The Good Girls by Claire Eliza Bartlett

The troublemaker. The overachiever. The cheer captain. The dead girl.

Like every high school in America, Jefferson-Lorne High contains all of the above.

After the shocking murder of senior Emma Baines, three of her classmates are at the top of the suspect list: Claude, the notorious partier; Avery, the head cheerleader; and Gwen, the would-be valedictorian.

Everyone has a label, whether they like it or not--and Emma was always known as a good girl. But appearances are never what they seem. And the truth behind what really happened to Emma may just be lying in plain sight. As long-buried secrets come to light, the clock is ticking to find Emma's killer--before another good girl goes down.

The Pants Project by Cat Clarke

Whoever wrote the uniform policy decided (whyyy?) that girls had to wear skirts, while boys were allowed to wear pants.

Sexist. Dumb. Unfair.

“Girls must wear a black, pleated, knee-length skirt.”

I bet I read those words a hundred times during summer vacation. The problem wasn’t the last word in that sentence. Skirt wasn’t really the issue, not for me.
The issue was the first word. Girls.

Here’s the thing:
I may seem like a girl, but on the inside, I’m a boy.

A Curse of Roses by Diana Pinguicha

With just one touch, bread turns into roses. With just one bite, cheese turns into lilies.

There’s a famine plaguing the land, and Princess Yzabel is wasting food simply by trying to eat. Before she can even swallow, her magic—her curse—has turned her meal into a bouquet. She’s on the verge of starving, which only reminds her that the people of Portugal have been enduring the same pain.

If only it were possible to reverse her magic. Then she could turn flowers…into food.

Fatyan, a beautiful Enchanted Moura, is the only one who can help. But she is trapped by magical binds. She can teach Yzabel how to control her curse—if Yzabel sets her free with a kiss.

As the King of Portugal’s betrothed, Yzabel would be committing treason, but what good is a king if his country has starved to death?

With just one kiss, Fatyan is set free. And with just one kiss, Yzabel is yearning for more.

She’d sought out Fatyan to help her save the people. Now, loving her could mean Yzabel’s destruction.

Based on Portuguese legend, this #OwnVoices historical fantasy is an epic tale of mystery, magic, and making the impossible choice between love and duty…

Day One by Kelly Devos

RULE ONE: THOSE WHO PANIC DON’T SURVIVE

IT’S AS TRUE NOW AS IT WAS THE DAY OUR WORLD EXPLODED INTO CHAOS

Jinx

Three months ago, all I wanted was to stay up late playing video games and pretending things were fine. But with my parents’ role in a massive political conspiracy exposed, I ended up on the run, desperate to rescue my little brother, Charles, from the clutches of The Opposition.

I used to hate my father’s obsession with disaster prepping. But as I fight my way across a war-torn country and into a secret military research facility with only my stepsister to count on, I realize that following Dr. Doomsday’s Guide for Ultimate Survival might be our only hope of surviving to see Charles again.

MacKenna

Once, I had it all. The right backstory. The right qualifications. But my life as a student journalist was destroyed forever in the explosions that triggered the country’s meltdown. Now I’m determined to help Jinx get our little brother back. But we also have to find our own reasons to survive. Somehow, I’ve become the first reporter of the new civil war. In a world where your story is your ultimate weapon, I have to become the toughest freedom fighter of all. 

#Bookpost! Week ending 24th November, 2020

Happy Tuesday, guys! This was a relatively quiet week, but we still did pretty well!

The Stairlift Ascends by Helen O'Rahilly

Cocooning with my ninety-year-old Aunt is not the life I’d imagined when I came back to live in Dublin after 30 years of being a high-flying media executive in London.

From the Groucho Club to our North Dublin coastal cocoon, it was back to earth with a bump. Funny and frustrating, living with the Aunt in our Covid bubble has been quite the eye-opener. Bickering, bitching, masking-up for rare outings, The Stairlift Ascends is a Twitter diary of our time trying to live together, of surviving the pandemic ... and each other.

Love, lashings of apple tart, laughter and a longing for trips to Arnotts have seen us through, so far ...

A hugely popular, funny and compassionate view on 2020 from @HelenORahilly 

Dissipatio HG by Guido Morselli

From his solitary buen retiro in the mountains, the last man on earth drives to the capital Chrysopolis to see if anyone else has survived the Vanishing. But there’s no one else, living or dead, in that city of “holy plutocracy,” with its fifty-six banks and as many churches. He’d left the metropolis to escape his fellow humans and their struggles and ambitions, but to find that the entire human race has evaporated in an instant is more than he had bargained for.

Guido Morselli’s arresting postapocalyptic novel, written just before he died by suicide in 1973, depicts a man much like the author himself—lonely, brilliant, difficult—and a world much like our own, mesmerized by money, speed, and machines. He travels around searching for signs of life at the US army base—palm trees, convertibles, and missile bays under the roadway—and scouts the well-appointed kitchens of his alpine valley’s grand hotels for provisions, all the while brooding on the limits of human vision: his own, but also that of humankind. Meanwhile, life itself—the rest of nature—is just beginning to flourish now that human beings are gone.

Dissipatio H.G. is a precocious portrait of our Anthropocene world, and a philosophical last will and testament from a great Italian outsider.

Roundup!

Happy Sunday! Yes, we did miss this post last week. Sorry about that.

Hope Jones Saves the World by Josh Lacey and Beatriz Castro

My name is Hope Jones. I am ten years old. I am going to save the world.

Hope Jones’ New Year’s resolution is to give up plastic, and she’s inspiring others to do the same with her website hopejonessavestheworld.com. When she realises her local supermarket seems to stock more unnecessary plastic than food, she makes it her mission to do something about it. She may be just one ten-year-old with a homemade banner, but with enough determination, maybe Hope Jones really can save the world.

#Bookchat: Heiress Apparently by Diana Ma

 

The first book in an epic and romantic YA series following the fictionalized descendants of the only officially recognized empress regent of China

Gemma Huang is a recent transplant to Los Angeles from Illinois, having abandoned plans for college to pursue a career in acting, much to the dismay of her parents. Now she’s living with three roommates in a two-bedroom hovel, auditioning for bit roles that hardly cover rent. Gemma’s big break comes when she’s asked to play a lead role in an update of M. Butterfly filming for the summer in Beijing. When she arrives, she’s stopped by paparazzi at the airport. She quickly realizes she may as well be the twin of one of the most notorious young socialites in Beijing. Thus kicks off a summer of revelations, in which Gemma uncovers a legacy her parents have spent their lives protecting her from—one her mother would conceal from her daughter at any cost.

Happy #BookBirthday!

Happy Thursday! This is a pretty quiet month; just three books from our lists this week, and currently nothing next week! But plenty the week after, so that will make up a bit.

A to Z of an Irish Christmas by Sarah Cassidy & Kunak McGann

Everything you don't want foreigners to know about how we celebrate Christmas in Ireland. We can't be doing with Calling Birds, French Hens or Partridges in Pear Trees: but if it's Annuals, The Dinner, The Big Shop or The Wexford Carol you're looking for, you've come to the right book!

Christmas Party, The
/kris-muss par-tee, thuh/
proper noun. annual knees-up
The one night of the year when employees get to tell their boss exactly how they feel as they strut their stuff on the dancefloor. There's nothing quite like scrolling through jobs.ie while nursing the hangover from hell.

#Bookspost! week ending 17th November, 2020

Happy Tuesday, everyone! We have had a fabulous week, with loads of lovely books coming in. Enjoy!

Soulswift by Megan Bannen

Gelya is a Vessel, a girl who channels the word of the One True God through song. Cloistered with the other Vessels of her faith, she believes—as all Ovinists do—that a saint imprisoned Elath the Great Demon centuries ago, saving humanity from earthly temptation.

When Gelya stumbles into a deadly cover-up by the Ovinists’ military, she reluctantly teams up with Tavik, an enemy soldier, to survive. Tavik believes that Elath is actually a mother goddess who must be set free, but while he succeeds in opening Her prison, he inadvertently turns Gelya into Elath’s unwilling human vessel.

Now the church that raised Gelya considers her a threat. In a race against the clock, she and Tavik must find a way to exorcise Elath’s presence from her body. But will this release stop the countdown to the end of the world, or will it be the cause of the earth’s destruction? And as Tavik and Gelya grow closer, another question lingers between them: What will become of Gelya? 

How Love Actually Ruined Christmas by Gary Raymond

RARELY HAS THE POWER OF CINEMA BEEN FELT BY SO MANY, IN SUCH OPPOSING WAYS…

“Love Actually dulls the critical senses, making those susceptible to its hallucinogenic powers think they’ve seen a funny, warm-hearted, romantic film about the many complex manifestations of love. Colourful Narcotics. A perfect description of a bafflingly popular film.”

By any reasonable measurement, Love Actually is a bad movie. There are plenty of bad movies out there, but what gets under Gary Raymond’s skin here is that it seems to have tricked so many people into thinking it’s a good movie.

In this hilarious, scene-by-scene analysis of the Christmas monolith that is Love Actually, Gary Raymond takes us through a suffocating quagmire of badly drawn characters, nonsensical plotlines, and open bigotry, to a climax of ill-conceived schmaltz. How Love Actually Ruined Christmas (or Colourful Narcotics) is the definitive case against a terrible movie. 

The Flip Side by James Bailey

Paperback Cover                                    Ebook Cover

To coin a phrase, Josh is suffering a quarter-life crisis. He just broke up with his long-term girlfriend, lost his job, and moved back home with his parents (shudder). Welcome to rock bottom in Bristol. As Josh starts questioning all his life choices, he has a mad thought: Maybe he would just be better flipping a coin. After all, careful planning has landed him homeless, jobless, and single.

What starts as a joke soon becomes serious and Josh decides to start putting his faith in the capriciousness of currency. He doesn’t have anything to lose.

But when the chance of a lifetime and the girl of his dreams are on the line, will the coin guide him to a rich love life or leave him flat broke?

Happy #Bookbirthday!

Sorry guys! The one of us who usually does this post can't this week, so I have thrown together something much uglier than her usual efforts. Sincere apologies to everyone who published this week, we love you!

Love & Olives by Jenna Evans Welch

 

Liv Varanakis doesn’t have a lot of fond memories of her father, which makes sense—he fled to Greece when she was only eight. What Liv does remember, though, is their shared love for Greek myths and the lost city of Atlantis. So when Liv suddenly receives a postcard from her father explaining that National Geographic is funding a documentary about his theories on Atlantis—and will she fly out to Greece and help?—Liv jumps at the opportunity.

But when she arrives to gorgeous Santorini, things are a little…awkward. There are so many questions, so many emotions that flood to the surface after seeing her father for the first time in years. And yet Liv doesn’t want their past to get in the way of a possible reconciliation. She also definitely doesn’t want Theo—her father’s charismatic so-called “protégé”—to witness her struggle.

And that means diving into all that Santorini has to offer—the beautiful sunsets, the turquoise water, the hidden caves, and the delicious cuisine. But not everything on the Greek island is as perfect as it seems. Because as Liv slowly begins to discover, her father may not have invited her to Greece for Atlantis, but for something much more important.

#Bookpost! week ending 10th November, 2020

Happy Tuesday! A pretty good week this week, with several new books from several new sources!

Rebel Rose by Emma Theriault

Happily ever after is only the beginning as Belle takes on the responsibility of becoming queen and learns to balance duty, love, and sacrifice, all while navigating dark political intrigue—and a touch of magic.

It’s 1789 and France is on the brink of revolution. Belle has finally broken the Enchantress’s curse, restoring the Beast to his human form and bringing life back to their castle in the province of Aveyon. But in Paris, the fires of change are burning, and it’s only a matter of time before the rebellion arrives on their doorstep.

Not so very long ago, Belle dreamed of leaving her provincial home for a life of adventure. But now she finds herself living in a palace, torn between her past as a commoner, and her future as royalty. While Belle grapples with her newfound position, there are those who would do anything to keep her from power.

When she stumbles across a magic mirror that holds a dire warning, Belle wants nothing more than to ignore the mysterious voice calling her to accept a crown she never desired. But violent factions of the revolution may already be lurking within her own castle, and doing nothing would endanger everything she holds dear. With the fate of her country, her love, and her life at stake, Belle must decide if she is ready to embrace her own strength--and the magic that ties her to so many female rulers before her--to become the queen she is meant to be.

Rebel Rose is the first in the Queen's Council series, an empowering fairy tale reimagining of the Disney Princesses-and the real history behind their stories-like you've never seen before. 

Friend Me by Sheila M Averbuch

 

What happens when an online friend becomes a real-life nightmare?

Roisin hasn't made a single friend since moving from Ireland to Massachusetts. In fact, she is falling apart under constant abuse from a school bully, Zara. Zara torments Roisin in person and on social media. She makes Roisin the laughingstock of the whole school.
Roisin feels utterly alone... until she bonds with Haley online. Finally there's someone who gets her. Haley is smart, strong, and shares anti-mean-girl memes that make Roisin laugh. Together, they are able to imagine what life could look like without Zara. Haley quickly becomes Roisin's lifeline.
Then Zara has a painful accident, police investigate, and Roisin panics. Could her chats with Haley look incriminating?
Roisin wants Haley to delete her copies of their messages, but when she tries to meet Haley in person, she can't find her anywhere. What's going on? Her best friend would never have lied to her, right? Or is Haley not who she says she is...
With twists, turns, and lightning-fast pacing, this is a middle-grade thriller about bullying, revenge, and tech that young readers won't be able to put down.

Roundup!

Happy Sunday! This was a slightly busier week, thanks to some wonderful books from O'Brien Press.

How to Pack for the End of the World by Michelle Falkoff

If you knew the world was going to end tomorrow, what would you do?

This is the question that haunts Amina as she watches new and horrible stories of discord and crisis flash across the news every day.

But when she starts at prestigious Gardner Academy, Amina finds a group of like-minded peers to join forces with—fast friends who dedicate their year to learning survival skills from each other, before it’s too late.

Still, as their prepper knowledge multiplies, so do their regular high school problems, from relationship drama to family issues to friend blow-ups. Juggling the two parts of their lives forces Amina to ask another vital question: Is it worth living in the hypothetical future if it’s at the expense of your actual present? 

Guest Review: The Windsor Knot by S J Bennett

The first book in a highly original and delightfully clever crime series in which Queen Elizabeth II secretly solves crimes while carrying out her royal duties.

On a perfect Spring morning at Windsor Castle, Queen Elizabeth II will enjoy a cup of tea, carry out all her royal duties . . . and solve a murder.

The morning after a dinner party at Windsor Castle, eighty-nine-year-old Queen Elizabeth is shocked to discover that one of her guests has been found murdered in his room, with a rope around his neck. When the police begin to suspect her loyal servants, Her Majesty knows they are looking in the wrong place. For the Queen has been living an extraordinary double life ever since her coronation. Away from the public eye, she has a brilliant knack for solving crimes.

With her household's happiness on the line, her secret must not get out. Can the Queen and her trusted secretary Rozie catch the killer, without getting caught themselves?

Miss Marple meets The Crown in The Windsor Knot, the first book in the 'Her Majesty The Queen Investigates' mystery series by SJ Bennett.

Ulster Fairytales & Legends by Nicola & Peter Heaney and Conor Busuttil

Where did the Red Hand, the famous symbol of Ulster, originate? It's the hand of Heremon, a chief so keen to be first to lay claim to the land that he cut his own hand off the threw it from a ship!

Not all legends from Ulster are so gory, of course, and in this collection we meet The Great Brown Bull, The Horsemen of Aileach, Paiste, The Great Black Pig, Maeve MacQuillan, Fintan, Febor and Fia and, of course, Colmcille and the Book of Movilla.

Evocatively illustrated by Conor Busuttil, this collection of myths from Ireland's northern province will enthrall readers young and old.

Pretending by Holly Bourne

He said he was looking for a 'partner in crime' which everyone knows is shorthand for 'a woman who isn't real'.

April is kind, pretty, and relatively normal - yet she can't seem to get past date five. Every time she thinks she's found someone to trust, they reveal themselves to be awful, leaving her heartbroken. And angry.

If only April could be more like Gretel.

Gretel is exactly what men want - she's a Regular Everyday Manic Pixie Dream Girl Next Door With No Problems.

The problem is, Gretel isn't real. And April is now claiming to be her.

As soon as April starts 'being' Gretel, dating becomes much more fun - especially once she reels in the unsuspecting Joshua.

Finally, April is the one in control, but can she control her own feelings? And as she and Joshua grow closer, how long will she be able to keep pretending? 

Aim High by Donny Mahoney and Eoin Coveney

Meet the Irish men and women who aimed high in the sport they love. From Dan Donnelly, our first heavyweight boxing champion, to our greatest runner, Sonia O'Sullivan. From Brian O'Driscoll's amazing rugby performances to Rosemary Smyth's rally driving brilliance. From the heroic rowing of the O'Donoval brothers to the our women's hockey team: the first ever Irish team to reach a world final. Featuring many people whose achievements have fallen from view, such as Anne O'Brien (the first Irish female professional football player) and Francie Barrett, the first traveler to represent Ireland at the Olympic Games.

The remarkable stories of these trailblazers from throughout Ireland will inspire and excite children of all ages.

Donny Mahoney and illustrator Eoin Coveney will draw you into the amazing world of these athletes, and introduce the next generation of role models. 

Happy #Bookbirthday!

Happy Thursday, everyone! This week five titles from our lists have published.

Eggcorns by Chris Judge

Have you ever seen a Bumbum bee, or an Elelamp? Does your pet wear Doggles? These are all Eggcorns, where a child's mispronunciation can add a whole other level of meaning! What would a bumbum bee (bumblebee) or Elelamp (elephant) look like? Or Doggles (goggles) or a Carcodile (crocodile)?

Illustrator Chris Judge (The Lonely Beast, Danger is Everywhere) has brought his bizarre sense of humor to imagine them for us all.

Lame of Thrones by the Harvard Lampoon

An affectionate but take-no-prisoners send-up of the massive literary and television franchise, Lame of Thrones offers fans a way of reentering the fictional world they have come to love and merrily explodes all of its conventions-as well as their expectations of the characters-to hilarious ends. It may even leave you more satisfied than the actual TV ending of Game of Thrones. In fact, if it doesn't the Lampoon has really dropped the ball.

Lame of Thrones will take you to Westopolis, where several extremely attractive egomaniacs are vying to be ruler of the realm and sit on the Pointy Chair. Our hero Jon Dough was a likely bet, but his untimely murder at the hands of his own men of the Night's Crotch has made that seem less likely. Will Dragon Queen Dennys Grandslam escape from her Clothkhaki captors and return to conquer the world? Or will she just get left in the desert counting grains of sand for the rest of the book? And what about Jon Dough's siblings? Will they be mentioned? Probably? Almost definitely, yes? It would be weird if they weren't prominent characters in the book, you say?

To find out, read the book you wish George R.R. Martin would write but never will. The Lampoon-the place where such comedy writers and performers as Conan O'Brien, Colin Jost, B.J. Novak, Patricia Marx, Alan Yang, Andy Borowitz and many more all got their start-is ready to serve parody notice to the most entertaining, infuriating, and inescapable cultural phenomenon of the past decade.

The One with the Waggly Tail by Sarah Webb and Steve McCarthy

A new, beautifully illustrated collection of favourite nursery rhymes from the team that brought you Sally Go Round the Stars (short-listed, Irish Book Awards) and A Sailor Went to Sea, Sea, Sea (winner, Irish Book Awards). It includes favorite international, British and Irish rhymes, as well as special Irish favorites. Includes:

- It's a Long Way to Tipperary

- 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 Once I Caught a Fish Alive

- Here We Go Round the Mulberry Bush

- The Wild Swans at Coole

- Lámh, Lámh Eile

- Polly Put the Kettle on

- Hot Cross Buns!

and many, many more!

#Bookpost! week ending the 3rd November, 2020

Happy Tuesday, all! Right up until yesterday, I was planning to tell you that this was a very quiet week; then a parcel arrived, and another parcel, and a book, so...

Go to Sleep, Hoglet! by Bex Sheridan

One misty morning, in their cozy little nests, down by the banks of the river Boyne, all the hedgehogs were snuggling up for the Big Winter Sleep.

But one little hedgehog just couldn't go to sleep. Every time Hoglet closed his eyes, he kept thinking about Rabbit's Super Special Secret ...

A baby hedgehog decides that he doesn't want to hibernate, and goes searching for Christmas magic in the world of humans. A perfect bedtime story for animal lovers. 

The Silent Stars Go By by Sally Nicholls

Seventeen-year-old Margot Allan was a respectable vicar's daughter and madly in love with her fiance Harry. But when Harry was reported Missing in Action from the Western Front, and Margot realised she was expecting his child, there was only one solution she and her family could think of in order to keep that respectability. She gave up James, her baby son, to be adopted by her parents and brought up as her younger brother.
Now two years later the whole family is gathering at the Vicarage for Christmas. It's heartbreaking for Margot being so close to James but unable to tell him who he really is. But on top of that, Harry is also back in the village. Released from captivity in Germany and recuperated from illness, he's come home and wants answers. Why has Margot seemingly broken off their engagement and not replied to his letters? Margot knows she owes him an explanation. But can she really tell him the truth about James?

Roundup!

Happy Sunday, everyone!