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 {|class-"wikitable" cellpadding="15" =='''29 AUGUST30 MAY'''=={{Frontpage<!-- Whitlock -->|isbn=B0CYV674G2|-title=Swanton Morley (John Tanner)| styleauthor=''width: 10%; vertical-align: top; text-align: center;''David Blake|rating=3.5[[image:1782692177.jpg|linkgenre=http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/1782692177/ref=nosim?tag=thebookbag-21]] Crime| stylesummary=''verticalIt seemed like an open-and-align: top; textshut case. A man, covered in mud and blood -align: left;and carrying a knife, comes into the police station shouting that he hasn''|===[[The Collective by Lindsey Whitlock]]=== [[image:3t killed the man.5starA body at the bottom of a freshly dug grave at Swanton Morley church - he's been stabbed to death.jpg|link=Category:{{{rating}}} Star Reviews]] [[:Category:Teens|Teens]] ''Illinois TerritoryDCI John Tanner is just back from his honeymoon, Collective Homesteads which coincided with the birth of Americahis daughter Samantha.You would think he'd be grateful for an easy answer but the words 'perverse' and 'John Tanner' Itwere made for each other. He's certainly an unusual place. Some people live in sunken houses, buried into hillsides sleep-deprived to disguise how large their property is the point of falling asleep at times of austerity, among other reasons. Others are called Foresters, for they live and work in trees – forever playing and resting in trees as children, but farming in amongst them and living between them too. These two sides hate each other – so perhaps this is less of an unusual place than he's determined to keep going - probably because he can't get any sleep at first sighthome. Our drama kicks off when the small area the Foresters live in is placed under compulsory purchase – the residents are given a pitiful amount to clear out, before they get manfully cleared out. It}}=='''4 JUNE''s probably the Hills that are behind this, what's more. Our hero, Elwyn, has just left =={{Frontpage|author=Stuart Douglas|title=Lowe and Le Breton Mysteries - Death at the trees Dress Rehearsal|rating=3.5|genre=Crime|summary=During location filming for the Hills, to live with an uncle his 1970's sitcom 'Floggit and learn their ways – heLeggit's just , leading man Edward Lowe stumbles across the dead body of age to decide things for himself, and he has decided to see how a woman on the other half livesedge of a reservoir. This hasThe police seem happy to assign it as an accidental death, but something about the whole thing bothers Lowe, and he enlists the help of coursea fellow actor, opened himself up John Le Breton to no end of prejudicial judgementhelp him investigate matters further. But what's this – as soon as he reaches the Hills he sees a third way of livingThey travel across the country during their days off filming, uncovering more possible murders and, seemingly, in a lovely colonial-style mansion, where everything sparkles and shines with crystalline lightlink to death during the Second World War. What does it mean that he feels destiny-bound But is there really a link between the deaths? And will they manage to this even posher, newer and uncover who is responsible before more hopeful lifepeople lose their lives? [[The Collective by Lindsey Whitlock|Full Review]]isbn=1803368209 |} {|class-"wikitable" cellpadding="15"}=='''1 SEPTEMBER6 JUNE'''=={{Frontpage<!-- Ellory -->|author=Saima Mir|-title=Vengeance| stylerating=''width: 10%; vertical-align: top; text-align: center;''|[[image:1542007232.jpg3.5|linkgenre=http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/1542007232/ref=nosim?tag=thebookbag-21]] Thrillers| stylesummary=I was instantly intrigued by the premise of this novel – an organised crime syndicate in the north of England run by a Muslim woman. The fact that it was the second in a series I hadn't read didn'vertical-align: top; text-align: left;t stop me – I've jumped midway into a few series before (on page and screen) and it needn't be a hindrance if it'|===[[The Rabbit Girls by Anna Ellory]]==s good enough. And that wasn't a problem here. Vengeance swiftly brings you up to speed, and I never felt lost.|isbn=0861541561}}[[image:3star.jpg|link=Category:{{{rating}}} Star Reviews]] [[:Category:General FictionFrontpage|author=Kieran Larwood and Joe Todd-Stanton|General Fiction]], [[title=Dungeon Runners:Category:Historical FictionHero Trial|Historical Fiction]]rating=4|genre=Confident ReadersBerlin, 1989|summary=Meet Kit. Miriam is in the middle Like most of a city freshly united, with the Wall newly broken down and people able to cross at liberty for the first time in decades. She his world, it seems, he is in an avid fan of Dungeon Running – the middle sport where a team of such euphoriawarrior, but cannot feel itmage and healer enter specially prepared, for she has not left her father's apartment in weeks, nursing him as he lies dying. One standard bedcentury-bathold, howevermagical mazes, is very differentand race to the exit, when he gasps perhaps bothering with the treasure or the name ''Frieda'' that she does not recognise – big bad and she sees for the first time ever a tattoo for his camp inmate identity under his watchpoints they grant you along the way. One bombshell outsideUnfortunately for Kit, thenthe only thing he's seen of the latest race on the inn TV equivalent is that one team has been retired, eaten, and two insidea new trio of questors is needed. And inside her father, Henryk, what is going onPossibly very unfortunately indeed for Kit, he has taken to the goading from the token bully of his world and stumbled into declaring he'll enter as he has a first person narrative alternating with her story? team. What will we find happenedchance does this friendless, as he remembers back to the real Friedamuscle-free-zone have in actually managing that, a young woman that shook him and how could he possibly hope to the core when he was her literature professorsucceed? That's right, more bombshells… [[The Rabbit Girls by Anna Ellory|Full Review]]isbn=1839945184 |}}{{Frontpage{|class-"wikitable" cellpaddingauthor="15"Jenny Valentine|title=Us in the Before and After|rating='''5 SEPTEMBER'''|genre==<!-- Renee Watson -->Teens|-| stylesummary="width: 10%; vertical-align: top; text-align: center;"|[[image:1526613689Elk and Mab are best friends, or more than that even, their friendship is a once in a lifetime connection.jpg|link=http://www They meet as children one day on a trip out but unfortunately they don't get each other's contact details at the time.amazon.co But then chance brings them back together, and they are inseparable. Something has happened though, something terrible and tragic, and now they must work through their grief, and their friendship, together.uk/dp/1526613689/ref=nosim?tag=thebookbag-21]]  | styleisbn="vertical-align: top; text-align: left;"|1471196585}}===[[Some Places More Than Others by Renee Watson]]='''13 JUNE'''=={{Frontpage[[image:4star.jpg|linkisbn=Category:{{{rating}}} Star Reviews]] [[:Category:Teens1635866847|Teens]]title=The Lavender Companion|author=Jessica Dunham and Terry Barlin Vesci|rating=4.5|genre=LifestyleAmara|summary=It's twelfth birthday strange, the things that make you ''immediately'' feel that this is coming up and she wants nothing more the book for it than a trip to New York to meet her fatheryou. Before I started reading 's side of the family. But her father hasn't spoken to AmaraThe Lavender Companion's grandfather for many years - Amara doesn't know why - and both her parents are resistant to the idea, I visited the author's [https://www.pinelavenderfarm. But Amara is nothing if not persistent com/ website] and there's a picture of a school family history project provides her with slice of chocolate cake on the perfect wedgehomepage. Eventually, her parents give in I don't eat cakes and off she goesdesserts - but I wanted that cake viscerally... with (There's a secret mission from her mother: to bring her father recipe in the book, which I'm avoiding with some difficulty!!) Then I started reading the book and Grandpa Earl back together againI was told to make a mess of it. Notes in the margins are sanctioned. You get to fold down the corners of pages. You suspect that smears of butter would not be a problem. I ''loved'' this book already. [[Some Places More Than Others by Renee Watson|Full Review]]}}<!-- McGee -->=='''4 JULY'''=={{Frontpage|-author=Max Boucherat| styletitle="width: 10%; vertical-align: top; text-align: center;"|The Last Life of Lori Mills[[image:0241365953.jpg|linkrating=http://www4.amazon.co.uk/dp/0241365953/ref=nosim?tag=thebookbag-21]] 5| stylegenre="vertical-align: top; text-align: left;"Confident Readers|summary===[[American Royals by Katharine McGee]]=== [[image:4star.jpg|link=Category:{{{rating}}} Star Reviews]] [[:Category:General Fiction|General Fiction]] Two and a half centuries agoWe meet Lori on the first evening she's got the house to herself – no neighbour to pop in, babysitter poorly, mother at work, America won the Revolutionary War and General George Washington was offered the crown. Todayjust an avidly rule-breaking eleven year old, the House of Washington still sit on the thrown with Princess Beatrice next her lonesome. What could possibly go wrong? Snuggled in line. Beatrice's whole life a blanket fort, she has been building up one main intention, and that is to her ruling log on to Voxminer, the United States and the time for her reign world-building, critter-collecting game that is imminenta hit in Lori's world. [[American Royals by Katharine McGee|Full Review]] <!-- Hewitt -->|-| style="width: 10%; vertical-align: top; text-align: center;"|[[image:1509896465 But first Lori has a tiny inkling that this stormy night doesn't find herself entirely on her own, and then she finds something even more spooky.jpg|link=http://www For the server she and her bestie and nobody else should be able to enter shows signs of tampering.amazon.co.uk/dp/1509896465/ref=nosim When malevolent eyes spark up on her phone screen, and her safe place in the game has been doctored – well, where is a girl to turn?tag|isbn=thebookbag-21]]0008666482}}{{Frontpage| styleauthor="vertical-align: top; text-align: left;"Jenny Lecoat|title=Beyond Summerland|rating=4|genre==[[The Nightjar by Deborah Hewitt]]===General Fiction[[image:4.5star.jpg|linksummary=Category:{{{rating}}} Star Reviews]] [[:Category:Fantasy|Fantasy]]Jean lives on Jersey with her mother where they are celebrating the end of the occupation. During the war, [[:Category:Literary Fiction|Literary Fiction]] Jean''The Nightjar'' is an unusual and exciting story. Alice Wyndham lives a normal life in London until she finds s father was arrested for listening to a box on her doorstep one morning banned radio and soldiers took him away one night, leaving Jean and her life begins to unravel, fastmother waiting for years for news of him. From that very moment As the British finally free the Channel islands from the Nazis, her life and the war is flooded with magicfinally over, loss, expectation and particularly, betrayal. As everything around her shifts, all that she knows, all that she thinks she knows, must changetheir hopes rise that they will finally learn what became of him. Who can she trust? Who must she trust? Who But will she trust? More importantlythe truth come as a relief, can she even trust herselfor will it raise further questions around what else happened during the war? Who was the informer who told the Nazis about the radio? And what other secrets have been kept throughout the occupation? [[The Nightjar by Deborah Hewitt|Full Review]] <!-- Moyer -->|-| styleisbn="width: 10%; vertical-align: top; text-align: center;"|[[image:178747920X.jpg|link=http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/178747920X/ref=nosim?tag=thebookbag-21]]  | style="vertical-align: top; text-align: left;"|===[[Brightfall by Jaime Lee Moyer]]=== [[image:4.5star.jpg|link=Category:{{{rating}}} Star Reviews]] [[:Category:Fantasy|Fantasy]], [[:Category:Historical Fiction|Historical Fiction]] Robin Hood is gone – denouncing both his former life and his love Marian, and retreating to a monastery – although no-one knows quite what led him to abandon all that he had built. Marion's life since has been relatively quiet - but when her friends start dying, Marion is tasked by Father Tuck to break the curse surrounding them and to save their lives. Setting off with a soldier, a Fey Lord and a sullen Robin Hood, she becomes tangled in a maze of betrayals, complicated relationships, and a vicious struggle for the throne…[[Brightfall by Jaime Lee Moyer|Full Review]] <!-- Sedgwick -->|-| style="width: 10%; vertical-align: top; text-align: center;"|[[image:1788542347.jpg|link=http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/1788542347/ref=nosim?tag=thebookbag-21]]  | style="vertical-align: top; text-align: left;"|===[[Snowflake, AZ by Marcus Sedgwick]]=== [[image:3.5star.jpg|link=Category:{{{rating}}} Star Reviews]] [[:Category:Literary Fiction|Literary Fiction]] This is a deep, interesting read unlike any book I've read in quite some time. The novel's story follows a young man named Ash in the process of joining a community of sick people in the curiously named town of Snowflake, Arizona. These people are sick, but it's not a sickness you've heard of. Instead, they're environmentally ill – affected by household chemicals and fabrics, pesticides, static electricity, and radiation – and their only ''cure'' is to stay in the town away from the real world. Though it's about a real place, the people in it are fictional. It really is a place apart, quite literally cut off from the outside world – people are even required to decontaminate themselves thoroughly before becoming fully integrated. [[Snowflake, AZ by Marcus Sedgwick|Full Review]] |} {|class-wikitable" cellpadding="15"=='''19 SEPTEMBER'''==<!-- Jamie -->|-| style="width: 10%; vertical-align: top; text-align: center;"|[[image:1908745819.jpg|link=http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/1908745819/ref=nosim?tag=thebookbag-21]]  | style="vertical-align: top; text-align: left;"|===[[Surfacing by Kathleen Jamie]]=== [[image:5star.jpg|link=Category:{{{rating}}} Star Reviews]] [[:Category:History|History]], [[:Category:Travel|Travel]], [[:Category:Autobiography|Autobiography]] Sometimes when people suggest that you read a certain book, they tell you ''this one has your name on it''. Mostly we take them at their word, or not, but rarely do we ask them why they thought so, unless it turns out that we didn't like the book. That's a rare experience. People who are sensitive to hearing a book calling your name, rarely get it wrong. In this case I was told why. The blurb speaks of the author considering ''an older, less tethered sense of herself.'' Older. Less tethered. That's not a bad description of where I am. Add to that my love of the natural world, of those aspects of the poetic and lyrical that are about style not form, and substance most of all, about connection. Of course this book had my name on it. It was written for me. It would have found its way to me eventually. I am pleased to have it fall onto my path so quickly. [[Surfacing by Kathleen Jamie|Full Review]]|} {|class-wikitable" cellpadding="15"=='''3 OCTOBER'''== <!-- Susan Hill -->|-| style="width: 10%; vertical-align: top; text-align: center;"|[[image:1784742783.jpg|link=http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/1784742783/ref=nosim?tag=thebookbag-21]]  | style="vertical-align: top; text-align: left;"|===[[The Benefit of Hindsight (Simon Serrailler) by Susan Hill]]=== [[image:5star.jpg|link=Category:{{{rating}}} Star Reviews]] [[:Category:Crime|Crime]] A superficial look would suggest to you that Simon Serrailer has been lucky and - all things considered - his life is as good as it could be. He's back at work after a long break to recuperate from the violent incident which cost him his arm and almost his life. When he's not at work he's spending his time in the cathedral roof drawing the medieval angels which are being restored. There's talk of an exhibition of his drawings. Lafferton seems to be quite settled as far as crime is concerned until one night when two local men open their front door to a couple seeking shelter. It's the usual story of a broken-down car, and a phone which won't make a call. The man are generous and welcoming and have no suspicions that the couple are simply there to plan a robbery. It's a serious error of judgement in the course of this investigation which will throw Simon Serrailler's future into doubt. [[The Benefit of Hindsight (Simon Serrailler) by Susan Hill|Full Review]] <!-- Thakur -->|-| style="width: 10%; vertical-align: top; text-align: center;"|[[image:140638853X.jpg|link=http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/140638853X/ref=nosim?tag=thebookbag-21]]  | style="vertical-align: top; text-align: left;"|===[[Somebody Give This Heart a Pen by Sophia Thakur]]=== [[image:5star.jpg|link=Category:{{{rating}}} Star Reviews]] [[:Category:Anthologies|Anthologies]], [[:Category:Teens|Teens]] Sophia Thakur's debut anthology is a collection of poems that are all unique, whether in relation to their style, length or theme. The collection is split into four sections, titled 'grow','wait','break'and 'grow again', guiding you through a process which is one of the foundations that the anthology is built on. Each section begins with a foregrounded title page containing various small pieces of writing, ranging from a quote by a Nigerian playwright, to African proverbs. This provides a nice introduction to the section before you are immersed into the beautifully written and eloquent poems that Thakur has clearly put her heart and soul into. [[Somebody Give This Heart a Pen by Sophia Thakur|Full Review]] <!-- Jamie Smart -->|-| style="width: 10%; vertical-align: top; text-align: center;"|[[image:bookreviewercentre.jpg|link=http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/1910989460/ref=nosim?tag=thebookbag-21]] | style="vertical-align: top; text-align: left;"|===[[Flember: The Secret Book by Jamie Smart]]=== [[image:5star.jpg|link=Category:{{{rating}}} Star Reviews]] [[:Category:Confident Readers]] A mysterious island. A strange and mystical power called Flember. A boy-inventor called Dev, who uncovers a long forgotten secret. And a giant, red robot bear?! The sleepy village of Eden is about to descend into hilarious chaos - can disastrous Dev save his brand new best friend? Find out in this fully illustrated mad-cap adventure. [[Flember: The Secret Book by Jamie Smart|Full Review]] <!-- Jamie Littler -->|-| style="width: 10%; vertical-align: top; text-align: center;"|[[image:0241355222.jpg|link=http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/ISBN/ref=nosim?tag=thebookbag-21]] | style="vertical-align: top; text-align: left;"|===[[Frostheart by Jamie Littler]]=== [[image:5star.jpg|link=Category:{{{rating}}} Star Reviews]] [[:Category:Confident Readers]] Way out in the furthest part of the known world, a tiny stronghold exists all on its own, cut off from the rest of human-kin by monsters that lurk beneath the Snow Sea. There, a little boy called Ash waits for the return of his parents, singing a forbidden lullaby to remind him of them... and doing his best to avoid his very, VERY grumpy yeti guardian, Tobu. But life is about to get a whole lot more crazy-adventurous for Ash. When a brave rescue attempt reveals he has amazing magical powers, he's whisked aboard the Frostheart, a sleigh packed full of daring explorers who could use his help. But can they help him find his family . . . ? Frostheart by Jamie Littler|Full Review]] <!-- Moriarty -->|-| style="width: 10%; vertical-align: top; text-align: center;"|[[image:1913101037.jpg|link=http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/1913101037/ref=nosim?tag=thebookbag-21]]  | style="vertical-align: top; text-align: left;"|===[[The Extremely Inconvenient Adventures of Bronte Mettlestone by Jaclyn Moriarty]]=== [[image:5star.jpg|link=Category:{{{rating}}} Star Reviews]] [[:Category:Confident Readers|Confident Readers]] Bronte doesn't miss her parents, and she's not particularly sad when she learns of their terrible fate at the hands of pirates. And why should she be? After all, they just dumped her on Aunt Isabelle (without even asking if it would be a convenient arrangement for either party) when she was a baby. They swanned off to have adventures, and never once came back to check if their only child was healthy and happy. [[The Extremely Inconvenient Adventures of Bronte Mettlestone by Jaclyn Moriarty|Full Review]]|} {|class-"wikitable" cellpadding="15" =='''31 OCTOBER'''==<!-- Peter F Hamilton -->|-| style="width: 10%; vertical-align: top; text-align: center;"|[[image:1447281357.jpg|link=http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/1447281357/ref=nosim?tag=thebookbag-21]] | style="vertical-align: top; text-align: left;"|===[[Salvation Lost by Peter F Hamilton]]=== [[image:4star.jpg|link=Category:{{{rating}}} Star Reviews]] [[:Category:Science Fiction]] In the twenty-third century, humanity is enjoying a comparative utopia. Yet life on Earth is about to change, forever. Feriton Kane's investigative team has discovered the worst threat ever to face mankind – and we've almost no time to fight back. The supposedly benign Olyix plan to harvest humanity, in order to carry us to their god at the end of the universe. And as their agents conclude schemes down on earth, vast warships converge above to gather this cargo. Some factions push for humanity to flee, to live in hiding amongst the stars – although only a chosen few would make it out in time. But others refuse to break before the storm. As disaster looms, animosities must be set aside to focus on just one goal: wiping this enemy from the face of creation. Even if it means preparing for a future this generation will never see. [[Salvation Lost by Peter F Hamilton|Full Review]] |}{|class-"wikitable" cellpadding="15"=='''7 NOVEMBER'''==<!-- Keret -->|-| style="width: 10%; vertical-align: top; text-align: center;"|[[image:1609809319.jpg|link=http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/1609809319/ref=nosim?tag=thebookbag-21]]  | style="vertical-align: top; text-align: left;"|===[[Long-Haired Cat-Boy Cub by Etgar Keret, Aviel Basil and Sondra Silverston (translator)]]=== [[image:5star.jpg|link=Category:{{{rating}}} Star Reviews]] [[:Category:Confident Readers|Confident Readers]] One day a boy is in the zoo with his father, when the man gets called away on urgent business. The boy isn't hustled into a cab and taken home first, though, no – he's given hot dog money, and taxi money, and told to just stick around on his own and enjoy himself. Well, it's no surprise that the orphan-for-an-afternoon sensation the lad feels doesn't make him happy, and so he thinks of a species name for himself, and curls himself up into an empty cage, as if he were a new exhibit. And it's then the drama begins… [[Long-Haired Cat-Boy Cub by Etgar Keret, Aviel Basil and Sondra Silverston (translator)|Full Review]] |} {|class-"wikitable" cellpadding="15"=='''14 NOVEMBER '''== <!-- Gardner -->|-| style="width: 10%; vertical-align: top; text-align: center;"|[[image:1786695227.jpg|link=http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/1786695227/ref=nosim?tag=thebookbag-21]]  | style="vertical-align: top; text-align: left;"|===[[Invisible in a Bright Light by Sally Gardner]]=== [[image:4.5star.jpg|link=Category:{{{rating}}} Star Reviews]] [[:Category:Confident Readers|Confident Readers]] The beginning of this excellent story will leave the reader more than a little confused: who is the man in the green suit, what is the Reckoning, and why are rows of people in a cave? But stick with it – Ms Gardner is very cleverly letting us experience the same disorientation as our heroine. We watch in dismay as the strange man, who seems to have no eyes, does his best to persuade her to answer his questions. But for some reason Celeste, despite her bewilderment, remains wary and gives nothing away. [[Invisible in a Bright Light by Sally Gardner|Full Review]] <!-- Holliday -->|-| style="width: 10%; vertical-align: top; text-align: center;"|[[image:1912374854.jpg|link=http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/1912374854/ref=nosim?tag=thebookbag-21]]  | style="vertical-align: top; text-align: left;"|===[[Violet by S J I Holliday]]=== [[image:3.5star.jpg|link=Category:{{{rating}}} Star Reviews]] [[:Category:Thrillers|Thrillers]] I've never been but understand that travelling is all about meeting new people and forming instantaneous bonds with people in often chance situations. Well that's exactly what happens when the two main/only characters meet in a travel agency in Beijing - Carrie is unsuccessfully trying to get a refund on an extra ticket for the Trans-Siberian train and Violet is trying to unsuccessfully buy a ticket for the same sold-out journey. As the two team up, travelling through Mongolia, Serbia and into Russia, it could've been the start of a beautiful friendship but this a thriller after all so it quickly becomes a tale of obsession, manipulation and toxic friendships. [[Violet by S J I Holliday|Full Review]]1846976537}}

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