The Artist and the Feast

 By: Lucy Steeds  

Location: FIC STE

Genre: Historical Fiction

“Most people only ever see what they want to see.”​

"A luminous story of seeing and being seen. You can almost taste the peaches and honey, almost touch the thick paint and sweating skin. A joy to read with a cracking, crackling end."

The Artist and the Feast is a captivating novel of love, art, food, desire and thwarted ambition, which builds propulsively over one scorching French summer in 1920s Provence.

During a scorching summer in 1920s Provence, a young journalist, Joseph Adelaide, turns up at the farmhouse of reclusive artist Edouard Tartuffe, hoping to write an article about him. There, he meets Ettie, Tartuffe’s niece, who appears to do everything for her uncle—from cooking and cleaning to catering to his maniacal moods. Joseph is beguiled by where he finds himself, not just by this foreign place or Tartuffe himself, but by Ettie, who watches everything so quietly from the periphery. Both Joseph and Ettie carry scars from their pasts and it’s as they get to know each other that they start to lay bare those scars to themselves and to each other.​
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As the summer wears on, and as new ideas and passions are explored, Joseph, Ettie, and Tartuffe are propelled toward a finale that reveals long-held secrets and sets the world on fire.

"A captivating novel of love, art, food, desire and thwarted ambition, which builds propulsively over one scorching French summer in 1920s Provence."
Set against the backdrop of post World War I France, Joseph Adelaide is a journalist who travels to Provence to observe and write about legendary painter Edouard Tartuffe whose niece Ettie lives with him and caters to his every whim. Tartuffe is controlling with an explosive temper and volatile personality. He has raised Ettie since she was seven years old. Both Joseph and Ettie are struggling from the ramifications of their experiences during the Great War.

This novel is an artist's masterpiece, and Lucy Steeds brilliantly paints her canvas using words and paper. She creates beautiful imagery and engages all your senses. You can see the paintings, taste and smell the food and gardens, feel the surroundings, and hear everything going on in the scene. The prose and narrative is lush, evocative, emotional, and riveting with richly drawn characters. It is a feast for the senses. I was completely immersed in the story and characters. Themes of love and desire, art and ambition, freedom, and women's place in society are brilliantly explored. It's one of the best books I've read this year! I highly recommend this must-read novel! Lucy Steeds, you have set the world on fire and I am here for whatever you write!- Shantha

The Barbeque at No.9

 By: Jennie Godfrey  

Location: FIC GID

Genre: Realistic Fiction

ROM THE NUMBER ONE SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLING AUTHOR OF THE LIST OF SUSPICIOUS THINGS . . .

In the summer of 1985, the entire country is poised for the biggest music event in history – Live Aid.

The residents of Delmont Close are preparing for a neighbourhood barbecue to celebrate this historic moment, but someone uninvited is watching them closely, getting ready to make their move. But who are they watching, and why?

The Gordons – Hanna, her high-strung mother Lydia and sweet father Peter – have opened the doors to their home. And when their neighbours flood in, so do all the secrets that have been kept in the close. There is Rita, a new resident from Australia, Steve a young man who is battling his own demons, Aunty Beverley who has come to pass judgment on her relatives.

The Barbecue at No.9 explores family, friendship and love with Jennie Godfrey’s signature wit, warmth and bite.

Ah- what to say? Another beautifully written novel from Jennie Godfrey. Full of not only nostalgia but also mystery and mayhem. Reading one of her books is like indulging in several hours of people watching. She has my heart!

It’s July 13 1985- ‘Live Aid Day’ - the sun is high in a cloudless blue sky and Lydia Gordon is hosting a barbecue not just for all the family but for all the neighbours too. Out to impress from her ‘des res’ she promises to be the hostess with the mostest. However, she is totally unaware of the amount of baggage her guests, and her own family, are not only about to bring to her party but also about unpack….

It’s one book set on one day with a multitude of fascinating characters. It has been riveting and kept me guessing until the very last page. Loved it!!- Linda

Good Joy , Bad Joy

 By: Mikki Brammer  

Location: FIC BRA

Genre: Realistic Fiction

“Who would have thought that, at eighty-nine years old, I'd be involved in an illicit drug deal?

Apparently, it's a precipitous downhill slope from pinching a library book to this.”

― Mikki Brammer, Good Joy, Bad Joy

From the bestselling author of The Collected Regrets of Clover comes a vibrant, heartfelt novel about friendship over the decades, self-discovery, and what it means to have a life well-lived.

Break the rules. Find your joy.

For over eighty years, Joy Bridport has played by the rules: she's been a devoted wife and mother, contributing to the community in her small Hudson Valley town. But her quiet existence is jolted when she learns that her best friend, Hazel, only has months left to live. Hazel has always been the more adventurous one of their duo, and she seems at peace with all that she’s squeezed out of her long life. Yet Joy realizes she can’t say the same.

Determined to live boldly and make the most of the time that she and Hazel have left together, Joy steps outside of her comfort zone—and into a bit of trouble. But as her foray into rule-breaking escalates into committing petty crime, Joy must consider what kind of legacy she wants to leave behind, and whether there's a way for her to embrace the liberation that "Bad Joy" offers without losing all that she holds dear.

Is it ever too late to become who we're meant to be? With laugh-out-loud hijnks and emotional heft, Good Joy, Bad Joy is a heartwarming and wise celebration of the choices we make, the friendships we cherish, and the lengths we go for love.

Lady Tremaine

 By: Rachel Hochhauser  

Location: FIC HOC

Genre: Fantasy

**Lady Tremaine has stolen the hearts of readers everywhere!**

Everyone said she was wicked.
Now Cinderella's stepmother tells her own story...

After the death of her second husband, Lady Etheldreda Verity Isolde Tremaine Bramley is solely responsible for her two daughters, Rosamund and Mathilde, her simpering stepdaughter Elin, a razor-taloned peregrine falcon, and a crumbling manor buried in the woods.

When a royal ball offers the chance to change their fortunes, Ethel risks her pride in pursuit of an invitation for all three of girls - only for her hopes to be fulfilled by the wrong Elin.

Yet as her stepdaughter's engagement to the future king unfolds, Ethel discovers a sordid secret hidden in the depths of the royal family, forcing her to choose between the security she craves and the feckless stepdaughter who has rebuffed her at every turn...

Bridgerton meets Circe in this breathtaking reimagining of one of the world's most iconic fairytales, Cinderella.

A great review from Nilufer

Every so often, a book takes a story you think you know by heart and cracks it wide open, revealing something unexpected, raw, and breathtakingly human. Lady Tremaine does exactly that. Forget the wicked stepmother trope — this reimagining dares to ask us to see Etheldreda Tremaine not as a villain, but as a woman clawing for dignity, stability, and hope in a society that would rather watch her crumble.

Twice widowed, trapped in a decaying manor, and responsible for two daughters with no marriage prospects, Ethel fights like a cornered lioness. Add in a polished yet frustrating stepdaughter and a falcon perched ominously at her side, and you have a heroine unlike any I’ve encountered in a fairy tale retelling. She is flawed and prideful, sometimes sharp enough to wound, but every action, every sacrifice, is driven by the desperate need to secure her children’s futures. Watching her maneuver for invitations to the royal ball, only to see her plans unravel in dangerous and unexpected ways, had me glued to the page.

What elevates this story beyond a simple “twist on Cinderella” is its emotional core. This is not about glass slippers or magical transformations — it’s about motherhood in its rawest form. The sacrifices made in silence, the constant worry that keeps you awake at night, the small acts of love that never make it into fairy tales. Through Ethel’s narration, we feel the ache of compromise, the sting of failure, and the ferocity of a woman who refuses to stop fighting for her daughters, even when the world insists on labeling her cruel.

The writing is stunning — lyrical yet razor-sharp, rich with atmosphere and brimming with lines that linger in your mind. The world feels both familiar and startlingly fresh: a royal family with secrets festering behind its golden façade, a crumbling estate heavy with dust and desperation, and women who refuse to fade quietly into the margins of history. Even Elin, the Cinderella figure, is reframed not as an angelic victim but as a complicated young woman whose choices and flaws challenge both Ethel and the reader to reassess everything we thought we knew.

This retelling is a feast for fans of gothic drama, historical realism, and morally complex characters. It’s not about villains and heroes — it’s about survival, sacrifice, and the messy, complicated truths of love. By the end, I didn’t just sympathize with Lady Tremaine; I admired her resilience, her courage, and her unwavering devotion to her daughters.

Robots Stole my Mum

 By: Alex Kirk

Location: FIC KIR

Genre: Easy Reads 

I was in the corner shop buying a comic. Dad was waiting outside. I’d just given my money to Mr Norman, the shop owner, when it happened. Mr Norman’s head exploded.

Something VERY WEIRD is going on in the sleepy town of Cleeby. All the grown-ups are acting strangely. Sandy and his friend Arjan have a suspicion. They think the grown-ups have all been replaced by ROBOTS. And everything points to the evil boss of the local toaster factory, Tony’s Toasters!

Together with a very friendly cyborg named Colin, Sandy and Arjan must save the day - and Sandy’s mum - and get home in time for tea!

A brilliant, funny and fast-paced story, featuring a robot whale, jet boots, lasers, mountains of puffin poo, huge amounts of toast, and illustrations by Tim Wesson, this is the perfect next read for fans of Pamela Butchart’s BABY ALIENS series and Emily-Jane Clark’s BEASTS OF KNOBBLY BOTTOM.

A laugh-out-loud, wacky and exciting story about two brilliant kids taking on an army of evil robots - and trying to get home in time for tea! A laugh-out-loud, wacky and exciting story about two brilliant kids taking on an army of evil robots - and trying to get home in time for tea! 

Dead Money

 By: Jakob Kerr   

Location: FIC KER

Genre: Thriller

“A stone-cold banger of a novel—a twisty journey through Silicon Valley’s dark side, wrapped in a stunning mystery package with some wild surprises along the way.”—Blake Crouch

Jakob Kerr came out swinging and hit the first pitch out of the park. This book kicked ass. It was Blake Crouchy in its techno thrillerness. Its characters had depth and were likable and interesting. It was relentless in its pace. It was flawless in its storytelling structure. It was simply riveting from front to back cover. Court

Don’t call me a fixer. This isn’t HBO.

In her job as unofficial “problem solver” for Silicon Valley’s most ruthless venture capitalist, Mackenzie Clyde’s gotten used to playing for high stakes. Even if none of those tech-bro millions she’s so good at wrangling ever make it into her pockets.

But this time, she’s in way over her head—or so it seems.

The lightning-rod CEO of tech’s hottest startup has just been murdered, leaving behind billions in “dead money” frozen in his will. As the company’s chief investor, Mackenzie’s boss has a fortune on the line—and with the police treading water, it’s up to Mackenzie to step up and resolve things, fast.

Mackenzie’s a lawyer, not a detective. Cracking this fiendishly clever killing, with its list of suspects that reads like a who’s-who of Valley power players, should be way out of her league.

Except that Mackenzie’s used to being underestimated. In fact, she’s counting on it.

Because the way she sees it, this isn’t an investigation. It’s an opportunity. And she’ll do anything it takes to seize it.

Anything at all.

Featuring jaw-dropping twists and a wily, outsider heroine you can’t help rooting for, Dead Money is a brilliant sleight-of-hand mystery. Written by a longtime insider, it is also a dead-on snapshot of the Valley’s rich and famous—and a glimpse at the darkness lurking behind the tech world’s cheery facade.

“Janine leaned forward, her voice quiet and resolute. “Our world isn’t built on fairness. It’s not built on right and wrong, hard work, smarts. It’s built on one thing and one thing only: ruthlessness. Our system rewards those who sacrifice. Those who are ruthless enough to give things up in pursuit of their goal. Give up their friends, give up their time, give up their ideas about the way they thought their life was supposed to go.”
― Jakob Kerr, Dead Money

Day Of Now

 By: Miranda Reason  

Location: FIC REA

Genre: Dystopia

A brilliant post-apocalyptic thriller that breaks the rules

A devastating fungal pandemic has wiped out most of society. Dayna and Pax live in an isolated house in the countryside, learning to survive in the world left behind. But when their father gets sick they make a choice that changes everything- they summon help from the outside. And they're not prepared for the betrayal that follows . . .

Dayna and Pax must race against time across a ruthless landscape to save their father. They won't be able to do it on their own, but who can they trust in a world where survival is everything?

A powerful post-apocalyptic story about growing up fast and facing impossible choices.

"Overall, Day of Now is a thoughtful, character-focused read that will resonate most with readers who enjoy introspective storytelling and emotionally grounded narratives. A strong, meaningful book that leaves a gentle but lasting impression." Lily