Library

New Books

This week we look at books that will appeal to senior students and teachers.  In coming weeks we will be asking people what book they are reading and what they think about it.  Reading fiction is a really good way to wind down.  It takes commitment, but the more you read the better you get.  It also helps feed your imagination.  There are plenty of books for every reader.  Check out the books on display in the library.

Cape May by Chip Cheek   Henry and Effie are just married and it’s not quite the fairy-tale they both expected.  Their beachside honeymoon is in danger of being cut short when a decadent and glamorous set sweep into their little town and sweep them both up into their drama.  Suddenly the beach town becomes their playground, Henry and Effie slip from innocence into betrayal, with consequences that reverberate through the rest of their lives.

Scrublands by Chris Hammer  In isolated Riversend, a country town brought to its knees by endless drought, a charismatic and dedicated young priest calmly opens fire on his congregation, killing five parishioners before being shot dead himself.  A year later an investigative journalist, Martin Scarsden arrives to mark the anniversary of the tragedy.  The stories he hears from the locals about the priest do not fit at all with the accepted version of events.  This is a compulsive thriller that will keep you turning the pages.

No Friend but the Mountains by Behrouz Boochani  In 2013, Kurdish journalist Behrouz Boochani was illegally detained on Manus Island – in Manus Prison.  He has been there ever since.  This book has been laboriously tapped out on a mobile phone and translated from the Farsi.   This book is a cry of resistance, a vivid portrait through five years of incarceration and exile.   ‘Our government jailed his body, but his soul remained that of a free man.’ Richard Flanagan.

Going Back  Munjed Al Muderis with Patrick Weaver.  Briefly, these stories recount a former refugee, now an internationally acclaimed surgeon, and his extraordinary life-changing journey after 18 years away, returning to Iraq to change the lives of injured soldiers and civilians.  These stories are both challenging and full of hope, from the unique perspective of a refugee returning to the place of his birth.

Boy Swallows Universe by Trent Dalton  This book is on the CBCA Long List.  Set in 1985, in Brisbane, Eli Bell’s life is complicated by the worst kinds of influences, a junkie Mum, a heroin dealer stepfather, a notorious crim babysitter and a father who has been ‘lost’ for years.   This is a story about true love, brotherhood and incredibly unlikely friendships.  It will be the most heartbreaking, joyous and thrilling novel you will read in a long time.