Children’s Fiction
Noah’s Gold by Frank Cottrell-Boyce.
Macmillan £7.99 paperback.
Now out in paperback, this latest novel by Frank Cottrell-Boyce, author of Millions, Sputnik’s Guide to Life on Earth, and many more award-winning children’s books, is complete comedy gold, wrapped up in an exciting story full of mystery and suspense.
Eleven-year-old pipsqueak Noah is famed in his family for making gadgets malfunction. When he accidentally stows away on his older sister’s Geography field trip, the minibus Satnav goes haywire and the kids find themselves marooned on an uninhabited island. 6 kids. 1 remote island. No adults (their teacher has vanished!) They’re hungry. Their phones don’t work – they CAN’T LOOK ANYTHING UP! – and, somehow … Noah has broken the entire internet!!  There’s no way of contacting home …. Disaster!

The story is exciting and genuinely believable, the interplay & dialogues between the different teenage characters are pure comic genius, and the recurring theme of our reliance on technology is thought-provoking, and will hopefully spark family discussions. 100% HILARIOUS!
Lively illustrations by Steven Lenton add to the charm. Perfect for readers of 8-11 years. Frank Cottrell-Boyce and Steven Lenton will be appearing at the Steyning Festival on Monday 30th May.

Seed by Caryl Lewis.
Macmillan £7.99 paperback
A warm-hearted, joyful story about the power of hope and imagination and believing in the impossible. Marty doesn’t have new white trainers or a games console. He doesn’t have much of his own at all, unlike his mum, who has billions of things: newspapers, holey shoes, rusty lawnmowers, broken picture frames - she keeps EVERYTHING! Marty does his best to look after her and finds solace hanging about with his spritely grandfather, on his allotment. On Marty’s birthday, Grandad, with a glint in his eye, gifts Marty a very special seed. Grandad hasn’t been this excited since he invented the bum scratcher 2000 or thought he’d brewed wonder fuel from rhubarb leaves!

The seed grows bigger and bigger, and launches Grandad, Marty and his best friend Gracie on an impossible, wondrous plan fuelled by love, hopes and dreams… With a touch of ‘Jack and the Beanstalk’ magic, this sweet story will appeal to 8-11 year-old readers who like Jenny Pearson and Lisa Thompson. Fun fact – this is Caryl Lewis’ first English-language book – she is a multi-award-winning Welsh language novelist and scriptwriter who also wrote the brilliant BBC Wales detective series, Hinterland.

Adult Fiction
Dead Rich by G.W Shaw.
Quercus Books £16.99 hardback.
This stylish, suspenseful thriller is a new direction for Steyning Bookshop favourite, William Shaw, writing as ‘G.W Shaw’, and it’s an addictive, roller-coaster ride – I gulped it down in 2 sittings!
Dead Rich offers an intriguing - and topical - glimpse into the rarefied world of Russian oligarchs as we follow once-successful British musician Kai, as he impulsively accepts an offer from his new girlfriend, Zina, to join her family for a Caribbean cruise aboard their yacht. Stepping aboard the huge, gleaming super-yacht, Kai learns that Zina is the daughter of Stepan Pirumov, a Russian oligarch, and realises he has blundered into a gilded cage – armed security guards patrol the ship, there is an onboard panic room, and tensions are high after a recent incident at Stefan’s flat in Paris.

Before long, there is a security breach, and panic descends as it becomes clear a murderous imposter is on board. Which one of the highly-trained, discreet yacht crew is the culprit? Kai is thrown together with first-mate Erin in a desperate battle for survival as they attempt to escape their ruthless captors.

Part locked-room suspense, part adventure story, this is a ripping yarn bathed in Caribbean sunshine! William Shaw will be appearing at our Crime-Writers Panel Evening at the Steyning Festival on Tuesday 31st May.

Failure is an Option by Matt Whyman.
Vertebrate Publishing £12.99 paperback.
Matt Whyman is a Sussex-based writer and artist who has published several novels and some interesting non-fiction titles - a few years ago he came to the bookshop to share his amusing memoir about living with a pet pig! Now, Matt turns his attention to another hobby – running. Failure is an Option is Matt’s warm, witty, and wise account of his personal journey from amateur park-run enthusiast to ultra-marathon man.

As his 50th birthday looms, Matt, resigned to the fact that his park-run PB times have peaked, decides that if he can’t improve his speed, maybe he will focus on distance, instead. By slowing things down to run a very long way, Matt joins the growing ranks of ordinary people attempting the extra-ordinary by running distances of 100k+.

With more enthusiasm than expertise, Matt makes his first steps into this brave and crazy new world; he battles monster hallucinations on endurance races spanning day and night, loses himself on tantalising trails across landscapes far from home, and learns tough lessons about training and nutrition. He eventually sets his sights on the Dragon’s Back Race: a 380km, six-day mountain ultra across Wales, that even hardened veterans consider to be the most formidable on earth. With the support (and misgivings) of his family, and numerous setbacks along the way, Matt journeys far beyond his comfort zone to attempt the impossible.
 
Brimming with humour, humanity and joy, this is a really enjoyable insight into the world of ultra-marathons, which, as a mere 5-mile jogger, I found completely fascinating!
Matt will give a talk about his book at Steyning Athletic Club on Wednesday 18th May at 19:45