Recreation

Fiction New Titles December 2012 (arrived in November)

Adventure

The forgotten, David Baldacci.
Combat veteran John Puller on his second case, this time not believing his aunt's drowning death was an accident.
The sanctuary, Ted Dekker.
Serving time for murdering two abusive men, vigilante priest Danny Hansen must escape from prison after the woman he loves receives a threatening note and a box containing a bloody finger.
The panther, Nelson DeMille.
John Corey is back, working in antiterrorist capacity with his FBI agent wife in Yemen.
Tier One Wild : a Delta Force novel, Dalton Fury.
After a SEAL Team Six mission fails to eliminate a terrorist group, Raynor (from "Black site") is called to the task.
The chamber, Howard Gordon.
Peacemaker Gideon Davis has just hours to thwart an impending terrorist attack.
The disciple of Las Vegas, Ian Hamilton.
Uncompromising. Tenacious. Fiercely intelligent. Ava Lee will follow the money wherever it takes her. Hired by Tommy Ordonez, the richest man in the Philippines, to recover $50 million in a land swindle, Ava has her work cut out.
Red notice, Andy McNab.
Terrorists seize the Eurostar to Paris, taking 400 hostages, and the only hope is an off duty SAS soldier hiding on the train.
Dark heart, Tony Park.
Three people who'd worked together in Rwanda are summoned to the international criminal tribunal and find themselves in danger.
Power play, Patrick Robinson.
2018 - it's a highly volatile nuclear world and U.S. Navy Seal Mark Bedford is out to stop Russia from its master plan.

American Fiction

The elementals, Francesca Lia Block.
Adult novel from the big name YA author. University student Ariel meets three strange people at a crumbling mansion and they may know what happened to her missing friend.
The hot country, Robert Olen Butler.
Espionage, crime and love in Mexico at the beginning of World War I where a war correspondent in enemy territory falls for a young Mexican laundress.
The giving quilt, Jennifer Chiaverini.
The latest in the Elm Creek Quilts series is all about imagining the Christmas spirit lasting all year.
Heaven should fall, Rebecca Coleman.
A young woman becomes pregnant to a handsome and articulate man but his family, whose farm they retreat to, have significant and dangerous problems.
The bracelet, Roberta Gately.
A timely novel about human trafficking with a Boston nurse and a reporter investigating the practice in the Middle East.
An Amish gift, Cynthia Keller.
Heartwarming tale of marriage and family, new beginnings and touching homecomings among the Amish.
Angels at the table : a Shirley, Goodness, and Mercy Christmas story, Debbie Macomber.
Taking an apprentice angel to Times Square to show him the delights and opportunities of the city, angels Shirley, Goodness, and Mercy help Will to introduce a lonely chef and food critic who after a year-long separation are reunited during the holiday season.
The yellow birds, Kevin Powers.
Dynamic debut from a veteran of the Iraq War who joined the U.S. army at 17 and served as a machine gunner. A very strong portrait of the psychological impact of war.
Prosperous friends, Christine Schutt.
Story of a well off young couple's marriage as it is challenged by longings, sexual self discovery and past infatuations.
Laura Lamont's life in pictures, Emma Straub.
Life of a Hollywood actress from her small town origins in Wisconsin to her international career from the 1940s onwards.
The Christmas spirits, Whitley Strieber.
A modern retelling of the Dickens classic "A Christmas carol" about a modern day Scrooge, a greedy futures trader.

Australian fiction

The voyage, Murray Bail.
Sydney piano manufacturer travels to Vienna to present a concert grand in this tale of art, culture, love and Europe.
In the company of strangers, Liz Byrski.
Ruby and Cat's friendship was forged on an English dockside over sixty years ago when, as terrified children, they were shipped off to Australia. It was a friendship that was supposed to last a lifetime but when news of Cat's death reaches Ruby in London, it comes after years of estrangement.
Jack of diamonds, Bryce Courtenay.
Jack Spayd develops a musical talent as a boy and eventually goes to Africa to earn big money and meets there a beautiful Ethiopian woman.

British Fiction

One hundred names, Cecelia Ahern.
Kitty, a journalist, is given a list of one hundred names by a dying friend and following it up reveals some remarkable stories.
A week in winter, Maeve Binchy.
The Sheedy sisters had lived in Stone House for as long as anyone could remember. Set high on the cliffs on the west coast of Ireland, overlooking the windswept Atlantic ocean, it was falling into disrepair until one woman, with a past she needed to forget, breathed new life into the place.
The small hours, Susie Boyt.
Harriet Goodman, after a decade of therapy and having a large inheritance, decides to open a school for girls to provide happy childhoods for all. It may, however, be a case of wanting to expunge her own painful memories of growing up.
Christmas at the Cupcake Cafe, Jenny Colgan.
Sequel to "Meet me at the Cupcake Café" has café owner Issy preparing for the winter season when her boyfriend is headhunted for a job in New York.
Shadows in the sky, Mary De Laszlo.
Two sisters in World War II move to Scotland, one keen to fly with the Air Transport Auxiliary and the other falling for an Italian POW.
Two brothers, Ben Elton.
Berlin 1920 two babies are born. Two brothers. United and indivisible, sharing everything. Twins in all but blood. As Germany marches into its Nazi Armageddon, the ties of family, friendship and love are tested to the very limits of endurance. And the brothers are faced with an unimaginable choice.
Brenda and Effie forever!, Paul Magrs.
Outrageous zany Gothic adventure involving ancient vampires, miniature mermaids, the Phantom of the Opera and his hunchbacked boyfriend, a fiendish ghost who drives a limousine, Mr and Mrs Claus and all three Bronte sisters discovered alive and well in a secret base under the parsonage at Haworth.
The Marseille caper, Peter Mayle.
Unable to resist an exciting job offer in Marseille, Sam Levitt, former lawyer and wine connoisseur, and his girlfriend Elena find their happy return to the region's coastal sunshine and delectable cuisine challenged by an increasingly violent competition for waterfront property.
The lighthouse, Alison Moore.
Shortlisted for the Booker, the story of a middle aged man, his walking holiday in Germany and his sad past.
Where have you been? : stories and a novella, Joseph O'Connor.
Short stories that move from contemporary London and Dublin to New York's Lower East Side in the 19th century.
Trouble at the little village school, Gervase Phinn.
Follow up to the delightful "Village school." The school is now to be merged with its arch rival school (does this sound familiar?) and the headmistress must fight for her job. If you like James Herriot, you may well like Gervase Phinn.
The beautiful truth, Belinda Seaward.
Moving between present-day Krakow and wartime Poland, 'The Beautiful Truth' tells a passionate and moving story of the way ordinary lives are swept up in extraordinary events.
Sunshine on Scotland Street, Alexander McCall Smith.
Latest in the popular series has Bertie and gang invited to one of Scotland's premier jazz festivals.
Trains and lovers, Alexander McCall Smith.
In the words of Alexander McCall Smith: 'You feel the rocking of the train, you hear the sound of its wheels on the rails; you are in the world rather than suspended somewhere above it. And sometimes there are conversations to be had, which is what the overarching story in this collection is all about.'
The road to Urbino, Roma Tearne.
Ras, a Sri Lankan who fled his country as a child following the violent death of his mother and his father's disappearance, has committed a crime. Alex has loved Dee since he was 19 but failed to realise that it was a love he wouldn't find again. When Ras' and Alex's lives connect, each man takes a new path.

Chinese titles

Wo li ni yi jian hun sha de ju li, Aixinjueluo Shi zhu.
Sha shi bi ya san jie mei, Eleanor Brown.
Yan yu yi shuo, Cansanyi
Bei tou zou de shi er nian, Frederique Deghelt.
Jia ru bu ceng ai guo, Feilanpiaoxue zhu.
Bai hu zhi zhou. 2. Xun zhao feng de sheng wu, Colleen Houck.
Bai hu zhi zhou. 3. Yong chuang wu yang ju long, Colleen Houck.
Fei jun fei lian, Huayanwudie.
San wang yi hou, Mengyandianxia zhu.
Wo men zhi jian de ju li, Maggie O'Farrell.
Fei qing tian xia, Qingchenrufeng zhu.
Wu fa shuo chu de mi mi, Qiyehudie zuo pin.
Ai ren ru shi mo sheng ren = Love thrives in zen, Susu zhu.
Shuang lu ji, Wang Song zhu.
Ceng you jia ren lei qing cheng, Yuxiaoyanran zuo pin.
Tu mi yi jin ye wei yang, Zhuiyi'nianhua zhu.

Fiction from the rest of the World

City of God, Paulo Lins
Cidade de Deus, the City of God welcome to one of Rio's most notorious slums. A place where the streets are awash with drugs, where violence can erupt at any moment, over drugs, money and love but also where the samba beat rocks til dawn, where the women are the most beautiful on earth, and where one young man wants to escape his background and become a photographer. The novel that became the hit film.
The hunger angel, Herta Muller
Story of the Romanians and their tragic trek to Russia in 1945. From the Nobel Prize winning author.
Amsterdam stories, Nescio
No one has written more feelingly and more beautifully than Nescio about the madness and sadness, courage and vulnerability of youth: its big plans and vague longings, not to mention the binges, crashes, and marathon walks and talks.
The missing rose, Serdar Ozkan
This is the story of Diana, a willful young woman who, following the death of her mother, sets out on a quest to find the twin she never knew she had. Her search leads her to a magical garden in Istanbul, where she learns the philosophy of roses.

Japanese titles

Mayonaka no tantei = A midnight detective, Alice Arisugawa.
Deddo rimitto = Dead limit, Endo Takefumi.
Hikari are, Hase Seishu.
Kimi to yosei to mafuyu no natsuyasumi, Hizuki Aya.
Doruche = Dolce, Honda Tetsuya.
Shumeka no ashioto, Honjo Masato.
Purizumu, Hyakuta Naoki.
Kanta, Ishida Ira.
Otto no kanojo = Husband's lover, Kakiya Miu.
Shinkun ieyasu no missho, Kato Hiroshi.
Subete mayonaka no koibitotachi, Kawakami Mieko.
Yorozu no koto ni ki o tsukeyo, Kawase Nanao.
Midori no doku, Kirino Natsuo.
Kagi no kakatta heya, Kishi Yusuke.
Kanto onsaito = Kanto onsight, Kumura Mayumi.
Kino no kazoku, Mikazuki Hiraku.
Kyogu, Minato Kanae.
Minori no niwa, Mitsuno Momo.
Shoshitsu guradeshon, Nagasawa Itsuki.
Mukoda Kuniko no hizashi, Ota Hikari.
Mitsubainin, Sasaki Jo.
Oto no nai hanabi, Sunada Mami.
Kokoro ni fuku kaze, Ueza Mari.
Haru kara natsu yagate fuyu, Utano Shogo.
Hado rakku = Hard luck, Yakumaru Gaku.
Gubbai hiro, Yokozeki Dai.

Korean titles

Beandeu terapi, gijeogui 10 bun 0.0069, Choeiksseong Chejilin.
Aromaterapi, Heojeongnok Jeongeunyeong.
Mega daieoteu, Hyeonyonggwonm Jieum.
Hyeondaeingwa seonginbyeong, Kim Jaeho.
Bareun jasewa undong, S.H. Lee.
Mun Chae-in ui unmyong.
Ich'onwonuro kimchi damkuki aen kimch'i yori, O Sun-kyun.
Nollaun gajeongyobeop, Sinjaeyong.
Il nyon yoldu tal maeil sikdan, Son Song hui.

Mystery

The twelve clues of Christmas, Rhys Bowen.
While serving as an assistant to the hostess of a large Christmas house party in Tiddleton-under-Lovey, Georgie gets the attention of her retired detective grandfather after dead bodies begin showing up. In the Royal Spyness series.
The laughterhouse, Paul Cleave.
Theodore Tate never forgot his first crime scene - ten-year-old Jessica Cole found dead in 'the Laughterhouse', an old abandoned slaughterhouse with the 'S' spray painted over. The killer was found and arrested. Justice was served. Or was it?
The black box, Michael Connelly.
LAPD Detective Harry Bosch is looking to connect a current murder with the 1992 killing of a photographer during the L.A. riots.
The old gray wolf, James D. Doss.
Colorado rancher and investigator Charlie Moon accidentally kills a purse snatcher and the dead man's mother - a mobster's widow - wants to settle the score.
A small hill to die on, Elizabeth J. Duncan.
Someone buys the big house on the hill in the little Welsh town of Llanelen and a murder is investigated by Detective Inspector Davies and spa owner Penny Brannigan. Light mystery.
Beluga, Rick Gavin.
Twists and turns aplenty in this tale of villains, money launderers and schemers in the second novel by the author whose debut "Ranchero" gave us dry wit and Delta noir.
The racketeer, John Grisham.
Given the importance of what they do, and the controversies that often surround them, and the violent people they sometimes confront, it is remarkable that in the history of the USA only four active federal judges have been murdered. Judge Raymond Fawcett just became number five.
The Snow White Christmas cookie, David Handler.
Latest case for film critic Mitch Berger and Connecticut police trooper "Des" Misatry has blizzards, organised crime and murders making for a Christmas to remember.
Dark secrets, Hjorth & Rosenfeldt
Yet more Scandinavian crime. A teenage boy goes missing and days later his body is found. A psychologist/criminal profiler investigates.
The green lady, Paul Johnston.
Half Greek/half Scots private eye Alex Mavros is hired by a rich man to find his daughter whereupon he finds that one of his deadliest foes has returned to Greece and may be connected to the case.
A killing in autumn, Mons Kallentoft.
It is Autumn in Linkoping and the heavens have opened, but not even these biblical rains can wash away the blood of crimes past and present. Then the brutally-stabbed body of self-made Internet billionaire Jerry Petersson is discovered floating facedown in the moat surrounding his home, the imposing Skogsa Castle.
A fatal winter, G. M. Malliet.
Max Tudor, Anglican priest, former MI5 agent, and village heart-throb investigates two deaths at Chedrow Castle. But his growing attraction to Awena Owen complicates his case, as does the recent arrival at Chedrow Castle of a raucous group of long-lost, greedy relatives, any one of whom has a motive for murder.
Instrument of slaughter, Edward Marston.
1916. Inspector Marmion and Sergeant Keedy are assigned to the case when the body of a young conscientious objector is found bludgeoned to death.
The boy in the snow, M.J. McGrath.
When Arctic guide Edie Kiglatuk stumbles across a body abandoned in the Alaskan forest she discovers sinister plots linked to a strange Russian sect.
A Christmas garland, Anne Perry.
A Yuletide mystery set in India 1857 where an innocent man is accused of murder.
Standing in another man's grave, Ian Rankin.
It's twenty-five years since John Rebus appeared on the scene, and five years since he retired. His return has Rebus as stubborn and anarchic as ever, but he finds himself in trouble with Rankin's latest creation, Malcolm Fox of Edinburgh's internal affairs unit.
Unnatural wastage, Betty Rowlands.
When the body of a woman is found in a skip with a knife in her back, Detective Constable Sukey Reynolds will have to use all her wits to bring the killer to justice.
Scratch deeper, Chris Simms.
Introduces feisty Detctive Constable Iona Khan of Manchester who has to enter the dark world beneath the city to prevent a possible terrorist attack.
I remember you, Yrsa Sigurdardottir.
In an isolated Icelandic village, three friends are renovating a derelict house when they realise something sinister has happened.

New Zealand Fiction

Lives we leave behind, Maxine Alterio.
1915 and the hospital ship Maheno leaves Wellington with 70 Kiwi nurses on board. Two women become friends then one falls for a British surgeon who has a lot to hide. An absorbing story of friendship, love and war.
Soon, Charlotte Grimshaw.
Two families gather in a beach house belonging to the Prime Minister and wife but the arrival of the brother of one guest and a sinister young man threatens the secure lives of all.
Arthur's past, Steve Richards.
English migrants to 1860s N.Z. become involved in exploratory murder and loss against a Canterbury background and the West Coast gold rush.
Ancestry, Albert Wendt.
Albert Wendt's new collection of short stories explores the nature of family, tradition and culture through the eyes of those seemingly caught between the realities of modern contemporary life and the ancestral ties of their heritage.

Romance

The devil and the deep, Amy Andrews.
Led astray, Sandra Brown
A socialite's Christmas wish, Lucy Clark.
The doctor meets her match, Annie Claydon.
A devil in disguise, Caitlin Crews.
The wedding must go on, Robyn Grady.
Truth-or-date.com, Nina Harrington.
Revelations of the night before, Lynn Raye Harris.
Painted the other woman, Julia James.
Nauti temptress, Lora Leigh.
Taming the brooding cattleman, Marion Lennox.
Devilishly hot, Kathy Love.
Devilishly sexy, Kathy Love.
The rancher's unexpected family, Myrna Mackenzie.
Banished to the harem, Carol Marinelli.
Wedding date with Mr Wrong, Nicola Marsh.
Redeeming Dr Riccardi, Leah Martyn.
Nanny for the millionaire's twins, Susan Meier.
Not just the Greek's wife, Lucy Monroe.
A delicious deception, Elizabeth Power.
The lady most likely : a novel in three parts, Julia Quinn, Eloisa James, Connie Brockway.
The perfect hope, Nora Roberts.
With every letter, Sarah Sundin.
The family who made him whole, Jennifer Taylor.
Single dad's holiday wedding, Patricia Thayer.
Defying her desert duty, Annie West.
A game of vows, Maisey Yates.

Saga & Historical

The liars' gospel, Naomi Alderman.
The Liars' Gospel is the story of a Jewish man, Yehoshuah, who wandered Roman-occupied Judea giving sermons and healing the sick. Now, a year after his death, four people tell their stories.
To whisper her name, Tamera Alexander.
Set against the background of Nashville's historic Belle Meade Plantation, a story of enslavement, freedom and love.
All things new, Lynn Austin.
In the aftermath of the Civil War, Josephine vows to rebuild her family's once-grand Virginia plantation. But in the face of such destruction, is redemption and faith in God possible? The difficult years of the Reconstruction era are brought to life by interweaving the stories of three women daughter, mother, and freed slave in a riveting tale.
Twice promised, Maggie Brendan.
Set in 1880s Colorado, a mail order bride is full of doubts when another mail order bride arrives to marry the same man. Second in the "Blue Willow brides" series.
Christmas roses, Amanda Cabot.
In a small mining town a lady who runs a boarding house gets a new lodger.
Against the tide, Elizabeth Camden.
Lydia Pallas, a translator for the U.S. Navy, is hired by Alexander Banebridge, a man who equally attracts and aggravates her, to translate a seemingly innocuous collection of European documents, and finds herself in the middle of a secret war against some of the most dangerous criminals on the East Coast.
Behind the sun, Deborah Challinor.
Four girls sent to New South Wales make a strong bond and when they arrive and are confined to the overcrowded grim Parramatta Female Factory, they need to rely on each other to survive.
The adventuress, Nicholas Coleridge.
The rise and rise of a girl from Portsmouth's back streets to the boardrooms of global empires, media moguls, footballers and royals.
The best of daughters, Dilly Court.
Daisy is drawn to the suffragette movement but when her father faces ruin she has to put family first - then World War I intervenes.
Jenny's war, Margaret Dickinson.
Is it possible for a ten-year-old girl to fall in love? Jenny Mercer thought so. Evacuated to Lincolnshire from the East End of London at the outbreak of war, she is frightened of the wide open spaces and the huge skies. At first, she is treated badly by the two spinsters with whom she is billeted. But the kindly Thornton family soon makes her feel welcome.
The gods of Gotham, Lyndsay Faye.
August 1845 in New York; enter the dark, unforgiving city underworld of the legendary Five Points. After a fire decimated a swathe of lower Manhattan, and following years of passionate political dispute, New York City at long last formed an official Police Department. Strong tale of social upheaval and one man's fight for justice.
A trail of fire : four Outlander tales, Diana Gabaldon.
Four stories featuring characters from her enormously popular Outlander series.
People of the Black Sun, Kathleen O'Neal Gear and W. Michael Gear.
Fourth in the "People of the Black Sun" series.
The trader's dream, Anna Jacobs.
Third in the Trader series. Follows "The trader's sister."
A love surrendered, Julie Lessman.
A beautiful young woman moves to Boston in 1932, longing for romance and falls hard for the man who broke her sister's heart. 3rd in the "Winds of change" series.
The golden land, Di Morrissey.
Natalie is a young Gold Coast mother with a loving husband, two small children and a happy lifestyle. While helping her mother move house, she finds a little box containing a Burmese artefact. When Natalie learns its unique history through a letter left by her great-great uncle, it ignites an interest in its country of origin and her uncle's unfulfilled plans for this curio.
The streets, Anthony Quinn.
1882 and David Wildeblod arrives from rural Norfolk to a job in London, recording the lives of the labouring classes of London and meeting some VIPs who have a radical and nasty solution.
Ravenscliffe, Jane Sanderson.
Yorkshire 1904 and life at Netherwood Hall is changing. Second in series.
The roots of the olive tree, Courtney Miller Santo.
Five generations of firstborn women, living together in the same house on an olive grove in Northern California. Debut novel.
The sins of the mother, Danielle Steel.
High powered businesswoman plans a lavish holiday on a yacht in the Mediterranean with her grown up children.
The gilded lily, Deborah Swift.
Winter 1661 and two sisters flee their rural home for London where they run into threatening characters. A vivid picture of Restoration London.
Habits of the house, Fay Weldon.
An aristocratic household in the last three months of the 19th century. First in a new series.

Science Fiction, Fantasy & Horror

Exodus code, John Barrowman and Carole E. Barrowman.
It starts with a series of unexplained events. Earth tremors across the globe. Women being driven insane by their heightened and scrambled senses. And the world is starting to notice the number one Twitter trend is numbered real femme fatales. Governments and scientists are bewildered and silent. The world needs Torchwood, but there's not much of Torchwood left.
Bowl of heaven, Gregory Benford and Larry Niven.
A human expedition to another star system is jeopardized by the discovery of an immense bowl-shaped structure in space that leads to hostile alien encounters and profound revelations about humanity's place in the universe.
Ironskin, Tina Connolly.
Historical fantasy debut with echoes of "Jane Eyre" as governess to a "special" child, born during the war between humans and the fey, becomes intrigued by her Mr Rochester like employer.
The eternal flame, Greg Egan.
Second book in the sf Orthogonal series.
The ward, S.L. Grey.
Horror story about a plastic surgery addict who is asked by a celebrity photographer trapped in a sinister hospital to arrange an escape.
Great North Road, Peter F. Hamilton.
Standalone title set in Newcastle-upon-Tyne in 2142 A.D. where a rich family of clones are murdered and the crime ehcoes the murder of a North clone billionaire twenty years ago on a tropical planet.
Dolly : a ghost story, Susan Hill.
A story of two damaged children filled with unease, the supernatural and horror. Latest by Hill in her "Woman in black" mode.
Devil said bang, Richard Kadrey.
Latest Sandman Slim supernatural thriller (following on from "Aloha from hell") sends James Stark, now king of hell, back to Los Angeles.
Brink of chaos, Tim LaHaye & Craig Parshall.
Third book of The End series, about the Middle East, the end times and the approach of The Rapture.
Apocalypse cow, Michael Logan.
A wacky fantasy comedy that was one of the joint winners of the first Terry Pratchett "Anywhere but here, Anywhere but now" prize.
Flame of Sevenwaters, Juliet Marillier.
Maeve returns to Sevenwaters to find the country in turmoil after Prince Mac Dara's desperate attempts to return his only son to the Otherworld put innocents in peril. Fantasy from the N.Z. author.
The scrivener's tale, Fiona McIntosh.
Fantasy adventure that begins in present day Paris and moves to Morgravia, a fantasy kingdom.
Iced, Karen Marie Moning.
Starts a new urban paranormal trilogy that picks up where "Shadowfever" left off.
A blink of the screen : collected shorter fiction, Terry Pratchett.
Here for the first time are his short stories and other short form fiction collected into one volume. A "Blink of the Screen" charts the course of Pratchett's long writing career: from his school days through to his first writing job on the Bucks Free Press, and the origins of his debut novel, "The Carpet People"; and on again to the dizzy mastery of the phenomenally successful Discworld series.
The fading, Christopher Ransom.
What would you do if you became invisible. Horror story about a man who can and how his ability unleashes unworldly evil.