Counting Down with Theodore Brown

 By: Daniel Devenney  

Location: FIC DEV

Genre: Realistic Fiction

"An engaging, poignant, and funny coming of age love story"

A fantastic coming-of-age love story with a twist.

You can't fight time, or love ...

A coming-of-age love story with a twist!

When Theodore Brown looks into a person's eyes he sees a the exact number of days he'll spend with them. It's hard to make friends when there's a literal countdown!

He's kept everyone at a safe distance since his dad died. But now that he's in college, he fears he's missing out. Even his stuffy English professor thinks he needs to get a life. So, to improve his mental health and sharpen his writing skills, he decides to do just that.

Then Lil Sanchez crashes into his world like a tidal wave. She's fearless, creative, and only around until the end of summer. But Theo begins to wonder if the pleasure of knowing her might be worth the pain of losing her.

Only time will tell — and the clock is ticking ...

For teens who
- a book you just can't put down and have to read all night
- a love story for the ages
- stories that are dramatic and funny and sad, all wrapped up in one great package
- books like The Perks of Being a Wallflower

Review by ASHA:

Counting Down with Theodore Brown is such a unique and refreshing story. The concept of being able to see how many days you have left with someone just by looking into their eyes is incredibly intriguing and really pulls you in. The novel follows the trials and tribulations of teenage life, making it a powerful coming-of-age story.

It explores a range of meaningful themes, including mental health, identity, friendship, sexuality, love, loss, and music, all woven together in a way that feels authentic and relatable.

I also really appreciated reading from a male perspective. It’s not something I gravitate toward often, as I tend to read books by female authors with female main characters, so this felt like a refreshing change. Experiencing the story through the eyes of a teenage boy added a different depth that I really enjoyed.

Happily Ever After

 By: Lynn Painter  

Location: FIC PAI

Genre: Romance

Their name? The objectors. Their job? To break off weddings as hired. Their dilemma? They might just be in love with each other. When Sophie Steinbeck finds out just before her nuptials that her fiancé has cheated yet again, she desperately wants to call it off. But because her future father-in-law is her dad’s cutthroat boss, she doesn’t want to be the one to do it. Her savior comes in the form of a professional objector, whose purpose is to show up at weddings and proclaim the words no couple (usually) wants to hear at their “I object!” During anti-wedding festivities that night, Sophie learns more about Max the Objector’s job. It makes perfect sense to he saves people from wasting their lives, from hurting each other. He’s a modern-day hero. And Sophie wants in. The two love cynics start working together, going from wedding to wedding, and Sophie’s having more fun than she’s had in ages. She looks forward to every nerve-racking ceremony saving the lovesick souls of the betrothed masses. As Sophie and Max spend more time together, however, they realize that their physical chemistry is off the charts, leading them to dabble in a little hookup session or two—but it’s totally fine, because they definitely do not have feelings for each other. Love doesn’t exist, after all. And then everything changes. A groom-to-be hires Sophie to object, but his fiancée is the woman who broke Max’s heart. As Max wrestles with whether he can be a party to his ex’s getting hurt, Sophie grapples with the sudden realization that she may have fallen hard for her partner in crime.

Nilufer review:

Happily Never After" : A Rom-Com Rollercoaster of Love, Laughter, and Anti-Wedding Antics!

My rating: Highly deserved five stars

Lynn Painter's latest romantic comedy, "Happily Never After," takes readers on a delightful journey filled with love, laughter, and unexpected

this book is a fun, engaging read that captivates with its original premise, well-developed characters, and a perfect blend of romance and comedy. Highly recommended for those in search of a modern love story that defies expectations and delivers on the promise of a happily ever after.

Strange Pictures

 By: Ukestu  

Location: FIC UKE

Genre: Mystery

This CLEVER bestseller is all the rage in Japan-and now I know why!

A Japanese mystery bestseller, revolving around a series of creepy drawings, in which the reader is the detective - from the  sensation Uketsu.

A series of drawings made by a young woman before her death.

A child's disturbing picture of his home.

A desperate sketch made by a murder victim in his final moments.

Each contains a chilling warning.

Each reveals a terrible secret, hidden in plain sight.

Uketsu's eerie mysteries have captivated millions of readers. Can you find the clues in these strange pictures and uncover the sinister truth that connects them all?

"A quirky, minimalist mystery novel that at times feels more like a logical demonstration than fiction. It is a book that invites you to be a detective. The innovative use of pictures is surprisingly more than a gimmick. It makes you feel like you have the entire body of evidence in your hands." Flo

The Wycherleys

 By: Annaliese Avery  

Location: FIC AVE

Genre: Romantasy 

Recommended by Mrs Zani Button

Fall head over broomstick in love with this swoon-worthy, witchy romantic fantasy, perfect for fans of Twin Crowns, Divine Rivals and Stephanie Garber.

For the Kingdom. For the magic. And for love . . . Seventeen-year-old Aurelia Wycherley is entering her debutante season as a witch. Aurelia should be excited about finding the perfect match to tether her magic to. But her magic is cursed – dark, dangerous, and not the kind that her peers want to match with – and, without a tether, she faces losing her magic completely. But when Aurelia learns that enigmatic, aloof Jules, a member of arch enemy family the Nightlys, is searching for a way that a witch can keep their magic without tethering, she realises he may be her only hope. A forbidden alliance is formed . . . but as they navigate the Magical Season with its glamoured balls and perilous trials, they uncover dark forces that threaten their families and the magical world they live in. Expect family secrets, generational curses, forbidden romance, gorgeous ballgowns, bribery, extortion, trespass, magic and kissing . . . lots of kissing.

Mia reviews this book

 Such a lovely surprise, this was! I went into this book completely blind, with zero expectations, and ended up pleasantly surprised by how much I liked it.

Set around a debutante ball where witches are meant to find their magical match, the story follows Aurelia Wycherley, a young woman from a prominent witch family who’s been saddled with a curse on her magic that makes her an unattractive prospect for any eligible partner, putting her firmly on the outside of the social scene.

Aurelia was genuinely a fun protagonist to follow! As a witch dealing with a curse that marks her as an outcast, she’s handled with a lot of care, and I really liked how her kind, thoughtful personality came through on the page. The book has a very sweet, lightly humorous tone that makes it an easy and enjoyable read. The MMC, Jules, is introduced early on, and while he comes off as a slightly starchy, mini–Mr. Darcy type at first, his interest in Aurelia is clear from page one. Like Darcy, it’s shown in a subtle way that I really appreciated.

Their dynamic develops nicely, and I felt the book built a real sense of camaraderie between them, letting their connection lean more toward a slower burn, which worked well for me.

I did feel that the latter half of the book, where many of the overarching plot points come together, got a little convoluted. This led to an ending that felt slightly rushed in its execution, though it didn’t significantly mar my overall enjoyment.

The book really shined when depicting Aurelia’s friendships, her relationships, and the fun fake-courting scheme between her and Jules. Overall, this is very much a breezy read, and I think readers looking for fun historical shenanigans mixed with balls, an easy-to-follow magical world, and an adorable touch of Regency-style matchmaking will have a great time with it.

Witch Trial

 By: Harriet Tyce   

Location: FIC TYC

Genre: Thriller

Art cover goodness

"As we barrel and twist the way to the conclusion of this outstanding psychological thriller, the ending is oh so clever. What a great twist… Unless of course… It’s true… LOL!!"

Two teenage girls. One murdered classmate.

And a modern-day witch trial that will divide the nation.

When 18-year-old Christian Shaw is found dead in an Edinburgh park, the city reels - and the shock only deepens when police charge her best friends, Eliza Lawson and Isobel Smyth, with her murder.

As social media explodes and headlines scream for justice, rumours of bullying spiral into something whispers of rituals, obsession, and a teenage pact gone wrong.

Matthew Phillips, a respected heart surgeon, is reluctantly called for jury duty on the case. But as the trial unfolds - and the girls reveal a chilling defence no one saw coming - he begins to question the motives, the evidence, even his own judgement.

Who's telling the truth? Who can be trusted?
And what really happened to Christian Shaw?

Let the Witch Trial begin . . 

Review by Kevin

This was such a brilliant novel and what a fantastic ending!

Matthew Phillips is called up for jury duty and, despite the fact that he could have been excused due to his job as a heart surgeon, he is keen to remain on the jury clearly trying to avoid issues both at work and in his personal life.

However, when Matthew realises he is on the Witch Trial - two girls on trial for murdering their school friend, who claim to be witches - he starts to regret this choice. And when he, himself, begins to get drawn deeper into the trial, there are concerns over his own sanity.

This was different from what I have read from Tyce before, very in depth in terms of the inner workings of the legal system in Scotland as well as what goes on in a jury room. Behind all the technical aspects of the trial, we begin to see the unravelling of Matthew and whilst, to me, he isn't the most likeable character, it was an uncomfortable and unsettling read.

The ending is what makes the book so special though. I have a feeling that some people may not like it and it could split opinions but I thought it was fantastic.

Homebound

 By: Portia Elan  

Location: FIC ELA

Genre: Sci Fi, LGBGT, Fantasy, Historical- ALL GENRES!

so it is Genre Bending!

Six hundred years. Five interlocking lives. One computer game.

And the many paths that can lead us home.

It’s 1983 and Becks can’t wait to get the hell out of Cincinnati. But for now she has work to do: her programmer uncle, the only person who understood her, has left her a half-finished game to complete.

What Becks is coding will outlast her by centuries and shape the lives of a scientist, an astronaut and a desperate pirate captain in ways she cannot imagine. It will connect these four pioneering women across centuries, vast oceans and far-distant planets and introduce them to a remarkable robot destined to gather together this disparate crew.

Homebound is a coming out and coming-of-age story, a wild and precarious sea adventure, a space odyssey. As it slips through time, loss, creativity, found family, it journeys deep into humanity’s future and capacity for love.

Review by Misty Reads

This is a wonderful book. Technically a literary sci-fi, but really more of a genre-bending story. It’s set across nostalgic 1980s scenes, the not-too-distant 2080s, the centuries that follow, and finally a far distant future nearly 600 years later which strangely feels nostalgic and reads almost like a medieval fantasy.

It’s an ambitious epic, written incredibly well, and clearly well thought out and executed. There are four main characters, but it never feels like too many. I grew very attached to all of them that is a sign of how strong the character writing is. These different POVs and multiple timelines gradually weave together to make sense of the whole, all while asking profound questions about where human civilisation is headed and what it means to exist. When the planet is destroyed, your home gone, and the future uncertain, what do we live for?

Some of the technical elements went over my head (coding, AI and other technological references ) but that didn’t stop me from enjoying the story. It’s not a five-star read for me, only because I didn’t feel the deep emotional impact I expected from such an epic. Still, the ending left a gentle warmth in my heart. That was lovely.

I’d recommend this to people who enjoy:

- Kazuo Ishiguro’s books or other literary sci-fi focused on human connection and love
- Adventure stories
- Books set in the 1980s
- Found family themes

Kill Billionaire

 By: Anders Lustgarten  

Location: FIC LUS

Genre: Thriller

Why did I buy this- one reason only- the Cover!

 Alex said this: Read it. Revolt. Rebel. Redistribute the wealth. 👊

This is a fantastic story, full of humour, realness, and a driving narrative that we should fight back and stop allowing ourselves to be walked all over by those that choose to control our world with their riches.

Perhaps one reason not enough people kill billionaires is it’s actually quite tricky...

An electrifying, ultra-contemporary heist, a wild and hilarious story that is also dangerously prescient.

When her home is destroyed in wildfires, fourteen-year-old Australian outback genius Kayla Connolly decides to hunt down the culprits of climate change: billionaires.

She teams up with Mr P, a giant ex-soldier from Tuvalu whose home is being flooded by rising sea levels. Together, they find ingenious ways to kill a property developer building on protected wetlands and a mining company CEO poisoning the earth with toxic chemicals. They also find an unexpected ally in Nancy, a wealthy elderly woman with a shocking past.

The trio’s mission soon develops a life of its own, taking them first to California to crack billionaire tech bros and then to London for superrich oil executives, spawning a global movement along the way. In pursuit are the FBI and Detective Sergeant Kate Anderson of Scotland Yard, but Kate is having doubts about whether Kayla is even in the wrong. Will Kayla be able to stay ahead of the game and pull off one final, remarkable hit?