Our well-read Strathpine team always have a great reading suggestion or two up their sleeve!
Check out these beauties:
The Girl of Ink and Stars by Kiran Millwood Hargrave:
The Girl of Ink and Stars is a book that can be enjoyed both by children and adults. Isabella is a mapmakers daughter, trapped – like the rest of her village – in a tiny corner of her island by a tyrannical governor. When her best friend disappears, she volunteers to guide the search party. But a fire demon is stirring at the heart of the island, waking monsters out of legend and testing Isabella’s courage in ways she could never have imagined… This is a children’s novel that is not afraid of darkness, with a bittersweet ending. It is also gorgeous – besides the cover, each page margin is filled with blue and yellow cartographic marks. A book to treasure. – Amy
The Golden Child by Wendy James:
The Golden Child is gripping family drama meets psychological thriller, for fans of Liane Moriarty and Jodi Picoult. When blogger Lizzie moves back to Newcastle from America, the cracks in her perfect family start to show. One of her daughters is accused of bullying a fellow student. But that can’t be true of her beautiful, popular child. Can it? And who is responsible? This book takes a hard look at modern parenting, sibling rivalry and cyberbullying – and has a surprise twist at the end. – Roxanne
Alight by Scott Sigler:
The second instalment in the Generations trilogy, Alight follows leader Em and her group as they venture to their new home on a distant planet. With a growing number of mouths to feed, limited food supplies and new enemies targeting them, the stakes are raised even higher when one of their own tries to attain power. Em must make the decisions as leader, but what will it cost her? Who is friend? Who is foe? Which side will win? Alight takes you along for the ride, and will leave you wanting to see how it all ends in the next book. A great series for fans of Lord of the Flies and The Maze Runner! – Layla
Deep Blue by Jennifer Donnelly:
A new book about the Mer with a gorgeous cover? Heck YES! I loved Helen Dunmore’s Ingo Chronicles and was on the search for a new Mer book and Deep Blue fit the bill perfectly. Jennifer Donnelly has created a fantastic new world full of interesting sights and characters, as well as a prophecy and a quest to satisfy the adventurous. Deep Blue is like Percy Jackson, but with mermaids, and I fully recommend it to anyone who is fans of this genre. – Steph
The Bone Collector by Jeffrey Deaver:
The Bone Collector is a refreshing deviation from most killer-thriller novels you find hitting the shelves. The protagonist, Lincoln Rhyme, is a quick-witted, self-destructive quadriplegic with a knack for finding the solutions to New York’s most grisly homicides. While most thrillers focus on the chase and the kill, The Bone Collector approaches the mystery with an emphasis on the psychological. I’d recommend this book to anyone who loves a thriller that keeps them on their toes. – Jess
#Girlboss by Sophia Amoruso:
#GIRLBOSS recounts Sophia Amoruso’s journey from petty thief to $280 million dollar woman, CEO and founder of Nasty Gal fashion. She encourages women to embrace and take advantage of traits we’ve previously been ashamed of: bossiness, crudeness, independence. Sophia also teaches us how to turn a passion into a career, when to follow rules and when to tweak them. This bare-all story is for anyone with big dreams or in need of a little motivation. The best part is there’s no need to feel sad finishing this book, as it’s just been released as a series on Netflix! – Amelia
The Sky is Everywhere by Jandy Nelson:
“I’m supposed to be grieving, not falling in love.”
This is quite easily one of the most heartbreaking and most heart-lifting novels I have had the pleasure to read. It begins with Lennie Walker mourning the recent death of her older sister Bailey. Lennie, a clarinet player and a book worm, then finds herself in a dramatic love triangle with Joe, the new boy in town who shares her passion for music, and Toby, Bailey’s boyfriend. Between the lust comes sorrow for Lennie as she tries to cope with the emptiness her sister has left behind. Nelson has done a spectacular job of capturing the reality of dealing with a loss and falling in love. – Grace
