The City & the City by China Mieville

Find this book at your library

Read more reviews at NoveList

Genre - Science Fiction Mystery

Mieville's latest offering could be read as a straight police procedural but the mean streets that his hero, Inspector Tyador Borlu, walks are twisted and tainted. Borlu belongs to the city of Beszel but his murder case leads his investigation to the city of Ul Qoma.... the only problem is that the two cities occupy the same place and the same time. The cities overlap, cross hatch and mingle. Their respective denizens have learnt to "unsee" each other in order to avoid being in "breach" of a harsh and severe higher law.
It is a fascinating concept and one that Mieville expertly plays with bringing to mind all of those cities divided by internecine conflict that currently exist in our strife torn world - think of Belfast, Beirut or Jerusalem.
I so enjoyed the book that I will now be tracking down more of this newly discovered author's work.

---- Reviewed by Paul, Headquarters

The little stranger by Sarah Waters

Find this book at your library

Read more reviews at NoveList

Genre - Literary fiction


This is an atmospheric ghost story set in England after WWII. Hundreds Hall is a crumbling stately home & the Ayres family are struggling to survive with dwindling income & only a couple of servants. Local GP, Dr Faraday is called in to attend the housemaid, Betty, & meets Mrs Ayres, her son, Roderick, who was badly injured in the war, & her daughter, Caroline. Dr Faraday was a working class boy who became a doctor & has never felt at home with the local gentry, but in the post-war world, he becomes a trusted friend of the family. The social changes of the period are obvious as the Ayres are forced to sell off their estate to property developers to survive. The strange happenings at the Hall - the running footsteps in the old nursery, the speaking tubes whistling for no reason, the fires that break out in Roderick’s room – unsettle everyone. Is a malevolent spirit haunting the family or are they tainted with madness? Echoes of Daphne Du Maurier’s Rebecca are very effective in creating an atmosphere of menace & doom in this beautifully written story of a family in a time of change.

---- Reviewed by Lyn, Headquarters

The sisters who would be queen by Leanda De Lisle

Find this book at your library



Genre - Non Fiction


Lady Jane Grey, the Nine Days Queen, is a well-known figure. Her two younger sisters are not so well-known. This excellent biography follows the three sisters as they are each caught up in the murky world of Tudor politics. Protestant Jane was declared heir to the throne by the dying Edward VI in preference to his Catholic half-sister Mary. Jane was less of a victim of powerful men than has been supposed, & De Lisle shows that she was determined to rule in her own right. However, Mary’s supporters deposed Jane & she was executed when she became a focus for rebellion. When Elizabeth I came to the throne in 1559, Katherine Grey was seen as her heir by the English nobility. She foolishly fell in love & secretly married without Elizabeth’s permission. When she then gave birth to two sons (the second child conceived while both parents were imprisoned in the Tower), the Queen’s anger was terrible, the couple were separated & Katherine died young. The youngest sister, Mary, also married without the Queen’s permission. Her choice was one of her jailers, Thomas Keyes, who was imprisoned in terrible conditions for falling in love with an heir to the throne. This is a fascinating look at the Tudor court & the perils of being too close to the throne.

---- Reviewed by Lyn, Headquarters

Pauline Bonaparte by Flora Fraser

Find this book at your library



Genre - Non Fiction


Pauline was Napoleon’s favourite sister & lived a privileged life when her brother was First Consul & then Emperor of France. She was a beautiful woman who married twice – once for love & once for money - & had many lovers. Flora Fraser specializes in writing the lives of 18th century women. Her previous books have included biographies of the daughters of George III, Emma Hamilton and Caroline of Brunswick. Pauline Bonaparte is a less interesting character than these women, her life was essentially aimless. She was privileged & she created a lot of scandal but her life was purposeless. Her most attractive quality was her loyalty to Napoleon. She followed him into exile on Elba when the rest of their siblings had abandoned him.

---- Reviewed by Lyn Baines

A perfect death by Kate Ellis

Find this book at your library



Genre - Mystery


A woman is burnt alive in a deserted field in Devon. The murder has echoes in the past when a woman was burnt alive by her husband, who suspected her of being unfaithful, on the same spot in the 13th century. An archaeological dig has just begun on the site before a new housing estate is built, & the developer’s wife has received death threats. A group protesting about the influx of holiday home owners are suspected of being involved in arson attacks on holiday homes. D I Wesley Peterson investigates the links between these events & another archaeological dig on the same site 20 years before that ended with the mysterious deaths of two of the archeologists involved. This long-running detective series combines modern day mystery with a historical subplot. Fans of Time Team will also enjoy the archaeological plots which are a big part of the series.

---- Reviewed by Lyn, Headquarters

A Winter's tale by Trisha Ashley

Find this book at your library



Genre - Romance

Sophy Winter unexpectedly inherits her grandfather’s crumbling stately home, Winter’s End. Along with the house, she inherits an eccentric family & a lot of debt. Sophy’s charming but shady cousin Jack thought he would inherit & sets about alternately trying to persuade Sophy to sell the estate to him at a knockdown price or marry him so they can live there happily ever after. Another distraction is gorgeous gardener, Seth, who plans to restore the Elizabethan gardens & doesn’t seem to have eyes for anything else. Then there’s the rumour that Shakespeare spent his lost years at Winter’s End & the discovery of a manuscript in the Bard’s hand. The grand opening of the house & garden to the public is the grand finale to this lovely romantic comedy.

---- Reviewed Lyn, Headquarters

Pride and Prejudice and Zombies - the classic Regency romance now with ultraviolent zombie mayhem! by Jane Austen and Seth Grahame-Smith

Find this book at your library

Read more reviews at NoveList

Genre - Comedy

As the last line of the blurb suggests this novel “transforms a masterpiece of world literature into something you’d actually want to read.”
Now, I am not a fan of Jane Austen and I have never read or intend to read the original, but who among us can resist the appeal of the Zombie in search of brains. There is not a large amount of Zombie mayhem, not as much as I was hoping for, however Elizabeth and her sisters do spend a lot of time practicing the "deadly arts".
This is an enjoyable read, the pictures are amusing, the story from what I can remember of the movie contains all the important bits and even though it has two authors the writing flows well.

I highly recommend this book for anyone who is looking for some light hearted Zombie fun that is not to be taken seriously.

---- Reviewed by Megan, Guest Reviewer

Vision in White by Nora Roberts

Find this book at your library

Read more reviews at NoveList

Genre - Romance

This is book one of the Bride Quartet by prolific writer Nora Roberts. Childhood friends, Mackenzie, Parker, Laurel and Emmaline enjoyed playing Wedding day when they were eight years old and now they are all grown up and have created a successful wedding planning business called Vows. Set in the beautiful Brown Estate where they also all live together, this novel is full of flowers, food and friends. Unfortunately these four women are yet to discover their own true love. Mac is the main character in this book and she is the wedding photographer who has to fight the demons of her parent’s failed marriage when she finds herself falling for Carter Maguire. A light and entertaining read.

---- Reviewed by Sue, Knox

The Gone Away World by Nick Harkaway

Find this book at your library

Read more reviews at NoveList

Genre - Romantic Post-Apocalyptic Science Fiction Fantasy



A post-apocalyptic romp of a book that leaves you slack jawed and amazed at the coruscating brilliance of the author and the bravura of his writing. Any book that has ninjas, pirates, mimes, big trucks and even bigger things that go bang in it will always have my stamp of approval!! If you have a taste for the weird, the wonderful, the witty and the satiric this is the book for you. Enjoy!!

PS: If you are in the mood for more of Harkaway's writing check out his website for a sneak preview of his next writing venture - "The Hospitality of Doctor Franzavius".

---- Reviewed by Paul, Headquarters

Naked in Death by J. D. Robb

Find this book at your library

Read more reviews at NoveList

Genre - Mystery

The first in the "...in Death" series, this book introduces us to our lead character Detective Eve Dallas. Whilst giving us a ripper crime mystery set in the not-to-distant future, it also gives us the beginning of an unusual love story between our gritty and damaged lead, and the refined billionaire Roarke.
Whilst Nora Roberts is an old hand at romance novels, she dips her toe into crime drama with a hint of her pet genre. Introducing us to several integral characters of the series and tantilising us with tidbits of the characters' pasts, she ties several seemingly unrelated threads together.
Ignoring the romance aspect (which may well turn people off from choosing this book)its well written and clever. There is never a dull moment and begs not to be put down. I would have liked for there to have been more time for the romance to develop but overall it is very believable.
Forget Nora Roberts' usual style of romance novels and give this series a try. It wont disappoint. And as the first in around 30 installments, "Naked in Death" is an enjoyable read with plot twists and personal dramas that only get better.

---- Reviewed by Eloise, Guest

Angela's Ashes by Frank McCourt

Find this book at your library

Read more reviews at NoveList

Genre - Biography


I have just discovered Frank McCourt and now on my 2nd book of his. I found Angela's ashes a great read that had me laughing and crying all the way through I could very easily read this wonderful book over and over again.

---- Reviewed by Angela, Guest