Insignia Series

By: S.J Kincaid
Location: FIC KIN
Genre: Dystopia and Sci Fi -WWIII

"I highly recommend this series to anyone out there who wants to try out a YA sci-fi. This is one of my favourite series EVER!"

“He felt like anything was possible around her, like his life meant more, like he meant more.”

S . J. Kincaid has created a fascinating dystopian world for Insignia, her futuristic science-fiction adventure series perfect for fans of Ender's Game. Earth is in the middle of WWIII, battling to determine which governments and corporations will control the resources of the solar system.

Teen Tom Raines grew up with nothing, some days without even a roof over his head. Then his exceptional gaming skills earned him a spot in the Intrasolar Forces, the country's elite military training program, and his life completely changed. Now, in Catalyst, the explosive series conclusion, dangerous changes have come to the Pentagonal Spire, where Tom and his friends train. When a mysterious figure starts fighting against the evil corporations' horrifying plans, but with methods Tom finds shocking, he must decide which side he's on.

With slim odds of success, is it even worth the fight? 

Escaping Exodus

By: Nicky Drayden
Location: FIC DRA
Genre:  Sci Fi

Escaping Exodus is a story of a young woman named Seske Kaleigh, heir to the command of a biological, city-size starship carved up from the insides of a spacefaring beast. Her clan has just now culled their latest ship and the workers are busy stripping down the bonework for building materials, rerouting the circulatory system for mass transit, and preparing the cavernous creature for the onslaught of the general populous still in stasis. It’s all a part of the cycle her clan had instituted centuries ago—excavate the new beast, expand into its barely-living carcass, extinguish its resources over the course of a decade, then escape in a highly coordinated exodus back into stasis until they cull the next beast from the diminishing herd.

And of course there wouldn’t be much of a story if things didn’t go terribly, terribly wrong...

SKIP

By: Molly Mendoza
Location: FIC  MEN
Genre: Graphic Novel - Fantasy 

"... animation industry make a movie of this or I'm comin for you" Liv

A colorful, unpredictable postapocalyptic world comes alive in Skip, when two unlikely friends, Bloom and Gloopy, find themselves tossed from dimension to dimension. Gloopy is running toward adventure, and away from their home and friends who don't understand their creative talent. Bloom is desperately trying to return home to their lake, and avoid the terrible violence of the city. Instead, both Bloom and Gloopy find what they need in each other, and bravely return home to challenge their fears and create beauty in their own worlds.

As Bloom and Gloopy skip through dimensions and encounter weeping giants, alligator islands, and a topsy turvy 2D world, they find comfort in each other and learn that sometimes, your greatest fear reveals where your strengths lie. Great for fans of Black Mirror.

"Skip is a flurry of bold and vivid cartooning that pulls you through this tender story of friendship at heart-wrenching speeds. Molly layers every page with such a dense whimsicality that it left me wanting to go back and re-read so I could sink my eyes into the details again and again."
--Sloane Leong, creator of Prism Stalke

Funny Bones

By: A stack of authors
Location: FIC FUN
Genre: Humour

If you think you've heard every funny story there is then think again ... Funny Bones is a super-huge collection of rib-tickling stories, cartoons, comics, jokes and much, much more that's bound to get even the most serious kid laughing.

With over 100 funny stories, hilarious poems and side-splitting drawings from some of Australia's favourite and funniest people including Zoe Foster Blake, Josh Pyke, Andy Griffiths, Terry Denton, Hannah Gadsby, Lawrence Leung, Michelle Law, Adrian Beck, Katrina Nannestad, James O'Loghlin, Tom Jellett, Gus Gordon, Danny Katz.....

"Funny Bones editors Kate and Jol Temple and Oliver Phommavanh, have created quite an impressive tome. Inside you’ll find great stories that will capture the imagination of the most resistant readers, along with illustrations, cartoon strips, letters, jokes, poems and songs – the list goes on. Every time I went back for another read, I found something I hadn’t discovered the first time. All stories are unique but the one thing they definitely have in common is that they will get you laughing." Better Reader

Dragon Age

By: David Gaider
Location: FIC GAI
Genre: Re-tell. Fantasy 

Inspired by wuxia martial-arts dramas as well as the centuries-old ballad of Mulan, The Magnolia Sword is perfect for fans of Renee Ahdieh, Marie Lu, or Kristin Cashore--a thrilling, romantic, and sharp-edged novel that lives up to its beloved heroine. 

CHINA, 484 A.D.

A Warrior in Disguise
All her life, Mulan has trained for one purpose: to win the duel that every generation in her family must fight. If she prevails, she can reunite a pair of priceless heirloom swords separated decades earlier, and avenge her father, who was paralyzed in his own duel.

Then a messenger from the Emperor arrives, demanding that all families send one soldier to fight the Rouran invaders in the north. Mulan's father cannot go. Her brother is just a child. So she ties up her hair, takes up her sword, and joins the army as a man.

A War for a Dynasty
Thanks to her martial arts skills, Mulan is chosen for an elite team under the command of the princeling--the royal duke's son, who is also the handsomest man she's ever seen. But the princeling has secrets of his own, which explode into Mulan's life and shake up everything she knows. As they cross the Great Wall to face the enemy beyond, Mulan and the princeling must find a way to unwind their past, unmask a traitor, and uncover the plans for the Rouran invasion . . . before it's too late.

“I am not "just" a girl - no woman is. And if Heaven has deposited me at this time and place, then I am meant to deal with these problems, no matter their scale or consequence.”

Husana's Story

By: Farid Ahmed
Location: FIC AHM   
Genre: March 15th, Forgiveness, #theyareus

It is a day I will never forget, a day we should never forget, it is a day we have stories. These stories need to be remembered, told, written and sung about. We re-tell so we never ever forget and that helps to put a stack in the ground that it should never ever happen again. Farid Ahmed is a proud kiwi, and a man who through his faith has forgiven, a man who embraces peace and love. A man who is learning to move on, in hope of a better world, one without his wife, but a forgiving one...

Husna's Story is written by Husna's husband Farid Ahmed. They were praying at El Noor Mosque in Christchurch when a gunman burst in and shot and killed 51 people and injured many others in a terrorist attack. This book tells Husna's story, describing the day of the attack - in all of its normal, mundane detail up until the tragedy, and then the horrendous tragedy of what followed. Interwoven with this is the story of Husna's life, telling of the selflessness and bravery with which she lived her life. As well as looking after her paraplegic husband, Husna was an important member of the community, helping women when they were giving birth, running classes for children and helping many others. Her last selfless act was going back into the mosque to look for her husband on that fateful day. She had already led the other women and children to safety. Tragically she was shot. Husna's husband, Farid Ahmed, quite incredibly, forgives the alleged killer. His remarkable philosophy of forgiveness, peace and love is an example of how religion and faith, through personal application, can be a tool for navigating the most horrific of tragedies.

How the Brain Works: The Facts Visually Explained

By: DK but also people with the surname Collin!!
Location: NF 612.82 COL
Genre:  Science, the brain, great graphics

This is good, Catherine Collin and Tamara Collin helped write this, that is my maiden name and I have never seen a book written by a Collin before and even better- it is a brainy book.

Also why do I always write Brian instead of Brain!

Maybe the answer is in this book!

Have you ever asked yourself why you can't remember anything from before the age of three, why we experience déjà vu, or indeed how a bundle of cells in our heads can produce the remarkable phenomenon that is human consciousness?

 Drawing on the latest neuroscience research, this visual guide makes the hidden workings of the human brain simple to understand.

How the Brain Works begins with an introduction to the brain's anatomy, showing you how to tell your motor cortex from your mirror neurons. From anatomy, it moves on to function, explaining how the brain works constantly and unnoticed to regulate processes such as heartbeat and breathing and how it collects information from the external world to produce the experiences of sight, sound, smell, taste, and touch. The chapters that follow cover memory and learning, consciousness and personality, and emotions and communication.

There's also a guide to the brain's disorders, including physical problems, such as tumours and strokes, and psychological and functional disorders, ranging from autism to schizophrenia.
Illustrated with bold graphics and step-by-step artworks, and peppered with bite-sized factoids and question-and-answer features, this is the perfect introduction to the fascinating world of the human brain

The Virtue of Sin

By: Shannon Schuren
Location: FIC SCH
Genre:  Fiction, Cult, Mind Control

“It's just that turning the other cheek never feels as good as punching someone else's" -Caleb”

A novel about speaking out, standing up, and breaking free.

Miriam lives in New Jerusalem, a haven in the desert far away from the sins and depravity of the outside world. Within the gates of New Jerusalem, and under the eye of its founder and leader, Daniel, Miriam knows she is safe. Cared for. Even if she’s forced, as a girl, to quiet her tongue when she has thoughts she wants to share, Miriam knows that New Jerusalem is a far better life than any alternative. So when God calls for a Matrimony, she’s thrilled; she knows that Caleb, the boy she loves, will choose her to be his wife and they can finally start their life together.

But when the ceremony goes wrong and Miriam winds up with someone else, she can no longer keep quiet. For the first time, Miriam begins to question not only the rules that Daniel has set in place, but also what it is she believes in, and where she truly belongs.

Alongside unexpected allies, Miriam fights to learn–and challenge–the truth behind the only way of life she’s ever known, even if it means straying from the path of Righteousness.

"There are so many aspects of this story that appealed to both the book nerd and psychology nerd in me and I was completely absorbed from the start. This is the story of two teenagers who have spent their entire lives in a cult and how they deal with their newfound clarity about their situation as they are thrown into adulthood in the community. It is a novel that portrays the importance of not always taking what people in power say at face value, fighting for equality, and learning to accept others—and oneself—for who they are." Araiana Goodreads

Blood Heir

By: Amelie Wen Zhao
Location: FIC ZHA
Genre: Fantasy, Retelling

“But, in this world, life is a masquerade. Everyone wears masks.”
― Amélie Wen Zhao, Blood Heir


This hot debut is the first book in an epic new series about a princess hiding a dark secret and the con man she must trust to clear her name for her father's murder.

In the Cyrilian Empire, Affinites are reviled. Their varied gifts to control the world around them are unnatural—dangerous. And Anastacya Mikhailov, the crown princess, has a terrifying secret. Her deadly Affinity to blood is her curse and the reason she has lived her life hidden behind palace walls.

When Ana’s father, the emperor, is murdered, her world is shattered. Framed as his killer, Ana must flee the palace to save her life. And to clear her name, she must find her father’s murderer on her own. But the Cyrilia beyond the palace walls is far different from the one she thought she knew. Corruption rules the land, and a greater conspiracy is at work—one that threatens the very balance of her world. And there is only one person corrupt enough to help Ana get to its core: Ramson Quicktongue.

A cunning crime lord of the Cyrilian underworld, Ramson has sinister plans—though he might have met his match in Ana. Because in this story, the princess might be the most dangerous player of all. 

Metro 2033

By:  Dmitry Glukhovsky
Location: FIC DMI
Genre: Sci Fi, Video Game book, Dystopia, Horror

"This is very much a Russian tale with everything that implies. Post-nuclear survival tale within the metro tunnels, humanity becoming Morlocks and strange flying creatures preventing any egress. (Along with the heavy radiation, but who's really counting that?) ;)" Bradley

"Are you tired of stupid Young Adult books with stupid protagonists who are worried about who they should kiss rather than how to survive? Then this is for you.
Real survival, real struggle, and a very elaborated setting take Metro 2033 to new levels of "things went wrong here".

This book won't try to babysit you, so don't expect an easy read." Ketchin

The civilization most northern outpost, a lonely metro station, attacked by mysterious creatures that somehow have awoken in the recent war. The world lies in ruins, the surface is contaminated, and a prey to the sun's deadly rays. One last human remnant have sought protection in the Metro, the world's largest nuclear bomb secure bunker, where stations have been transformed into small city states with their own ideologies and governments.

Everywhere there is a constant struggle for living space, water filters, electric heaters and fungal cultures, all while darkness and terror reigns in the tunnels.

A young man is forced out on a dangerous journey through the subterranean maze of tunnels, shafts and sidings, where nobody knows what to expect around the next corner.

I Hold Your Heart

By: Karen Gregory
Location: FIC GRE
Genre: Teen Romance, Abuse, Control

I did some training with  with the Stop Domestic Violence Campaign #itsnotok  and I think the thing I learned the most was domestic abuse is not just physical violence, it is the mental abuse, the control, the stopping of letting other live free and bold.
As I learned this I heard more and more stories of partners who are manipulated, controlled and managed so they simply cannot live, breathe, walk or be. It is WRONG.
This book deals with these issues based in a teen romance setting, but it applies to us all!

The tense, tender must-read book of the summer - perfect for fans of Louise O'Neill and Sara Barnard

'You make me feel like there's something good in the world I can hold on to,' Aaron says. He kisses me again, draws me so close it's almost hard to breathe. 'I love you, Gem. And I promise I'll hold your heart forever.'

When Gemma meets Aaron, she feels truly seen for the first time. Their love story is the intense kind. The written-in-the-stars, excluding-all-others kind. The kind you write songs about.

But little by little their relationship takes over Gemma's life. What happens when being seen becomes being watched, and care becomes control?

"A great read for YA readers that helps educate about abusive relationships. Tightly paced and quickly read, it’s certainly worth a look." Ellie

Followers

By: Megan Angelo
Location: FIC ANG
Genre: Sci Fi, Dystopia, 


"Timely. Thought-provoking. Relevant."

"This is flawlessly woven  complex, multilayered and intelligent tale of the current state of social media and the dramatic effects it has on society some thirty years in the future."

"A look into the possible dark future of social media, Followers by Megan Angelo weaves a narrative through time about three women and a catastrophic social media event. Through it all, this book shows that no matter how much emphasis we place on our electronic world, the most important type of connection is between real human beings." Suzanne

An electrifying story of two ambitious friends, the dark choices they make and the profound moment that changes the meaning of privacy forever.

Orla Cadden dreams of literary success, but she’s stuck writing about movie-star hookups and influencer yoga moves. Orla has no idea how to change her life until her new roommate, Floss―a striving, wannabe A-lister―comes up with a plan for launching them both into the high-profile lives they so desperately crave. But it's only when Orla and Floss abandon all pretense of ethics that social media responds with the most terrifying feedback of all: overwhelming success.

Thirty-five years later, in a closed California village where government-appointed celebrities live every moment of the day on camera, a woman named Marlow discovers a shattering secret about her past. Despite her massive popularity―twelve million loyal followers―Marlow dreams of fleeing the corporate sponsors who would do anything, even horrible things, to keep her on-screen. When she learns that her whole family history is a lie, Marlow finally summons the courage to run in search of the truth, no matter the risks.

Followers traces the paths of Orla, Floss and Marlow as they wind through time toward each other, and toward a cataclysmic event that sends America into lasting upheaval. At turns wry and tender, bleak and hopeful, this darkly funny story reminds us that even if we obsess over famous people we’ll never meet, what we really crave is genuine human connection.

Bash Bash Revolution

By: Douglas Lain
Location: FIC LAI
Genre: SciFi, Gamers Novel, Dystopia     

A compelling coming-of-age artificial intelligence novel from Philip K. Dick Award-nominated author Douglas Lain.

Seventeen-year-old Matthew Munson is ranked thirteenth in the state in Bash Bash Revolution, an outdated video game from 2002 that, in 2017, is still getting tournament play. He’s a high school dropout who still lives at home with his mom, doing little but gaming and moping. That is, until Matthew’s dad turns up again.

Jeffrey Munson is a computer geek who’d left home eight years earlier to work on a top secret military project. Jeff has been a sporadic presence in Matthew’s life, and much to his son’s displeasure insists on bonding over video games. The two start entering local tournaments together, where Jeff shows astonishing aptitude for Bash Bash Revolution in particular.

Then, as abruptly as he appeared, Matthew’s father disappears again, just as he was beginning to let Jeff back into his life.

The betrayal is life-shattering, and Matthew decides to give chase, in the process discovering the true nature of the government-sponsored artificial intelligence program his father has been involved in. Told as a series of conversations between Matthew and his father’s artificial intelligence program, Bash Bash Revolution is a wildly original novel of apocalypse and revolution, as well as a poignant story of broken family.

Crown of Feathers

By: Nicki Pau Preto

Location: FIC PRE
Genre: Fantasy 

Crown of Feathers is an epic fantasy about love’s incredible power to save—or to destroy. Interspersed throughout is the story of Avalkyra Ashfire, the last Rider queen, who would rather see her empire burn than fall into her sister’s hands.

"When I realised that this book was not only about phoenixes but also phoenix riders I knew I had to read it. I probably love phoenixes just as much (or maybe even more) than I love dragons and I really hoped this book would do these ferocious, fiery creatures justice. It sure did. It probably increased my love for phoenixes tenfold. If I could, I would definitely become a phoenix rider without hesitation. 

What really differentiates a four star book from a five star book for me is the emotions it evokes from me. Whilst I was reading it, every plot twist shocked me to the core (there were so many and I didn't predict some of them!) and I felt the pain, sorrow, happiness and anger of the characters as if it were my own. Crown of Feathers was a truly magical read for me and deserves five fiery, feather-crowned stars!" Umaraiah

I had a sister, once…

In a world ruled by fierce warrior queens, a grand empire was built upon the backs of Phoenix Riders—legendary heroes who soared through the sky on wings of fire—until a war between two sisters ripped it all apart.

I promised her the throne would not come between us.

Sixteen years later, Veronyka is a war orphan who dreams of becoming a Phoenix Rider from the stories of old. After a shocking betrayal from her controlling sister, Veronyka strikes out alone to find the Riders—even if that means disguising herself as a boy to join their ranks.

But it is a fact of life that one must kill or be killed. Rule or be ruled.

Just as Veronyka finally feels like she belongs, her sister turns up and reveals a tangled web of lies between them that will change everything. And meanwhile, the new empire has learned of the Riders’ return and intends to destroy them once and for all.

Sometimes the title of queen is given. Sometimes it must be taken.

Keeper of Bees

By: Meg Kassel
Location: FIC KAS
Genre: Fantasy/ Paranormal Romance

"Beauty and the beast like you've never imagined!" —New York Times bestselling author Pintip Dunn

KEEPER OF THE BEES is a tale of two teens who are both beautiful and beastly, and whose pasts are entangled in surprising and heartbreaking ways.

Dresden is cursed. His chest houses a hive of bees that he can’t stop from stinging people with psychosis-inducing venom. His face is a shifting montage of all the people who have died because of those stings. And he has been this way for centuries—since he was eighteen and magic flowed through his homeland, corrupting its people.

He follows harbingers of death, so at least his curse only affects those about to die anyway. But when he arrives in a Midwest town marked for death, he encounters Essie, a seventeen-year-old girl who suffers from debilitating delusions and hallucinations. His bees want to sting her on sight. But Essie doesn’t see a monster when she looks at Dresden.

Essie is fascinated and delighted by his changing features. Risking his own life, he holds back his bees and spares her. What starts out as a simple act of mercy ends up unraveling Dresden’s solitary life and Essie’s tormented one. Their impossible romance might even be powerful enough to unravel a centuries-old curse.

The Ruin of Kings

BY: Jenn Lyons
Location: FIC LYO
Genre: Fantasy- Dragons:)


"It's impossible not to be impressed with the ambition of it all . . . a larger-than-life adventure story about thieves, wizards, assassins and kings to dwell in for a good long while."—The New York Times


A Kirkus Best of Science Fiction and Fantasy pick for 2019!
A Library Journal Best Book of 2019!
An NPR Favorite Book of 2019!

"Everything epic fantasy should be: rich, cruel, gorgeous, brilliant, enthralling and deeply, deeply satisfying. I loved it."—Lev Grossman, author of The Magicians

When destiny calls, there's no fighting back.

Kihrin grew up in the slums of Quur, a thief and a minstrel's son raised on tales of long-lost princes and magnificent quests. When he is claimed against his will as the missing son of a treasonous prince, Kihrin finds himself at the mercy of his new family's ruthless power plays and political ambitions.

Practically a prisoner, Kihrin discovers that being a long-lost prince is nothing like what the storybooks promised. The storybooks have lied about a lot of other things, too: dragons, demons, gods, prophecies, and how the hero always wins.

Then again, maybe he isn't the hero after all. For Kihrin is not destined to save the world.

He's destined to destroy it.

A Chorus of Dragons
1: The Ruin of Kings
2: The Name of All Things
3: The Memory of Souls

Rules for Vanishing

By: Kate Alice Marshall
Location: FIC MAR
Genre: Horror, Paranormal


“Little Lucy, dressed in white
Gave her mother such a fright
Walked into the woods one day
Where she went no one can say
Down a road that no one found
Or are her bones sunk in the ground?
How many steps did Lucy take?
One, two, there, four...”

Cross The Blair Witch Project with Stranger Things and you’ve got Rules for Vanishing: a skin-crawling story that grows more unsettling with every step…

Once a year, a road appears in the forest. And at the end of it, the ghost of Lucy Gallows beckons. Lucy’s game isn’t for the faint of heart. If you win, you escape with your life. But if you lose…

Sara’s sister disappeared one year ago – and only Sara knows where she is. Becca went to find the ghost of Lucy Gallows and is trapped on her road. In the sleepy town of Briar Glen, Lucy’s road is nothing more than local lore. But Sara knows it’s real, and she’s going to find it. When Sara and her skeptical friends meet in the forest to search for Becca, the mysterious road unfurls before them. All they have to do is walk down it. But the path to Lucy is not of this world, and it has its own rules. Every mistake summons new horrors. Vengeful spirits and broken, angry creatures are waiting for them to slip, and no one is guaranteed safe passage. The only certainty is this: the road has a toll and it will be paid. Sara knows that if she steps onto the road, she might not come back. But Becca needs her. And Lucy is waiting.