To transform a young reader into a booklover, one must blur the edges, delve into unchartered territories, and push boundaries to flame a life-long hunger for the written word. And what better time of year to stoke the fire than Summertime! Here are a few featured books alongside read alike picks, all new in 2022!
Read MoreIris was delivered her terminal cancer diagnosis with all the feeling of an internet bot issuing a death warrant. In an attempt to navigate her prognosis, she starts a secret blog to share personal anecdotes and revelations. You won’t be able to resist any of this characters as they navigate their loss.
Read MoreA fascinating look at four murders committed by women that blends a novelist’s flair for narrative cadence and an academics focused intelligence to discern what happens when women kill. How are women treated and depicted when they commit a murder? How are their actions construed? Or should I say misconstrued.
Read MoreIt’s not often in crime fiction that you may find yourself rooting for the murderer, but I defy you to resist the particular, let’s call them charms, of killer queen Grace. A wickedly sharp and savage read that is a perfect for anyone who loves dark humour mixed in with their crime fiction.
Read MoreRainy’s secrets are buried deep, and she is not keen to share them. Certainly not with a group of women whose’s company has been forced upon her and who she has nothing in common with and can barely tolerate. Think real housewives of nowhere you’ve ever heard of…
Read MoreA delight of a book that triumphantly introduces a new generation to the brilliance of Agatha Christie. When “cool” girl Alice’s ex bestie is found murdered, she and Iris, her “nerdy” tutor, launch their own investigation, adopting many of the tenants of crime solving Christie’s detectives did. Along the way they collect oddballs and misfits for the cause!
Read MoreHades, God Of The Dead and King Of The Underworld is having a midlife crisis. Bored with the never-ending stream of death that surrounds him, his cynicism and discontent grow with every passing day of his immortal life. In the contemporary world where this imaginative retelling is set, life as he knows it is about to be turned on its head.
Read MoreFull disclosure readers, the thriller part of this story was at times unsavory, but I stuck with it for the complex protagonist at the center of it. Ben is a deputy sheriff who has moved to a small town after a tragedy rocks his world. I love an eerie small-town narrative, rich with furtive behavior and morally ambiguous characters.
Read MoreWho among us doesn’t love reading about the celebrities we admire most? Finding out intimate details about their lives and loves. Discovering the ways in which they are just like us, flawed and at times, barely functioning. Get to know Viola Davis, Kal Penn, Valerie Bertinelli & Will Wheaton on a deeper level!
Read MoreJoyland - Stephen King
Malibu Rising - Taylor Jenkins Reid
This Time Tomorrow - Emma Staub
Mary Jane - Jessica Anya Blau
This One Summer - Mariko Tamaki
Touch Of Jen - Beth Morgan
Jaws - Peter Benchley
Full Tilt - Neal Shusterman
Saturday Night Ghost Club - Craig Davidson
The Ruins - Scott Smith
We Were Never Here - Andrea Bartz
Every Summer After - Carley Fortune
One Italian Summer - Rebecca Serle
The Summer Job - Lizzie Dent
Book Lovers - Emily Henry
Beautiful Ruins - Jess Walter
Grown Ups - Emma Jane Unsworth
The Long & Faraway Gone - Lou Berney
Who Is Maud Dixon - Alexandra Andrews
The Puzzler - A.J. Jacobs
The Data Detective - Tim Harford
Braod Band - Claire L. Evans
The Equisite Machine - Sian E. Harding
The Monsters Bones - David K. Randall
A Molecule Away From Madness - Sara Manning Peskin
Wired For Love - Stephanie Cacioppo
The Man Who Tasted Words - Guy Leschiziner
This Mortal Coil - Andrew Doig
HomoDeus - Yuval Noah Harari
The Math Book - DK
The Gene - Siddhartha Mukherjee
The Innovators - Walter Isaacson
The Anthropocene Reviewed - John Green
Fuzz - Mary Roach
The God Equations - Michio Kaku
A Taste For Poison - Neil Bradbury
This Is Improbable - Marc Abrahams
Numb & Number - William Harston
Colour inside the lines, follow the lead, don’t take risks, keep your head down…said nobody ever! When you read as much as I do, you are invariably seeking stories that will scratch the incessant itch you have for something that deviates from the prevailing plot structures. Stories that unfold in uncommon or unexpected ways, that are innovative, that play with you, that provide a much-needed breath of fresh air. The gems I have gathered here will fill that need!
Read MoreSurrounded by treasures and secrets, one day January discovers a remarkable book. It will turn out that is the least of what it is, and what it will become. Narratives unfold like a nesting doll in this clever and charming read, peeling back priceless gems. We spend time with fierce and fascinating characters and each door teases the reader with a reverential nod to well-known fairytales and fables
Read MoreIn this cleverly crafted story within a story, we never know what is real or imagined. Even upon completion of the book I am not sure what and who were real and what may have been a figment of the narrator’s vivid imagination. And I am okay with that!
Read MoreLola finds herself a test subject for a cult like sales guru who is intent on mastering the power of suggestion to sell high end fix it packages to people who have more money than sense. Chosen because she has been diagnosed by no one of any credentials of an affliction that does not exist, people hoarder, Lola has given them lots to work with.
Read MoreGrace may be many things. Murderess, lunatic, naïve servant, manipulative imposter. After a stint in an asylum, she is now serving a life sentence in prison. A young doctor begins to visit her with the hopes of employing his progressive treatments and gaining Grace a pardon. But as we all know, when seeking out the truth we often get much more than we bargained for.
Read MoreOwen is charming, privileged and chronically dissatisfied. Luna is secretive, reticent, and pragmatic. Despite the disparity in their natures, their bond, forged in their college years, is unshakeable. Until it isn’t. This book has an important life lesson; no good can ever come of a game of truth or dare!
Read MoreThink Survivor but with whiny, irritating teens and armed madmen seemingly plucked straight out of the film Deliverance. Which was in my head long before I read the authors note admitting to channeling the film for the plot idea. Whether that’s a good thing or not, I am still undecided.
Read MoreCreepy neighbours, sounds going bump in the night, eerie sense of someone, or something watching you. All that and more in these thrillers that take place in mysterious dwellings. If you should experience any of these feelings, I might suggest moving. Or running…
Read MoreThe night before the opening gala of a luxury resort, several employees are putting the finishing touches on the party details. What they don’t know is that they are being watched. And stalked. And sooner or later, maybe killed. A gleeful and gory horror with a twist!
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