59 Minutes by Holly Seddon

✦ BLURB ✦

If you knew you had fifty-nine minutes until everything and everyone you love would be lost forever, what would you do with that time?

It's an ordinary evening. People are coming home from work, cooking dinner for their children, cuddling on sofas with their lovers. And then the message arrives, shattering everyone's worlds:

Missiles are set to destroy England in fifty-nine minutes. Everyone should seek immediate shelter.

59 minutes follows the journey of three women trying to make it home to and protect their families. The journeys should be simple, but with a lost schoolchild seeking help, a teenage daughter suddenly going missing, and dangerous criminals on the prowl, there is peril at every corner.

17 Martin Street by Marilyn Taylor, Alan Nolan and Jason Browne

✦ BLURB ✦

Graphic novel adaptation of the classic wartime novel

When Hetty Golden’s family move to Martin Street near Portobello bridge in Dublin, they’re not sure of their welcome. And next door, Ben Byrne’s family are not sure about their new Jewish neighbours: it’s the Emergency and they are suspicious of strangers.

To repay a debt, Ben agrees to do odd jobs for the Goldens, keeping it a secret from his family. But there’s a bigger secret: Renata, a refugee from Nazi Germany, is on the run in the city, and Hetty is determined to rescue her.

Can Hetty and Ben overcome their differences and save Renata, or are they just meddling in things they know too little about?

It Should Have Been You by Andrea Mara

✦ BLURB ✦

Look what you started.
You press send. Your message is full of secrets about your neighbours. It’s meant for your sister, but it doesn’t reach her – it goes to the entire local community WhatsApp group instead.

Now everyone knows what you did.
As rumour spreads like wildfire through the picture-perfect neighbourhood, you convince yourself that people will move on, that this will quickly be forgotten. But then you receive the first death threat.

And someone wants you dead.
The next day, a woman has been murdered. And what’s even more chilling is that she had the same address as you – 26 Oakpark – but in a different part of town. Did the killer get the wrong house? It won’t be long before you find out…

Overgrowth by Mira Grant

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✦ BLURB ✦

This is just a story. It can't hurt you anymore.

Since she was three years old, Anastasia Miller has been telling anyone who would listen that she's an alien disguised as a human being, and that the armada that left her on Earth is coming for her. Since she was three years old, no one has been willing to listen.

Now, with an alien signal from the stars being broadcast around the world, humanity is finally starting to realize that it's already been warned, and it may be too late. The invasion is coming, Stasia's biological family is on the way to bring her home, and very few family reunions are willing to cross the gulf of space for just one misplaced child.

What happens when you know what’s coming, and just refuse to listen?

Happy #BookBirthday! 24th April 2025

Happy Thursday! This week there are TWO books on our lists publishing!

His Face is the Sun by Michelle Jabés Corpora

✦ BLURB ✦

Desire, War, Magic, Monsters...a forgotten oracle will unite them against an ancient enemy. But who will be on the throne when the red dust of Khetara settles?

The Kingdom of Khetara is gift of the River Iteru, the jewel of the desert. Yet a crisis looms on the horizon. The crowns of the north and south were joined through war a generation before, but Khetara remains a land divided. The pharaoh is wasting away from a mysterious illness--and forces in the south and within his own family are plotting against him. As rebellion grows and secrets flourish, an even more deadly threat emerges. An ancient evil awakes among the rolling dunes of the Red Land that threatens to destroy everything in its path.

Four strangers—a princess, a young priestess, a rebel, and a tomb robber—are ripped from their lives and thrown into the conflict. Amid murder and betrayal, magic and monsters, gods and visions, love and war, these four unlikely heroes find themselves connected by a forgotten oracle that whispers insistently across the land. Only together can they save the kingdom from destruction, but when the bloodshed is done, who of Khetara's children will sit on the throne?

The Magickal Summer of Evie Edelman by Harriett de Mesquita (spoilers in review)

✦ BLURB ✦

People at Synagogue say she is weird. A psychiatrist says she has Asperger’s. But Evie knows she is a witch.

Leeds, England 1982. After the sudden death of her eccentric aunt Mim, Evie Edelman is left with a sizeable fortune, a yellow Alpine Sunbeam and a chihuahua named Peggy. Seizing her chance at independence, she escapes the claustrophobia of her parents’ house and the disapproval of her tight-knit Jewish community and moves to the country to practice her true calling: witchcraft.

But trouble follows Evie in the form of her first-love Alex, and property developer Malcolm who just might be Satan himself. As Evie finds herself increasingly torn between magick and reality, and the past and present, rumours begin flying about what exactly a single young woman is doing in a remote village on her own. Soon, Evie starts to wonder whether she is always destined to be misunderstood – and if she will ever figure out who she truly is.

What Comes After by Katie Bayerl

✦ BLURB ✦

No one could be more disappointed about Mari’s sudden death than Mari, herself. And if she ever thought about the afterlife, she certainly didn’t think it would be a suburban enclave called Paradise Gate or that the biggest problem to plague her in life would follow her into the great beyond: her recently deceased mother, Faye. But that is exactly who greets her when Mari opens her eyes in the In Between—where the newly dead with no religious affiliation come to work out the unfinished business of their lives so they can ascend to whatever’s next.

Mari realizes quickly Faye is her unfinished business and in order to ascend and join her loving grandparents, she’ll have to make peace with and forgive her dysfunctional mother for being no mother at all But there’s too much to forgive: never holding down a steady job, never having a stable home, Mari having to constantly change schools and in the end, Faye choosing her criminal boyfriend over Mari.

It's a lot to sort through, but Mari tries to keep her eye on the ball—attending classes at the Center like Youga and sending grief scarves sailing in Expressive Arts to move her vibe tracker from an angry unsettled red to an ascend-worthy green—all the while trying to remember how she died and deal with Faye, who, of course, is in danger of being kicked out of Paradise Gate altogether. But then Mari discovers in addition to mother drama, there’s even friend drama and boy drama to be found in the afterlife and none are good for her vibes. Even worse is the suspicion that Paradise Gate isn’t at all what it purports to be...and revolution may be afoot.

Murder Land by Carlyn Greenwald

✦ BLURB ✦

Seventeen-year-old Billie feels like she is on top of the world. She gets to spend the summer with her best friend, sparks are flying with her crush, and she has received a promotion to ride operator for one of the most buzzworthy new attractions in the theme park she works at. But the first night on the new job takes a dark turn when her creepy coworker mysteriously dies…on her ride, when she isn’t authorized to be running it.

At first, it seems like he died by heart attack, but by the time she returns to the body with help, it looks like a broken neck. Had she just imagined him sitting upright a few minutes ago? It’s as if someone is trying to pin his death on her, and she has one night to figure out who is really responsible before she is blamed.

Billie recruits the help of her friends to sneak around the park after-hours and search for the truth. But as the night stretches on and more people wind up dead, Billie realizes she may not make it out of Murder Land alive. And her friends may know more than they’re letting on.

Happy #BookBirthday! 17 Apr 25

Happy Thursday! This week there is ONE book on our lists publishing!

Perfect by Cecelia Ahearn

✦ BLURB ✦

“I’m Flawed. But I’m a survivor. And I’m not about to give up.”

Celestine North lives in a society that demands perfection. After she was branded Flawed, her life has fractured completely.

Since Judge Crevan declared Celestine the number-one threat to the public, she has been on the run with the complicated Carrick, the only person she can trust.

But Celestine has a secret—one that could bring the entire Flawed system crumbling to the ground. Now she must make a choice: save only herself, or risk her life to save all the Flawed…

Flawed by Cecelia Ahearn

“I cannot fathom how I can be here. I can’t be Flawed. I am perfect.”

In Celestine North’s world, perfection is paramount and mistakes are punished. So Celestine lives a perfect life, as a model daughter, student and girlfriend.

But then Celestine breaks a rule and faces life-changing repercussions. She could be imprisoned. Branded. Found FLAWED.

Julie Chan is Dead by Liann Zhang

Julie Chan has nothing. Her twin sister has everything. Except a pulse.

Julie Chan, a supermarket cashier with nothing to lose, finds herself thrust into the glamorous yet perilous world of her late twin sister, Chloe VanHuusen, a popular influencer. Separated at a young age, the identical twins were polar opposites and rarely spoke, except for one viral video that Chloe initiated (Finding My Long-Lost Twin And Buying Her A House #EMOTIONAL). When Julie discovers Chloe’s lifeless body under mysterious circumstances, she seizes the chance to live the life she’s always envied.

Transforming into Chloe is easier than expected. Julie effortlessly adopts Chloe’s luxurious influencer life, complete with designer clothes, a meticulous skincare routine, and millions of adoring followers. However, Julie soon realizes that Chloe’s seemingly picture-perfect life was anything but.

Haunted by Chloe’s untimely death and struggling to fit into the privileged influencer circle, Julie faces mounting challenges during a weeklong island retreat with Chloe’s exclusive group of influencer friends. As events spiral out of control, Julie uncovers the sinister forces that may have led to her sister’s demise and realizes she might be the next target.

Aphrodite by Bryony Pearce

She’s just the Goddess of Love and Beauty.

And that’s exactly what she wants them to think.

Naked and salt-soaked, Aphrodite is born from the waves. Knowing nothing of who or what she is, she quickly discovers that she has incredible power and the kind of beauty that makes men mad. Her blood pulses with the same call: home, home, home.

Cue Olympus, the home of the gods.

But Olympus turns out to be a seething snake-pit, and love is never simple. Ordained the mere Goddess of Love and Beauty, the threatened and spiteful gods and goddesses seek different ways to control Aphrodite. As a trap closes in around her, she learns that it is a curse to be seen as nothing but beautiful – but it may also be her strongest weapon.

The gods of Olympus will soon learn not to underestimate the Goddess of Love and Beauty.

Happy #BookBirthday! 10 Apr, 2025

Happy Thursday! This week there are THREE books on our lists publishing!

Pig by Matilde Pratesi

'Aksai Black Pied, American Yorkshire, Angeln Saddleback...'

Pigs are Valentina's safe place. When she's feeling overwhelmed, she lists the breeds until her mind becomes quiet again.

Vale struggles to live life without order. Every morning, she reads the note that her flatmate Clara has pinned on the fridge telling her what to wear and what to eat, before leaving for her job at a bookshop.

Sometimes Vale's colleagues invite her to drinks, but she never goes. She knows that Clara wouldn't be happy if Vale socialised with others. As Clara's told her plenty of times - who else would put up with her weird pig facts?

But a chance encounter at the bookshop leads to an exciting opportunity. As Vale steps into the world of other people, Clara tightens her grip: she isn't yet ready to let go of her favourite prey.

Picture book roundup: Post Wave Publishing

Discovering the World, One Page at a Time: A Look at Post Wave’s Translated Picture Books
Post Wave Books specialises in bringing global children's literature into English, and I had the joy of exploring a selection of their titles - some fictional, some factual, all beautifully made. These picture books range in tone and age group, but they each offer something fresh, whether it’s a gentle laugh, a fascinating fact, or illustrations you’ll want to linger over. Below are the covers and links to find out more, followed by some thoughts on each book.

Bad Influence by Claire Ahn

In this contemporary YA novel, high school student Charlotte Goh is an aspiring Asian American fashion influencer desperately trying to lift her family out of hardship, only to find it may come at a cost higher than any Chanel bag.

Seventeen-year-old Charlotte Goh is juggling two very different personas: the dutiful Korean daughter, and the hustling NYC fashion influencer. Her best friend Steven scoffs at her ambition, but she secretly hopes that her posts will help financially support her struggling family. Then one night, after posting about a racist experience she had at an influencer event, Charlotte finds herself going viral and garnering the fame she’s always craved. And as much as she doesn’t want her newfound popularity to change her, she can’t help but be swept away by the exciting perks: chic new friends, the attention of one of Hollywood’s hottest heartthrobs, and a slew of companies clamoring to sponsor her.

But as she falls deeper into the influencer world, she finds that she may have to sacrifice more than she bargained for—including her unexpected new feelings for Steven. Will Charlotte be able to stay true to herself, or will she lose the things that are most important to her?

Colony by Ron Wolff

Adam Flynn is the only human ever born on Mars. After seventeen years of isolation with only a handful of scientists for company, the arrival of new colonists is a dream come true-until that dream becomes a nightmare.

Beneath the planet's barren surface, something ancient stirs. Something hungry.

When an alien swarm ravages the colony, Adam finds himself leading a band of teenage survivors in a desperate battle against an enemy that doesn't just kill-it can think, plan, and burrow its way into human minds.

This adrenaline-fueled sci-fi thriller weaves heart-stopping horror into a story of survival, found family, first love, and the true meaning of home-even when home wants to kill you.

Happy #Bookbirthday! 3 Apr, 2025

Happy Thursday! This week there are NINE books on our lists publishing!

Blog tour: The Notorious Virtues by Alwyn Hamilton

At sixteen, Honora Nora Holtzfall is the daughter of the most powerful heiress in all of Walstad. Her family controls all the money--and all the magic--in the entire country. But despite being the center of attention, Nora has always felt like an outsider. When her mother is found dead in an alley, the family throne and fortune are suddenly up for grabs, and Nora will be pitted against her cousins in the Veritaz, the ultimate magical competition for power that determines the one family heir.

But there's a surprise contestant this time: Lotte, the illegitimate daughter of Nora's aunt. When Lotte's absent mother retrieves her from the rural convent she'd abandoned her to, Lotte goes from being an orphan to surrounded by family. Unfortunately, most of them want her dead.

And soon, Nora discovers that her mother's death wasn't random--it was murder. And the only person she can trust to uncover the truth of what happened is a rakish young reporter who despises everything Nora and her family stand for.

With everyone against her, Lotte's last hope is hunting for the identity of her father. But the dangerous competition--and her feelings for Theo, one of the Holtzfalls' sworn protectors--turns her world upside down.

Incredible tests, impossible choices and deadly odds await both girls. But there can only be one winner.

The Secret Collector by Abigail Johnson

When an elderly eccentric collector and a troubled teen become each other's only hope of getting their lives back on track, what can possibly go wrong?

Alfred is an elderly widower who uses antiques and collectibles to fill the hole in his heart left by his late wife. Kian is a lost teen who has been let down by the care system and finds it difficult staying on the straight and narrow.

After Kian throws a brick through Alfred's window, the shock sends Alfred to hospital and a social worker to his home, where his hoarding becomes impossible to ignore.

Begrudgingly, and at the request of the authorities, they both agree to enrol Kian on a restorative justice programme, helping to make Alfred’s home liveable again. The only problem: Alfred doesn't want to throw any of his treasures away, and he certainly doesn’t want Kian for company.

What unfolds is a surprising and delightful journey of two characters who help each other more than they ever could have anticipated and, along the way, form the unlikeliest of friendships.