Contemporary Fiction
From To Kill a Mockingbird to The Goldfinch, from The Help to Sarah's Key, we can help you find the contemporary fiction books you are looking for. As the world's largest independent marketplace for new, used and rare books, you always get the best in service and value when you buy from Biblio.co.nz, and all of your purchases are backed by our return guarantee.
Top Sellers in Contemporary Fiction
To Kill a Mockingbird
by Harper Lee
To Kill a Mockingbird is a Pulitzer Prize-winning novel by Harper Lee published in 1960. It was instantly successful and has become a classic of modern American literature. The plot and characters are loosely based on the author's observations of her family and neighbors, as well as on an event that occurred near her hometown in 1936, when she was 10 years old. The novel is renowned for its warmth and humor, despite dealing with serious issues of rape and racial inequality.
Alchemist
by Paulo Coelho
The Alchemist is a novel by Brazilian writer Paulo Coelho that tells the story of a young shepherd named Santiago who dreams of a treasure hidden in the Egyptian pyramids. The book follows Santiago's journey as he sets out to pursue this treasure, encountering a series of obstacles and learning valuable lessons along the way. Santiago meets various characters who guide him on his journey, including an alchemist who teaches him the secrets of the universe.The novel explores themes of destiny, personal...
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Harry Potter and The Goblet Of Fire
by J K Rowling
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire is the fourth book in the Harry Potter Series, written by J.K. Rowling. The widely acclaimed novel was granted the Hugo Award, the only Harry Potter book to receive the highly coveted fantasy and science fiction prize. First published by Bloomsbury in 2000, the fantasy novel follows Harry Potter, a wizard in his fourth year of magical education at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. The main event of the year is the Triwizard Tournament, a recently revived...
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Beloved
by Toni Morrison
Beloved (1987) is a Pulitzer Prize-winning novel by Toni Morrison. Morrison was inspired to write the story after finding a newspaper article about the legal case of Margaret Garner. Garner escaped slavery in Kentucky to the free State of Ohio when U.S. Marshals captured her. To spare her children from being returned to slavery, she killed her two-year-old daughter and attempted to kill her other children. Morrison's novel is set after the Civil War in Cincinnati, Ohio. Sethe was born a slave...
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Harry Potter and The Half-Blood Prince
by J K Rowling
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, released on 16 July 2005, is the sixth of seven novels from British author J. K. Rowling's popular Harry Potter series. Set during Harry Potter's sixth year at Hogwarts, the novel explores Lord Voldemort's past, and Harry's preparations for the final battle amidst emerging romantic relationships and the emotional confusions and conflict resolutions characteristic of mid-adolescence.
Harry Potter and The Order Of the Phoenix
by J K Rowling
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix is the fifth book in J.K. Rowling's Harry Potter series. The story follows Harry, who has been ostracized by the wizarding world after reporting the return of the evil Lord Voldemort. As Harry begins his fifth year at Hogwarts, he forms a secret organization, "Dumbledore's Army," to prepare for Voldemort's return. Meanwhile, the Ministry of Magic seeks to discredit Harry and his allies, causing tensions to rise. The book culminates in a battle at the Ministry,...
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Harry Potter and The Deathly Hallows
by J K Rowling
In the seventh and final installment in the Harry Potter Series, this final battle, Harry, Ron, and Hermione embark on a dangerous mission to defeat Lord Voldemort and his Death Eaters. Along the way, they must uncover the secrets of the mysterious Deathly Hallows, which may hold the key to their success. The novel culminates in a final showdown between Harry and Voldemort, with the fate of the wizarding world hanging in the balance. The book explores themes of love, sacrifice, and the power of...
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The Satanic Verses
by Salman Rushdie
The Satanic Verses is a novel written by Salman Rushdie, published in 1988. It weaves together multiple narratives and explores themes of identity, religion, and cultural conflict, including the idea of cultural hybridity and the ways in which individuals negotiate their identities in a multicultural world. The novel begins with a fictionalized version of the true story of the hijacking of an airplane from Bombay to London, which ends with the two main characters, Gibreel and Saladin, miraculously...
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East Of Eden
by John Steinbeck
East of Eden is a novel by John Steinbeck, published in 1952. It tells the multi-generational story of two families, the Hamiltons and the Trasks, in California's Salinas Valley. The novel explores themes of good and evil, love and hate, and the human capacity for both. It also delves into the nature of family dynamics, inheritance, and the American dream. The characters are complex and nuanced, and the novel's narrative structure allows for a deep exploration of their motivations and emotions. East of...
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The Secret History
by Donna Tartt
The Secret History by Donna Tartt is a novel that follows the lives of a group of classics students at a small, elite college in New England. The students, led by their charismatic and eccentric professor, become obsessed with ancient Greek culture and rituals, which leads them to commit a terrible crime. The novel explores themes of guilt, obsession, and the corrupting influence of power. Tartt's masterful prose and richly drawn characters make The Secret History a compelling and thought-provoking read....
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American Psycho
by Bret Easton Ellis
American Psycho is a novel by Bret Easton Ellis that follows the life of Patrick Bateman, a wealthy and successful investment banker in New York City during the late 1980s. As Bateman navigates his professional and social life, he also harbors a secret life as a sadistic serial killer. The novel is a commentary on the emptiness and depravity of the materialistic culture of the time and the alienation and disconnection that can result from it. The graphic and disturbing descriptions of Bateman's violent...
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One Hundred Years Of Solitude
by Gabriel Garcia Marquez
One Hundred Years of Solitude chronicles the life of Macondo, a fictional town based in part of Garcia Marquez's hometown of Aracataca, Columbia, and seven generations of the founding family, the Buendias. He creates a complex world with characters and events that display the full range of human experience. For the reader, the pleasure of the novel derives from its fast-paced narrative, humor, vivid characters, and fantasy elements. In this 'magic realism', the author combines imaginative flights of...
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Their Eyes Were Watching God
by Zora Neale Hurston
Their Eyes Were Watching God is a 1937 novel and the best-known work by African American writer Zora Neale Hurston. Hurston wrote the novel in a reported seven weeks while visited Haiti. Set in central and southern Florida in the early 20th century, the novel garnered attention and controversy at the time of its publication but fell out of print for a number of years. Its popularity was resurrected in the 1970s by an article in Ms. Magazine by Alice Walker "Looking for Zora." Their Eyes Were Watching...
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A Confederacy Of Dunces
by John Kennedy Toole
A Confederacy of Dunces is a picaresque novel written by John Kennedy Toole, published in 1980, 11 years after the author died by suicide at the age of 31. The book was published through the efforts of writer Walker Percy (who also contributed a revealing foreword) and Toole's mother, Thelma Toole. In 1981, it won the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction, granting posthumous recognition to John Kennedy Toole. The novel has since gained a cult following and is celebrated as a classic of American literature.Set in...
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The Bluest Eye
by Toni Morrison
The Bluest Eye is a 1970 novel by American author Toni Morrison. It is Morrison's first novel, written while Morrison was teaching at Howard University and was raising her two sons on her own. The story is about a year in the life of a young black girl in Lorain, Ohio named Pecola Breedlove. It takes place against the backdrop of America's Midwest as well as in the years following the Great Depression. Brutal in its depictions of racism, incest, and child molestation, The Bluest Eye...
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The Pillars Of the Earth
by Ken Follett
The Pillars of the Earth is an historical novel by Welsh author Ken Follett that centers on the building of a Gothic cathedral in the fictional town of Kingsbridge, England in the mid-twelfth century. Set against the backdrop of The Anarchy after the sinking of a ship containing King Henry I’s only legitimate heir, the story interweaves themes of intrigue, conspiracy, politics and religion as master builder Tom Builder and the visionary Prior Philip build a cathedral over 50 years. An Oprah Book Club...
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Tuesdays With Morrie
by Mitch Albom
Mitch Albom recollects his conversations with his former college professor, Morrie Schwartz, who was dying of ALS in this memoir. The book explores life lessons through the perspectives of Morrie, who imparts his wisdom and experiences to Albom during their weekly meetings. Through their conversations, they discuss topics such as death, love, forgiveness, and the meaning of life. Morrie's teachings and insights help Albom to gain a new understanding of the world and to appreciate the important things in...
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Hunger Games - Audio
by Suzanne Collins
The story is set in the post-apocalyptic nation of Panem, where a wealthy Capitol rules over twelve impoverished districts. Each year, one boy and one girl from each district are chosen to participate in the Hunger Games, a televised fight to the death. When Katniss Everdeen volunteers to take her younger sister's place in the Games, she becomes a symbol of hope for the oppressed people of Panem. With the help of fellow tribute Peeta Mellark, Katniss must fight to survive the brutal and deadly...
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Never Let Me Go
by Kazuo Ishiguro
Kathy, Ruth, and Tommy grow up in Hailsham, a seemingly idyllic boarding school. As they become adults, they learn they are clones created for organ donations. They navigate their complex relationships and confront the harsh realities of their predetermined fate. Kathy, the narrator, reflects on their shared past, the bonds they formed, and the sacrifices they are expected to make. The novel raises profound questions about love, identity, mortality, and the moral implications of scientific advancements....
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The Road
by Cormac McCarthy
The Road is a 2006 novel by American writer Cormac McCarthy. It is a post-apocalyptic tale of a journey taken by a father and his young son over a period of several months, across a landscape blasted by an unnamed cataclysm that destroyed all civilization and, apparently, almost all life on earth. The novel was awarded the 2007 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction, the James Tait Black Memorial Prize for Fiction in 2006, and was a Oprah's Book Club selection.
The Year Of Magical Thinking
by Joan Didion
The Year of Magical Thinking (2005), by Joan Didion (b. 1934), is an account of the year following the death of the author's husband John Gregory Dunne (1932–2003). Published by Knopf in October 2005, the book was immediately acclaimed as a classic in the genre of mourning literature. It won the National Book Award in November 2005 and was a finalist for the National Book Critics Circle Award as well as the Pulitzer Prize for Biography/Autobiography.
The Kite Runner
by Khaled Hosseini
Hosseini’s first novel takes place in Afghanistan and spans over several decades. The story follows the life of Amir, a young boy from a wealthy family, and his friend Hassan, the son of his father's servant. Despite their different social backgrounds, the two boys have a close friendship and bond over their love for kite fighting. However, after witnessing a traumatic event, Amir betrays Hassan, causing their friendship to fall apart.The novel then follows Amir's journey as he grows up, moves to...
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The Five People You Meet In Heaven
by Mitch Albom
The Five People You Meet in Heaven... is a novel by the author of Tuesdays with Morrie, Mitch Albom. It recounts the life and death of a simple yet dignified old man, Eddie. After dying in a freak accident, Eddie finds himself in heaven where he encounters five people who have significantly affected his life, whether he realized at the time or not. Mitch Albom dedicates the book to his uncle Edward Beitchman.
The Book Thief
by Markus Zusak
The New York Times #1 Bestseller. It is 1939. Nazi Germany. The country is holding its breath. Death has never been busier, and will become busier still. By her brother's graveside, Liesel Meminger's life is changed when she picks up a single object, partially hidden in the snow. It is The Gravedigger's Handbook, left there by accident, and it is her first act of book thievery. So begins a love affair with books and words, as Liesel, with the help of her foster father, learns to read. Soon she is...
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The Goldfinch
by Donna Tartt
Winner of the 2014 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction, Donna Tartt's novel The Goldfinch enjoyed a meteoric rise since its debut in October 2013. The Goldfinch is Tartt's third novel after the very successful The Secret History (1992) and The Little Friend (2002) and enjoyed an initial printing of 75,000 copies by publisher Little, Brown, and Company.Frustratingly for fans of the author, it took Tartt almost 11 years to complete The Goldfinch, but it became one...
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Contemporary Fiction Books & Ephemera
The Help
by Stockett, Kathryn
The Help is a 2009 novel by American author Kathryn Stockett. It is about African American maids working in white households in Jackson, Mississippi during the early 1960s. The novel is told from the perspective of three characters.
The Forgotten Garden
by Morton, Kate
From the #1 internationally bestselling author of The House at Riverton, a novel that takes the reader on an unforgettable journey through generations and across continents as two women try to uncover their familyâÈçs secret past
A tiny girl is abandoned on a ship headed for Australia in 1913. She arrives completely alone with nothing but a small suitcase containing a few clothes and a single bookâÈ'a beautiful volume of fairy tales. She is taken in by the dockmaster and his wife and raised as... Read more about this item
A tiny girl is abandoned on a ship headed for Australia in 1913. She arrives completely alone with nothing but a small suitcase containing a few clothes and a single bookâÈ'a beautiful volume of fairy tales. She is taken in by the dockmaster and his wife and raised as... Read more about this item
The House At Riverton
by Morton, Kate
"Originally published in Australia in 2006 as The Shifting Fog by Allen & Unwin"--T.p. verso.
The Time Traveler's Wife
by Audrey, Niffenegger
A dazzling novel in the most untraditional fashion, this is the remarkable story of Henry DeTamble, a dashing, adventuresome librarian who travels involuntarily through time, and Clare Abshire, an artist whose life takes a natural sequential course. Henry and Clare's passionate love affair endures across a sea of time and captures the two lovers in an impossibly romantic trap, and it is Audrey Niffenegger's cinematic storytelling that makes the novel's unconventional chronology so vibrantly triumphant.An...
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The Poisonwood Bible
by Kingsolver, Barbara
The Poisonwood Bible (1998) by Barbara Kingsolver is a bestselling novel about a missionary family, the Prices, who in 1959 move from Georgia to the fictional village of Kilanga in the Belgian Congo. The Prices' story, which parallels their host country's tumultuous emergence into the post-colonial era, is narrated by the five women of the family: Orleanna, long-suffering wife of Baptist missionary Nathan Price, and their four daughters – Rachel, Leah, Adah, and Ruth May.
Life Of Pi
by Martel, Yann
Life of Pi is a fantasy adventure novel written by Canadian author Yann Martel. In the story, the protagonist Piscine "Pi" Molitor Patel, an Indian boy from Pondicherry, explores issues of spirituality and practicality from an early age. He survives227 days after a shipwreck, while stranded on a boat in the Pacific Ocean. The novel was first published by Knopf Canada in September 2001, and the UK edition won the Man Booker Prize for Fiction the following year.
Water For Elephants
by Gruen, Sara
Water for Elephants is a historical novel by Sara Gruen. The novel centers on Jacob Jankowski and his experiences in a travelling circus called The Benzini Brothers Most Spectacular Show on Earth. Gruen originally wrote the novel as part of National Novel Writing Month.
A Fine Balance
by Mistry, Rohinton
A Fine Balance is the third book by Rohinton Mistry. Set in Mumbai, India between 1975 and 1977 during the turmoil of The Emergency, a period of expanded government power and crackdowns on civil liberties, this book is about four characters from varied backgrounds—Dina Dalal, Ishvar Darji, his nephew Omprakash and the young lad Maneck—who come together and develop a bond. First published by McClelland and Stewart in 1995, it won the Giller Prize.
The Red Tent
by Diamant, Anita
The red tent is the place where women would gather away from the men during births and menses. Imagine living a nomadic lifestyle around 1500 BCE, keeping time by the celestial orbs and the women stopping to assemble their tent.
The Red Tent is historical fiction. Author Anita Diamant expounds on the silence of the woman Dinah in the story of Genesis, retelling and recreating a time period in Biblical history through the eyes of the women.
The Red Tent is historical fiction. Author Anita Diamant expounds on the silence of the woman Dinah in the story of Genesis, retelling and recreating a time period in Biblical history through the eyes of the women.
The Glass Castle
by Walls, Jeannette
Jeannette Walls grew up with parents whose ideals and stubborn nonconformity were both their curse and their salvation. Rex and Rose Mary Walls had four children. In the beginning, they lived like nomads, moving among Southwest desert towns, camping in the mountains. Rex was a charismatic, brilliant man who, when sober, captured his childrenâÈçs imagination, teaching them physics, geology, and above all, how to embrace life fearlessly. Rose Mary, who painted and wrote and couldnâÈçt stand the...
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Still Alice
by Genova, Lisa
Still Alice is a compelling debut novel about a 50-year-old woman's sudden descent into early onset Alzheimer's disease, written by first-time author Lisa Genova, who holds a Ph. D in neuroscience from Harvard University. Alice Howland, happily married with three grown children and a house on the Cape, is a celebrated Harvard professor at the height of her career when she notices a forgetfulness creeping into her life. As confusion starts to cloud her thinking and her memory begins to fail her, she...
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The Curious Incident Of the Dog In the Night-Time
by Haddon, Mark
Wondrous-Brilliantly inventive, full of dazzling set pieces- Not simply the most original novel I've read in years-it's also one of the best' The TimesThe Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time is a murder mystery novel like no other. The detective, and narrator, is Christopher Boone. Christopher is fifteen and has Asperger's, a form of autism. He knows a very great deal about maths and very little about human beings. He loves lists, patterns and the truth. He hates the colours yellow and brown...
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A Complicated Kindness
by Toews, Miriam
Miriam Toews (pronounced tâves) was born in 1964 in the small Mennonite town of Steinbach, Manitoba. She left Steinbach at 18, living in Montreal and London and touring Europe before coming back to Manitoba, where she earned her B.A. in film studies at the University of Manitoba. Later she packed up with her children and partner and moved to Halifax to attend the University of King’s College, where she received her bachelor’s degree in journalism. Upon returning to Winnipeg with her...
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Middlesex
by Eugenides, Jeffrey
Jeffrey Eugenides was born in 1960 in Detroit, Michigan, the son of an American-born father whose Greek parents emigrated from Asia Minor and an American mother of Anglo-Irish descent.After graduating from Brown University and Stanford University, in 1988 Jeffrey Eugenides published his first short story. His first novel, The Virgin Suicides, was published in 1993 to rapturous acclaim. The compelling, tender and wickedly humorous story of the five Lisbon sisters in “the year of the...
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The Birth House
by McKay, Ami
An arresting portrait of the struggles that women faced for control of their own bodies, The Birth House is the story of Dora Rare—the first daughter in five generations of Rares.As apprentice to the outspoken Acadian midwife Miss Babineau, Dora learns to assist the women of an isolated Nova Scotian village through infertility, difficult labors, breech births, unwanted pregnancies, and unfulfilling sex lives. During the turbulent World War I era, uncertainty and upheaval accompany the arrival of a...
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Late Nights On Air
by Hay, Elizabeth
It’s 1975 when beautiful Dido Paris arrives at the radio station in Yellowknife, a frontier town in the Canadian north. She disarms hard-bitten broadcaster Harry Boyd and electrifies the station, setting into motion rivalries both professional and sexual. As the drama at the station unfolds, a proposed gas pipeline threatens to rip open the land and inspires many people to find their voices for the first time. This is the moment before television conquers the north’s attention, when the fate of the...
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