Reading Groups in Libraries
Reading groups are fun and rewarding and they change the private and personal experience of reading into a shared one.
This event runs every month
September New Stock
See what’s new on our shelves this September!
Plot Twist | Harlan Coben
Part deeply personal memoir, part masterclass in storytelling, ‘Plot Twist’ is a refreshingly honest look at the life of a writer whose stories have thrilled us for decades.
With 100 million books in print worldwide and over twenty blockbuster television and film adaptations of his work, Harlan Coben has much to teach us about the creative process. Plumbing memories from his suburban childhood and his early years trying to break into publishing, Coben tells his own story for the first time. Filled with useful tips and techniques on the creative process, he does away with the traditional categories of writing – characters, plot, setting – and looks at the process holistically.
‘Plot Twist’ is a masterclass on the act of being a writer, and everything that comes with it: the self-doubt, the hubris, the contradictions, the passion and dedication.
Make Me Well | Xand van Tulleken
There has never been a more confusing time to try to be healthy.
In the past decade, the healthcare sector has witnessed a remarkable surge in innovation: drug design, genomics and diagnostic technology have all changed almost beyond recognition. Simultaneously, there has been a significant expansion in consumer health services, including the supplement industry, blood testing, consumer genomics and wearable technology, which claim to improve ‘wellness’ rather than curing or preventing specific disease states. For a typical consumer this is both confusing, as the health and wellness industries are almost indistinguishable, and expensive, as consumer health emphasises personalised products, often sold on a subscription basis.
Xand van Tulleken investigates the new Wild West of the wellness industry, demystifying a landscape dominated by three products – supplements, blood testing, and wearable technology.
Our Noble Selves | Kate Atkinson
It’s the summer of 1951 and everyone is looking to put the dark days of the war behind them. The government’s solution: The Festival of Britain, a celebration of the country’s creativity, grit and ingenuity.
For foreign correspondent turned war reporter Harry Flynn, it might offer the chance of redemption after a bad war in the Far East and a peace that is proving no easier to negotiate. Having failed to resume his journalistic career, he reluctantly joins an oddball team of misfits, ne’er-do-wells and downright chancers helping to ready the Festival of Britain for launch.
Flynn’s attempts to resume some semblance of a romantic life also founder when one of his dates goes missing and he is deemed to be the last person to have seen her alive. Could he have been in some way responsible for her disappearance?
The Killing Time | Elly Griffiths
Ali Dawson is a police detective who investigates cases so cold her team must travel to the distant past to solve them. But Ali and the team haven’t been allowed to time-travel ever since their technical expert, Jones, got stuck in Victorian London.
To distract herself from meaningless tasks, Ali looks into a present-day case – an apparent suicide of a young man who fell to his death. She believes the death is linked to a psychic medium called Barry Power, who convinced the boy he could fly. Ali goes to one of Power’s shows where he claims to be in contact with Jones.
When Ali notices that evening that her cat, Terry, has gone missing, she decides to go back in time just long enough to prevent Terry from escaping through his open cat flap. A dangerous plan which backfires, and she finds herself once more in Victorian London, where she meets Jones, as well as Power, and the darkly mysterious Cain Templeton with whom Ali has unfinished business.
Autumn | Kate Mosse
Kate Mosse celebrates the season of shifting light and crisp mornings. This magical journey through the turning year captures the ever-changing colours of the autumn landscape, the white chalk Downs, the crunch of leaves underfoot, the drift of migrating birds and the last warmth of the sun.
Starting in her own garden, Kate leads us out to the misty Fishbourne marshes of her childhood, with their vast skies and wading birds, and into ancient yew forests/ steeped in myth and mystery.
We travel across the harvest fields, follow the river bends of the Ouse and the Lavant, and join the crowds at Lewes on Bonfire Night, where the air crackles with flame and torchlight.
Journey Across Japan | Chris Broad
Japan is one of the most popular tourist destinations in the world, with millions flocking there every month to follow the same cookie-cutter itinerary. But beyond the well-trodden tourist trail lies a country made up of forty-seven unique prefectures. Each one has its own story to tell, shaped by centuries of squabbling lords, impenetrable topography and a fierce local pride.
On his quest to show the world that there’s so much more to Japan than Tokyo and Kyoto, Chris Broad has visited all of forty-seven prefectures himself. Now, in this work, he takes us with him on an epic adventure that spans every corner of the country.
We Chase Shadows | Richard Osman
At sunrise, high in the Italian hills, a body is found on the steps of a beautiful private villa. On the body is a threatening note, signed by a mystery man.
Back at We Solve Murders HQ, Amy, Rosie and Steve leap at the chance to take on their first proper case. So what if their new client seems to have his own reasons for avoiding the police? All they need to do is uncover who left the note, and then find them. Simple.
But once they start digging, the suspects keep piling up: there’s Sweden’s most-wanted criminal, a canny ex-wife and a fierce business rival – yet the murderer keeps evading them. And as the trio chase a villain through the shadows, danger travels closer to home. Between Italy and Palm Springs, via Barcelona and Steve’s village pub, can the team catch an elusive killer who knows EXACTLY where to hide?
The Disappearers | Marlon James
Kingston, Jamaica, 1988: When eight gay men meet for the first time, answering the casting call for an openly queer play, they are already taking a big risk. But that is nothing compared to what rains down on them when a mob descends on one of their rehearsals. By the end of this night, one man is dead, all are injured, and two subsequently disappear.
As the survivors heal, each man finds he must confront the bigotry and homophobia that the attack laid bare. Some try to forget; some embrace their rage; and some simply vanish – but all are forever scarred.
Epic and intimate, violent and forgiving, ‘The Disappearers’ is an unflinching portrait of the hatred and shame faced by gay men in a society which refuses to accept them, and a deeply human story of acceptance and insight.
20 Minute Meals | Jamie Oliver
This title solves everyone’s dinner dilemmas, giving us quick, tasty meals every night of the week, no matter how busy you are.
These 120 incredible recipes are designed to be on the table in just 20 minutes or less – if it couldn’t be made in 20 minutes, it didn’t make the book.
With a maximum of ten ingredients in each recipe and 70% hitting daily nutritional targets, as well as easy meat-reduced and meat-free options, this title will be every busy person’s go-to cookbook. And don’t forget, every recipe is packed with flavour – as you’d expect from Jamie.
Not a Word | Linwood Barclay
Every family has secrets, but when Reece visits his parents’ house, he’s shocked to find them in bed, dead. At first glance it looks like a murder-suicide perpetrated by his father, but on closer inspection there’s clearly more to the story. For starters, inconsistencies in the crime scene suggest his dad may not have shot himself.
As Reece, shaken by his horrifying discovery, awaits questioning from the police, his phone lights up with a call. It’s the last person he ever would have expected to hear from. Reeling from the day’s events, Reece finds himself questioning everything he thought he knew about his parents – and whether he and his own family are in danger now.
While the authorities work to untangle the baffling crime scene, Reece is pulled into a web of secrets linked to the unscrupulous pharma company his father worked for years ago.
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Weekly
Conversation Groups
Do you speak English as a second language? Want to practise and learn more English in a supportive group? Then our conversation groups could be for you.
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Weekly sessions
