Bunny Girl

Joan Conway

Clara Bowe’s life is not is not in the best condition: no job, no boyfriend, back living with her mother in suburban Dublin. Enter John, Clara’s ex-an-never-slept-with-him boyfriend, who’s launching his new telecommunications company. He’s very interested in helping Clara out of her predicament – and into his bed.

Her new job is not what she dreamed of. Well, dressing up as a giant rabbit to market a mobile phone is hardly the high point of a career in advertising, is it?

Clara spends her days as a bunny and her evening being wooed by John but something strange is happening… is someone trying to get her out of the way? Who are the other rabbits that John has recruited? And who exactly is the owner of the startling violet eyes, handsome face and bad line in rabbit jokes who keeps hopping into her life?

The answers are there – but dare she find them?
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Dirt Music

Tim Winton

Georgie Jutland is a mess. At forty with her career in ruins, she finds herself stranded in White Point with a fisherman she doesn't love and two kids whose dead mother she can never replace. Her days have fallen into domestic tedium and social isolation. Her nights are a blur of vodka and pointless loitering in cyberspace. Leached of all confidence, Georgie has lost her way. One morning in the boozy pre-dawn gloom, she looks up from the computer screen to see a shadow lurking on the beach below, and a dangerous new element enters her life... book cover
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Bubbles Ablaze

Sarah Strohmeyer

There's more to Bubbles Yablonsky than blond curls and bright outfits. She's becoming a hot reporter, but she still needs to add new highlights to her image. Right now, though, she's planning a romantic break with gorgeous photojournalist Steve Stiletto. He's already hours late when she's summoned to cover a press conference at an old coalmine. Bubbles arrives to find it strangely deserted,except for an injured Stiletto - and a dead body. It's Bud Price, a businessman whose plan to build a casino in small-town Pennsylvania divided the old-fashioned community. An instead of relaxing at the Passion Peak Resort, Bubbles is suddenly dodging explosions and investigating a murder.

As her loony mother and precocious teenage daughter throw themselves into the fray, Bubbles is in a race against time to beat Stiletto to the scoop, discover who wanted Price dead - and keep her own pretty little head out of the line of fire....--book cover.
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The Blithedale Romance

Nathaniel Hawthorne

The Blithedale Romance is a somewhat dark, depressing tale of idealism gone awry and of friendship and love torn asunder by private ambitions. The romance of these pages is not what many modern readers may expect to find here; there is no penultimate consummation of love among these characters, nor is there much happiness indeed to be discerned from the complexity of their relations one with another. Much has been made of Hawthorne's own temporary residence at the utopian-minded Brook Farm a decade previous to the publication of this work; it is true that some of the experiences derive from his own memories, but Hawthorne went to great pains to make clear that this is a romance first and foremost and bears no direct relation to the experiences of his own life. Those who would read this novel in an attempt to get at Hawthorne's true feelings about the utopian socialism he flirted with and watched from afar during his pivotal creative years may well miss out on the thought-provoking treatment of such wonderfully literary, fascinating characters as Hollingsworth the idealistic philanthropist, Zenobia the modern feminist reformer with a fatal flaw inimical to her self-realization, and the sweet and frail Priscilla.
The first-person narrator of this story is Miles Coverdale, a man difficult to come to terms with. He joins with the pioneers behind the utopian farming community of Blithedale and truly takes heart in the possibility of this new kind of communitarian life offering mankind a chance to live lives of purpose and fulfillment, yet at times he steps outside of events and seems to view the whole experience as a study in human character and a learning experience to which his heart-strings are only loosely bound. The drama that unfolds is told in his perspective only, and one can never know how much he failed to discern or the degree to which his own conjectures are correct. His eventual castigation of Hollingsworth cannot be doubted, however. This rather unfeeling man joins the community on the hidden pretext of acquiring the means for fulfilling his overriding utopian dream of creating an edifice for the reformation of criminals. This dream takes over his life, Coverdale observes, and his once-noble philanthropic passion morphs him into an overzealous, unfeeling man who brings ruin upon those who were once his friends. It is really Zenobia, though, upon which the novel feeds. She is a fascinating woman of means who makes the Blithedale dream a reality, a bold reformer seeking a new equality for women in the world who ultimately, at Hawthorne's bidding, suffers the ignominious fate of the fragile spirit she seemed to have overcome.

This is not a novel that will immediately enthrall you in its clutches. The first half of the novel is sometimes rather slow going, but I would urge you not to cast this book aside carelessly. The final chapters sparkle with drama and human passion, and you find yourself suddenly immersed in this strange community of tragic friends-turned-foes. You care deeply what happens to such once-noble spirits, and while you may not find joy in the tragic conclusion of the ill-fated social experiment of Blithedale, you will certainly find your soul stirred by the tragedy of unfolding events. - Review from the Oxford World Classics
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Cedar Cove

Debbie Macomber

Two novels in one book

311 Pelican Court

Dear Reader,

One thing about Cedar Grove, people sure are interested in what other people are doing. Take me, for instance. Everybody in the town knows that my husband Zach, and I recently got a divorce. Everybody also knows that Judge Olivia Lockhart decreed a pretty unusual custody arrangement. It won't be the kids moving between my place and Zach's. We're the ones who'll be going back and forth!

But the really big gossip has to do with the dead guy - the man who died at a local B&B. Who is he and why did he show up there in the middle of the night? Roy McAfee, our local private investigator, is absolutely determined to find out. I hope he does - and then I'll let you know! See you soon... Rosie

44 Cranberry Point

Dear Reader,

I love living in Cedar Cove, but thinks haven't been the same since a man died in our B&B. Turns out his name was Max Russell, and Bob had known him briefly in Vietnam. We Still don't have any idea why he came here and most important of all who killed him. I sure hope somebody figures it out soon!

Not that we're providing the only news in Cedar Cove these days. I heard that Jon Bowman and Maryellen Sherman are getting married. And Maryellen's mum, Grace, has more than her share of interested men!

There's lots of gossip I could tell you. Come by for a cup of tea and one of my blueberry muffins and we'll talk, Peggy
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The Riders

Tim Winton

Fred Scully can't wait to see his wife and daughter. He's got a new life for them all worked out. He's sweated on this reunion. The doors at the airport hiss open. Scully's life falls apart....
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The Rapture

Catherine Jinks

Early in the 21st century, Joseph Peek turned into another person.

Now, eighty years later, journalism student Aldo Frewin discovers who that person was - and why he's now living as Jarom Woodruff, aged sixteen, in a troubled Mormon cult in remote Tasmania.

For members of this cult, the End of the World is imminent and the Rapture awaits. For Aldo and his uncle, time is also running out. They need to know - will Jarom die as Joseph died before they uncover the truth? Has a genetic experiment changed the course of history? And if it did, does anyone have the power to change the future -- book cover
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Honeymoon

Amy Jenkins

Honeymoon is about a girl who has doubts about her nice suitable man, and doubts about commitment. She still carries a torch for Alex, the Love Of Her Life, someone she spent only one night with. A perfect night. A soulmate night. Seven years on, she's ambushed by Ed, a suitable young man so nice and kind there's nothing for it but to marry him. An then they go on honeymoon.... book jacket
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Commitment

Julie Ellis

Born into the family of a wealthy Jewish businessman, Carol Simon's priveleged world falls apart when her father shoots himself as the stock market plummets. Little more than a child, she is forced to take a menial job, but already she nurtures a secret ambition: to become an architect.

But these are the days of the Depression, when a young girl's aspirations are quashed by the struggle to survive. An offer of marriage seems to be a dream come true - but it is the beginning of a nightmare. How Carol endures her tragedy, comes through the Second World War and the McCarthy witch-hunts to realize her ambition without betraying her heritage,is a moving and tender story of one woman's courage and commitment. --- book cover
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Chasers

Lorenzo Carcaterra

It's 1985 - and the city that never sleeps is about to wish it had stayed in bed. The heinous machine-gun murder of innocent bystanders in a Manhattan restaurant shocks all five boroughs. The surviving members of the Apaches - controversial, take-no-crap, outside-the-law ex-cops - swear to hunt down those responsible.

Along for the harrowing ride with Boomer, Dead-Eye and Reverend Jim are three new Apaches: Ash, a wounded female Hispanic cop who specializes in arson investigations: Quincy, an HIV-positive recruit an forensics expert: and a retired police dog named Buttercup. Now this dedicated team will become Chasers, working cultiple cases that will converge into one explosive, all-out New York City street war. --- book cover
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Justice Deferred

Len Williams

Criminal: Billy Ray Billings grew up with few rules - and managed to break the ones he had. A small-time thief with three felony convictions, he finds himself behind bars for life when overzealous cops ufairly book him for a fourth. In Alabama, three strikes and you're out.

Convict: at first Billy Ray is paralyzed by his fate. But then he slowly becomes a model prisoner, taking classes and finding God. All the while, he's planning an improbable escape....

Con Man: What follows next is sweet freedom. a new identity. And a daring strategy to seek vengeance on the corrupt system that almost stole his life...

Based on the bizarre events surrounding the disappearance of the author's own son,this unforgettale page-turner will take you on a wild ride you won't soon forget... book cover
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Wings of the Storm

J.H. Fletcher

Cal Jessop returns to his home on the South Australian coast still blaming himself for what happened one fateful evening in Paris. Once he was regarded as one of Australia's most promising young artists. Now, the future is bleak; his work, like his life, devastated by guilt.

Kathryn Fanning's future seems secure. Everyone, Kathryn included, expects her to marry Charles Chivers, the local doctor.

Unexpectedly, Wagner intervenes. When Cal and Kathryn meet at a performance of Rheingold, their futures are changed irrevocably.

Kathryn brings renewed hope and purpose into Cal's life. He journeys into the summer heat of the outback seeking emptiness and light for a new series of paintings.

Uncertain of their feelings for each other, the desert will test them both in very different ways.
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The Private Patient

P.D.James

When the notorious investigative journalist Rhoda Gradwyn booked into Mr. Chandler-Powell's private clinic in Dorset for the removal of a disfiguring and long-standing facial scar, she had every prospect of a successful operation by a distinguished surgeon, a week's peaceful convalescence in one of Dorset's most beautiful manor houses and the beginning of a new life. she was never to leave Cheverell Manor alive. Dalgliesh and his team, called in to investigate the mrder, and later a second death, are confronted with problems even more complicated than the question of innocence or guilt. -- book jacket
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A Death in Tuscany

Michele Giuttari

In the picturesque Tuscan hill town of Scandicci, the body of a girl is discovered. Scantily dressed with no purse or other possessions, she is lying by the edge of the woods. The local police investigate the case - but after a week they still haven't even identified her, let alone got to the bottom of how she died.

Frustrated by the lack of progress, Chief Superintendent Michele Ferrara, head of Florence's elite Squadra Mobile, decides to step in. Because toxins were discovered in the girl's body many assumed that she dued if a self-inflicted drugs overdose. But Ferrara quickly realises the truth is darker than that: he believes the girl was murdered.

And when he delves deeper, there are many aspects to the case that convince Ferrara that the girl's death is part of a sinister conspiracy - a conspiracy that has its roots in the very foundations of Tuscan society.

A cleverly plotted, atmospheric mystery, A Death in Tuscany has been a bestseller in Italy and has been translated into nine languages. Written by a former Florence police chief Michele Giuttari, it gives a unique insight into life and police work in Tuscany. -- book jacket.
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The Girl of His Dreams

Donna Leon

One rainy morning Commissario Brunetti and Ispettore Vianello respond to a 911 call reporting a body floating near some steps on the Grand Canal. Reaching down to pull it out, Brunetti's wrist is caught by the silkiness of golden hair, and he sees a small foot - together he and Vianello lift a dead girl from the water.

But, inconceivably, no one has reported a missing child, nor the theft of the gold jewellery that she carries. So Brunetti is drawn into a search not only for the cause of her death but also for her identity, her family, and for the secrets that people will keep in order to protect their children - be they innocent or guilty.

The investigation takes Brunetti from the canals and palazzos of Venice to a Gypsy encampment on the mainland, through quicksands of connections and relationships both known and concealed, as he struggles with institutional prejudice and entrenched criminality to try to unravel the fate of the dead child. - book cover
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The Secret Adventures of Charlotte Bronte

Laura Joh Rowland

"Upon learning that she has been falsely accused of breaching her contract, the normally mild-mannered Charlotte Bronte, the author of Jane Eyre, sets off for London to clear her name. But when she unintentionally witnesses a murder, Charlotte finds herself embroiled in a dangerous chain of events. With the clandestine aid of the other Bronte sisters, Emily and Anne, and of the suspiciously well-informed but irrestibly attractive brother of the victim, Charlotte works to unravel a deadly web of intrigue that threatens not only her own safety but the very fabric of the British Empire. Will Charlotte be able to stop a devious villain whose schemes endanger her life, her family, and her country?"
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Playing with Cobras

Craig Thomas

It was to be a small and simple task, a matter of two or three days – something Patrick Hyde could do by stopping over in Delhi on his way back to Australia. All he had to do was to make certain that Philip Cass, to whom he owed his life, really had murdered the film-star wife of an Indian Cabinet Minister. Once the truth was established, Cass could be conveniently forgotten by British Intelligence and the government.

But Cass protests his innocence, and claims he was framed. The dead woman’s husband is a drug-smuggler. Hyde’s problem is that he believes Cass… and nothing is simple any longer. When the drug-smuggler becomes Prime Minister and Cass conveniently disappears, Hyde finds himself involved – unofficially – in the most dangerous game of his long career. He must play with men as deadly as cobras for the highest stakes – the future of India itself. – book cover.
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Mightier than the Sword

Tom Holt

Who’s afraid of Beowulf? – Well, not Hrolf Earthstar, for a start. The last Norse king of Caithness, Hrolf and his twelve champions are woken from a centuries-long sleep when archaeologist Hildy Frederiksen finds their grave mound. And despite the time-delay, Hrolf decides to carry on his ancient war against the Sorcerer-King….My Hero –Writing novels? Piece of cake, Jane thinks. Until hers starts writing back. At which point, she really should stop. And she certainly shouldn’t go into the book herself. After all, that’s what heroes are for. Unfortunately, the world of fiction is a far more complicated place than Jane ever imagined. And she’s about to land her hero right in it. – book cover.
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For Two Nights Only

Tom Holt

Overtime – One moment Guy is flying a bullet-riddled plane over Caen in 1943, the next he’s somewhere in the Middle Ages in the company of one John De Nesle. Unsurprisingly, Guy’s first thought is to get off home sharpish. But then he sees John’s sister Isoud, and finds himself agreeing to help John in his knightly quest to find Richard Coeur de Lion… ; Trailblazers – Fifteen hundred years have passed and the Holy Grail is still missing. The knights have all dumped the Quest for the easier job of pizza delivery, so someone must be found to take up the search and thwart the sinister plans of the lost kingdom of Atlantis” financial services industry. That someone is Boamund of Northgales (or snotty to his friends). – book cover.
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The House of the Spirits

Isabel Allende

"Spanning four generations, Isabel Allende's magnificent family saga is populated by a memorable, often eccentric cast of characters. Together, men and woemn, spirits, the forces of nature, and of history converge in an unforgettable, wholly absorbing and brilliantly realised novel which is as richly entertaining as it is a masterpiece of modern literature." -- book cover.
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