Slime by David Walliams

Just like Roald Dahl, Andy Griffiths and Terry Denton, David Walliams writes about kids turning the tables on ‘nasty grown-ups terrorising children’. Walliams makes up words that taste terrible on my tongue and creates so much naughtiness that kids will love all his books! Me? I’ll leave these books, that disguised like lollies, to the kids, and hope they don’t use these pranks and come after me. These books are silliness and all good fun and should be gifts for every occasion… and just because! They are very popular so we have a lot of David Walliam books at all our libraries. If they aren’t on the shelf, ask the staff to reserve a title, or try our ebook collection.

Those who are loved by Victoria Hislop

At the beginning of WWII, Themis is one of four siblings living in Athens; two on the left, politically, and two on the right. Through Themis we experience the German occupation, civil war, and a military dictatorship in Greece. The first half of the book is rich in emotional and historical detail, but towards the end I felt that character development was sacrificed to cover ground. I really enjoyed experiencing these times in a different (to me) setting, though I found it a touch slow at times, and rushed at others.

Such a fun age by Kiley Reid

Four and a half stars for what turned out to be not only clever and thought- provoking, but also amusing and fun. Late one evening a white, social media influencer calls her black baby sitter to take her three year old to the supermarket while she and her husband deal with a minor crisis. A security guard accuses the baby sitter of kidnapping the little girl, and won’t let her leave. This incident triggers a deep need in the mother to befriend the baby sitter. It is a powerful story about race, affluence, power, and privilege, but it is also about friendship, love, the confusion and struggle involved in finding your path in life, coming of age and working out what you want.

The guardian of lies by Kate Furnivall

Set in France during the Cold War, this story was full of twists and turns. Who were the spies and for which side did they belong? Who could you trust? Is your family on your side? Eloise returns to the family farm where a U.S. military base has been set up and loyalties are tested.

The other Bennet sister by Janice Hadlow

Mary is the most overlooked, unloved Bennet sister, so unsympathetically portrayed by Jane Austen, I was worried she wouldn’t make a good protagonist. Janice Hadlow has done a great job of fleshing Mary out, and growing her character. The first part of the story is Mary’s perspective on the time at the beginning of Pride and Prejudice, but it moves on to what happens to Mary once her sisters are married. Some of Austen’s characters are less appealing here, some are more rounded, and the language is largely appropriate, with many references to Jane Austen’s work. It is a heart-warming coming of age story about a thinking woman learning to value herself, and, like its inspiration, is a sweet romance. I’m not sure it needed to be quite so long, but the story was engaging, and the audio very well done.

Red bones by Ann Cleeves

Audiobooks are the best way to go for books set in Scotland! I was very familiar with the television version of this book, which mattered very little as it turned out to be very different. Jimmy Perez, though in quite a different time of life and situation to the television version, is as thoughtful and appealing a character, Sandy Wilson is little changed, and plays a big part, and all the characters are well drawn. The mystery is, as ever, intriguing, the setting atmospheric, and it is accent heaven.

Wonderscape by Jennifer Bell

I read so much and the stories can start blending together especially when authors all hop on a trending theme. When I find an author trying something different I get very excited! Wonderscape is an adventure, blending science, technology, time travel, history and gaming. Hard to believe and difficult to do but Jennifer Bell is very talented and pulls it all together brilliantly. I am hoping this turns into a series of amazing adventure stories. Arthur, Ren and Cecily would never have been friends in the real world but when they become trapped in the future their lives depend on teamwork and they become friends real fast. And don’t get me started on the bad guys in this book! We have lifelike androids, weapons disguised as beauty products, historical heroes that I know and some I would like to know more about, and also ethical dilemmas that make me very angry. I encourage everyone to visit Jennifer’s website to play the Wonderscape game. Readers 10yrs+ are going to devour this book… so I had better hurry up and get it back on the ebook library shelf! Travel with wonder my friends!

Where fortune lies by Mary-Anne O’Connor

Set mainly in Victoria and the High Country when bushrangers roamed the countryside. I love how the author intersected the characters stories, it made me keep reading to see if it would all come together (it does, although the ending wraps up very quickly). I also loved the descriptions of the high country and how easily you can fall in love with that landscape.

Sword of destiny by Andrzej Sapkowski

This is a collection of short stories about Geralt of Rivia, a witcher, or killer of monsters. The television series contains many of the stories in this book, and those in The Last Wish. It’s a little bit bawdy, not as graphic as the television series, but it is also moving, as Geralt and Yennefer struggle to live with the cost of their past, and face their destiny. There is plenty of adventure, fun, romance, and soul searching.

Trust by Chris Hammer

Martin Scarsden is back for another wild ride into crime and corruption. This time the story is set in blusterly, wintry Sydney and is like another character. Trust permeates the story – who can you trust with information, with the truth, with your life? There are a lot of characters you need to keep track of , some returning from the first two stories. Another great read from Chris Hammer – plus I loved the ending!