In the heat of Rome's long summer, the poet Catullus and his older married lover, Clodia Metelli, meet in secret. Living at the heart of sophisticated, brittle and brutal Roman society at the time of Pompey, Crassus and Julius Caesar, Catullus is obsessed with Clodia, the Lesbia of his most passionate poems. He is jealous of her husband, of her maid, even of her pet sparrow. And Clodia? Catullus is 'her dear poet', but possibly not her only interest...Their Rome is a city of extremes. Tenants are packed into ramshackle apartment blocks while palatial villas house the magnificence of the families who control Rome. Armed street gangs clash in struggles for political power. Slaves are the eyes and ears of everything that goes on, while civilization and violence are equals, murder is the easy option and poison the weapon of choice.Catallus' relationship with Clodia is one of the most intense, passionate, tormented and candid in history. In love and in hate, their story exposes the beauty and terrors of Roman life in the late Republic.

David Almond’s extraordinary novels have established him as an author of unique insight and skill. These stories encapsulate his endless sense of mystery and wonderment, as they weave a tangible tapestry of growing up in a large, loving family. Here are the kernels of his novels—joy and fear, darkness and light, the healing power of love and imagination in overcoming the wounds of ignorance and prejudice. These stories merge memory and dream, the real and the imagined, in a collection of exquisite tenderness. From the Hardcover edition.

Ten are calledOne is chosenUntil then, she's only counting stars It's Josie Braveman's 18th birthday but it's far from being a party. This is the first day of an archaic tradition that will offer her up to her prospective husband. As much as it turns her stomach, this ritual must be completed to keep her family honor. This places Josie in a difficult position. She knows who she wants to marry... in a few years. But her father isn't sure that this man should be given the opportunity.Crow's Shadow knows the men he would like to see on Josie's list of ten for her ritual – all men who are worthy of Josie's hand. Not a single one will have the Sabri surname. Not after how Josie was treated by Manzar Sabri's fourth son.Yasin Sabri's past few months have not covered him in glory. He may have been under the influence of magic but the pain that he caused is going to be lasting. It may even prevent him from his happily ever after. He never...