Hamza's Wild World

 By: Hamza Yassin  

Location: NF 590 YAS

Genre: Animal Facts

Hamza’s Wild World book is a joy from start to finish - packed to the brim with facts galore about a multitude of animals, birds, sea creatures, insects and their habits and habitats. Full of fascinating information to build up the skills of a naturalist and activities to develop awareness and skills too.

Interviews with people who work with wildlife add another dimension and expertly highlighting potential careers for the young to consider

This book is aimed at younger readers 7-12 but it feels much more - a family book or a book for young and old. As someone who works in education I cannot recommend this book enough - a great non- fiction book to dip into, share with others and learn so much from

Louise Forshaw’s illustrations add another level of fun and magic

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Naturalist and wildlife cameraman Hamza Yassin regales us with animal facts in this fun read.

The book is well written and easy to dip in and out of. There is a wide variety of information, which is presented in an interesting way. Both my 5- and 10-year-old enjoyed hearing the fun facts and some of the sillier ones prompted great fits of giggles!

I was really impressed by the fact that the book has a dyslexia-friendly layout, making it a good pick for children who love animals but struggle to read.

A recommended read for animal lovers young and old.

God Storm

 By: Solitaire Townsend    

Location: FIC TOW

Genre: Mythology

A Female Gladiator's Vow. A Stolen Child. A Storm to End Empires

In a petrol-fuelled Roman Empire which never fell, Arrow, a gladiatrix turned governess must rescue the child she has loved as her own, a girl who could tear down the world.

When Livy is abducted during a devastating Godstorm, Arrow must unleash years of the gladiator training she'd sworn to forget in order to save her. Defying her owner, a heartless Consul, Arrow turns to her ex-lover and the illegal druid underworld in a desperate attempt to rescue the girl she has come to think of as her own.

Her search will take her across Londinium, a city of petrol-powered chariots, to the pagan Old Town, and eventually the edge of the known the Amazon, where destiny and destruction intertwine

Facing battle and betrayal Arrow must reclaim her past as a killer—or risk everything for the child who calls her "mother."

She is the Sword.

This was an amazing and refreshing debut.
If you are looking for a vaguely historical slightly sci-fi novel that feels like a fantasy but isn’t, this book does that. It also has a resultantly steampunk vibe and a beautiful found family narrative with the best, most heartbreaking portrayal of motherhood that I have read so far.
Furthermore, it is a scathing commentary on our modern society, its classism, it’s dependence on fossil fuels and is wonderfully critical of colonialism.- GIL

'This startling alternative history takes us to a newly-imagined world... The result is a vivid, ferocious adventure.' Kim Stanley-Robinson

'A highly original, vividly-imagined fantasy Roman Empire where oil is power' Ruth Downie

The Truth of the Aleke

 By: Moses Ose Utomi   

Location: FIC UTO

Genre: Fantasy- Fable

Series: The Forever Desert Series

 I really enjoyed the first book in this series, and as a non fantasy reader that is a big recommendation. The plot leaning into human rights and ethical integrity- with a cliff hanger made it unputdownable. I also clicked that it leant cleverly into the modum of hear no evil, see no evil and speak no evil. 

I think this was even better than the first novella in the series, and a story with deeper character work and more nuance. The authors note at the end offers context to what this story is trying to accomplish, but at its core this is about power, evil, and what it's like to become disillusioned about what you thought was true and what you thought was right. Excellent.- Bethany

Moses Ose Utomi returns to his Forever Desert series with The Truth of the Aleke, continuing his epic fable about truth, falsehood, and the shackles of history.

The Aleke is cruel. The Aleke is clever. The Aleke is coming.

500 years after the events of The Lies of the Ajungo, the City of Truth stands as is the last remaining free city of the Forever Desert. A bastion of freedom and peace, the city has successfully weathered the near-constant attacks from the Cult of Tutu, who have besieged it for three centuries, attempting to destroy its warriors and subjugate its people.

17-year-old Osi is a Junior Peacekeeper in the City. When the mysterious leader of the Cult, known only as the Aleke, commits a massacre in the capitol and steals the sacred God's Eyes, Osi steps forward to valiantly defend his home. For his bravery he is tasked with a tremendous responsibility—destroy the Cult of Tutu, bring back the God's Eyes, and discover the truth of the Aleke.

This review makes me think we all need to read this one- it sounds like our world today!

"If the first book was about what the powerful would do to hoard their power, this one is about the perils of distorted history and keeping a populace ignorant; how people believing naively in their own righteousness maybe gullible to manipulation; how realizing that one has been lied to all their life can lead to disillusionment and may have unforeseen far reaching consequences". Sahota

The Bitter End

 By: Alexa Donne  

Genre: Mystery

Location: FIC DON

This YA thriller delivers everything you want in a thriller. It’s chilling, macabre, and at times heart-stopping. 

When a winter storm traps eight teens in a remote ski cabin, they find themselves stranded with a killer—who may be one of their own.

The trip of a lifetime might be the death of them all.

The students of LA’s elite Warner Prep can’t wait for their Senior Excursion—five days of Instagrammable adventure in one of the world’s most exclusive locations. This is not your average field trip.

Which is why eight students can’t believe their bad luck when they end up on a digital detox in an isolated Colorado ski chalet. Their epic trip is panning out to be an epic bore . . . until their classmates start dropping in a series of disturbing deaths. The message is clear: this trip is no accident.

And when a blizzard strikes, secrets are revealed, betrayals are exposed, and survival is at stake in a race to the bitter end.

REVIEW NILUFER

Alexa Donne delivers another heart-pounding, edge-of-your-seat thriller in The Bitter End. Set against the chilling backdrop of a snow-covered Colorado ski chalet, eight high school seniors find themselves trapped in a deadly game of survival. What starts as a promising senior excursion quickly turns into a nightmare as their classmates start dying under mysterious circumstances.

Donne expertly crafts an atmosphere thick with tension, where secrets are unearthed, and trust is shattered. The dual timeline adds depth to the story, allowing readers to piece together the dark history that binds these characters. Each character is distinct, and while some may initially come off as unrelatable due to their elite status, their backstories eventually draw you in, making their fates all the more gripping.

The alternating points of view keep the narrative dynamic, with Piper’s perspective standing out as particularly compelling. While the plot twists are plentiful and keep you guessing until the end, the final reveal might leave some readers wanting a bit more clarity. However, this doesn't detract from the overall thrill of the ride.

The Bitter End is a perfect winter read for fans of locked-room mysteries and survival thrillers. Donne's ability to weave suspense with complex character dynamics makes this a must-read, and despite its minor flaws, it's a book that will leave you eagerly anticipating her next release.

Shaun Johnson- Perspective

 By: Shaun Johnson   

Location: NF 920 JOH

Genre: League

Discover the man behind the magic as rugby league sensation Shaun Johnson tells the story of his life on and off the field for the very first time in his own words.

‘For 14 years I was judged on 80 minutes of my life, once a week. That’s it . . . it’s how I judged myself. Eighty damn minutes of footy. It is ridiculous how much that can impact on your life, and even more ridiculous to think how long it can take to put that in perspective.’

Shaun Johnson burst onto the NRL stage with a bang — his mix of speed and skills and side steps dazzled fans and experts alike as the New Zealand Warriors reached the Grand Final in his debut season. Over the years that followed, he racked up 268 NRL appearances and represented the Kiwis 35 times in a career stacked with extraordinary moments. But behind the highlights and headlines lies a story of family, perseverance and the inner search for absolute clarity.

Join Shaun as he recounts his early life, dealing with stardom and expectations at a young age. You’ll step onto the field to re-live epic plays through his eyes, and discover the circumstances that led to his departure from the Warriors and then his return to Mt Smart, which culminated in Shaun being awarded the Dally M Halfback of the Year in 2023. Perspective is a fascinating look into the heart and mind of a rugby league legend.

Hunting Books

 There has been many requests for Hunting Books- so we have obliged.

Fishing, hunting, yarns, laws- we have you covered!

The Last Resort Series

 By: Erin Entrada Kelly   

Location: FIC LAS

Genre: Horror for Younger Readers

INTERACTIVE STORY TELLING

GHOSTS -PARANORMAL

 Lila has two goals:

1. Win back the friends who ditched her for being "too dramatic"
2. Stop being so dramatic

But then Lila's estranged Grandpa Clem dies, throwing a wrench in her plans. Now she'll have to spend the summer in Ohio while her parents decide what to do with Grandpa Clem's creepy Victorian Inn. It's supremely unfair. How can she show off the "new and improved" Lila from so far away?

Even worse, strange things keep happening. En route to Ohio, the family gets into a scary car accident. No one's hurt, but the remainder of the trip is... odd. At every rest stop, Lila sees people in weird old-fashioned clothes. People no one else can see or hear...

Lila convinces herself it's just her overactive imagination until the day of the funeral when she spots an old man sitting in her grandfather's favorite chair. She does a double take -- it's him, Grandpa Clem. He tells Lila that he didn't die of a heart attack, he was murdered. Possibly by someone who wants to control the inn. Because it's not a normal bed & breakfast; it's a portal between the land of the living and the realm of the dead. A hotel for ghosts passing onto the afterlife.

With the help of her skeptical brother, Caleb, and their new ghost-obsessed neighbor, Teddy, Lila -- the girl who's vowed to be less dramatic -- must uncover her grandfather's killer AND stop the evil spirits desperate to make their way back into the human world.

For the first time, Teddy is actually excited for the school year to start. His new neighbors, Lila and Caleb, are transferring to his school, which means he'll finally have real friends! But Teddy has a secret he's desperate to protect -- one that explains why none of his classmates have spoken to him in years...

And that's not all. Despite having sent the fire maiden back through the portal, strange things keep happening at the Castle Hill Inn. Teddy's nightmares are back in a big way, and after getting stuck in the portal herself, Lila seems to be... flickering?! Almost as if something, or someone, is trying to summon her from our world into the next.

Teddy will do anything to protect his friends, but he's terrified of repeating the worst mistake of his life. Yet Teddy might be the key to uncovering the fire maiden's evil plans, and in order to stop her, he’ll have to face his greatest fears -- the ones he's spent his whole life running from.

Enter the world of The Last Resort! Talk to ghosts that come to life and help solve the mystery!