This week it’s time for our Chermside team to shine in our QBD Spotlight.

Check out these bright new book reviews!

Exit Wounds by John Cantwell & Greg Bearup
Exit Wounds is the compassionate and deeply human account of one man’s tour of the War on Terror and his fight with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). It recounts a soldier’s moving story of a life in modern warfare and displays today’s battlefields in a harrowing and honest light. It is by far my favourite military biography available, and I would recommend it to anyone who is a fan of Andy McNab or American Sniper.
Reviewed by Sarah (Manager)

Paper Towns by John Green
As a must-read addition to the ‘John Green Classics’, it would be hard to say anything but the truth about Paper Towns. So here it is: I absolutely loved 95% of this novel. The other 5% was the ending, which I loathed – a lot. Probably because it was not a fairytale finale, but, I will admit that I should have seen it coming, being from the same author who brought us ‘Sobfest 2014’ aka The Fault in Our Stars. Be that as it may, the mystery that is Margo Roth Spiegelman’s disappearance is intoxicating to read. The adorable persistence of Quentin ‘Q’ Jacobsen keeps you begging for him to find her. The quest to uncover the truth allows for more important discoveries along the way, making you grow alongside the characters as they do. So all in all, you should read it – I mean I read it in 4 hours, that’s how good were talking… BUT THAT ENDING. Sorry. Mini rage.
Reviewed by Amelia

Queen of the Tearling by Erika Johansen
Kelsea Raleigh is nineteen and about to be made Queen – if she can live long enough to claim the throne. Hidden away shortly before her mother’s assassination, she has more enemies than she can count. Her kingdom is rotten. Her people are wretched. She is alone and, she soon realises, woefully underprepared. This is a dark and thrilling fantasy novel with intriguing science fiction undertones. Kelsea is a fascinating mixture of pragmatism and ideals. Am hanging out for the sequel, and a possible film adaptation starring Emma Watson!
Reviewed by Amy (2IC)

Zumbo by Adriano Zumbo
Are you depressed that Masterchef is over for another season? Well why not bring the inspiration into your own kitchen with Adriano Zumbo’s recipe book ‘Zumbo’. ‘Zumbo’ is nothing short of an adventure. Challenge your skills and creativity with the famous and awe inspiring croquet-en-bouche, deliciously creative macarons and amazing dessert designs. I can guarantee the pressure and intensity will satisfy your inner Masterchef.
Reviewed by Kate

Annihilation by Jeff VanderMeer
Jeff VanderMeer’s Annihilation is the first book in The Southern Reach trilogy. The novel introduces “Area X”: an apparent environmental disaster zone that is cordoned off by a secret government agency known as The Southern Reach, who organise expeditions past the border. The members of the first expedition relayed descriptions of a pristine landscape; the members of the second all committed suicide. The third expedition ended when its members slaughtered each other with their firearms. Annihilation follows an unnamed biologist through the twelfth expedition. Arguably a science-fiction necropastoral ode, the uncanny landscape of Area X is a character in itself. Witnessed through the lens of the human, what lies beyond the border is a force of dread and colonisation, reaching out to embrace us and set us on the same course as the dinosaurs. By the end of the novel, nothing is resolved, and nothing is saved.
For fans of Margaret Atwood’s Oryx and Crake and Mark Z. Danielewski’s House of Leaves.
Reviewed by Shastra

Dark Places by Gillian Flynn
This mysterious novel is capturing from the get go; Libby Day’s family was massacred when she was just a child with her brother found guilty of the crime. 24 years on, the events leading up to the massacre unfold and soon Libby begins to question who actually killed her family. Quite a dark novel as the title implies, but a good book for those who enjoy a bit of crime and mystery.
Reviewed by Ashleigh