Tuesday, 7th April
Who’s the Favourite? by Catherine Carr
Older siblings are bossy, younger siblings always get what they want and only children don’t know how to share. Oh and don’t forget about middle children!
For many of us, our relationships with our siblings will be the longest of our lives, sometimes closing in on a century. Whether loving or fraught, competitive or co-dependent, these dynamics are integral in shaping who we become. It’s time we acknowledge their significance.
Exploring the unique and complex nature of these bonds, Catherine Carr separates fact from fiction, revealing the truths behind birth order stereotypes, favouritism, unreliable memory-making, ‘broken’ and blended families, only children, having a sibling with additional needs, estrangement and bereavement. Reflecting on her atypical upbringing, Carr asks us to consider our brothers and sisters beyond the roles we assumed in childhood.
Thursday, 9th April
Hercules vs the Minotaur by Tom Vaughan
Hercules is ready to start a new school year as the BEST demigod when, to his surprise, his cousin Theseus suddenly comes to stay from Greece. Theseus, son of Poseidon, is a young demigod just like Hercules. But right as Herc was (finally) preparing to be a heroically good role model, infuriating Theseus causes TROUBLE at every turn!
But soon the boys are forced to work together – because Zeus has been so focused on writing a book that he’s lost control of the cosmos… and now the universe is in jeopardy. One of the most terrifying monsters in Greek myth has hatched an escape from the underworld! With their dads pre-occupied, it’s up to Herc and Theo to track down and stop the Minotaur. No doubt about it, this is Herc’s most high-stakes adventure yet. Will the boys become monster-slaying heroes like their namesakes? Or will they learn that myths might not have the full story?
Season of Fear by Emily Cooper
In the village of Heulensee, Ilse Odenwald dreams of being afraid. Because in Heulensee, fearfulness is next to godliness. A monstrous forest borders the village – the Hexenwald. Its horrors attack every time the sky turns blood-red. The townsfolk’s only defence comes from the gruesome, ancient Saint of Fear, who demands the women and girls offer up their terror in return for its protection.
Born without the ability to feel fear, Ilse is an outsider. As hard as she tries, she cannot bring forth the dread that the Saint of Fear demands. When it discovers her divergence, the Saint levels a threat: Ilse must find her fear, or it will devour her sister. Unable to lose Thea, the only person who understands her, Ilse enters the Hexenwald, hoping that the monsters it harbours will finally scare her. But the forest is hiding a multitude of secrets and Ilse is about to discover that there’s much more than fear to be found within…
The Secret Lives of Murderer’s Wives by Elizabeth Arnott
It’s a baking hot summer in 1960s California and three women have formed an unlikely friendship. From the outside, Beverley, Elsie and Margot lead idyllic lives, but behind the false smiles and glittering pools lies the truth: their husbands are some of the country’s most notorious convicted killers.
Amidst neighbourhood gossip and pointed fingers, the women are fighting to forge new paths for themselves. Wide-eyed Beverley is raising two young children under the long shadow of their father’s crimes. Bookish Elsie is determined to make a name for herself in the patriarchal newsroom, while Hollywood party-girl Margot has a penchant for an early morning margarita – anything to quieten the shame of her ex-husband’s deceit. But when a string of local killings hits the news, the women – underestimated and overlooked – are hurled into an investigation of their own. After all, who better to catch a killer than those who have shared their lives with one?
The Seriously Epic Holiday of Lottie Brooks by Katie Kirby
Pack your bags, and put on your helmets, for Lottie’s latest hilarious diary! She’s off on a ONCE IN A LIFETIME skiing holiday – what could possibly go wrong?! Amber has seen the light and returned to the QUEENS OF EIGHT GREEN. PHEW! And now she’s invited Lottie on her family skiing holiday – RESULT!
One tiny problem . . . Lottie’s never been skiing before and she doesn’t know her piste from her poles! How hard can it be though? Join Lottie as she learns how to ski with old and new friends, tries fondue for the first time and discovers what the banana of destiny has in store for her.
Will this be the best holiday ever or is it all downhill from here?
The Witch Without Memory by Maithree Wijeskara
Prince Ashoka’s sister, Aarya, has named herself empress and is determined to reverse her brother’s mercy for the mayakari.
Shakti is being held by shadowy figures, drugged and forced to commit an unspeakable crime. When she wakes, she finds herself prisoner, but gaps in her memory around the curse she has cast trap her more thoroughly than any cage. Ashoka must find allies and quickly if he is to usher in a new dawn for the mayakari, but the tougher the decision he makes, the farther he gets from his true self. He must determine what he is willing to lose in pursuit of his vision of the future.
The first blow has been dealt by Ashoka and Shakti, but the empire not only remains, it appears stronger―and more brutal―than ever. Both must find ways to fight back before nature is deprived of its spirits and guardians, and the reign of the new empress spreads its destruction and oppression to lands beyond.
Bring the House Down by Charlotte Runcie
Theatre critic Alex Lyons made his name from his brutal, brilliant reviews.
So when he sees Hayley Sinclair’s dismal one-woman show at the Edinburgh Fringe, he thinks nothing of dashing off another of his trademark one-star pans for the newspaper. He also thinks nothing of taking her home after the performance, failing at any point to mention who he is.
What he doesn’t expect is for Hayley to revamp her show into a review of Alex’s entire life, exposing what an awful person he really is. Worse, the show is a smash hit, and Alex is about to become national news. But can Hayley bring the establishment down without taking herself with it?
