Banjara is a powerful and beautifully written book. Sandra Chandra transports you to the sights and smells of India and Fiji through her immersive writing. I must admit I didnโt know much about the history and relationship between India and Fiji, and this book offers a clear, moving insight into how that shared history has shaped generations. Itโs a deeply affecting read that lingers long after the final page, inviting reflection on identity, belonging, and the stories we carry with us.
A fine portrait of a life spent defending democracy. Well worth reading by anyone worried about it today.
It even-handedly displays a very human being, covers the events and circumstances which formed and drove him, and closely analyses the background to and reasoning behind his major decisions.
Those who already know what a monster Churchill was won't read this biography anyway, but I was astonished at the scale and persistence of the disinformation that hangs round him. For example, he's still reviled for using armed force against the rioting miners at Tonypandy. The Guardian praised him for "having saved many lives" by holding the troops back; The Times criticised him for showing weakness.
And Gallipoli was "a mistake made TOWARDS the enemy". It seared his soul, and ensured the success of the D-Day landings.
This isn't a light read - it swarms with now-obscure characters and events that would have been common knowledge at the time - but it's nevertheless very readable - if only for the abundant, outrageous examples of his glorious prose.
An inspiring book about a great man.
Charlotte Grimshawโs The Black Monk feels closely connected to her memoir The Mirror Book. The novelโs main character, Alice, seems deeply tied to Grimshaw herself, reflecting the complexities of family relationships and the personal struggles explored in her earlier writing. Grimshaw has described The Black Monk as a โfictional confession,โ and you can sense this throughout the book.
Grimshawโs writing is beautifully descriptive. Scenes like Alice flying into a windy Wellington are vivid and atmospheric. The story moves between reflections on the past and moments in the present. As a reader, you become immersed in her emotional journey, often unsure of what is memory, what is truth, and what might be something in between.
Reading The Mirror Book alongside this novel adds an extra layer of insight into the themes Grimshaw explores, but The Black Monk also stands strongly on its own.
Thoughtful, intimate, and quietly powerful, The Black Monk will appeal to readers who enjoy literary fiction that explores memory, identity, and the complexities of family.
I didn't put this book down once starting - Thomas Coyle has a huge amount of experience in the field and the way it was structured into short episodes of his life and investigations were so engaging even whilst at times confronting and horrifying. My favourite parts were where he recounts being involved in large scale disaster and victim ID - he treads a fine line well between portraying the gross realities and still paying respect to the victims and their whฤnau. All in all this was a unique read for me and I learnt a lot from the close insights revealed through his lifetime of work (the realities of how they get fingerprints from bodies past their prime will most likely never leave my brain).
I am unsure what genre you would call this and others of its ilk. They are Japanese, include the afterlife and communication with the afterlife, are often set in a cafe (or other meeting places like bookshops and libraries), are quaint and charming and sometimes feature cats. One I recently read which has been popular is Before the coffee gets cold by Toshikazu Kawaguchi and I was struck by similarities with Shimenoโs work. They might be called magic realism or, more generally, cosy fiction.
Messenger Cat Cafe is a short read, told from a catโs perspective and divided into five episodes. Fuuta, a much loved deceased cat, wants to come back for one last meeting with his owner. He applies for a job as a messenger cat and is given five tasks to complete, enabling people to reconnect across the life-death divide. There is much humour and goodwill shining through the episodes, though not all end โhappily ever afterโ for everyone. Fuutaโs own character develops as he encounters a range of people and learns more about love, loss and human experiences.
A heart warming read, Messenger Cat Cafe could appeal to those who like a bit of whimsy, cats (especially tabbys) and comforting reads with emotional resonance. I enjoyed reading out of my usual genres, the length was a relief after some of the recent award winning โwedgesโ about, and the Japanese setting added to the charming aura. I am going to explore more. They just might be perfect winter night reads.
Absolutely love the book, now matches my collection can't wait to get into it
Absolutely love the books, only issue I found was the cover wasn't the same as the set, glossy not matte with abit of gloss
As always you can rely on Karin Slaughter to keep you entertained
โThey are heirs to two countries a hairline fracture away from war. She is the woman who threatens to bring his kingdom to ruin if she wins this duel.โ
โจ Enemies to lovers
โจ Forbidden love
โจ Slow burn
โจ Dragons
โจ Witches and potions
โจ Animal companions
Astrid, the last Nachstern witch and heir to Arturea, has lived her whole life under the shadow of a curse she canโt outrun. She arrives in Vatra knowing sheโs walking straight into a place where every eye is watching her, waiting for her to fail. The tension is instant and honestly addictive.
โSheโs about to enter a city where everyone wants her dead, where she is fair game until she is blood bound to the prince.โ
Skylar brings a sharp, fiery energy that adds so much tension and momentum to the story. Her path crashes into Astridโs in a way that changes everything, deepening the stakes and the emotional threads woven through the larger conflict.
โThe rider terrifies her nearly as much as the dragon does.โ
And then thereโs Prince Zryan. Disciplined, dangerous and carrying more duty than anyone should, his interactions with Astrid are an absolute highlight. Their dynamic is charged, tense and every scene between them feels like something could ignite at any second. The slow burn is unreal.
โThe man wasnโt born, he was forged. He canโt be mistaken for anything other than what he is: a weapon.โ
Bastet and Kaida are the real MVPs and I will not be taking questions. Their bond with their humans is everything, and they add so much heart to the story.
The magic feels fresh, the plot twists genuinely shocked me, and the banter? Absolutely top tier. The ending had me staring at the page likeโฆ what do you MEAN???
โShe just canโt work him out, and she definitely doesnโt trust him, but thereโs something soโฆ honorable and honest about him. Even when heโs being an arrogant asshole.โ
This book had everything I wanted: tension, heart, chaos, characters I got attached to way too quickly, and moments that genuinely made me gasp, laugh, and hold my breath all at once.
โBut when you smile like that, you could bring me and my entire kingdom to its knees.โ
Chaos, vibes, and opinions are all my own โจ please give credit if you share. โจ
We bought the 6 book set for our school library. There has been a resurgence in reading these books and this set was received with great enthusiasm by our students. There are no copies available, they are all out!
Thank you for the opportunity to get this set. :)
I had read reviews of Theo of Golden a few weeks before I received my book from Book Hero and I couldnโt wait to read it. I didnโt realise how much I needed a book to calm the thoughts I had about whatโs going on in the world and in my personal life. Every page felt like a gift. Thank you to Allen Levi for writing this and for Book Hero for carrying it.
This book is very easy to understand and offers a visual aid for many different hands. It has been an absolute must for learning whilst playing!
I got in touch with the Book Hero team to be able to get a copy of this guide - while I could've picked elsewhere to get it, I really wanted to support a local business. Best decision ever! The team got this listed and I got my guide really quickly which has been helpful in my quest to complete the game as close to 100% as possible. There's a map that isn't attached for ease of use, there's an index to show how information is separated out. Everything in here is incredibly useful for the base game and the two DLC's. Love this guide, and love Book Hero!
who would have thought weightloss meals would taste so good, and be so filling. The meals are tasty, filling and ingredients are easily sourced in nz.
would recommend to anyone wanting to loose weight or even as meals for everyday.
An intensely difficult, but important and relevant, read about the struggles of an indigenous people against settler colonialism. There is a lot of information presented, but it is easy to digest and Khalidi presents it in a way that is as unbiased as possible considering his deep attachment to the topic. Absolutely vital for anyone seeking an entry into learning about the war on Palestine and the genocide being committed by Israel.
This book was bizarrely emotional, challenging, and fascinating. McCarthy's way of writing evoked feelings in me I don't think I've ever had from a book before! The relationship depicted between father and son, and the struggle to survive (and the question of why) showed me exactly why this book has been so highly praised.
Absolutely brilliant book, Buehlman's character writing really shines here. It's fast paced, fun, hilarious, and you get quickly attached to the main characters. I devoured this book and was so sad that it was over!
Truly an amazing opening to a trilogy. The setting and the magic system is incredible, and the way its written really draws you fully in. The characters are diverse, interesting, frustrating - really just a great and engaging fantasy book.
