by Susan Barnes | 19 May 2023 | Book Reviews
The Man Who Died Twice is the second book in the Thursday Murder Club Mystery series. The story begins with Elizabeth receiving a mysterious letter, which she later shares with the other members of the Murder Club: Joyce, Ibrahim and Ron who are all in their seventies...
by Susan Barnes | 12 May 2023 | Book Reviews
Leila and the Blue Fox begins with Leila, a young teenager, catching a plane by herself to Tromso, Norway. Leila is going to see her mother, Amani, who she hasn’t seen for six years. Amani is unable to meet her at the airport due to her work commitments and sends her...
by Susan Barnes | 28 Apr 2023 | Book Reviews
Tumbleglass is one of many modern books that I have come across in my job as a librarian where it’s difficult to define the target audience. The main character is Rowan who is thirteen years old. Therefore you’d expect the audience to be 11 to 13-year-olds. However,...
by Susan Barnes | 21 Apr 2023 | Book Reviews
Breaking Down the Wall is set in 1989 and is a sequel to The Boy Behind the Wall which was set in 1967. While it’s not necessary to have read the earlier book to follow the plot, the story does tie up some loose ends from the previous book. Breaking Down the Wall is...
by Susan Barnes | 17 Mar 2023 | Book Reviews
Dust Makers is a collection of 13 stories for young adults that focus on the impact we have on our planet. The narratives consider the themes of sustainability, the environment and the legacy we leave for others. About two-thirds of the stories occur in the future and...
by Susan Barnes | 24 Feb 2023 | Book Reviews
Anthony McGowan’s main focus in Dogs of the Deadlands is to tell the story of two dogs, Zoya and her son Misha and their lives, following the Chernobyl disaster. The human involvement around Natasha Taranova is woven in but comprises a relatively small part of...
by Susan Barnes | 17 Feb 2023 | Book Reviews
I enjoyed the storyline of Finding Joy. It started well and had a good foundation, but it became long and drawn out. The story begins on Joy’s last day of high school and continues over the school holidays. On the first page, we discover that Joy is worried about her...
by Susan Barnes | 20 Jan 2023 | Book Reviews
Scarlett Love has a great opening with an interesting premise. The reader quickly discovers that eighteen-year-old Scarlett is wealthy, tech-savvy and on her way to Australia for a one-month stay. Scarlett’s family and friends believe she is going as an exchange...
