The Infinite Sadness of Small Appliances

 By: Glenn Dixon  

Location: FIC DIX

Genre: Fantasy

A young Roomba vacuum sets out to save the humans of her house from a rising technological power in this compelling, original novel.

Loved it. Laughed and cried. Beautifully written, clever plot, great characters. Highly recommended.- Kate

I loved it. 
I thought it would be a conventional cute Sci-Fi story but what started with elements of a cozy tale quickly evolved into a dystopian and bleak future possibly at our door. Margret

The writing was great, with a solid balance between heart and fear and humans and machines. 

In a near future, where even the smallest of appliances are sentient, a young Roomba vacuum sets out to save the humans of her house from a rising technological power in this compelling, original novel.

In a self-running, smart house, a young and sentient Roomba listens as her owner, Harold, reads aloud to his dying wife, Edie. Mesmerized by To Kill a Mockingbird and craving the human connection she witnesses in Harold's stories, the little vacuum renames herself Scout and embarks on a journey of self-discovery.

But when Edie passes away, Scout and her fellow sentient appliances discover that there are sinister forces in their midst. The omnipresent Grid, which monitors every household in the City, seeks to remove Harold from his home, a place he's lived in for fifty years.

With the help of Adrian, a neighborhood boy who grows close to Scout and Harold, as well as Kate, Harold and Edie's formerly estranged daughter, the humans and the appliances must come together to outwit the all-controlling Grid lest they risk losing everything they hold dear.

Automatic Noodle

 By: Annalee Newita  

Location: FIC NEW

Genre:  Sci Fi

If you’re into speculative fiction with a strong emotional core and bonus points for mouthwatering food writing, Automatic Noodle is worth your time.

It was short, sweet, cozy, but powerful. The characters are full of hope and love despite living in a world hostile to their kind and having to endure segregation. 

Having such passionate descriptions of food as the conductive thread of the story was brilliant, and the tastes felt as vivid as the characters. 
It is beautiful writing- Margot

You don’t have to eat food to know the way to a city’s heart is through its stomach. So when a group of deactivated robots come back online in an abandoned ghost kitchen, they decide to make their own way doing what they know: making food—the tastiest hand-pulled noodles around—for the humans of San Francisco, who are recovering from a devastating war.

But when their robot-run business starts causing a stir, a targeted wave of one-star reviews threatens to boil over into a crisis. To keep their doors open, they’ll have to call on their customers, their community, and each other—and find a way to survive and thrive in a world that wasn’t built for them.

The Wonderful Disgrace

 By: Angourie Rice and Kate Rice     

Location: FIC RIC

Genre: Romance

Expect the unexpected in this funny, edgy, and highly anticipated second novel from best-selling authors Angourie and Kate Rice.

Amy Middleton has all her plans in place for the school ball - the perfect dress, the perfect date, the perfect night.

But fate, it seems, has other plans, as the night unravels in a perfect storm of misunderstandings, manipulations, over-exposure, and the utterly unexpected.

A funny, edgy, multi-layered dark comedy of errors from best-selling authors Angourie and Kate Rice.

Review by Nahi

My wonderful disgrace was funny and full of chaotic shenanigans that reminded me a bit of my high school days. the writing style was pretty good and Iloved that this story was told through all these different mediums, including journal entries, text messages, newsletters etc. I did appreciate how amidst all the fun and the chaos, the story tackles some incredibly serious topics and asks important questions about what it means to grow up and think about your future.

All in all, my wonderful disgrace does a great job at representing the high school experience and how wild it can be.

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.