You Are Here by David Nicholls Set against the dramatic landscapes of the Lake District, the Yorkshire Dales and the North York Moors, this story of two world-weary characters falling in love is both bittersweet and uplifting. Reading it gave
Find our latest additions to the Relaxed Reads collection on the ground floor of the library at our York Campus. What You Are Looking for is in the Library – Michiko Aoyama “What are you looking for? So asks Tokyo’s
Our winter break is fast approaching and you may want to take some time to sit back and relax with a good book. Here are some of the titles we’ve added to our Relaxed Reads collection recently, which you might
I finished this book less than 12-hours ago so it’s pretty fresh in my mind and will remain there for a long time as I loved it. It tells the story of an academic who wrote a paper in the
York – Relaxed Reads – Ground Floor 823.92/ROO London – Third Floor 823.92/ROO I’ve always been more of a non-fiction reader but, encouraged by my library colleagues, I’ve recently dived into the world of fiction again and rediscovered the pleasure
The Ophelia Girls – Jane Healey From a carefree summer following of a group of girls with a fascination with recreating Millais’ painting of Ophelia, to how things can take a sudden turn for the worse and the effects that
Translated by Eric Ozawa, Manilla Press 2003Relaxed Reads – Ground Floor 895.636/YAG Twenty-five year-old Takako starts living in the dusty little room above her uncle’s second-hand bookshop after a life changing crisis – breaking up with her boyfriend and losing
‘You Are Here’ is a really apt title as it really does get a grip on you and won’t let you go until the final page. It’s a book I still think about over a year after reading it for
Martin MacInnes, In Ascension (London: Atlantic Books, 2023), Second Floor 823.92/MAC I picked this book up under the incorrect assumption that sci-fi offers escape from the stresses of daily life. Instead, I was sucked into an engaging 500-page novel full
Review of Circe by Madeleine Miller One of our personal favourites from Lucy’s recommendations for retellings of Greek myth , Circe is a captivating retelling of Homer’s Odyssey that tells the story of how Circe transforms a woman into a
Getting Things Done: the art of stress-free productivity by David Allen This book will change your life for the better. Probably. Getting Things Done (GTD) certainly made me feel much better and helped me sort stuff out. My office job
Red at the Bone by Jacqueline Woodson For a book of less than 200 pages, there is plenty to this story. A tale of family dynamics, expectations and disappointments. How parents shape their children, and the effects of absence, loss
The Book of Dust: The Secret Commonwealth By Phillip Pullman The second in Philip Pullman’s Book of Dust trilogy, this one is my favourite (out of two, as we’re still waiting for the third part). I read his original trilogy,
The Love Hypothesis by Ali Hazelwood The Love Hypothesis was, ironically, an experimental reading for me. I am not usually a big fan of romance novels; However, with Valentine’s Day around the corner, I thought it would be an excellent
Station Eleven – Emily St. John Mandel Emily St. John Mandel’s novel Station Eleven is and will always be one of my favourite novels. It was a perspective-changing read that heavily impacted how I view apocalypse fiction and society. I
A Boy Called Christmas – Matt Haig You’re never too old for this magical Christmas tale by Matt Haig. Following Nikolas, a boy from Finland, as he uncovers the true story of Father Christmas and how to believe in the
The Shadow of the Wind – Carlos Ruiz Zafón Any story that begins in a mysterious library of forgotten books is a winner for me. Full of intrigue and mystery from the outset. How one book, more particularly one author,
Review of “How to Kill Your Family” by Bella Mackie Grace Bernard is currently languishing in Limehouse Prison for a murder she didn’t commit, which is ironic, given she decides to spend the time she is waiting on her appeal
Review of Kabu Kabu by Nnedi Okorafor The magnificent collection Kabu Kabu is a thrilling testament to Nnedi Okorafor as a writer of fiction, particularly short story fiction. Okorafor’s short stories test the bounds of the Sci-Fi genre through imaginative
5 Exciting New Fiction Books A round-up of some of the new and prize-winning fiction we’re most excited about. All available either from our Curl Up with a Good Book collection on the Ground Floor of Fountains or in our
Review of Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi Homegoing begins with two sisters born in different villages in Ghana and goes on to trace the lives of their descendants as they diverge and interweave across eight generations. It is painfully and painstakingly
Review of Spoiled Brats by Simon Rich I will admit that I was skeptical about ‘Spoiled Brats’ when it was added to my reading list, but it impressed me so much that I have decided to recommend it here! Spoiled
Review of Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro This novel is hauntingly bittersweet as it follows Kathy’s joys and disappointments in life as she learns to live with the confronting reality that her life or the lives of her
Four books that will make you love Greek mythology Greek mythology can be seen as a dusty subject, difficult to dive into and impossible to navigate through the sheer amount of names and diabolical creatures it expects you to know.
Review of The Ex Hex by Erin Sterling Things a witch should absolutely not do: 1. Mix Vodka and Witchcraft 2. See above. Things Vivi and her cousin Gwyn did under the influence of Vodka? Yup, you guessed it, ignored the
Review of One Day by David Nicholls I first read One Day in 2011 leaning against the luggage rack in a train carriage. Two trains had been combined into one and it wasn’t the most comfortable journey. Perhaps that’s what
Review of Wuthering Heights by Emily Brontë Do you enjoy stories with untraditional endings? Does it make you happy when the main characters do not come together at the plot’s climax? If you answered yes to both of these, then
Review of The Girl with the Louding Voice by Abi Daré The voice of Adunni, the 14 year-old Nigerian girl, has stayed in my head since I finished this book. She is fiercely resilient, funny and inspiring as she confronts
Review of Tales of the City by Armistead Maupin I first became aware of Maupin’s gay classic Tales of the City after watching the recent TV adaptation on Netflix, which follows the original characters in to the present day. The
Review of The Silence of the Girls by Pat Barker Pat Barker’s novel The Silence of the Girls is a rewriting of the Iliad, the Greek classic that tells the story of the Trojan war. In interviews, Barker has talked
Review of The Book of Dust: La Belle Sauvage by Philip Pullman If you have read Philip Pullman’s His Dark Materials trilogy you are guaranteed to love the prequel, La Belle Sauvage. The novel tells the story of the events
Review of One Last Stop by Casey McQuiston This month I have been enjoying ‘One Last Stop’ by Casey McQuiston. The story focuses on a restless August as she moves to New York, trying to find a place to call
Review of Reputation by Lex Croucher Georgiana or ‘George’ is a heroine straight out of Austen, a young girl of middle class background staying with down-at-heel relatives for her first ‘season’. She falls in with upper-class Frances and her friends,
Review of Kindred by Octavia Butler I would highly recommend reading Kindred because the way that Octavia Butler uses time travel as a way to explore the contemporary effect of slavery is truly unique and thought provoking. The narrator, Dana, suddenly
Review of Queenie by Candice Carty-Williams Over the summer, I read Queenie by Candice Carty-Williams. It is a fun and easy-to-read coming of age novel. The book follows Queenie, a London woman in her twenties, as she discovers her own
Review of The Fifth Season by N.K. Jemisin N K. Jemisin’s The Fifth Season is the first book in an epic fantasy trilogy about a world wracked by earthquakes and volcanoes. Certain people – known as orogenes – have the
Review of Breakfast of Champions by Kurt Vonnegut This satiric tale follows the journey of Kilgore Trout, a struggling science fiction writer who answers an invitation to the Midland City Arts Festival. Meeting with a prominent business owner (Dwayne Hoover),
Review of Dawn by Octavia E. Butler Dawn is a brilliant Sci-fi novel that imagines the survival of the human species after Earth has become inhabitable. The portrayal of Lilith’s awakening on an alien ship and her struggle to overcome