Recreation

New Titles Fiction March 2013 (arrived in February)

Adventure

Larry Bond's Red dragon rising: blood of war, Larry Bond and Jim DeFelice.
While U.S. Army Major Zeus Murphy leads a covert Vietnamese counterattack against China, SEAL Lieutenant Ric Kerfer is sent by the president to destroy a Vietnamese doomsday weapon capable of destroying Southeast Asia.
The blood gospel, James Rollins and Rebecca Cantrell.
In his first-ever collaboration, James Rollins combines his skill for cutting-edge science and historical mystery with award-winning novelist Rebecca Cantrell's talent for suspense.
Night strike, Chris Ryan.
The second book in the Chris Ryan Extreme series. Former SAS hero John Bald is a man at war with himself and fighting a losing battle with the bottle. But then he is reluctantly thrust back into battle.

American Fiction

Insane city, Dave Barry.
A crazy comedy about a man who boards a plane for a wedding in Florida where he runs into trouble including an large albino Burmese python.
The lost art of mixing, Erica Bauermeister.
Sequel to "The school of essential ingredients" has Lillian back, cooking on all four burners at her own restaurant.
The aviator's wife, Melanie Benjamin.
Despite her own major achievements, she becomes the first licensed female glider pilot in the United States, Anne Morrow Lindbergh is viewed merely as Charles Lindbergh's wife. The fairy-tale life she once longed for will bring heartbreak and hardships, ultimately pushing her to reconcile her need for love and her desire for independence, and to embrace, at last, life's infinite possibilities for change and happiness.
Scent of darkness, Margot Berwin.
The story of 18 year old Evangeline whose grandmother creates a perfume for her that makes her irresistible.
The best of youth, Michael Dahlie.
After inheriting a large sum of money, Henry Lang moves to Brooklyn to live like a twenty-something hipster and pursue his dream of a publishing career but instead finds himself in increasingly disturbing situations. Likeable tragi-comedy of manners.
The Avalon Ladies Scrapbooking Society : a novel, Darien Gee.
At Madeline's Tea Salon, the cozy hub of the Avalon community, local residents scrapbook their memories and make new ones. But across town, other Avalonians are struggling to free themselves of the past. Enter Bettie Shelton, the irascible founder of the Avalon Ladies Scrapbooking Society. From the author of the bestseller "Friendship bread".
News from heaven : the Bakerton stories, Jennifer Haigh.
In a collection of interconnected short stories, Jennifer Haigh returns to the vividly imagined world of Bakerton, Pennsylvania, a coal mining town rocked by decades of painful transition. From its heyday during two World Wars through its slow decline, Bakerton is a town that refuses to give up gracefully.
The twelve tribes of Hattie, Ayana Mathis.
Strong debut in the vein of Toni Morrison that has been touted by Oprah.
Wise men, Stuart Nadler.
Set in the wealthy Cape Cod world where one of a rich family with lots of secrets falls for a black woman in the early 1950s.
Invisible monsters remix, Chuck Palahniuk.
Palahniuk's fashion-model protagonist has it all, boyfriend, career, loyal best friend until an accident destroys her face, her ability to speak, and her self-esteem. Outrageous and sharp as all his work.
The storyteller, Jodi Picoult.
Sage Singer, who befriends an old man who's particularly beloved in her community. Josef Weber is everyone favourite retired teacher and Little League coach and they strike up a friendship at the bakery where Sage works. One day he asks Sage for a favour: to kill him!

Australian fiction

The midnight dress, Karen Foxlee.
The story of a teenage girl who goes missing in a small coastal town. Interesting novel that has echoes of "The lovely bones".
The Rosie project, Graeme Simsion.
The Rosie Project is a classic screwball romance. Don Tillman, professor of genetics, has never been on a second date. Then a chance encounter gives him an idea. He will design a questionnaire, a sixteen-page, scientifically researched document to find the perfect partner.

British Fiction

The Friday gospels, Jenn Ashworth.
A day in the life of a Lancastrian Mormon family as they prepare to welcome son Gary home from Utah while his brother and sister and father plan their escape. Interesting novel from an author who was raised as a Mormon.
Something like happy, John Burnside.
Takes you into the lives of men and women trapped in marriage, ensnared by drink, diminished by disappointment; all kinds of women, all kinds of men; lonely, unfaithful, dying, driving empty roads at night. The latest from one of Scotland's most talented authors.
Ten things I've learnt about love, Sarah Butler.
The story of Emma's two brothers: one who died five years ago and one who left home and never returned. A tale of family secrets with a vivid depiction of London. Very promising first novel.
How to be a good wife, Emma Chapman.
Marta and Hector have been married for a long time, so long that she finds it difficult to remember her life before him. He has always taken care of her, and she has always done everything she can to be a good wife. But when Hector comes home with a secret, their ordered domestic life begins to unravel. In the shadows there is a blonde girl that only Marta can see. And she is trying to tell her something. An impressive debut.
Little exiles, Robert Dinsdale.
A small boy is abandoned by his mother and finds himself on a boat to Aussie (in 1948) for a better life. A touching novel based on the forced child migration between Britain and Australia after World War II.
The storyteller's daughter, Maria Goodin.
A touching and likeable novel about a girl who rebels against her cookery-obsessed mother's tales of her life by looking at life more scientically.
The notable brain of Maximilian Ponder, J.W. Ironmonger.
Max's life changes dramatically the day he buried a dead labrador and fought a duel with his father. On his 21st birthday, Max shut himself away from the world to embark on an attempt to record every memory in his brain. Three long decades pass, and Max now lies dead, surrounded by his magnum opus The Catalogue.
The firebird, Susanna Kearsley.
Nicola Marter was born with a gift. When she touches an object, she sometimes sees glimpses into its past. When Nicola comes across a wooden carving, reputedly once belonging to Russia's Empress Catherine, she faces a dilemma. There's no proof of the object's past, but Nicola knows the truth and unearths a story which will change her life for ever.
Black vodka : ten stories, Deborah Levy ; introduced by Michele Roberts.
How does love change us? And how do we change ourselves for love or for lack of it? Ten short stories by the author of the 2012 Booker shortlisted "Swimming home."
Don't want to miss a thing, Jill Mansell.
A man who lives a carefree and affluent London lifestyle gets a shakeup when his sister dies, leaving him in charge of her 8 month old daughter.
A cottage by the sea, Carole Matthews.
Grace has been best friends with Ella and Flick since university. The late-night chats, shared heartaches and good times have created a bond that has stood the test of time. Now in their thirties, Grace is always a bit disappointed about how little time they get to spend together, so when Ella invites them all to stay for a week in her cottage in South Wales, Grace jumps at the chance to see her old friends.
The misinterpretation of Tara Jupp, Eva Rice.
1960s set story of country girl named Tara and her glittering transformation into a pop singer and the secrets and broken friendships behind her success.
Light shining in the forest, Paul Torday.
Darker tale than usual for the author of the bestseller "Salmon fishing in the Yemen." The story of a failed politician who is appointed children's czar by a new government and what happens when two children disappear and the bureaucrat is pressured to get involved.
Husband, missing, Polly Williams.
Gina has only been married six months when her husband goes to Spain and vanishes.

Fiction from the rest of the World

The childhood of Jesus, J. M. Coetzee.
A fable about childhood, destiny and being an outsider that some critics are predicting may win Coetzee another Booker. Time will tell.
The old child ; and The book of words, Jenny Erpenbeck
A child is found standing on the street, with an empty bucket in her hand, and no memory of her name, her family or her past. Elsewhere, a girl grows up surrounded by familiar faces: a wet nurse, a piano teacher, a gardener, a best friend and a distant mother but soon finds them slipping mysteriously from her life. Translated from the German.
Visitation, Jenny Erpenbeck
By the side of a lake in Brandenburg, a young architect builds the house of his dreams a summerhouse with wrought-iron balconies, stained-glass windows the colour of jewels, and a bedroom with a hidden closet, all set within a beautiful garden.
Adam in Eden, Carlos Fuentes
A respected Mexican businessman finds his idyllic life crumbling in the face of his wife's infidelity with a corrupt director of national security, his brother-in- law's worship of a child preacher, and his mistress' break with reality.
The taste of apple seeds, Katharina Hagena
Bestseller in Europe. Woman recalls her childhood spent in her grandmother's garden. Now she's inherited the house and is spending another summer there recalling her past.
How should a person be?, Sheila Heti.
Droll, odd, original, a story of a youngish playwright with a failed marriage, a free spirit friend and a lover. Part literary fiction, part self help manual and part confessional. Canadian author.
Chinaman : the legend of Pradeep Matthew : a novel, Shehan Karunatilaka.
Where is Pradeep S. Mathew - spin bowler extraordinaire and 'the greatest cricketer to walk the earth'? Retired sportswriter W. G. Karunasena is dying, and he wants to know. W.G. will spend his final months drinking arrack, making his wife unhappy, ignoring his son and tracking down the mysterious Pradeep. Winner of a notable Asian literary prize.
The walking, Laleh Khadivi.
Tells the story of a Kurdish boy forced to betray his people in service of the new Iranian nation, and its tragic consequences as he grows into manhood as a powerful military leader.
Pow!, Mo Yan
Taking you on a bizarre romp through the Chinese countryside, the author treats you to a cornucopia of cooked animal flesh: ostrich, camel, donkey, and dog, as well as the more common varieties. As the dual narratives merge into one another, each informing and illuminating the other, he probes the character and lifestyle of modern China. This novel by the Nobel Prize winner has been described as a comic masterpiece.
The town that drowned, Riel Nason.
Regional Winner for Canada of the Commonwealth Book Prize, the story of a small town where a dam is being constructed and the residents prepare for the demise of their town.
A tale for the time being, Ruth Ozeki.
A woman in Canada finds a lunchbox washed up and in it she finds the diary of a young Japanese girl. A bond is created through the diary and she sets out to find what happened to the girl.
The Gurkha's daughter: stories, Prajwal Parajuly.
Stories of the Nepalese people - from a disfigured servant girl planning to leave to a Hindu festival, the dilemma of a shopkeeper and what happens to Nepalese immigrants in New York.
Fish change direction in cold weather, Pierre Szalowski.
An extraordinary and heartwarming tale of love, vodka, coming out and very cold weather with an ice storm causing havoc. One critic described it as a book that makes you happy!
City of angels ; or, The overcoat of Dr. Freud, Christa Wolf.
Final novel from East Germany's most acclaimed writer, a powerful tale, quite autobiographical, about the East German secret police and the author's experiences in Los Angeles.

Mystery

Never saw it coming, Linwood Barclay.
Fake pyschic out for cash from grieving people pays a visit to a husband whose wife disappeared then finds he may be a suspect and she is put in real danger.
Chamber music, Tom Benn.
His second tough and gritty crime story. Manchester 1988 and Henry Bane is about to get involved in a turf war with as Yardie known as Hagfish, a war that will claim lives and cement vendettas.
Dogstar rising, Parker Bilal.
Summer 2001 and the bodies of boys turn up on the backstreets of Cairo and suspicions point to the Coptic community. Makana, Sudanese exile, investigates in the second of this series. Has been praised for its colourful and exotic backgrounds.
The trap, Kimberley Chambers.
Martina Cole style yarn about murder, the underworld, violence, treachery and the usual East End settings.
Dead water, Ann Cleeves.
When a journalist's body is found at a Shetlands marina, Detective Inspector Willow Reeves is drafted in from The Hebrides to investigate.
The woman who wouldn't die, Colin Cotterill.
Doctor Siri's latest mystery concerns his wife, Madame Daeng, whose secret past - connected to the struggle against the French - is about to be exposed.
Suspect, Robert Crais.
Struggling to reclaim his career after the devastating murder of his partner eight months earlier, LAPD cop Max Kent is teamed with a traumatised military canine named Maggie who assists Max in an effort to track down his late partner's killer.
Backtrack, Jason Dean.
James Bishop returns in the second novel from Jason Dean. Sometimes a man must take a step back to move forwards. In a small, sleepy Pennsylvania town, the staff of a loan store find themselves at the mercy of a gunman who demands they hand over the store's entire cash reserves. But when the sound of police sirens shatters the silence sooner than expected, the robber is forced to take a young female customer hostage in order to make his escape.
The straw men : being the Twelth of the sorrowful mysteries of Brother Athelstan, Paul Doherty.
Brother Athelstan and Sir John Cranston and the murder of two guests attending a mystery play.
Touch & go, Lisa Gardner.
Nobody understands why the perfect Denbe family has been kidnapped but private eye Tess Leoni is on the trail to find out.
Bay of fires, Poppy Gee.
Debut thriller set on Tasmanian coast where a girl's body is washed up on a beach a year after another girl had gone missing.
Death in St James's Park, Susanna Gregory.
The eighth story in the Thomas Chaloner series set in Restoration London.
The chosen dead, M.R. Hall.
Fifth in series featuring British coroner Jenny Cooper where there's a link between the fate of a man who leapt from a motorway bridge and the death of a teenage girl.
Broke, Mandasue Heller.
Amy is married to Mark who owes a lot to the debt collector and wants her to pay off the debt but things start to get really nasty.
The killing. II, David Hewson
Based on the original screenplay of the second series of the hit Danish television crime series later remade by the Americans.
Silent fear, Katherine Howell.
Paramedic Holly Garland suspects murder when on an emergency call, then detective Ella Marconi believes the same. Australian thriller.
Web of deceit, Katherine Howell.
More Australian crime. A man who is suspected of being delusional and suicidal is later found dead and it may be murder.
Make them pay : a Brock and Poole mystery, Graham Ison.
Brock and Poole investigate a double murder and find themselves caught up in a crime with international implications.
Deadly business, Quintin Jardine.
National day of celebration in Spain and Primavera Blackstone is plagued by a blackmailer and things get really murky.
No way back, Matthew Klein.
Jimmy thinks he knows about loss, about fear, about paranoia. He should think again. Every time Jimmy Thane has been faced with a crossroad, he's taken the wrong path. But after years of drinking and womanising, he has been given one last chance to save both his career and his marriage; he has seven weeks to transform a failing company. From the moment he enters the building there's something wrong the place is too quiet, too empty. Eerie thriller.
Murders most foul, Alanna Knight.
1861 Edinburgh and Detective Constable Faro investigates a murder that may be part of the strange plan devised by the playing card killer.
A narrow margin of error, Faith Martin.
Ex-DI Hilary Green is handed a cold case file: who murdered a young Oxford student over ten years ago and why?
I hear the sirens in the street, Adrian McKinty.
Second in the crime trilogy (following "The cold cold ground") set in Northern Ireland and dealing with the discovery of a torso in a suitcase with DI Sean Duffy on the trail of a killer.
No. 1 suspect, the Mulgray Twins.
When a murder is witnessed on a webcam at the Seabird Centre near Edinburgh, DJ Smith knows that a nasty drug baron is behind it. Latest in this quirky Scottish series.
Marbeck and the double-dealer, John Pilkington.
Starts a new historical mystery series featuring Elizabethan intelligencer Martin Marbeck.
Proof of guilt, Charles Todd.
When the clues in a hit-and-run investigation lead him to two families famous for producing and selling the world's best Madeira wine, Scotland Yard's Ian Rutledge is pitted against his new supervisor, who has his own suspect.
Two evils, P.J Tracy.
The latest thriller from the mother and daughter writing team. Homicide detectives Magozzi and Rolseath turn to a computer analyst for help with a multiple murder investigation.
Murder with the lot, Sue Williams.
Introduces sassy self-appointed private eye Cass Tuplin and murder in the small Aussie town of Rusty Bore.
Capital punishment, Robert Wilson.
An Indian tycoon's daughter is kidnapped and Charles Boxer, ex-army security man, is on the case in this strong crime thriller about the darker side of London.

Romance

Driving her crazy, Amy Andrews.
The secret wedding dress, Ally Blake.
Hot-shot doc comes to town, Susan Carlisle.
Her shameful secret, Susanna Carr.
Dare she dream of forever?, Lucy Clark.
The night that started it all, Anna Cleary.
No longer forbidden?, Dani Collins.
The incorrigible playboy, Emma Darcy.
Breaking the playboy's rules, Emily Forbes.
The enigmatic Greek, Catherine George.
The Petrelli heir, Kim Lawrence.
A bride for the maverick millionaire, Marion Lennox.
The surgeon's doorstep baby, Marion Lennox.
Beholden to the throne, Carol Marinelli.
The heir's proposal, Raye Morgan.
Take one arranged marriage, Shoma Narayanan.
The soldier's sweetheart, Soraya Lane.
Fifty bales of hay, Rachel Treasure.
The billionaire's fair lady, Barbara Wallace.
Wild about the man, Joss Wood.
Her little white lie, Maisey Yates.

Saga & Historical

Chasing the light : a novel of Antarctica, Jesse Blackadder.
1930s and whaling is booming in Antarctica and the race to be the first woman to reach Antarctica is on.
A dream for tomorrow, Melody Carlson.
Second in the "Homeward on the Oregon Trail" series.
The broken man, Josephine Cox.
Adam, a twelve year old boy bullied by his father, seeks help from the school bus driver but tragedy unfolds in the family home.
The girl under the olive tree, Leah Fleming.
1941 and Cretan villagers shelter escaping POWs. Sixty years later, a woman and son invite a feisty 85 year old aunt to a reunion where she is able to relive her wartime experiences.
Passions of war, Hilary Green.
A thrilling and passionate First World War saga - second in the Leonora Trilogy 1914.
The death of kings, Conn Iggulden.
The young Julius Caesar is serving on board a war galley, gaining a fearsome reputation. Then his ship is captured and he is abandoned on the North African coast. After gathering a legion of men powerful enough to gain vengeance on his captors and to suppress an uprising in Greece, he returns to Rome a hero.
A place of hope, Anna Jacobs.
Emily falls victim to a near fatal accident and her ruthless nephew takes control of her assets and it's only by escaping to a hotel on the edge of the Lancashire moors that she can find happiness.
The ambassador's daughter, Pam Jenoff.
Paris, 1919. The world's leaders have gathered to rebuild from the ashes of the Great War. But for one woman, the City of Light harbours dark secrets and dangerous liaisons, for which many could pay dearly.
Don't let me go, Susan Lewis.
Would you risk everything for the child you loved? Charlotte Nicholls has made a new life for herself and little Chloe. They left everything behind, determined to forget a past which has cast a shadow over both their lives. Charlotte would do anything for Chloe. But just when she feels they might have a chance of happiness at last, Charlotte is forced to confront the consequences of the heartbreaking decision she made only a few months earlier.
The sweet girl, Annabel Lyon.
Pythias is her father's daughter, right down to her hard, intelligent slate-grey eyes. Aristotle has never been able to resist a keen mind in another even in his own girl-child who should be content with the kitchen, the loom and a life dictated by the rhythms of childbearing.
Illumination, Matthew Plampin.
Powerful tale of revolution, love and intense rivalry set in 1870 during the four month siege of Paris.
Until the end of time, Danielle Steel.
In this story of two parallel destinies, a young New York lawyer and his wife link their destinies forever in a follow-your-dream move to rural Wyoming. Thirty-eight years later a Manhattan publisher and a young Amish woman become irresistibly drawn together through her writing.

Science Fiction, Fantasy & Horror

My big fat supernatural honeymoon, P.N. Elrod.
Can a vampire-hunter enjoy her honeymoon when she's just learned that her new hubby is a werewolf?
A natural history of dragons, Marie Brennan.
Imaginative tale of Lady Trent, the world's greatest dragon naturalist. A tale of dragons, scientific pioneers and great discoveries.
Bedlam, Christopher Brookmyre.
Would it be fantasy or nightmare to enter the world of a video game. Clever mix of satire, adventure, science fiction and action.
Hunger, Melvin Burgess.
YA author's novella about a woman who wakes up one morning covered in mud then hears reports of a desecrated grave and wonders. In the new series published by Hammer, the horror movie company which is now back in business.
Queen of nowhere, Jaine Fenn.
Fifth volume in the Hidden Empire science fiction series.
Ever after, Kim Harrison.
The ever after - the demonic world parallelling the mortal world - is in danger of disappearing and witch turned daywalking demon Rachel Morgan must use her gifts to save those closest to her while preventing an apocalypse.
The goddess chronicle, Natsuo Kirino
Two sisters, born to the family of an oracle, are separated as children in this dark and twisted tale of gods, death and revenge.
Imager's battalion, L.E. Modesitt, Jr.
Sequel to "Princeps: following the magical hero Quaeryt as he leads history's first Imager fighting force into war.
Adam Robots : short stories, Adam Roberts.
Gathered together for the first time from a major publisher are the short stories of Adam Roberts. Unique twisted visions from the edges and the centre of the SF genres.
The explorer, James Smythe.
Man alone on a spacecraft, going nowhere and running out of fuel, his five crewmates having each died.
How to live safely in a science fictional universe, Charles Yu.
With only TAMMY, a slightly tearful computer with self-esteem issues, a software boss called Phil Microsoft Middle Manager 3.0 and an imaginary dog called Ed for company, fixing time machines is a lonely business and Charles Yu is stuck in a rut.