
The Library Scoop
Senior - 2025 - Term 1
Welcome back to the Library!
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New Books
Drama
I Hope this Doesn't Find You
Sadie Wen is perfect on paper- school captain, valedictorian, and a "pleasure to have in class." It's not easy, but she has a trick to keep her model-student smile plastered on her face at all times- she channels all her frustrations into her email drafts. She'd never send them of course - she'd rather die than hurt anyone's feelings - but it's a relief to let loose on her power-hungry English teacher or a freeloading classmate taking credit for Sadie's work.
All her most vehemently worded emails are directed at her infuriating cocaptain, Julius Gong, whose arrogance and competitive streak have irked Sadie since they were kids. "You're attention starved and self-obsessed and unbearably vain . . . I really hope your comb breaks and you run out of whatever expensive hair products you've been using to make your hair appear deceptively soft . . ."
Sadie doesn't have to hold back in her emails, because nobody will ever read them . . . that is, until they're accidentally sent out.
Overnight, Sadie's carefully crafted, conflict-free life is turned upside down. It's her worst nightmare - now everyone at school knows what she really thinks of them, and they're not afraid to tell her what they really think of her either. But amidst the chaos, there's one person growing to appreciate the "real" Sadie - Julius, the only boy she's sworn to hate . . .
Orbital
Six astronauts rotate in their spacecraft above the earth. They are there to collect meteorological data, conduct scientific experiments and test the limits of the human body. But mostly they observe. Together they watch their silent blue planet, circling it sixteen times, spinning past continents and cycling through seasons, taking in glaciers and deserts, the peaks of mountains and the swell of oceans. Endless shows of spectacular beauty witnessed in a single day. Yet although separated from the world they cannot escape its constant pull. News reaches them of the death of a mother, and with it comes thoughts of returning home, They look on as a typhoon gathers over an island and people they love, in awe of its magnificence and fearful of its destruction. The fragility of human life fills their conversations, their fears, their dreams. So far from earth, they have never felt more a part - or protective - of it. They begin to ask, what is life without earth? What is earth without humanity?
Becoming Mrs Mulberry
The once impoverished medical student Agnes Glock is now the fabulously wealthy Mrs Mulberry. Her estate in the mountains is magnificent, a haven for those too ravaged by the Great War to cope with the society that first condemned them to battle and which now shuns them. The War has, however, stolen Agnes's chance to graduate as a doctor, as well as the fiance she adored. Her husband, Douglas Mulberry, remains shellshocked and unable to speak. Their scandalous marriage is a farce, an act of kindness to keep Douglas's fortune from his uncle's grasp. A chance visit to a circus brings about a mystery in the form of a fairylike child whose guardians claim was brought up by dingoes. The child cannot speak and seems deformed. But Agnes is inexplicably drawn to her and believes she can be cured. The decision to save the child will bring Agnes's lost fiance into her life again, as well as awaken the love of her husband who finds his voice as the three try to solve the mystery of the 'dingo girl'. Agnes has put aside her own life and the dreams she once had. But now she has choices, with the main question the hardest: Who is Mrs Agnes Mulberry?
By Any Other Name
In 1581, Emilia Bassano is allowed no voice of her own. But as the Lord Chamberlain's mistress she has access to the theatre and finds a way to bring her work to the stage secretly. But creating some of the world's greatest dramatic masterpieces comes at a cost: by paying a man for the use of his name, she will write her own out of history. His name? William Shakespeare. In present day Manhattan, playwright Melina Green has written a new work inspired by the life of her Elizabethan ancestor Emilia Bassano. Although the challenges are different four hundred years later, the playing field is still not level for women in theatre. Is Melina-like Emilia-willing to forfeit her credit as author, to see her work performed?
The Messenger
Meet Ed Kennedy - cab driving prodigy, pathetic card player and useless at sex. He lives in the suburbs, shares coffee with his dog, the Doorman, and he's in nervous-love with Audrey. His life is one of peaceful routine and incompetence - until he inadvertently stops a bank robbery. That's when the first ace turns up. That's when Ed becomes the messenger. Chosen to care, he makes his way through town, helping and hurting (where necessary) until only one question remains. Who's behind Ed's mission?
We Deserve Monuments
Seventeen-year-old Avery Anderson is convinced her senior year is ruined when she's uprooted from her life in DC and forced into the hostile home of her terminally ill grandmother, Mama Letty. The tension between Avery’s mom and Mama Letty makes for a frosty arrival and unearths past drama they refuse to talk about. Every time Avery tries to look deeper, she’s turned away, leaving her desperate to learn the secrets that split her family in two.
While tempers flare in her avoidant family, Avery finds friendship in unexpected places: in Simone Cole, her captivating next-door neighbor, and Jade Oliver, daughter of the town’s most prominent family―whose mother’s murder remains unsolved.
As the three girls grow closer―Avery and Simone’s friendship blossoming into romance―the sharp-edged opinions of their small southern town begin to hint at something insidious underneath. The racist history of Bardell, Georgia is rooted in Avery’s family in ways she can’t even imagine. With Mama Letty's health dwindling every day, Avery must decide if digging for the truth is worth toppling the delicate relationships she's built in Bardell―or if some things are better left buried.
Fantasy
Spectacular: A Caravel Holiday Novella
Snowflakes are falling. Invitations are arriving. And holiday magic is swirling in the Capital City of the Meridian Empire. It's Great Holiday Eve Eve. Scarlett Dragna is planning a spectacular Holiday celebration for the city. Donatella is searching for the perfect gift. Julian is looking ridiculously handsome in green. And Legend. Well, sadly Legend is not a fan of the Great Holiday. Tella is hoping her perfect gift will change his mind. Unfortunately, she hasn't found this perfect gift just yet. But it is Great Holiday Eve Eve, surely there's some holiday magic swirling around. Welcome, welcome back to the world of Caraval, where even holidays are not as they seem.
They Watch from Below
When Addie Velde receives an invitation to attend an early orientation program at the University of the Arches, she eagerly accepts. After all, the Arches - with its idyllic beachside campus - is her mom's beloved alma mater, and there's nothing Addie wants more than to leave her own mark. But from the moment she arrives on campus and moves into her gloomy dorm, nicknamed The Crypt, Addie realizes there are more sinister secrets to uncover than sandy days in her future. Addie's search for answers launches her straight into the heart of an old campus mystery which to this day keeps students and faculty wary of the shadowy "Buried Ones", believed to be the omens of death. A vanished professor, an occult society, and the chance her family was involved pushes her investigation into dangerous territory. Will she lose herself to the Buried Ones or end their sinister reign once and for all?
Curious Tides
After a treacherous night at the Dovermere sea caves leaves her with a strange, dark magic, Emory is desperate to uncover the truth behind the drownings that led to the death of her best friend Romie and the cult-like secret society she's convinced her classmates were involved in. Well-versed in the deadly nature of his Eclipse magic, Baz is the only person Emory can turn to. But he is on his own quest to unravel his sister Romie's final months. Emory's investigations lead her down a path more dangerous than she could have imagined. And when her magic draws the secret society's attention, she finds their thirst for power strangely alluring... until she realises it is her they thirst for.
Time's Convert
On the battlefields of the American Revolution, Matthew de Clermont meets Marcus MacNeil, a young surgeon from Massachusetts, during a moment of political awakening when it seems that the world is on the brink of a brighter future. When Matthew offers him a chance at immortality and a new life, free from the restraints of his puritanical upbringing, Marcus seizes the opportunity to become a vampire. But his transformation is not an easy one and the ancient traditions and responsibilities of the de Clermont family clash with Marcus's deeply-held beliefs in liberty, equality, and brotherhood. Fast forward to contemporary London, where Marcus has fallen for Phoebe Taylor, a young employee at Sotheby's. She decides to become a vampire, too, and though the process at first seems uncomplicated, the couple discovers that the challenges facing a human who wishes to be a vampire are no less formidable in the modern world than they were in the 18th century. The shadows that Marcus believed he'd escaped centuries ago may return to haunt them both--forever.
Serpent and Dove Series
Bound as one, to love, honor, or burn. Book one of a stunning fantasy trilogy, this tale of witchcraft and forbidden love is perfect for fans of Kendare Blake and Sara Holland.
Two years ago, Louise le Blanc fled her coven and took shelter in the city of Cesarine, forsaking all magic and living off whatever she could steal. There, witches like Lou are hunted. They are feared. And they are burned.
As a huntsman of the Church, Reid Diggory has lived his life by one principle: Thou shalt not suffer a witch to live. But when Lou pulls a wicked stunt, the two are forced into an impossible situation—marriage.
Lou, unable to ignore her growing feelings, yet powerless to change what she is, must make a choice. And love makes fools of us all.
Trending...
The Crimson Moth
On the night Rune's life changed forever, blood ran in the streets. Now, in the aftermath of a devastating revolution, witches have been diminished from powerful rulers to outcast ruthlessly hunted due to their waning magic, and Rune must hide what she is. Spending her days pretending to be nothing more than a vapid young socialite, Rune spends her nights as the Crimson Moth, a witch vigilante who rescues her kind from being purged. When a rescue goes wrong, Rune decides to throw the witch hunters off her scent by courting the handsome Gideon Sharpe. Except Gideon is a notorious and unforgiving witch hunter loyal to the revolution. And falling for him would be deadly...
Emily Wilde Series
Enter the world of the hidden folk - and discover the most whimsical, enchanting and heart-warming tale you'll read this year, featuring the intrepid Emily Wilde. . .
Emily Wilde is good at many things: she is the foremost expert on the study of faeries; she is a genius scholar and a meticulous researcher who is writing the world's first encylopaedia of faerie lore. But Emily Wilde is not good at people
So when she arrives in the hardscrabble village of Hrafnsvik, Emily has no intention of befriending the gruff townsfolk. Nor does she care to spend time with another new arrival: her dashing and insufferably handsome academic rival Wendell Bambleby
But as Emily gets closer to uncovering the secrets of the Hidden Ones - the most elusive of all faeries - she also finds herself on the trail of another mystery: who is Wendell Bambleby, and what does he really want? To find the answer, she'll have to unlock the greatest mystery of all - her own heart.
Adventure
Saint
As a boy, Elias learned the hard way what happens when you don't heed the old tales. Nine years after his lack of superstition got his father killed, he's grown into a young man of piety, with a deep reverence for the hallowed sea and her fickle favor. As stories of the fisherman's son who has managed to escape the most deadly of storms spreads from port to port, his devotion to the myths and creeds has given him the reputation of the luckiest fellow to sail the Narrows. Now, he's mere days away from getting everything his father ever dreamed for him: a ship of his own, a crew, and a license that names him as one of the first Narrows-born traders. But when a young dredger from the Unnamed Sea with more than one secret crosses his path, Elias' faith will be tested like never before. The greater the pull he feels toward her, the farther he drifts from the things he's spent the last three years working for. He is dangerously close to repeating his mistakes and he's seen first hand how vicious the jealous sea can be. If he's going to survive her retribution, he will have to decide which he wants more, the love of the girl who could change their shifting world, or the sacred beliefs that earned him the name that he's known for - Saint.
Historical
The Glassmaker
Venice, 1486. Across the lagoon lies Murano. Time flows differently here – like the glass the island’s maestros spend their lives learning to handle.
Women are not meant to work with glass, but Orsola Rosso flouts convention to save her family from ruin. She works in secret, knowing her creations must be perfect to be accepted by men. But perfection may take a lifetime.
Skipping like a stone through the centuries, we follow Orsola as she hones her craft through war and plague, tragedy and triumph, love and loss.
The beads she creates will adorn the necks of empresses and courtesans from Paris to Vienna – but will she ever earn the respect of those closest to her?
Where the Heart Should Be
Ireland, 1846. Nell is working as a scullery maid in the kitchen of the Big House. Once she loved school and books and dreaming. But there's not much choice of work when the land grows food that rots in the earth. Now she is scrubbing, peeling, washing, sweeping for Sir Philip Wicken, the man who owns her home, her family's land, their crops, everything. His dogs are always well fed, even as famine sets in. Upstairs in the Big House, where Nell is forbidden to enter, is Johnny Browning, newly arrived from England: the young nephew who will one day inherit it all. And as hunger and disease run rampant all around them, a spark of life and hope catches light when Nell and Johnny find each other.
Romance
Gwen & Art are Not in Love
Gwen, the quick-witted Princess of England, and Arthur, future lord and general gadabout, have been betrothed since birth. Unfortunately, the only thing they can agree on is that they hate each other. When Gwen catches Art kissing a boy and Art discovers where Gwen hides her diary (complete with racy entries about Bridget Leclair, the kingdom's only female knight), they become reluctant allies. By pretending to fall for each other, their mutual protection will be assured. But how long can they keep up the ruse? With Gwen growing closer to Bridget, and Art becoming unaccountably fond of Gabriel, Gwen's infuriatingly serious, bookish brother, the path to true love is looking far from straight ...
A Thousand Boy Kisses
One kiss lasts a moment. But a thousand kisses can last a lifetime. One boy. One girl. A bond that is forged in an instant and cherished for a decade. A bond that neither time nor distance can break. A bond that will last forever. Or so they believe. When seventeen-year-old Rune Kristiansen returns from his native Norway to the sleepy town of Blossom Grove, Georgia, where he befriended Poppy Litchfield as a child, he has just one thing on his mind. Why did the girl who was one half of his soul, who promised to wait faithfully for his return, cut him off without a word of explanation? Rune’s heart was broken two years ago when Poppy fell silent. When he discovers the truth, he finds that the greatest heartache is yet to come.
A Thousand Broken Pieces
After losing her beloved sister three years ago, Savanna Litchfield has been living half a life. When Savannah's therapist suggests joining a trip around the world for grieving teens she agrees to go clutching tightly to the unread journal her sister left behind. Seventeen-year-old Cael Woods is angry. One year after losing his older brother his life has spiralled. Once the most promising hockey player in the junior league, Cael can no longer step onto the ice. When his parents sign him up for a trip abroad no part of him wants to go. As Cael and Savannah embark on a journey they begin to find solace in each other. As they start to heal piece by broken piece, could this be the start of a love they never thought they'd feel again?
Loverboy
Crime
Where Sleeping Girls Lie
Sade Hussein is the new girl at the prestigious Alfred Nobel Academy. She has no idea what to expect of her mysterious new boarding school - an institution steeped in tradition and secrets. But she certainly didn't imagine her roommate, Elizabeth, to go missing on her first night. Or for people to think Sade had something to do with it. Suddenly everyone is talking about Sade, including the Unholy Trinity: the three most popular girls at school. Swept up in their circle, Sade can't shake the sense that there's more to Elizabeth's disappearance - especially as the teachers don't seem to care. And then a student is found dead. It's clear there's more to Alfred Nobel Academy and its students than Sade could have imagined - and she must race to uncover the truth. But secrets lurk around every corner and beneath every surface... secrets that rival even her own.
Heist Royale
Love is an impossible mission . . . the enemy is everywhere in the pulse-pounding follow-up to international heist sensation, Thieves' Gambit, for fans of Jennifer Lynn Barnes and Suzanne Collins.
Six months into working for the Gambit, Ross is reeling from the betrayals of the competition – focusing all her hatred on Devroe – the lover she thought she could trust. On a new heist that takes her across continents, Ross encounters a rival gang stopping her every move. Devroe's mother is at the heart of this dangerous feud and he must decide where his loyalties lie, before there are deadly consequences . . .
The Word is Murder
It's been two years since Injustice aired and Detective Daniel Hawthorne needs cash. Having gotten himself fired from his job at the Metropolitan police, Hawthorne decides to approach Anthony Horowitz. He's investigating a bizarre and complex murder and he wants Anthony to write a book about it, a bestselling book of course, with a 50/50 split. The only catch is they need to solve the crime. But award winning crime writer Anthony Horowitz has never been busier in his life. He's working on Foyle's War and writing his first Sherlock Holmes novel. He has a life of his own and doesn't really want to be involved with a man he finds challenging to say the least. And yet he finds himself fascinated by the case and the downright difficult detective with the brilliant, analytical mind. Would it be really such a crazy idea for Anthony to become the Watson to his Holmes?
Close to Death
The quiet, gated community of Riverview Close offers its inhabitants the perfect life within one of the most desirable areas of London. That is, until Giles Kenworthy moves in with his wife and noisy children, his gas-guzzling cars, loud parties and outrageous plans for a new swimming pool. His neighbours all have a reason to hate him. So when Kenworthy is shot dead with a crossbow bolt through his neck, they all come under suspicion. Only former Detective Daniel Hawthorne has a chance at solving the case, but he's stuck on one part of the puzzle: How do you solve a murder when everyone has the same motive?
That's Not My Name
It was a mistake to trust him. Shivering and bruised, a teen wakes up on the side of a dirt road with no memory of how she got there - or who she is. A passing officer takes her to the police station, and not long after, a frantic man arrives. He's been searching for her for hours. He has her school ID, her birth certificate, and even family photos. He is her father. Her name is Mary. Or so he says. When Lola slammed the car door and stormed off into the night, Drew thought they just needed some time to cool off. Except Lola disappeared, and the sheriff, his friends, and the whole town are convinced Drew murdered his girlfriend. Forget proving his innocence, he needs to find her before it's too late. The longer Lola is missing, the fewer leads there are to follow... and the more danger they both are in.
New Non-Fiction
Normal Women: 900 Years of Making History
Using research skills honed in her work as one of our foremost historical novelists, Gregory trawled through court records to find highway women, beggars and shepherdesses, through newspapers and diaries to find murderers and brides, housewives and pirates, female husbands and hermits. The ‘normal women’ you will meet in her pages went to war, ploughed the fields, campaigned, wrote, and loved. They rode in jousts, flew Spitfires, issued their own currency and built ships, corn mills and houses as part of their everyday lives They committed crimes, or treason, worshipped many gods, cooked and nursed, invented things and rioted. A lot. They built our society to be as diverse and varied as the women themselves. They are there in the archives – if you look – and they made our history.
Wifedom: Mrs Orwell's Invisible Life
Looking for wonder and some reprieve from the everyday, Anna Funder slips into the pages of her hero George Orwell. As she watches him create his writing self, she tries to remember her own... When she uncovers his forgotten wife, it's a revelation. Eileen O'Shaughnessy's literary brilliance shaped Orwell's work and her practical nous saved his life. But why - and how - was she written out of the story? Using newly discovered letters from Eileen to her best friend, Funder recreates the Orwells' marriage, through the Spanish Civil War and WW II in London. As she rolls up the screen concealing Orwell's private life she is led to question what it takes to be a writer - and what it is to be a wife.
Murriyang: Song of Time
Stan Grant is talking to his country in a new way. He offers a means of moving beyond the binaries and embracing a path to peace and forgiveness, rooted in the Wiradjuri spiritual practice of Yindyamarra - deep silence and respect. Murriyang, in part Grant's response to the Voice referendum, eschews politics for love. He zooms out to reflect on the biggest questions, ranging across the history, literature, theology, music and art that has shaped him. Setting aside anger for kindness, he reaches past the secular to the sacred and transcendent. Informed by spiritual thinkers from around the world, Murriyang is a Wiradjuri prayer in one long uninterrupted breath, challenging Western notions of linear time in favour of a time beyond time - the Dreaming. Murriyang is also very personal, each meditation interleaved with a memory of Grant's father, a Wiradjuri cultural leader. It asks how any of us can say goodbye to those we love.
Unfair Play: The Battle for Women's Sport
On the face of it, women's sport is on the rise, garnering more attention and grassroots involvement than ever before. However, the truth is that in many respects progress is stalling, or even falling back. Sharron Davies is no stranger to battling the routine sexism the sporting world. She missed out on Olympic Gold because of blatant doping among East German athletes in the 1980s, and has never received justice. Now, biological males are being allowed to compete directly against women under the guise of trans self-ID, a development that could destroy the integrity of female sport. This callous indifference towards women in sport, argue Sharron and journalist Craig Lord, is merely the latest stage in a decades-long history of sexism on the part of sport's higher-ups. A strong fightback is required to root out the lingering misogyny that plagues sporting governance, media coverage and popular perceptions. This book provides the facts, science and arguments that will help women in sport get the justice they deserve.
Dolly: Behind the Seams
Dolly Parton shares the full story behind her lifelong passion for fashion, including how she developed her own, distinctly Dolly, style which has defied convention and endeared her to fans around the world. Featuring behind-the-scenes stories from Dolly Parton's life and career, and the largest reveal of her private costume archive, this book spotlights her most unforgettable looks from the 1960s to now.
Biographies
Long Yarn Short
A blockbuster memoir from one of Australia's most powerful voices, Long Yarn Short is the incredible story of a young woman's journey - from being stolen from her family as a child to becoming a top advocate for First Nations young people.
At just ten years old, Vanessa Turnbull-Roberts was forcibly removed - stolen - from her family, community and kinship systems. After eight years in various out-of-home care placements, Vanessa fled the system, reconnected with kin and returned to country for the very first time. Only then did she begin to heal.
In this book, Vanessa embarks on an extraordinary work of truth-telling, exposing the ongoing violence visited on Black children, their families and their communities by the systems that claim to protect them. As a survivor of out-of-home care, a practising lawyer fighting for the freedom of others and now also a mother herself, she takes an unflinching look at the heartache and trauma caused by racist family policing, the shameful rates of child removals and the steady pipeline of First Nations children into the criminal justice system.
The Elements of Marie Curie
For decades Marie Curie was the only woman in the room at international scientific gatherings, and despite constant illness she travelled far and wide to share the secrets of radioactivity, a term she coined. She is still the only person to win a Nobel Prize in two scientific fields.
Her ingenuity extended far beyond the laboratory walls; grieving the death of her husband, Pierre, she took his place as professor of physics at the Sorbonne, devotedly raised two daughters, drove a van she outfitted with x-ray equipment to the front lines of World War I, befriended Albert Einstein and inspired generations of young women to pursue science as a way of life.
Approaching Marie Curie from a unique angle, Sobel navigates her remarkable discoveries and fame alongside the women who became her legacy – from Norway’s Ellen Gleditsch and France’s Marguerite Perry, who discovered the element francium, to her own daughter, Irene, a Nobel Prize winner in her own right. The Elements of Marie Curie deftly illuminates the trailblazing life and enduring influence of one of the most consequential figures of our time.
Jilya
In this ground-breaking memoir, Tracy draws on client stories of trauma, heartbreak, hope and connection from her years of practice, offering a no-holds-barred reflection on how the monocultural, one-size-fits-all approach to psychology is failing Aboriginal people and how she's healing those wounds. Jilya is a story of drive and determination, of what it takes to create change when the odds are stacked against you. Above all, it is a story of one woman's love for her people.
Cultural sensitivity advisory notice: Aboriginal, Torres Strait Islander and other First Nations people are advised that this item may contain names, illustrations and text of deceased people and other content that may be culturally sensitive.
Question 7
Beginning at a love hotel by Japan’s Inland Sea and ending by a river in Tasmania, Question 7 is about the choices we make about love and the chain reaction that follows. By way of H. G. Wells and Rebecca West’s affair through 1930s nuclear physics to Flanagan's father working as a slave labourer near Hiroshima when the atom bomb is dropped, this daisy chain of events reaches fission when Flanagan as a young man finds himself trapped in a rapid on a wild river not knowing if he is to live or to die. At once a love song to his island home and to his parents, this hypnotic melding of dream, history, place and memory is about how our lives so often arise out of the stories of others and the stories we invent about ourselves.
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Library Programs
Writers Club
Love books? Have you ever wanted to write your own? Come join the Library's Lunchtime Writers Club and let your imagination run wild with fun writing games and activities, while learning the fundamentals from the Library's own resident author, Mrs Pickering.
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References
Images for books are sourced either from the author's websites or are book and film covers, used as permitted under copyright for promotion. Other images were created by the author using Canva.
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