Adult Books
The Flames by Sophie Haydock.
Penguin paperback £9.99
A compelling historical novel inspired by the muses of the artist Egon Schiele.
Vienna, 1912: A new century is dawning, and this intoxicating city is teeming with art, music and radical ideas. A place of infinite possibilities - unless you are female…
Edith and Adele are sisters, the daughters of a wealthy family. They are expected to follow the rules, marry well, and produce children. Gertrude is in thrall to her flamboyant older brother, and envies the freedom he commands. Vally was born into poverty but is making her way in the world as a model for the eminent artist Gustav Klimt. Four fierce, outspoken and determined women whose lives are set on a collision course when they become entangled with the controversial young artist Egon Schiele whose work - and private life - are sending shockwaves through Viennese society. All it will take is a single act of betrayal to set their world on fire...

A sizzling debut novel which tells a fascinating story and vividly evokes the heady atmosphere of avant-garde Vienna. Author Sophie Haydock will be telling us more about her research at our event with her on Thursday 25th May.

Young Mungo by Douglas Stuart.
Macmillan paperback £9.99
Now released in paperback, Young Mungo treads the same grimy Glaswegian streets as Douglas Stuart’s award-winning first novel, Shuggie Bain - packing an even more intense gut-punch.
15-year-old Mungo is a sensitive boy, who lives in the Glasgow tenements, cared for by his older sister Jodie. He lives under the shadow of eldest brother Hamish, a Proddy gang-leader in their neighbourhood, an area rife with sectarian violence.
The book opens with young Mungo being packed off on a fishing trip with 2 disreputable drinking buddies of his mother’s. The narrative interweaves the increasingly disturbing events of the drunken fishing weekend with scenes from the preceding months: we witness Mungo’s growing friendship with James, a Catholic boy, as they bond over racing pigeons. James and Mungo are kindred spirits, but same-sex love across the sectarian divide is unthinkable. The threat of violence, in the form of Hamish and his henchmen, is ever-present. As the camping trip reaches its horrific climax, we discover the events that led to Mungo being packed off ‘to be made a man of’ with such disastrous consequences….

A heart-rending story about love, prejudice, and the meaning of masculinity.

Children’s Books
Greenwild by Pari Thomson.
Macmillan hardback £12.99
I really enjoyed this environmental fantasy novel, which is bursting with fresh ideas!
Daisy Thistledown has spent her 12 years travelling the globe with her eccentric journalist mother. When her mum goes missing on a trip to the Amazon, Daisy’s search for her opens a portal into the Greenwild - a world of Green Magic, where Botanists summon vines from their fingertips and magical mini-moss can shrink you down to thumb-size!
But all is not well in this astonishing land. Before long Daisy finds herself confronting a dangerous presence that threatens green magic on both sides of the portal. She joins forces with a botanical genius, a boy who can talk to animals, and a talking cat with attitude, to channel the power that will revive the Greenwild and find her missing mother - and save her own world too.

A spell-binding and inventive story for fans of Harry Potter.

The Serpent of the Sands pb
Fanfare! A new adventure in the Brightstorm Chronicles series, from best-selling children’s writer and all-round lovely local author Vashti Hardy!
Meet Princess Gan, the feisty new heroine we first encountered in Firesong. When Princess Gan's uncle falls gravely ill, she sneaks out of the Citadel to find a powerful cure, a magical cactus said to be guarded by the Serpent of the Sands. But is it only a story? Is she chasing false hope? But the further Gan travels, the more secrets are revealed - and the more she questions everything she believes...

Brimming with adventure and excitement, Serpent of the Sands is a great read for 8+ children.