Staff Picks
The Happiest Man on Earth by Eddie Jaku
Adult non-fiction 940.5318 JAK
Picked by Kylie
During the Holocaust, Eddie Jaku faced unimaginable horrors every day, first in Buchenwald, then in Auschwitz, then on a Nazi death march. He lost family, friends and his country. Because he survived, Eddie made the vow to smile every day. He pays tribute to those who were lost by telling his story, sharing his wisdom and living his best life. He now believes he is the 'happiest man on Earth'. Shortly after his 100th birthday, Eddie published his memoir, The Happiest Man on Earth, wanting to share all he has learned about hope, kindness and friendship.
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One Good Thing by Alexandra Potter
Adult Fiction
Picked by Lynnaire
Liv Brooks is still in shock. Newly-divorced and facing an uncertain future, she impulsively swaps her London Life for the sweeping hills of the Yorkshire Dales, determined to make a fresh start. But fresh starts are harder than they look and feeling lost and lonely she decides to adopt Harry, an old dog from the local shelter, to keep her company. But Liv soon discovers she isn't the only one in need of a new beginning. On their daily walks around the village, they meet Valentine, an old man who suffers from loneliness who sits by the window and Stanley, a little boy who is scared of everyone, hides behind the garden gate and Maya, a teenager who is angry at everyone and everything. But slowly things start to change..
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Activist by Louisa Reid
Teen fiction
Picked by Nikki
Cassie goes to a prestigious academic school where girls have only just been admitted after decades of it being single sex. When a female student from the school anonymously posts about the sexual abuse she has suffered and the school does not act properly, Cassie knows that she needs to take matters into her own hands. She and her friends prepare for battle, with a strike, an assembly, as well as outside school spending their weekends protesting to save the woodland from development. But will her activism only make things worse, or will she succeed in righting the wrongs that so many choose to ignore? And could there be a more personal reason for her behaviour?
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Dune by Frank Herbert
Adult fiction
Picked by Luke
Melange, or 'spice', is the most valuable and rarest element in the universe. And it can only be found on a single planet: the inhospitable desert world Arrakis. Whoever controls Arrakis controls the spice. And whoever controls the spice controls the universe. When stewardship of Arrakis is transferred to his house, Paul Atreides must travel to the planet's dangerous surface to ensure the future of his family and his people. But as malevolent forces explode into conflict around him, Paul is thrust into a great destiny beyond his understanding.
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All Systems Red by Martha Wells
Adult fiction
Picked by Pam
In a corporate-dominated spacefaring future, planetary missions must be approved and supplied by the Company. Exploratory teams are accompanied by Company supplied security androids, for their own safety. On a distant planet, a team of scientists are conducting surface tests, shadowed by their Company supplied 'droid'- a self-aware SecUnit that has hacked its own governor module, and refers to itself (though never out loud) as "Murderbot." Scornful of humans, all it really wants is to be left alone long enough to figure out who it is. But when a neighbouring mission goes dark, it's up to the scientists and their Murderbot to get to the truth.
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The Farm Table by Julius Roberts
Adult non-fiction 641.564 ROB
Picked by Tania
Cook and eat your way to the good life with simple, seasonal recipes. First-generation farmer and chef Julius Roberts shares honest tales of farming life and easy, thoughtful dishes to reconnect us to nature and the seasons. Making the most of simple ingredients, The Farm Table is unfussy home cooking at its very best. A few good things on a plate, assembled with joy and ease.
Recipes include-
- winter- an elegant, fuss-free dinner of roast pumpkin, mozzarella, hazelnuts and sage, and a hearty sausage stew
- spring- baked fish with herbs and asparagus, chicken roasted over lemon, fennel and potatoes, and a lamb stew with pearl barley
- summer- courgette pasta, a ratatouille galette, and a steamed apricot sponge
- autumn- arrives with smoked haddock and leek rarebit and pan-fried trout with mash and spinach sauce.
Passionate about seasonality, Julius shows us how to make the most of produce, from crisp, crunchy apples in autumn, pink rhubarb in winter, asparagus in spring and the first summer strawberries.