New Fiction

Girls They Write Songs About Carlene Bauer

This is a coming of age story centred around two young women, newly graduated, who arrive in 1990s New York looking for adventure and ready to live life to the full. They become very close as they share many of life’s highs and lows. This is a thought provoking book about the choices women make throughout their lives.

The Physician’s Daughter Martha Conway

Vita Tenney’s hope of becoming a country physician is dashed when she is told by her parents that she must instead marry and have children. This was the norm in 1865, at the time of the end of the American civil war. Can Vita battle all odds to get the life she desires?

This is a love story with a difference.

Arsenic and Adobo Mia P. Manansala

In need of a distraction from a nasty break-up, Lila is given the job of making a success out of her aunt’s failing restaurant. However, things take a turn for the worst when her ex is murdered and she becomes a prime suspect. Lila decides to do some super sleuthing herself and, backed by her aunty, dog and a workmate, sets out to find the killer.

Blue Hour Sarah Schmidt

This is a moving and complex novel from an award-winning author. Spanning four decades, the story focuses upon a mother-daughter relationship and the devastating affect that wars can have upon families’ lives. Be prepared for a rewarding, though emotional, roller coaster ride.

The Bookbinder of Jerricho Pip Williams

The year is 1914 and, as Britain’s young men are taken to fight in WWI, the women are left at home to keep the country running. Peggy and her twin sister live on a narrow boat and they both work in the book bindery at Oxford University Press.  

This book is a companion to The Dictionary of Lost Words.