See also: recommended new eBooks
BorrowBox
The Art of Making Memories, written and read by Meik Wiking
“Combining research on happiness and mnemonics (learning techniques that aids memory retention or retrieval) Meik Wiking explores how peak experiences are made, stored and remembered. Using data and diaries, interviews, global surveys and studies and conducting real-life behavioural science and happiness experiments, the Happiness Research Institute will answer how we can we create perfect moments. Moments that will go down in history. Moments that will shape who we are.”
The Brothers York, by Thomas Penn, read by Roy McMillan
“The Brothers York is the story of three remarkable brothers, two of whom were crowned kings of England and the other an heir presumptive, whose fatal antagonism was fuelled by the mistrust and vendettas of the age that brought their family to power. The house of York should have been the dynasty that the Tudors became.”
Keep Your Eyes On Me, by Sam Blake, read by Evanna Lynch
“When Vittoria Devine and Lily Power find themselves sitting next to each other on a flight to New York, they discover they both have men in their lives whose impact has been devastating. Lily’s family life is in turmoil, her brother left on the brink of ruin by a con man. Vittoria’s philandering husband’s latest mistress is pregnant.
By the time they land, Vittoria and Lily have realised that they can help each other right the balance. But only one of them knows the real story…”
Lost, by James Patterson and James O’Born, read by Corey Carthew
“The city of Miami is Detective Tom Moon’s back yard. He’s always kept it local, attending University of Miami on a football scholarship, then becoming a good enough cop to earn a street name, ‘Anti’. As the new leader of an FBI task force called ‘Operation Guardian’, it’s his mission to combat international crime.
Moon’s new investigative team discovers that the opportunistic ‘Blood Brothers’ – Russian nationals Roman and Emile Rostoff – have evaded federal and local authorities while building a vast, powerful and deadly crime syndicate throughout metropolitan Miami.
Moon played offence for U of M, but he’s on the other side of the field this time. And it’s not a trophy that’s on the line – it’s Tom Moon’s life and the city of Miami’s future.”
Nineteen Eighty-Four, written by George Orwell and read by Andrew Wincott
“1984 is the year in which it happens. The world is divided into three great powers: Oceania, Eurasia, and Eastasia, each perpetually at war with the other. Throughout Oceania ‘The Party’ rules by the agency of four ministries whose power is absolute and where every action, word, gesture and thought is monitored. In The Ministry of Truth, which deals in propaganda, Winston Smith’s job is to edit the past. Over time, the impulse to escape the machine and live independently takes a hold of him. In writing the words ‘DOWN WITH BIG BROTHER’ his personal rebellion begins . . .
This is his story but it might also be yours. In our increasingly surveillance-governed world the story has strong resonance and displays some shocking parallels with modern-day society.”
Not a Diet Book, by James Smith, read by James Smith
“Self-confessed disruptor of a billion-dollar diet industry, James is armed with every tool you’ll ever need to achieve incredible results from dieting, training, and staying in shape to identifying the fads, phonies and nonsense that get in the way of genuinely lasting progress.But this is so much more than just losing fat. It’s getting to the root of why you always wear black; why you get undressed in the dark; why eating the foods you love make you feel guilty; why you’re afraid to step into the gym; why your confidence is at an all-time low; and how all of this is having a negative impact upon all areas of your life, relationships and happiness.So, be prepared to transform your attitudes, fix bad habits, lose fat, gain confidence, and become the best possible version of yourself with the last ‘diet’ book you’ll ever need.It’s so much simpler than everyone wants you to believe…”
White Teeth, by Zadie Smith, Read by Ray Panthaki, Pippa Bennett-Warner, Lenny Henry and Sagar Arya
“One of the most talked about fictional debuts ever, White Teeth is a funny, generous, big-hearted novel, adored by critics and readers alike. Dealing - among many other things - with friendship, love, war, three cultures and three families over three generations, one brown mouse, and the tricky way the past has of coming back and biting you on the ankle, it is a life-affirming, riotous must-read of a book.”
Dark Corners, by Ruth Rendell, read by Ric Jerrom
“In Rendell’s dark and atmospheric tale of psychological suspense, we encounter mistaken identity, kidnap, blackmail, and a cast of characters who are so real that we come to know them better than we know ourselves. Infused with her distinctive blend of wry humour, acute observation and deep humanity, this is Rendell at her most memorable and best.”
The Silent Ones, written by K.L. Slater, read by Lucy Price-Lewis
“This morning, I was packing up lunches, ironing, putting on the laundry I should have done last night. Now my precious daughter is accused of murder.
When 10-year-old cousins Maddy and Brianna are arrested for a terrible crime, Maddy’s mother, Juliet, cannot believe it.
How could her bright, joyful daughter be capable of such a thing?
As the small village community recoils in horror, the pressure of the tragedy blows Juliet and her sister’s lives apart. And things get even worse when their daughters retreat into a self-imposed silence. Can anyone reach Maddy and discover the truth before her fate is sealed?
Juliet is crushed. Nothing will ever be the same for her darling girl. But she knows that to find out what really happened that day, she and her sister must unlock the secrets of their own terrible past, a past they swore never to speak about again.”
OverDrive
The Gate Keeper, by Charles Todd, read by Simon Prebble
“On a deserted road, late at night, Scotland Yard’s Ian Rutledge encounters a frightened woman standing over a body, launching an inquiry that leads him into the lair of a stealthy killer and the dangerous recesses of his own memories in this twentieth installment of the acclaimed New York Times bestselling series.
Hours after his sister’s wedding, a restless Ian Rutledge drives aimlessly, haunted by the past, and narrowly misses a motorcar stopped in the middle of a desolate road. Standing beside the vehicle is a woman with blood on her hands and a dead man at her feet.
She swears she didn’t kill Stephen Wentworth. A stranger stepped out in front of their motorcar, and without warning, fired a single shot before vanishing into the night. But there is no trace of him. And the shaken woman insists it all happened so quickly, she never saw the man’s face.
Although he is a witness after the fact, Rutledge persuades the Yard to give him the inquiry, since he’s on the scene. But is he seeking justice—or fleeing painful memories in London?
Wentworth was well-liked, yet his bitter family paint a malevolent portrait, calling him a murderer. But who did Wentworth kill? Is his death retribution? Or has his companion lied? Wolf Pit, his village, has a notorious history: in Medieval times, the last wolf in England was killed there. When a second suspicious death occurs, the evidence suggests that a dangerous predator is on the loose, and that death is closer than Rutledge knows.”
Harley in the Sky, written and read by Akemi Dawn Bowman
“When I’m on the trapeze, I feel whole.
When I’m in the air with the ropes between my fingers, I feel like I’m everything I ever want to be in the world.
This is what I want. It’s all I’ve ever wanted.
I only wish my parents could see what this means to me.
What it would mean to hold a dream in my palm, press it tight against my heart, and never let it go.
Harley in the Sky is a luminous, unforgettable examination of love, loyalty and tough choices. From award-winning Akemi Dawn Bowman comes a breathtaking evocation of the magic and drama of the circus.”
Read Emily’s review of Harley in the Sky →
Son of a Silverback, by Russell Kane and read by Russell Kane
“The Silverback is considered the undisputed king, a creature whose authority is never challenged and who does not yield to compromise. He walks proudly, feeds greedily, grafts tirelessly, mates voraciously, swears constantly and is threatened all too easily. The Silverback is known to nestle in the misty peaks of central Africa but can also be found in Barking, Essex. Meet Dave Kane, the disappointed, steroid-ingesting, metal-wielding, bouncer father of slight, effete Gamma Male, Russell Kane.
This is a story about fathers and sons, class and education and how one scrawny, sensitive, fake-tan-applying ‘ponce’ stepped out of his father’s shadow and became a man - whatever that means.”
Untitled: The Real Wallis Simpson, Duchess of Windsor, by Anna Pasternak, read by Laura Kirman
“Anna Pasternak’s new book is the first ever to give Wallis a chance and a voice to show that she was a warm, loyal, intelligent woman adored by her friends, who was written off by cunning, influential Establishment men seeking to diminish her and destroy her reputation. As the author argues, far from being the villain of the abdication, she was the victim.
Anna Pasternak seeks to understand an unusual, deeply misunderstood woman, and the untenable situation she became embroiled in. Using testimony from their inner circle of friends, she presents a very different Wallis Simpson. With empathy, intimacy and thorough research, this book will make readers view her story as it has never been told before.”
Perfect Remains, written by Helen Fields and read by Robin Laing
“Detective Inspector Luc Callanach has barely set foot in his new office when Elaine’s missing persons case is escalated to a murder investigation. Having left behind a promising career at Interpol, he’s eager to prove himself to his new team. But Edinburgh, he discovers, is a long way from Lyon, and Elaine’s killer has covered his tracks with meticulous care. It’s not long before another successful woman is abducted from her doorstep, and Callanach finds himself in a race against the clock. Or so he believes …
The real fate of the women will prove more twisted than he could have ever imagined. Fans of Angela Marson, Mark Billingham and M. J. Aldridge will be gripped by this chilling journey into the mind of a troubled killer.”
This title is also available as an eBook.
Still me, written by Jojo Moyes and read by Anna Acton
“Louisa Clark arrives in New York ready to start a new life. She is thrown into the world of the super-rich Gopniks: Leonard and his much younger second wife, Agnes. Before she knows what’s happening, Lou is mixing in New York high society, where she meets Joshua Ryan, a man who brings with him a whisper of her past. Lou finds herself carrying secrets–not all her own–that cause a catastrophic change in her circumstances.”
This title is also available as an eBook.
The Volunteer, by Jack Fairweather, read by David Rintoul
“This is untold story of one of the greatest heroes of the Second World War.
In the Summer of 1940, after the Nazi occupation of Poland, an underground operative called Witold Pilecki accepted a mission to uncover the fate of thousands of people being interned at a new concentration camp on the border of the Reich.
His mission was to report on Nazi crimes and raise a secret army to stage an uprising. The name of the detention centre — Auschwitz.
It was only after arriving at the camp that he started to discover the Nazi’s terrifying designs. Over the next two and half years, Witold forged an underground army that smuggled evidence of Nazi atrocities to the West, culminating in the mass murder of over a million Jews. His reports from the camp were to shape the Allies response to the Holocaust - yet his story was all but forgotten for decades.
This is the first major account of his amazing journey, drawing on exclusive family papers and recently declassified files as well as unpublished accounts from the camp’s fighters to show how he saved hundreds of thousands of lives.
The result is an enthralling story of resistance and heroism against the most horrific circumstances, and one man’s attempt to change the course of history..”
This title is also available as an eBook.
Foxglove Summer, by Ben Aaronovitch, read by Kobna Holdbrook-Smith
“In a small village in Herefordshire, the local police are reluctant to admit that there might be a supernatural element to the disappearance of some local children. But while you can take the copper out of London, you can’t take the London out of the copper. Peter soon finds himself caught up in a deep mystery and having to tackle local cops and local gods. And what’s more, all the shops are closed by 4pm…”
In the Dark , by Cara Hunter, read by Lee Ingleby
“Penguin presents the audiobook edition of In the Dark by Cara Hunter, read by Lee Ingleby and Emma Cunniffe. A woman and child are found locked in a basement room, barely alive. No one knows who they are - the woman can’t speak, and there are no missing persons reports that match their profile. The elderly man who owns the house claims he has never seen them before. The inhabitants of the quiet Oxford street are in shock - how could this happen right under their noses? But DI Adam Fawley knows that nothing is impossible. And that no one is as innocent as they seem . . .”
Prodigal Summer, written by and read by Barbara Kingsolver
“Prodigal Summer weaves together three stories of human love within a larger tapestry of lives in southern Appalachia. At the heart of these intertwined narratives is a den of coyotes that have recently migrated into the region. Deanna Wolfe, a reclusive wildlife biologist, watches them from an isolated mountain cabin where she is caught off-guard by Eddie Bondo, a young hunter who comes to invade her most private spaces and her solitary life. Down the mountain, another web of lives unfolds as Lusa Maluf Landowski, a bookish city girl turned farmer’s wife, finds herself in a strange place where she must declare or lose her attachment to the land that has become her own. And a few more miles down the road, a pair of elderly, feuding neighbors tend their respective farms and wrangle about God, pesticides, and the possibilities the future holds.
Over the course of one long summer, these characters find connections to one another, and to the land, and the final, urgent truth that humans are only one piece of life on earth.”
These Broken Stars, written by Amie Kaufman and read by Meagan Spooner
“It’s a night like any other on board the Icarus. Then, catastrophe strikes: the massive luxury spaceliner is yanked out of hyperspace and plummets into the nearest planet. Lilac LaRoux and Tarver Merendsen survive. And they seem to be alone.
Lilac is the daughter of the richest man in the universe. Tarver comes from nothing, a young war hero who learned long ago that girls like Lilac are more trouble than they’re worth. But with only each other to rely on, Lilac and Tarver must work together, making a tortuous journey across the eerie, deserted terrain to seek help.”
New shelves are published regularly on our Borrowbox and Overdrive sites.