilson author of \u003ci\u003eThe Story of Tracy Beaker \u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Gardners","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":43206227787954,"sku":"9781784709228","price":12.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0612\/7193\/3106\/files\/9781784709228_ffe72af2-103b-4e11-8837-a55e29d89d83.jpg?v=1786025395"},{"product_id":"9781529110128","title":"Bookish","description":"‘A bookworm’s delight’ \u003cb\u003eSara Collins\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e‘Funny, warm and charming’ \u003cb\u003eMarian Keyes\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e‘Like butter on toast: perfect’ \u003cb\u003eCaitlin Moran\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eA love letter to all those who come alive when they pull a new treasure off the shelf, stay up late reading just one more page and pack their suitcases with clothes wedged between books instead of the other way around.\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eFrom well-worn literary classics to steamy bonkbusters, gripping thrillers, young adult novels and other not-so-guilty pleasures \u003ci\u003eBookish \u003c\/i\u003ebrims with literary insights, wry observations and stellar recommendations. This is an ode to the bookish places – from local libraries to bookshops big and small – and the stories that make us who we are.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e‘Comforting, funny and moving – \u003ci\u003eBookish\u003c\/i\u003e is wonderful to curl up with on good days and bad’ \u003cb\u003eSali Hughes \u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e‘An affectionate, warm guide on the healing power of reading’ \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003ei News\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e‘Mangan makes for a wonderfully incisive critic and can pick apart a George Orwell with the same perspicacity with which she can, say, a Jack Reacher’ \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eObserver\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eREADERS LOVE \u003ci\u003eBOOKISH\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003e'A perfect read for all of us under the spellbinding influence of books!'\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e'I found myself laughing at her wit and nodding in agreement at the books she loves'\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e'Perfect book for bookworms and you’ll feel as if you've found your tribe.'\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e'This is a book which will fill every bookworm's heart with joy!'\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e'A perfect read for all of us under the spellbinding influence of books!'\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e'Would again make a perfect gift for any bookish bookworm'\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e'If you love books – and I mean really, really, love them, you should buy this book.'\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e'I have never felt more seen.'\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Gardners","offers":[{"title":"Paperback","offer_id":57682601279861,"sku":"9781529967180","price":12.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"Hardback","offer_id":54926242546037,"sku":"9781529110128","price":18.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0612\/7193\/3106\/files\/9781529967180_4e55ee5e-54cf-48e7-b9af-7d74947c3478.jpg?v=1792511539"},{"product_id":"9780755316489","title":"Hopscotch \u0026 Handbags","description":"\u003cp\u003eJust what does it mean to be a girl? Why is it not like being a boy? And why is that a good thing? \u003ci\u003eGuardian\u003c\/i\u003e columnist Lucy Mangan lifts the lid on the truth about being female. From your place within the family ('It's a girl! What a pity!') through the intricacies of what not to wear and who not to talk to, everything you need to know about losing your virginity, how to get along with your mother and get ahead in the workplace, this is a full and frank account of how it really is different for girls. Full of bittersweet memories and the sharpest observations, HOPSCOTCH \u0026amp; HANDBAGS may not be better than sex or shoes, but it is less messy and goes with everything.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Gardners","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":56294734365045,"sku":"9780755316489","price":12.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0612\/7193\/3106\/files\/9780755316489_868041b3-865b-4d57-ad69-388d417e3dba.jpg?v=1786015739"},{"product_id":"9781444951004","title":"Malory Towers: New Class at Malory Towers","description":"\u003cp\u003eIt's time to welcome new girls to Malory Towers, the famous boarding school by the sea, in four brand-new stories by outstanding authors, set in Enid Blyton's much-loved school.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eYA and Waterstones Book Prize-winner Patrice Lawrence introduces us to proud Marietta with her magnificent head of braided hair. A dormitory argument reveals something unusual about Marietta, and something equally unexpected about Alicia.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eIn \u003ci\u003eGuardian\u003c\/i\u003e and \u003ci\u003eStylist\u003c\/i\u003e columnist Lucy Mangan's story, student librarian Evelyn is wary of her lively, lacrosse-playing classmates. When one of them becomes a regular visitor to the hushed domain of the library, can Evelyn really trust her?\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eSunita Sharma joins Malory Towers surrounded by a sense of mystery, in Narinder Dhami's fabulous story. But is Sunita really as glamorous as Gwendoline imagines?\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eIn Rebecca Westcott's heartwarming story, Darrell and friends fear the worst when spoilt Gwendoline's cousin joins the school. But Maggie is very different from her stuck-up relative . . .\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Gardners","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":56299684299125,"sku":"9781444951004","price":7.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0612\/7193\/3106\/files\/9781444951004_a90f5670-4f06-4e0d-a0bf-22faf028c015.jpg?v=1786020793"},{"product_id":"9781848540699","title":"The Reluctant Bride","description":"\u003cp\u003eWill Lucy make it down the aisle? It's going to be an uphill struggle . . .  \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe bride: A late starter in life, Lucy always swore she'd never get married. But now she has to find a caterer who doesn't charge a fortune for a cupcake, a dressmaker who doesn't make her cry and a way to bring Great-Auntie Betty down from Dundee for the sixpence she is willing to spend - isn't it meant to be HER special day?\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe groom: Christopher has spent twenty minutes compiling his guest list and checking his suit fits before returning to his newspaper - this wedding business isn't so hard after all. \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe mother of the bride: Armed with colour-coded wedding planning folders she is all set. However, twice-daily conversations with her daughter don't seem to be shortening the 'to-do' list she's drawn up.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe father of the bride: A wedding? My daughter? 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