Staff Picks
The Road to Tender Hearts by Annie Hartnett
Adult fiction
Picked by Adela
At sixty three years old, million-dollar lottery winner PJ Halliday should be the happiest man in town, but everything in Pondville is another reminder of the child he lost, and the way his marriage fell apart. So, when PJ hears that his high school sweetheart, Michelle, is unexpectedly back on the market, there's nothing stopping him driving straight to the Tender Hearts Retirement Community in Arizona to win her back. But before he can hit the road, there is a spanner in the works: a tragic incident has suddenly left PJ as the only guardian of his estranged brother's grandchildren. Anyone else might be deterred, but it seems like the newly orphaned kids might enjoy the trip out of town. And PJ's adult daughter, Sophie, has been roped in to help babysit. There's one final surprise passenger, Pancakes, a former therapy cat with a knack for predicting death, who recently turned up outside PJ's home.
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Surviving White Island by Kelsey Waghorn
Biography 92 WAG
Picked by Amanda
Surviving the unsurvivable. Healing from the unhealable. This is an inspiring memoir of physical and mental recovery, from someone who lived through the Whakaari White Island volcanic eruption. "I heard someone say, 'Wow!' And someone else exclaimed, 'Look at that!' I had my back to the crater. I turned around. The moment I saw it, I knew what was happening. The island was erupting. An enormous black and grey plume was rising above the island, already higher than the peak. It was beautiful actually, set against the bright blue sky. Kelsey Waghorn, a guide on Whakaari White Island on that ill fated day in December 2019, tells her story for the first time, from physical rehab for her life threatening burns to her mental struggle with PTSD. Written by a brave and powerful woman with a wicked sense of humour, this is an uplifting story of strength, perseverance, acceptance and hope.
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The Angry Wives Club by Gabbie Stroud
Adult fiction
Picked by Kimberlee
Welcome to Shellwater Bay, where the sea is calm, the scenery idyllic ... and three women are quietly planning a revolution. Joany appears to have the perfect life, but behind closed doors, she's hiding a dangerous secret. Heather thinks her marriage is rock solid until her husband demands a divorce. Steph is raising kids with a man who thinks 'helping out' means calling his mother. Bonded at their gym by sweat and fury, the women swap stories about the silent bargains they've made to keep the peace in their relationships. But peace has its price. And when the simmering rage starts to bubble over, these new friends decide a crime or two is in order ...
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The Correspondent by Virginia Evans
Adult fiction
Picked by Tania
In her letters to family and friends we come to know the life of Sybil Van Antwerp, stubborn, cantankerous, opinionated, always steadfast in her belief in the power of the written word. But as the clock begins to tick for Sybil, the need for a few post-scripts to the life she's led becomes apparent. Fixing her difficult relationship with her children. Taking a final chance at romance. Atoning for an old legal case which has come back to haunt her. And finally, reckoning with a devastating loss that she has spent the last thirty years holding close to her chest.
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Love in the Castle Library by Ann Swindell
Adult fiction
Picked by Sandra
Predictability and efficiency have marked Delphine DuVert's orderly life as Castle Stewardess in the small European country of Lethersby-until she is tasked by the monarchy to hire a British researcher. Lethersby needs help solving the 100-year-old mystery of their Lost Queen, a young royal who disappeared into the night during World War I.Delphine's split-second decision to hire Jack Worthington, a doctoral student at the University of Oxford, has long-lasting consequences when he steps in to protect her from an angry colleague determined to ruin her life. The only catch? That protection looks like Jack posing as her beau. Delphine hesitantly accepts Jack's offer-and finds her heart being stripped of every predictable and efficient emotion she's ever had.Jack Worthington believes that his instinct to protect Delphine was the right one, even if it means posing as her boyfriend. But he's determined to stay focused on his research for Lethersby-and to keep his emotional distance after reeling from a broken heart. Yet as the clues to discovering the Lost Queen's story unravel and the court case determining Delphine's fate looms, both Delphine and Jack must step out in faith, choosing to trust that what God has ahead for them is more valuable than the lives they thought they wanted.
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Shibui: The Japanese art of finding beauty in aging by Sanae Ishida
Adult Non-fiction 155.67 ISH
Picked by Duncan
Discover "shibui" - the Japanese philosophy of finding the simple, subtle beauty that emerges with time. Through watercolor illustrations, personal stories, and mindfulness reflections, this book offers Eastern wisdom to help readers embrace healthy aging with joy and grace.