Books of the month for October

General Fiction: Patrick Gale – A Place Called Winter

Beginning in the 1900s, based on a true story in Patrick Gale's own family history. Shy gentleman of leisure Harry Cane is drawn into marrying Winnie, and ends up having to forsake the land and people he loves for a harsh new life in Canada.

British Crime: Anthony Quinn – Curtain Call

On a sultry afternoon in the summer of 1936 a woman accidentally interrupts an attempted murder in a London hotel room. Nina Land, a West End actress, faces a dilemma, she's not supposed to be at the hotel in the first place, and certainly not with a married man.

Tough Crime: Jason Starr – Savage Lane

Life is sublime in the idyllic suburb of New York City. Recent divorcee, Karen Daily and her two kids have for the first time in years found joy as they settle into the close-knit community of Savage Lane. Neighbours, Mark and Deb Berman, have been so supportive as she moves on in life: teaching at the local school and even dating again.

But behind pristine houses and perfect smiles lie dark motives far more sinister than Karen could have ever imagined. Unknown to her, Mark, trapped in his own unhappy marriage, has developed a rich fantasy life for the two of them. And as rumours start to spread, it seems that he isn't the only one targeting Karen…

Science Fiction: S. K. Dunstall – Linesman

The lines. No ship can traverse the void without them. Only linesmen can work with them. But only Ean Lambert hears their song. And everyone thinks he's crazy. Most slum kids never go far, certainly not becoming a level-ten linesman like Ean. Even if he's part of a small, and unethical, cartel, and the other linesmen disdain his self-taught methods, he's certified and working.

Fantasy: Evie Manieri – Blood's Pride ( Shattered Kingdoms #1 )

 An undefeated mercenary warrior has come to fan the flames of rebellion. But this time she has her own personal quest to fulfil, and failure is unthinkable.

A generation has passed since the Norlanders' great ships bore down on Shadar, and the Dead Ones slashed and burned the city into submission, enslaving the Shadari people.

Now the Norlander governor is dying, and as his three alienated children struggle against the crushing isolation of their lives, the Shadari rebels spot their opening and summon the Mongrel, a mysterious mercenary warrior who has never yet lost a battle. But her terms are unsettling: she will name her price only after the Norlanders have been defeated.

A single question is left for the Shadari: is there any price too high for freedom?

Paranormal/Urban Fantasy: Jan DeLima – Celtic Moon

Sophie Thibodeau has been on the run from the father of her son for more than fifteen years. Now her son, Joshua, is changing, and her greatest fears are about to be realized. He’s going to end up being just like his father—a man who can change into a wolf.

Dylan Black has been hunting for Sophie since the night she ran from him—an obsession he cannot afford in the midst of an impending war. Dylan controls Rhuddin Village, an isolated town in Maine where he lives with an ancient Celtic tribe. One of the few of his clan who can still shift into a wolf, he must protect his people from the Guardians, vicious warriors who seek to destroy them.

When Sophie and Dylan come together for the sake of their son, their reunion reignites the fierce passion they once shared. For the first time in years, Dylan’s lost family is within his grasp. But will he lose them all over again? Are Joshua and Sophie strong enough to fight alongside Dylan in battle? Nothing less than the fate of his tribe depends on it…

Classic of the Month: Mary Shelley – Frankenstein

'Never did I behold a vision so horrible as his face, of such loathsome, yet appalling hideousness'

The scientist Victor Frankenstein, obsessed with possessing the secrets of life, creates a new being from the bodies of the dead. But his creature is a twisted, gruesome parody of a man who, rejected for his monstrous appearance, sets out to destroy his maker.

Teen reading: Chris Priestly – Anything That isn't This

Seventeen-year-old Frank Palp lives in a grim little apartment, in a grim little building, in an exceedingly grim (and rather large) city. Cobbled streets and near-destroyed bridges and war-damaged houses stand alongside post-war, characterless, concrete hutches. Frank generally hates his life and the idiots he's surrounded by...and yet he is in love.A love so pure and sparkling and colourful, Frank feels sure it is 'meant to be. ' His believes his love is a reward for all the terrible grey that he is surrounded by - which would be great, if only the girl in question knew he existed. And then one day he finds a message, in a bottle.A wish, for 'anything that isn't this. ' He believes the girl who wrote this is surely his soul mate-and now he just needs to find her.