Лучшие книги Майка Гейла

Джим и Элисон познакомились в университете и возникшее между ними чувство пронесли через годы взросления. Казалось, ничто не сможет разрушить их брак. Но в один прекрасный день они... расстаются. И вот три года спустя, когда кот и диван давно поделены и их жизни идут своим чередом, случай вновь сводит их вместе.

Действие романа уложилось в один уикенд - с вечера пятницы по утро понедельника. За это время герой успел справить свой день рождения, получить лучшие в своей жизни подарки, безжалостно вырвать из сердца старую любовь, влюбиться вновь (в незнакомую девушку, после двухчасового телефонного разговора с ней), опять разлюбить и влюбиться в третий раз - теперь уже окончательно. Кроме того, герой много курит, чувствует, что жизнь не удалась, и ворует сладости в итальянском магазинчике. Словом, читателю будет над чем посмеяться.

"Скоро тридцать" - это рассказ о тех, кто родился в конце 60-70-х гг. XX века. Профессионалы, интеллектуалы - этих людей объединяет общее стремление к самоопределению. Что означает быть взрослым? Нужны ли мне отношения и какие? Семья. Друзья. Музыка, одежда, которая мне нравится. Хорошее ли чувство ностальгия?

Временная малодоходная работа грозит стать постоянной, редеющие волосы вгоняют в депрессию, а не предъявлявшая никаких претензий подруга хочет быть женой и матерью... Даффи понимает, что его взросление явно затянулось и пришло время делать выбор - сейчас или никогда.

В жизни благополучного музыкального журналиста Дейва Хардинга наступает черная полоса: его жена теряет ребенка, закрывается журнал, в котором он работает… Дейв устраивается в журнал для девочек-подростков, где с успехом разрешает проблемы, терзающие юных читательниц. Но письмо от тринадцатилетней Николы, считающей себя его дочерью, ставит неразрешимую проблему перед ним самим...

Their holiday brochure said 18-30 ...But they've just turned 35. After ten years together Charlie Mansell has been dumped by his live-in girlfriend, Sarah. All he wants to do is wallow in misery, but mates Andy and Tom have a better idea: a week of sun, sea and souvlaki in Malia, party capital of the Greek islands. But Charlie and his mates aren't eighteen any more. Or even under thirty. And it shows. It isn't the cheap beer, the late nights or even the fast-food that's the problem. It's girls. And life. And most of all ...each other. WISH YOU WERE HERE is a heart-warming, funny and wise tale about love and friendship and how seven days in the sun can change your life forever.

This is the stunning new novel from bestselling author Mike Gayle, for fans of The Keeper of Lost Things and Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine. A powerful and bittersweet story of an unexpected male friendship and an unlikely love story, a thought provoking storyline told with Mike's distinctive wit and insight, touching on issues which affect us all. This uplifting tale reminds us of the simple courage at the heart of every human being.

Ever since The Incident, James DeWitt has stayed on the safe side.

He likes to know what happens next.

Danny Allen is not on the safe side. He is more past the point of no return.

The past is about to catch up with both of them in a way that which will change their lives forever, unexpectedly.

But redemption can come in the most unlikely ways.

Despite the example of their own parents' enduring marriage, the three Bachelor brothers show no signs of settling down. Adam has a string of glamorous girlfriends, but they aren't suitable wife material. Luke has just proposed to Cassie but his refusal to consider having children looks like an insurmountable barrier. And baby of the family Russell is in love with the one woman he can't have.

Then their father announces he has been thrown out of the family home and this proves a dramatic catalyst for lots of soul-searching.

Are all three Bachelor brothers totally hopeless cases or just late starters?

Ian Greening loves his job at the Department of Work and Pensions. It might not be the best paid job in the world but it gives him lots of scope for fun. He loves his girlfriend, Emma, too. But when Emma is made redundant, and gets a temping job in Ian's office, he doesn't like it at all. Emma only knows Home Ian - and Work Ian is a different kettle of fish. Spending twenty-four hours a day together is too much of a good thing. But how can he tell her that without hurting her? Ian comes up with a plan to get things back the way they were. But it puts his relationship at risk and forces Ian to decide which really matters most: the job, or Emma. A sweet, funny novel about love and work.

The Stag and Hen Weekend is the story of Phil and Helen, a couple in their thirties about to commit their lives to one another . . . that is of course if they can just manage to get through their respective stag and hen weekends (his: Amsterdam; hers: a country house and day spa in the Peak District) without falling apart. Told in the unique form of two separate stories that have common characters as well as themes and conclusion, The Stag and Hen Weekend can be read from front to back or from back to front putting the reader in the driver's seat as to which story they wish to read first. Feisty, fun and thought provoking.

One man, two birthdays... and a 1,277 item To-Do List.
Spurred on by a desire to be more organised, Mike Gayle has drawn up a To-Do list containing every single item he's been meaning to do but just keeps putting off...

From My Legendary Girlfriend to Turning Forty, Mike Gayle's bestselling novels have taken his millions of readers through many key times for the modern man - friendship, courtship, stag weekends, marriage, work, holidays, significant birthdays - but SEEING OTHER PEOPLE is perhaps his most heart-warming, heart-stopping, heartbreaking novel yet.

Father of two Joe Clarke, is about seventy-eight per cent sure he's just had an affair. After all that is the hopelessly attractive office intern in bed next to him, isn't it? But then again if he did have an affair why can't he remember anything at all about the night in question? Mortified by his mistake, Joe vows to be a better man. But when his adored wife Penny puts two and two together and leaves him, things start to take a turn for the decidedly strange.

Joe is told for a fact that he DIDN'T have an affair after all.

He just thinks he did.

Which is great news . . . or at least it would be if the person who'd just delivered it wasn't the crisp-eating, overly perfumed and mean-spirited GHOST of his least favourite ex-girlfriend . . .

SEEING OTHER PEOPLE is a hilarious and bittersweet novel about love, parenthood and fidelity, and how easy it is to get lost on the way to your own happy ending.

When Rob's girlfriend asks him to leave London and live with her in Manchester, it means leaving behind his best mate in the entire world. Believing that love conquers all and confident that he'll meet new mates, Rob takes the plunge. Six months in, and yet to find even a drinking buddy, Rob realises that making friends in your thirties is not easy, so his girlfriend places an ad in the classifieds. Three excruciatingly embarrassing 'bloke dates' later, he's on the verge of despair...until his luck changes. There's just one problem. Apart from knowing less than nothing about football and the vital statistics of supermodels, Rob's new friend has a huge flaw. She's a girl...

Unlike most people Matt Beckford is actually looking forward to turning thirty. After struggling through most of his twenties he thinks his career, finances and love life are finally sorted. But when he splits up with his girlfriend, he realises that life has different plans for him. Unable to cope with his future falling apart Matt temporarily moves back to his parents.

During his enforced exodus only his old school mates can keep him sane. Friends he hasn't seen since he was nineteen. Back together after a decade apart. But things will never be the same for any of them because when you're turning thirty nothing's as simple as it used to be.

How to turn forty:
1. Set yourself a personal challenge.
2. Clear wardrobe of all age-inappropriate clothing.
3. Relax.

How not to turn forty:
1. Have a complete meltdown . . .

High-flier Matt Beckford's sole ambition is to turn forty with his life sorted. With a Porsche on the drive and a job that requires him to spend more time in BA's club lounge than his own lounge, it looks like things are going in the right direction. But when Matt's wife unexpectedly calls time on their marriage, a chain of events is set in motion that very quickly sees him facing forty broke, homeless and completely alone.

But all is not lost because Matt has a plan . . .

Despite the example of their own parents' enduring marriage, the three Bachelor brothers show no signs of settling down. Adam has a string of glamorous girlfriends, but they aren't suitable wife material. Luke has just proposed to Cassie but his refusal to consider having children looks like an insurmountable barrier. And baby of the family Russell is in love with the one woman he can't have. Then their father announces he has been thrown out of the family home and this proves a dramatic catalyst for lots of soul-searching. Are all three Bachelor brothers totally hopeless cases or just late starters?

From their first meeting at the student union over a decade ago, Jim and Alison successfully navigated their way through first dates, meeting parents, moving in together and more! Then they split up and divided their worldly goods (including a sofa, a cat and their flat) into his 'n' hers. Now, three years on and with new lives and new loves, they couldn't be happier. Until a chance encounter throws them back together, and causes them to embark on a journey through their past to ask themselves the big question: where did it all go wrong, and is it too late to put it all right?

Tom Hope is broken. Ever since his wife Laura died he hasn't been the same man, and definitely not the same father. Luckily for Tom his mother-in-law Linda is around to pick up the pieces and look after his two struggling daughters, Evie and Lola.

But Tom getting arrested on the first anniversary of his wife's death is the last straw for Linda.

In a last bid attempt to make Tom reconnect with his daughters she takes drastic action and leaves for Australia. With two fast-maturing daughters Tom has to learn how to accept his responsibilities and navigate the newly discovered world of single fatherhood - starting immediately.

With only himself to rely on, will Tom fall back into grief or finally step up and be the father his girls need?

Still in love with The One, Will is desperate to discover if there can be An-Other One. In his decrepit flat where he can't even manage to cook spaghetti hoops without setting off the communal smoke alarm, his lifeline is the telephone. Will realises that with a single call, friends can either lift him from the depths of depression or completely shatter his hopes.
There's Alice (who remembers his birthday), Simon (who doesn't), Martina (the one-night stand), Kate (the previous tenant of his rented hovel). And of course his Ex, Aggi - the inimitable Aggi. His Legendary Girlfriend.

Strangers living worlds apart.
Strangers with nothing in common.
But it wasn't always that way...
Kerry Hayes is single mum, living on a tough south London estate. She provides for her son by cleaning houses she could never afford. Taken into care as a child, Kerry cannot forget her past.
Noah Martineau is a successful barrister with a beautiful wife, daughter and home in fashionable Primrose Hill. Adopted as a young child, Noah never looks back.
When Kerry contacts Noah, the sibling she lost on the day they were torn apart as children, she sets in motion a chain of events that will change both of their lives forever.
By turns funny and moving, Half a World Away is a story that will stay with you long after you read its final page.