QBD The Bookshop Hornsby would like to thank their loyal customers for reading and supporting their Book Of The Month recommendations. We truly value your feedback and love seeing you all rush in every month for the next exciting monthly pick. Here are the Hornsby’s staff favourites from the last eighteen months:
Gallipoli Street by Mary-Anne O’Connor (local Hornsby author):
Gallipoli Street is an epic story of three Australian families whose destinies became entwined by war, tragedy and passion. Inspired by her grandfather’s own story, Mary-Anne brings a fresh perspective to the story of modern Australia. The true horror of war is bought to life in this gripping novel, from the horrors of Gallipoli to the bloody battles of the Somme, a time of desperate love born in desperate times and acts of friendship against impossible odds. I laughed and cried whilst reading this and am so looking forward to Mary-Anne’s next book. – Kellie (Store Manager)
The Dry by Jane Harper:
The Dry is a gripping crime novel set to become one of the greats! Jane Harper has shown herself as a masterful author with a convincing storyline, believable and developing characters and a hero whom I can’t wait to see more of!
Set in Victoria, Aaron Falk goes back to the town of his youth to pay his respects to his dead friend, in what appears to be a murder suicide involving his wife and child. But not all is as it seems. Will the past come back to haunt Falk as he fights to get to the truth?
Definitely a crime book to sink your teeth into! – Hayley (Assistant Manager)
All The Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr:
‘Open your eyes and see what you can with them before they close forever’
All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr is a stunning blend of history and emotion and arguably one of the best books either of us have ever read. With a cast of beautiful characters, the story follows Marie-Laure, a French girl, blind, but able to see more of the world than most people ever will, and Werner, German, orphaned and intelligent beyond his years. Both swept up in one of history’s greatest tragedies; World War 2. Set during the German occupation of France, their paths are destined to cross at the most critical of times. With familial love, home and hope as motifs strung throughout the entire book, All the Light We Cannot See is full of masterful writing paired with an incredible plot, making this a book destined to stay with us for years to come. – Eleanor and Jaime
I am Pilgrim by Terry Hayes:
I Am Pilgrim, Terry Hayes’ debut espionage thriller is a challenger to the likes of John le Carre and Robert Ludlum. Pilgrim, a savant and heavy drug user, is a former CIA officer and has experienced the worst the trade has to offer. After he is called in to assist with a grisly homicide, Pilgrim travels around the world as the case begins to point him towards plans for a devastating terrorist attack.
With Hayes’ pedigree as a screenwriter, I Am Pilgrim offers intense action scenes and is highly enjoyable for the casual reader, yet provides a sweeping moral tale which questions the archetypal ‘Good vs Evil’ usually present in similar books. Both Pilgrim and his nemesis, Saracen, are shown through a complex lens – with neither fully embracing their moral identity.
This is not the only way in which I Am Pilgrim stretches beyond its traditional genre boundaries. Hayes’ writing style is unique. The storyline is nonlinear, and I Am Pilgrim reads almost as if the main character is sitting across from the reader, regaling them of his story over whiskey and a cigar.
I Am Pilgrim has been my favourite book since I read it in 2014 and I often say that to everyone that I recommend it to, that I wish I could read it again for the first time. As QBD The Bookshop’s Book of The Month for July 2015 and QBD Hornsby’s Book of the Year for 2015, it is the most highly recommended book you can pick up. – Adam
Shantaram by Gregory David Roberts:
Based on the life of the author, this is an amazing debut set in the underworld of contemporary Bombay – Our narrator, Lin, is an escaped convict fleeing prison in Australia. Lin sets up a medical clinic in the slums of Bombay to help the people there, all of them searching for something they cannot find elsewhere. Written beautifully, with a wonderfully lyrical style, this is a moving book that grips you and holds you tight – The sequel, The Mountain Shadow is available in paperback now and just as wonderful. – Shoshana
Bad Romeo by Leisa Rayven:
Cassie and Ethan are the famous Broadway actors whose past is much more dramatic than the stage.
Destined to be together, Bad Romeo tells the story of how these two young lovers came to be and how a jaded secret tears them apart. Years later when their paths cross again, Cassie is determined to remain professional. But Ethan only has one intention, can he win back the love of his life?
Set in the present with flashes from the past, this steamy novel will have you reading all through the night!
I absoutely loved this book and everything else by Leisa Rayven. Once I’d picked up Bad Romeo I couldn’t put it down. 5 stars! – Cheyanne
The Midnight Watch by David Dyer:
The Midnight Watch is a book that I just cannot put down. In my opinion it is the perfect blend of history, fiction and character development. If you have ever been fascinated by the story of the Titanic, then this novel is for you. It paints a new perspective on the events of that dark night when the Titanic sunk through the depths of the thick oceans in near frozen water. David Dyer truly has given oxygen to the flame that was and is the Titanic. – Jayden
