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Happy August booklovers!
With many big-hitting books set to cram our shelves in September, August is a relatively quiet winter month, except for… crime and thrillers! If you've walked past the shop lately you'll have noticed all the crime novels crammed into our window. Yes, it seems August is the perfect month to sit by the fire and get swept up in a nail-biting whodunnit! Read on for a few suggestions (many of the books below would make a perfect gift for Father's Day!).
We are hosting events for some wonderful authors in the shop in August and September and we'd love you to come meet them, mingle with fellow booklovers and find your next read. Please find details of our upcoming events below.
Till next time, happy reading,
Olivia, Rachel & Laura (The Booklover Team)
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BOOK LAUNCH
We're welcoming Fiona Sussman to the shop on Thursday, September 4th 6:00-7:30pm to celebrate the launch of her latest crime novel. Hooked Up is the sequel to The Doctor's Wife which we know many of you enjoyed. Free to attend, please RSVP to reserve your spot!
Hooked Up is a thriller that highlights the darker side of the Reality TV industry, exposing some of the culture behind show production, and society's seemingly insatiable appetite for real-time drama. Pre-order now.
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Don't forget Zoe's launch! We can't wait to celebrate the release of Zoë Rankin's new novel The Vanishing Place! Please join us for a cozy evening at the bookshop at the end of August where Zoë will be here to tell us all about her book, answer any of your questions and of course, sign your copies! Free to attend, please RSVP to reserve your spot!
The Vanishing Place is a twisty and daring thriller about how those close to you can be even more dangerous than the deadliest wilderness.
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AUTHOR EVENING
Have you RSVP'd yet for our event with Gina next week?
Join us next Thursday, August 14th at 6:00-7:30pm for good chats, good vibes and good company! This is a free event, we'd love to see you there to celebrate Gina's debut novel.
The Stars are a Million Glittering Worlds is a hypnotic novel about love, guilt and forgiveness.
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The Midnight Estate $38
Kelly Rimmer
If you like an intriguing mystery about a grand old house hiding secrets, and a brave character starting over in her 50s when her marriage and career have collapsed who sets out to bring the house to life, then this, my friends, is the perfect book for you! In the aftermath of a tumultuous year, Fiona Winslow finds solace in the decaying grandeur of Wurimbirra, the rambling family estate. Intent on restoring it - despite her mother's objections - she discovers the keys to more than just the dilapidated country mansion. Beneath the crumbling plaster are secrets that have been buried for a generation. A cracking read.
- Olivia
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Red Star Down $38
D. B. John
We've had a few customers come in raving about this thriller!
An explosive conspiracy is on the verge of detonation... A Korean man is poisoned in broad-daylight at Kuala Lumpur International Airport. A Russian intelligence officer is assassinated in a Washington hotel. And a real-estate mogul has just become the 45th President of the United States. The world teeters on the brink and three individuals find themselves caught up in the crosshairs - Jenna, a seasoned CIA officer. Lyosha, a student in Moscow. And Eric, a North Korean spy in the heart of the White House.
In a world of shifting allegiances and betrayal, Red Star Down is a global and gripping thriller that explores the intricate web of politics, espionage, and deception during of one of the most turbulent periods in recent history.
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Stillwater $38
Tanya Scott
After years away from his home town of Melbourne, Luke Harris is back on track. All he wants is a normal job, his own house and a dog. But Luke is a man with a past, when life was anything but peaceful and his skills ran to the dark side. A past not easily forgotten - or forgiven. When he crosses paths with Gus Alberici - the brutal criminal he worked for as a teenager - he's dragged reluctantly back to his old life. Luke's father has vanished, along with a chunk of Gus's cash. And something is up with his new girlfriend's father... As his past and present collide, can Luke keep his long-held secrets - and outsmart a man who will stop at nothing to get what he wants?
I only started last night so I'm not far enough in to pass judgement but I love all the authors who have quotes on the front of this debut novel so of course I had to pick it up! I also think the cover design is so clever. A new Australian crime author to add to your TBR.
- Rachel
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An Inside Job $38
Daniel Silva
Silva returns with another blockbuster thriller, a powerhouse novel showcasing his superb skill and brilliant imagination that is a must read for both his multitudes of fans and growing legions of converts.
Sometimes the only way to recover a stolen masterpiece is to steal it back ...
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Liar's Game $38
Jack Beaumont
A new instalment in the Frenchman series. Based on Jack Beaumont's experiences as a former DGSE operative, Liar's Game delivers the incredible authenticity, action and suspense that have made the bestselling Frenchman series an international success.
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Katabasis $38
PREORDER NOW - OUT AUGUST 26
R. F. Kuang
Who didn't read Babel? (Olivia, Laura & Rachel - eek! and we all got major FOMO from it.) We're so excited for this one but shhhh we haven't read it yet.
Katabasis, noun, Ancient Greek. The story of a hero's descent to the underworld.
Grad student Alice Law has only ever had one goal: to become the brightest mind in the field of analytic magick.
But the only person who can make her dream come true is dead and – inconveniently – in Hell. And Alice, along with her biggest rival Peter Murdoch, is going after him.
But Hell is not as the philosophers claim, its rules are upside-down, and if she’s going to get out of there alive, she and Peter will have to work together.
That’s if they can agree on anything.
Will they triumph, or kill each other trying?
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Silvercloak $38
L.K. Steven
An addictive new fantasy series set in a world where magic is fuelled by pleasure and pain, in which an obsessive detective infiltrates a brutal gang of dark mages - knowing that one wrong move will get her killed...
By the author of Our Infinite Fates published earlier this year which Rachel adored. She trusts that, if anything, this will be well written!
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Arcana Academy $38
Elise Kova
Our lovely friend Sacha at Hachette loved this novel and we trust Sacha! This sounds brilliant.
Thrust into a world of arcane magic and royal intrigue, where one misstep will send her back to prison or worse, Clara finds that the prince she swore to hate may not be what he seems. But can she risk giving him power over the world - and her heart? Or will she take it for herself?
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The Unlikely Doctor $38
Dr. Timoti Te Moke
We've almost sold out already but there's more stock on the way!
The extraordinary story of Dr Timoti Te Moke who - having endured a horrific childhood of beatings and abuse, then gang life, stints in prison and an unsupported manslaughter charge - became a doctor at the age of 56 and is a staunch advocate for Māori.
Born into love but then thrust into violence, and shaped by struggle, Timoti Te Moke was never destined to be a leader. From surviving abuse, state care, gangs and prison, Timoti's life was marked by trauma and pain. Through grit and an unyielding drive for justice, Timoti transformed his life. Timoti is now a fully qualified doctor - proof that brilliance can come from anywhere, and that our society must change to allow it. A powerful, confronting memoir of injustice, identity and the cost of lost potential, The Unlikely Doctor is not just Timoti's story - it is every child's.
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Anything Could Happen $40
PREORDER NOW - OUT AUGUST 19th
Grant Robertson
A fascinating and in-depth insight into the remarkable life and career of one of the most influential and adroit politicians of his generation.
In this illuminating and beautifully written book, Grant Robertson reflects on the major events in his life, from growing up in a loving but complex family, through to his highly successful career as a Labour politician and becoming Finance Minister in the Ardern government during one of New Zealand history's most tumultuous times.
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Hook, Line and Misadventure $38
David Hastings
Tall tales and fishing lore from Kiwi fishing personality Cliff Barnes. As he looks back over his adventurous life, Cliff Barnes muses that he must have used up eight of his nine lives while fishing along the Northland coast but, on a recount, concedes he has used up the lot.
He was certainly a risk taker and at times downright reckless, but in the end, he was one of the best, if not the best, fishermen of his generation. So much so that he was often asked 'where'd you get your fish?' But he always kept his professional secrets close. His answers ranged from evasion to outright lies. 'Over there,' he would sometimes say, keeping his arms crossed and thus giving no clue to where 'there' was. Other times he would say 'at such-and-such an island' when he had been nowhere near the place.
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Victoria's Secret $40
Fern Riddell
From the moment John Brown arrived as a servant to Queen Victoria's household, he became known across the land as her loyal companion, her fierce protector, and her right-hand man, their friendship immortalised in print and on-screen. But what if there was more to their relationship than we know? And what has history been hiding from us? In this passionate and provocative exploration of Victoria's private passions, the acclaimed historian Fern Riddell re-examines everything we thought we knew about one of Britain's most iconic women. A timeless romance and an extraordinary retelling of the emotional life of a queen, Victoria's Secret is an unmissable account of a woman in love.
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Carthage $40
Eve Macdonald
In this landmark new history, Eve MacDonald tells the essential story of the lost culture of Carthage and of its forgotten people, using brand new archaeological analysis to uncover the history behind the legend. A journey that takes us the Phoenician Levant of the early Iron Age to the Atlantic and all along the coast of Africa, Carthage puts the city and the story of North Africa once again at the centre of Mediterranean history.
Reclaimed from the Romans, this is the Carthaginian version of the tale, revealing to us that, without Carthage, there would be no Rome.
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Allies at War $40
Tim Bouverie
Allies at War is a fast-paced, narrative history, based on material drawn from over a hundred archives. Using vivid, first-hand accounts and unpublished diaries, we enter the rooms where the critical decisions were made while going beyond the confines of the Grand Alliance to examine, among other themes, the doomed Anglo-French alliance, fractious relations with General de Gaulle and the Free French, and interactions with Poland, Greece and Nationalist China.
Ambitious and compelling, revealing the political drama behind the military events, Allies at War offers a fresh perspective on the Second World War and the origins of the Cold War.
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Anzac Guerillas $40
Edmund Goldrick
When the Germans took thousands of Allied prisoners during the catastrophic Greek campaign of 1941, a handful of Australian soldiers escaped from prison trains in occupied Yugoslavia. What awaited them was not passage home, but a brutal underground war where the fate of a nation was at stake.
Told through the eyes of two of the Australian escapees - mineworker Ross Sayers and storeman Ronald Jones - Anzac Guerrillas is the incredible true story of how these men became resistance fighters, double agents and spies, evading the Nazis and exposing a group of genocidal collaborators.
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Hogbert $30
Briony May Smith
This is a really precious storybook. A beautiful hardback picture book with gorgeous gold foil detailing. It's about a little boar named Hogbert who gets separated from his family and tries to find his way home. Along the way he meets other forest creatures and together they help each other. The illustrations are really cute and I like the longer story format - great for kiddos with good attention spans who like to sit down for story time. Appropriate for ages 3+ I think this is a book that should become a staple on home and library bookshelves everywhere. Let's just say it starts with "Once Upon a Time" and ends with "The End", what more could you ask for?
- Rachel
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Te ngahere i te pō - The forest at night $25
Kiri Lightfoot & Pippa Keel Situ
I love how well blended the Te Reo Māori and English words are in this new picture book for children about creatures in the NZ forest at night. I think everything about these pages is well crafted, from the translations to the illustrations. A perfect bedtime story for tamariki as we follow the sun setting and the moon rising. Explore the hidden world of NZ's nocturnal creatures - there's even a handy glossary at the back! Ages 3+
- Rachel
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The Style Secrets of Gareth McGreen $30
Kelly Brodie-Brown & Natasha Carty
Gareth McGreen was a stylish toad,
no toad in the town appeared finer.
He was always impressed with the way that he dressed;
a fabulous fashion designer!
This kids picture book is STU-NNING! Step into the world of Gareth McGreen - fashion design extraordinaire. When Janine the possum needs an outfit for her birthday Gareth just can't find the right fit! Will he be able to design something that Janine will feel comfortable and beautiful in? Ages 3+
- Rachel
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The Wild Robot on the Island $28
Peter Brown
A beautiful simplified tale of The Wild Robot for a younger audience. The full colour illustrations bring Roz to life even more than the novels did. If you haven't seen Dreamworks film adaptation of The Wild Robot I urge you to but even more I urge you to read these beautiful stories as we know the book is always better. Ages 4+
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The Incorruptibles $22
Lauren Magaziner
Fiora Barrowling lives in a world where sorcerers rule over humans. After surviving an encounter with The Radiance - the very worst of the sorcerers-she's whisked away to the incredible Incorruptibles ('Inc') Academy, a school for resistance fighters in training. But most of the other students think Fiora hasn't earned her place there, and when things start to go wrong and it seems the sorcerers have a spy in the academy, all eyes are on Fiora. With all odds stacked against her, can Fiora prove that she belongs?
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The Secret Green (Spark Hunter #2) $25
Sonya Wilson
A kids chapter book by a NZ author set in Fiordland, with magic and environmentalism at its heart.
This thrilling sequel to Spark Hunter crackles with the magic of the ancient forest. It's a high-stakes adventure through a vast wonderland with a great green secret hidden from humans for thousands of years.
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New Kid on Deck (Pirate Academy #1) $19
Justin Somper
A fast-paced and exciting fantasy adventure series perfect for readers of How to Train Your Dragon or Artemis Fowl. The year is 2507. The oceans have risen. A new dawn of piracy has begun. Jacoby Blunt and Jasmine Peacock are students at the elite Pirate Academy. Welcome to Pirate Academy - once you step through the door you won't ever want to leave! |
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Immortal Consequences $23
I.V. Marie
Welcome to Blackwood Academy: a boarding school located on the fringes of the afterlife. No one knows why they end up at Blackwood; but when they enter the school's arched gates the only way out is to be chosen for the Decennial – a series of magical trials held once a decade.
The chosen pupil is offered a choice: graduate and join Blackwood’s magical elite, or venture into the unknown and cross over to the Other Side...
Forgive me for not finishing much for the newsletter this month. I am also halfway through this novel! I'm really enjoying the alternating chapter point of views between all the characters. The magic system is intriguing and complicated and even though I find the characters a bit caricature-esque they're growing on me! I would recommend this to dark academia fans or people who loved Six of Crows.
- Rachel
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We Saw What You Started $23
Carla Salmon
Fire, lies, rivalry, a new boy, first love and small-town suspicions threaten a coastal town in this dazzling YA mystery from an exceptional new author. Three deadly fires. One suspect. Too many secrets.
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The Vulpine $22
Polly Crosby
Enter a darkly dystopian world full of eerie folklore, in which illness and difference have been prohibited. But from deep beneath the earth, a rebellion is rising ...
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