Gay – The Bell Bookshop

The News From Dublin

Emma — Thu, 26 Mar 2026 00:00:00 +0000

In The News from Dublin, a beautiful collection of short stories from the bestselling author of Brooklyn and Long Island, Colm Tóibín delves into the days and nights of those living far from home: lives of great longing, at a great distance from past lives and past selves.

A woman in Galway hears of the death of her son in the First World War. An Irishman seeks anonymity in Barcelona, haunted by crimes he has committed. A man goes to Dublin from Enniscorthy to implore the Minister for Health for a special favour. A young woman is pregnant during the Spanish Civil War. An undocumented worker finds himself living an illegal life and must leave San Francisco, and his child, after thirty years in America. Three sisters who have been living in Argentina decide to return to Catalonia.

‘Tóibín is the consummate cartographer of the private self, summoning with restrained acuity (and a delicious streak of sly humour) the thoughts his characters struggle to find words for’ – Clare Clark, Guardian

The Silver Book

Emma — Thu, 06 Nov 2025 00:00:00 +0000

‘It is dangerous to want someone this much. He has always known it, from the very first night.’

It is September 1974. Two men meet by chance in Venice. One is a young English artist, in panicked flight from London. The other is Danilo Donati, the magician of Italian cinema, the designer responsible for realising the spectacular visions of Fellini and Pasolini. Donati is in Venice to produce sketches for Fellini’s Casanova. A young – and beautiful – apprentice is just what he needs.

He sweeps Nicholas to Rome, into the looking-glass world of CinecittÃ , the studio where Casanova’s Venice will be ingeniously assembled. Then in the spring, the lovers move together to the set of SalÃ², Pasolini’s horrifying fable of fascism.

But Nicholas has a secret and in this world of constant illusion, his real nature passes unseen. Amidst the rising tensions of Italy’s ‘Years of Lead’, he acts as an accelerant, setting in motion a tragedy he didn’t intend.

The Silver Book is at once a queer love story and a noirish thriller, set in the dream factory of cinema. It’s a fictional account of real things, and an investigation into the difficult relationship between artifice and truth, illusion and reality, love and power.

A Little Life

Emma — Thu, 02 Oct 2025 00:00:00 +0000

Over one million copies sold
Too many broken hearts to count
The 10th Anniversary Collector’s Edition

‘A book unlike any other’ – The Guardian
‘This novel challenged everything I thought I knew about love and friendship’ – Dua Lipa

**This exclusive 10th anniversary edition of A Little Life features artwork by acclaimed artists RF. Alvarez and Linus Borgo, painted in response to the book, as well as a Q&A with Hanya Yanagihara.**

JB, Jude, Malcolm and Willem.
Four young men move to New York broke, adrift and buoyed only by friendship and ambition. There is kind, handsome Willem; the sardonic painter JB; Malcolm, a frustrated architect; and Jude, brilliant and enigmatic – their centre of gravity.

Winner of Fiction of the Year at the British Book Awards
Shortlisted for the Booker Prize
Shortlisted for the Women’s Prize
Finalist for the US National Book Award for Fiction

The House in the Cerulean Sea

Emma — Thu, 25 Sep 2025 00:00:00 +0000

‘I loved it. It is like being wrapped up in a big gay blanket. Simply perfect’

– V. E. Schwab, Sunday Times bestselling author of Bury Our Bones in the Midnight Soil

A cosy, enchanting story about the profound experience of discovering an unlikely family in an unexpected place. The House in the Cerulean Sea is an uplifting, heart-warming queer fantasy from TJ Klune, a Sunday Times and New York Times bestselling author.

***This edition includes a beautiful sprayed edge, perfect for fans and collectors***

Linus Baker leads a quiet life. At forty, he has a tiny house with a devious cat and his beloved records for company. And at the Department in Charge of Magical Youth, he’s spent many dull years monitoring their orphanages.

Then one day, Linus is summoned by Extremely Upper Management and given a highly classified assignment. He must travel to an orphanage where six dangerous children reside – including the Antichrist.

At the orphanage, Linus must somehow determine if these children could bring about the end of days. But their guardian, the charming and enigmatic Arthur Parnassus, will do anything to protect his wards. And as Arthur and Linus grow ever closer, Linus must choose: his duty or his dreams . . .

Continue the adventure with the second instalment in the Cerulean Chronicles, Somewhere Beyond the Sea.

‘A modern fairy tale . . . It’s a beautiful book’ – Charlaine Harris, number one New York Times bestselling author

* * *

**Readers fell in love with The House in the Cerulean Sea:**

‘I was completely captivated’ – Goodreads review

‘A tale as beautiful as this one should be compulsory reading’ – Amazon review

‘This quirky fantasy will sweep you away’ – The New York Times

Somewhere Beyond the Sea

Emma — Thu, 25 Sep 2025 00:00:00 +0000

A magical house. A secret past. A summons that could change everything.

The number one New York Times bestselling sequel to TJ Klune’s The House in the Cerulean Sea.

**ALL first-run paperbacks include a beautiful sprayed edge of the Phoenix’s burning fire . . . Available while stocks last**

– Winner of the 2024 Goodreads Choice Award for Fantasy –

Arthur Parnassus has built a good life on the ashes of a bad one. He’s headmaster at an orphanage for magical children on a peculiar island, assisted by the love of his life, Linus Baker. And together, they’ll do anything to protect their extraordinary and powerful charges.

However, when Arthur is forced to make a public statement about his dark past, he finds himself fighting for those under his care. It’s also a fight for the better future that all magical people deserve. Then, when a new magical child joins their island home, Arthur knows they’ve reached breaking point. The child finds power in calling himself a monster, a name Arthur has tried so hard to banish to protect his children. Challenged from within and without, their volatile family might grow stronger. Or everything Arthur loves could fall apart.

Somewhere Beyond the Sea is a story of resistance, lovingly told, about the daunting experience of fighting for the life you want to live and doing the work to keep it.

‘An enchanting sequel about found family’ – The New York Times

Praise for The House in the Cerulean Sea:

‘I loved it. It is like being wrapped up in a big gay blanket. Simply perfect’ – V. E. Schwab, author of The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue

‘It will renew your faith in humanity’ – Terry Brooks, author of the Shannara series

‘Will sweep you away’ – The New York Times

^{Somewhere Beyond the Sea}^{was a number one New York Times bestseller w/c 16 September 2024}

The Resurrectionist

Emma — Thu, 28 Aug 2025 00:00:00 +0000

Death is only the beginning???

‘Breathtaking ? A new talent [in] the field of gothic historical literature’NEW YORK JOURNAL OF BOOKS

‘Devilishly macabre ? As dark as a midnight graveyard’ PATRICE McDONOUGH

‘Hauntingly gothic, intimately told, and wickedly, wonderfully grotesque’ MARIELLE THOMPSON

*#1 BOOK OF THE MONTH – AMAZON EDITOR’S PICK*

*A USA TODAY BESTSELLER*

In this gothic, twisty debut historical novel, a young medical student is lured into the underworld of body snatching in 19th-century Edinburgh ? and unexpectedly falls in love.

1828. James Willoughby arrives in Edinburgh with empty pockets a dream of studying surgery. Desperate to scrape together fees for the city’s leading anatomy school, he strikes a deal with Nye MacKinnon, a dashing young dissectionist who shows James a way into this elite academic realm ? via the cemetery.

James descends with Nye into the underground ranks of the Resurrectionists – men infamous for stealing fresh corpses and selling them to professors as anatomical specimens. Before he knows it, they are caught up in a life-or-death scheme as rival gangs of snatchers compete in a morbid race for power and prestige. And as James and Nye lock eyes across graves and dissection tables, they soon realise that they yearn to be more than partners in academic crime ?

The Resurrectionist is a thrilling tale of queer love, murder, and the grisly origins of modern medicine.

A “BEST NEW HORROR NOVEL OF THE MONTH” – ESCAPIST MAGAZINE AND BOOKBUB.COM

A “MOST-ANTICIPATED NEW QUEER BOOK OF THE MONTH” – BOOKRIOT

Real readers love The Resurrectionist!

‘?????????? THE BEST BOOK I’VE READ THIS YEAR. It had everything: from the atmospheric historical setting and exhilarating plot, to the wonderful, charming characters. I WILL TREASURE IT FOR YEARS TO COME’

‘?????????? OH MY GOD! I am in love. IF YOU LIKE CLASSIC GOTHICS LIKE FRANKENSTEIN AND DRACULA, YOU SHOULD READ THIS‘

‘?????????? I could not put this book down, and IT WILL DEFINITELY BE A BOOK I REREAD MANY TIMES‘

‘?????????? The pacing, humour, and twists and turns will keep you HUNGRILY READING INTO THE NIGHT. Unhinged, unsettling and UTTERLY UNMISSABLE‘

‘?????????? I can’t even emphasize it enough HOW IMMERSIVE it all was. IT’S MY NEW FAVOURITE BOOK, and I actually feel like I’m going crazy because I NEED A HARD COPY TO HIGHLIGHT AND ANNOTATE‘

‘?????????? MY FAVOURITE READ OF THE YEAR. Wow wow wow. The entire book felt like reading poetry? James and Nye are both so CHARMING, DETAILED AND WONDERFUL CHARACTERS‘

‘?????????? I think The Resurrectionist is ONE OF MY ALL-TIME FAVOURITE BOOKS. Aneurin is my absolute love. I loved the story so dearly’

‘?????????? A RIVETING TALE OF DARK ACADEMIA AND TRUE CRIME? Also, the romance HAD ME SWOONING‘

‘?????????? NOTHING SHORT OF PHENOMENAL ? My favourite book of the year. RUN, DON’T WALK, TO YOUR NEAREST BOOKSTORE‘

‘?????????? I FINISHED THIS BOOK WANTING TO READ IT AGAIN, and to buy a physical copy to underline ALL THE AMAZING QUOTES I marked’

‘?????????? BEAUTIFULLY DARK WRITING and lovely characters? Managed to RIP MY HEART OPEN ON EVERY PAGE AND HEAL IT ON THE NEXT‘

‘??????????This book is filled with CREEPY VIBES, AMAZING HUMOUR, IMPECCABLE WRITING and a story that will have you absolutely hooked? ONE OF MY ABSOLUTE FAVOURITE BOOKS‘

‘?????????? I. Could. Not. Put. This. Book. Down. This novel is shocking, gruesome, and disturbing; but at the same time, it is HEARTWARMING AND UPLIFTING! I will be recommending this to everyone, and A. Rae Dunlap is OFFICIALLY ONE OF MY AUTO-BUY AUTHORS‘

‘?????????? SUCH A FUN CONCEPT‘

‘?????????? THIS BOOK CAME ALIVE for me and filled the days I read it with SUCH WONDER. IT’S JUST LIKE TIME TRAVEL‘

‘?????????? IF A SEQUEL CAME OUT, I’D BUY IT IN A FLASH‘

‘?????????? WILL APPEAL TO A WIDE VARIETY OF READERS. It is a dark, macabre story that is PERFECT FOR FALL OR WINTER READING‘

‘?????????? I GOT SO ATTACHED TO THE CHARACTERS‘

‘?????????? THE SETTING IS SUPER INTERESTING and the plot KEPT ME IN ITS GRIP‘

‘?????????? I LOVED EVERYTHING ABOUT THIS! I DON’T THINK I’VE READ ANYTHING QUITE LIKE THIS‘

Further praise?

‘Vivid, twisty, rollicking, sometimes macabre, always entertaining’ BOOKTRIB

‘This twisty tale of body snatching offers wickedly spooky fun!’ BOOKBUB.COM

‘Drawing comparisons to Caleb Carr’s The Alienist’LIBRARY JOURNAL

Small Rain

Emma — Thu, 26 Jun 2025 00:00:00 +0000

Winner of the PEN/Faulkner Award for Fiction

‘My book of the year . . . Rarely has illness made for such a compelling read’ – John Boyne, author of The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas
‘Marvelous: exceptionally vivid, real, and true’ – Colm Tóibín, author of Long Island
‘Fundamentally about the beauty of life’ – Alice Winn, author of In Memoriam
‘Exquisite. Utterly mesmerizing’ – Mark Haddon, author of The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time
‘A fierce, beautiful novel’ – Sarah Moss, author of Summerwater
‘Beautiful, evocative’ – The Times

A medical crisis brings one man close to death – and to love, art, and beauty – in a profound and luminous novel by award-winning author Garth Greenwell.

A poet’s life is turned inside out by a sudden, wrenching pain. The pain brings him to his knees, and eventually to the ICU. Confined to bed, plunged into the dysfunctional American healthcare system, he struggles to understand what is happening to his body, as someone who has lived for many years in his mind.

This is a searching, sweeping novel set at the furthest edges of human experience, where the forces that give life value – art, memory, poetry, music, care – are thrown into sharp relief. Time expands and contracts. Sudden intimacies bloom. Small Rain surges beyond the hospital to encompass a radiant vision of human life: our shared vulnerability, the limits and possibilities of sympathy, the ideal of art and the fragile dream of America. Above all, this is a love story of the most unexpected kind.

‘A classic, a dawn serenade, a little miracle of exigent joy. I’ll be rereading it the rest of my life’ – Kaveh Akbar, author of Martyr!

The bones beneath my skin

Emma — Thu, 06 Feb 2025 00:00:00 +0000

‘The sci-fi romance adventure you never knew you needed’
Jennifer L. Armentrout, author of Fall of Ruin and Wrath

An action-packed supernatural road trip featuring an extraordinary young girl and her two unlikely protectors. The Bones Beneath My Skin is a gripping, heartfelt story that explores what it means to be human – by bestselling author of The House in the Cerulean Sea, TJ Klune.

**ALL first edition hardback copies feature delightful designed sprayed edges – available while stock lasts**

He lost everything. Then he found himself . . .

In the spring of 1995, Nate Cartwright is at a loose end: his parents are dead, his older brother has disowned him, and he’s been fired from his job. Looking for a sense of direction, he returns to his family’s summer cabin in Oregon.

The cabin should be empty – but it’s not. Inside is a man named Alex, and an extraordinary little girl who calls herself Artemis Darth Vader. There’s far more to Art than meets the eye. But as Alex and Nate bond over just how special she truly is, they discover that powerful forces are closing in – forces that want nothing more than to control her.

As danger draws near, Nate decide whether to drown in the memories of his past, or fight for Art and a future he never thought possible.

With his uplifting tales of hope and redemption, there is a TJ Klune book for every reader.

* * *

Praise for TJ Klune

‘Will renew your faith in humanity’ – Terry Brooks, author of The Sword of Shannara on The House in the Cerulean Sea

‘Glorious, a thoroughly entertaining and deeply stirring journey’ – Chuck Tingle, author of Camp Damascus on In the Lives of Puppets

‘His novels are a radiant treat’ – Locus Magazine

_{In the Lives of Puppets was a No. 1 Sunday Times HB Bestseller w/c 24/04/2023}

The resurrectionist

Emma — Thu, 30 Jan 2025 00:00:00 +0000