Staff Reviews

Beautiful Lives: How We Got Learning Disabilities So Wrong by Stephen Unwin

Available in print 

For much of history, people with learning disabilities have been regarded as unworthy of interest - often seen as a threat to the social order and sometimes dismissed as barely human. While recent years have seen an improvement, learning-disabled people are still treated as fundamentally different.

Beautiful Lives is a personal and pragmatic account, told through the eyes of a father whose son has severe learning disabilities. From early civilisation to the chilling realities of twentieth-century eugenics, this powerful book uncovers a startling and rarely told history - one deeply embedded in the challenges still faced today.

Unwin shapes this history into a powerful story of love, lived experience and the long struggle for a better future. 

Gutted: How an Old House Remodelled Me by Maida Korte

Available in print

Fans of Under the Tuscan Sun and House Lessons will love Gutted, a witty, big-hearted tale of trading city lights for leaky pipes – and discovering that sometimes the best renovations happen on the inside.

What if the only way to rebuild your life is to begin by tearing down the walls?

When a successful designer, entrepreneur, and lifelong city dweller hesitantly agrees to follow her husband’s dream of country living, she doesn’t expect to be undone by a sagging Victorian farmhouse and the relentless wind howling through uninsulated walls. But as holes are patched and rooms slowly take shape, something surprising happens – space opens up. Not just in their crumbling home, but in her heart.

Told with humour, vulnerability, and the insight of a woman rebuilding more than just a house, Gutted: How an Old House Remodeled Me is a love story – not only between a wife and her husband but also between a woman shaped by fast-paced living and a slower, quieter way of life. With each creaky floorboard and stripped layer of old wallpaper, Maida Korte discovers unexpected beauty, remembers buried dreams, and finds strength in the women who came before her.

For anyone who has ever wondered what lies beyond the edge of timelines and control, this is a warm, wise, and deeply human invitation to slow down, dig deep, and make peace with change – one shingle at a time.

Way Makers: An Anthology of Women’s Writing about Walking Edited by Kerri Andrews

Available in print

The first in a warm, witty and wonderfully twisty new mystery series from much-loved Irish actor, writer and comedian Ardal O’Hanlon - perfect for fans of Graham Norton, Richard Osman and Death in Paradise.

The follow-up to the bestselling Wanderers, Kerri Andrews’s Way Makers, is the first anthology of women’s writing about walking. Moving from the eighteenth century to the present day, and across poetry, letters, diaries, novels and more, this anthology traces a long tradition of women’s walking literature.

Walking is, for the women included in this anthology, a source of creativity and comfort; it is a means of expressing grief, longing and desire. It is also a complicated activity: it represents freedom but is also sometimes tinged with danger and fear. What cannot be denied any longer is that walking was, and continues to be, an activity full of physical and emotional significance for women.

This anthology is testament to the rich literary heritage created by generations of women walker-writers over the centuries.

Redesigning You: Change Your Inner Story, Transform Your Health by Dr Kim Foster

Available in print

Are you caught in the web of promises spun by the wellness industry?

When Dr. Kim Foster was a practicing physician, her days were filled with telling people what to do and why to do it. Despite these efforts, her patients struggled to make the desired changes stick. In Redesigning You, Dr. Foster reveals that our collective preoccupation with the what, why, and how of healthy habits has distracted us from the most important piece: the who, the person at the heart of the matter.

Drawing on behavioural psychology, conversations with her patients, and her own encounter with a rare autoimmune disorder, Dr. Foster guides you to ground your wellness efforts in your own interests and values. Go deeper than surface-level with a method for wellness that is so true, so authentic, it feels effortless. The Redesigning You three-step framework empowers you to embrace holistic wellness in place of quick-fix solutions and fad diets.

• Step 1: Recognise. Uncover the hidden patterns, beliefs, and stories shaping your current reality.

• Step 2: Redesign. Create a new, empowering vision for yourself by rewriting those beliefs and reframing your self-concept.

• Step 3: Ritualize: Turn these changes into sustainable, daily practices that reinforce your transformation.

For any change to be sustainable, it must fit with your concept of yourself. This is your invitation to making changes that are rooted in positive, genuine beliefs about yourself, and which manifest in lifelong healthy habits that feel natural and authentic.

A history of women in piracy : life under the black flag by Roxanne Gregory

Available in print

The word 'pirate' conjures up images of the swashbuckling men featured in the likes of Black Sails and Pirates of the Caribbean, but the world of piracy has a centuries-long history that is filled with little-known women who wielded real power in a man's world long before they were able to even vote in democratic elections.

Their stories are compelling and encompass women of all ethnicities and cultures. From Sayyida al Hurra, Queen of the Barbary Pirates, a muslim woman who successfully preyed on the shipping of her enemies and became governor of Tétouan, to Zhèng Shì, an outlawed Tanka woman born in a brothel who rose to successfully command seventeen thousand men in the Red Flag fleet, which at the time outrivalled the Imperial Chinese Navy.

During the Golden Age of Caribbean Piracy, many transgendered women joined pirate crews even though the presence of a woman aboard ship meant death. Their stories have largely been ignored by history but A History of Women in Piracy uncovers the lives and loves of these daring women who flaunted convention and proved themselves to be every bit as capable (or more so) as their male brethren.

Captain Kidd : a true story of treasure and betrayal by Samuel Marquis

Available in print

Captain William Kidd stands as one of the most notorious “pirate” outlaws ever, but his legend is tainted by a bed of lies. Having captivated imaginations for more than three hundred years and inspired many stories about pirates, troubling questions remain. Was he really a criminal or is the truth more inconvenient: that he was a buccaneer’s worst nightmare, a revered pirate hunter turned fall guy for scheming politicians?

In Captain Kidd, his ninth-great-grandson, bestselling author Samuel Marquis, reveals the real story. Kidd was an English American privateer and leading New York husband and father. The King of England himself dubbed Kidd “trusty and well-beloved,” and some historians describe him as a “worthy, honest-hearted, steadfast, much -enduring sailor” who was the “victim of a deliberate travesty of justice.” With honours far more esteemed than the menacing Blackbeard, or any other sea rover at the turn of the seventeenth century, how can Kidd be considered both gentleman and pirate, both hero and villain?

Marquis’ biography recreates Kidd’s perilous world of explosive naval warfare and the daring integrity he exemplified as a pirate hunter, as well as the political scandal that entangled Kidd in British–American history, rocking the New World and the Old, and threatening England’s valuable trade with India.

Captain Kidd is both thrilling and tragic. Behind the legend is a real man woven into the tapestry of early America, rendering him a unique colonial hero and scapegoat whose life story was fascinating, exciting, bizarre, and heartrending.

Robert Louis Stevenson by Glenda Norquay

Available in print

This concise biography offers a fresh portrait of Robert Louis Stevenson: frail Edinburgh child turned globe-trotting author of Treasure Island, Kidnapped and Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde.

It charts his remarkable literary range – from fiction and poetry to essays and letters – crafted across three continents, often in poor health. Stevenson’s adventurous life and memorable characters captured both popular imagination and critical praise.

Drawing on new scholarship, the book explores his role as a literary innovator and cultural commentator, revealing how his work engaged with the anxieties of a rapidly changing world.

At once celebrity, critic and colonial observer, Stevenson emerges as a truly modern writer, whose influence remains potent today. This is essential reading for lovers of literature, history and global storytelling.

How to agree to disagree By Gabrielle Rifkind

Available in print

As much as we may try to avoid it, disagreement is inevitable -from work to family life, friendships and even internal dilemmas. But how many of us actually know how to deal with conflict effectively? How can you stop a disagreement escalating to an argument? And how can we all learn to communicate better?

World leading conflict mediator and psychotherapist Gabrielle Rifkind is here to help you navigate the discords of daily life with her groundbreaking book How to Agree to Disagree.

This book is a comprehensive, accessible and practical handbook, covering a wide range of different types of conflict. From finances to families, world issues to the workplace, Gabrielle is an encouraging guide through a modern world of conflict, empowering you to be confident when dealing with disagreements and to get along with - almost - anyone.

Victorian railways : echoes of the blue & gold by Nich Anchen

Available in print

Another excellent work from Nick Anchen chronicling Australian railway and social history with this work focusing on the Victorian Railways as it was in the 1960s and 1970s. The railway network back then was more extensive than it is today with many branchlines still servicing local communities with a once a week goods train or a daily return railmotor to a nearby junction. Wooden passenger carriages and four wheel goods wagons were commonplace right across the state.

However improvements in road transport and changes in government direction meant that considerable upheaval would change the railway landscape forever across the State. Richly illustrated with many never seen before photographs depicting typical scenes including busy suburban operation, shunting in sprawling yards and top link express trains including The Vinelander.

Japan's amazing bullet trains by Reirueizu Gurafikku

Available in print

This first ever photographic detailed history of the development of Japan’s well known and extensive high-speed rail network. Covers the development of the high-speed train sets commencing with Series 0 introduced from 1964, the track and new stations and the various services introduced over the decades. The book also documents the high speed network using existing narrow gauge track that was introduced from the mid-1950s.

The layered home : inspiration for creating cozy, collected rooms by Benjamin Reynaert

Available in print

The more patterns and colours combined, the more preloved pieces scooped up at the right time, the more surfaces to display treasured objects, the more a house will feel like home. Layers are key to achieving this maximalist alchemy. It's not a look that can be bought all at once, but one developed over time, leisurely and with intention, as you stay mindful of your space's personality. Most of all, layering a home requires listening to and respecting your own instincts and taste.

The author takes you on a journey through exquisitely decorated homes lived in by creative and curious people. These homes artfully integrate patterns, colours, textures, art, furniture, and objects to create interiors that are as unique as the people who live in them. More than 200 photographs capture home tours of stunning maximalist homes, and Benjamin's interviews with his favourite tastemakers reveal tips and tricks on collecting, arranging objects, and modifying rooms over time.

Arthur Boyd : St Francis tapestries

Available in print

Published to mark the 2026 exhibition at the National Gallery of Australia of 20 tapestries commissioned by renowned Australian artist Arthur Boyd.

Boyd commissioned the tapestries, part of his exploration of the life of Saint Francis, from the Manufactura de Tapeçarias de Portalegre, Portugal, and they were purchased by the National Gallery in 1975. This exhibition marks the inaugural presentation of the complete series.

At 2.5 by 3.4 metres, each tapestry is a scene in the artist’s retelling of the life of one of the most venerated figures in human history, St Francis of Assisi. Woven at a scale more than 20 times larger than Boyd’s original source images, and each containing between 4 and 8.5 million stitches, the finished textiles are a testament to the collaborative process of artistic creation.

An Academic Affair by Jodi McAlister

Available in print and large print

Sadie Shaw and Jonah Fisher have been academic rivals since they first crossed paths as undergraduates thirteen years ago. Now that a highly coveted teaching opportunity has come up, their rivalry hits epic proportions. Jonah needs the job to move closer to his recently divorced sister and her children, while Sadie needs the financial security and freedom of a full-time teaching position. When Sadie notices the job offers partner hire, however, she hatches a plot to get them both the job. All they must do is get legally married. It’s simple win-win solution but when sparks begin to fly, it becomes clear these two may not have thought this whole thing through.

The Memory Gardener by Meg Donohue

Available in large print

Lucy Barnes is a gardener with an uncanny ability to know exactly which scent among her flowers will illuminate to a person a key from their past that might change their future. When a mysterious note leads her to take a job as the gardener at a senior-living residence, Lucy finds herself wondering if there is more to her gift than she ever knew.

Her work soon unearths memories that will forever change all who cross Lucy’s path. But when a secret comes to light that threatens to shatter the entire community, the future suddenly looks uncertain. Have the memories Lucy has unearthed awakened something wonderful…or are some memories better left buried?

Alchemy of Secrets by Stephanie Garber

Available in large print

Holland St. James has always been convinced that magic is real. So when she tracks down a local legend named the Watch Man, who can supposedly tell you when you’ll die, the world finally makes sense. Except that the Watch Man tells her she will die at midnight tomorrow unless she finds an ancient object called the Alchemical Heart. With the clock ticking, Holland is pulled into this magical world within Los Angels – and into the path of a magnetic stranger. As they chase the Alchemical Heart, Holland realises everyone in this new world is lying to her, even this stranger. And if she can’t figure out whom to trust, not even the Alchemical Heart will save her.

It Girl by Allison Pataki

Available in large print

The Many by Sylvain Neuvel

Available in print

The minds of five normal people merge in a beautiful, unnerving first contact story where the strangest thing humanity has to face is each other.

"I'm you now. We all are"

When advertising executive Carole Veilleux loses it at Booker’s donut shop and bites Booker on the arm, it’s about the most interesting thing to happen in the small city of Marquette, Michigan, in years.

But that’s only the beginning of the story. Carole and Booker find their minds merging, in a collective that extends to include Carole’s husband Shivansh and local doctor Evelyn Schlapp. The four of them become the beginning of something larger and stranger than they could ever have imagined.

Transmentation | Transience by Darkly Lem

Available in print

From bestselling authors Darkly Lem, Transmentation | Transience is the first book in a vast, multiverse-spanning epic where power, ideology, and ambition collide across infinite worlds.

Over thousands of years and thousands of worlds, universe-spanning societies of interdimensional travelers have arisen. Some seek to make the multiverse a better place, some seek power and glory, others knowledge, while still others simply want to write their own tale across the cosmos.

When a routine training mission goes very wrong, two competing societies are thrust into an unwanted confrontation. As intelligence officer Malculm Kilkaneade receives the blame within Burel Hird, Roamers of Tala Beinir and Shara find themselves inadvertently swept up in an assassination plot.

Meanwhile, factions within Burel Hird are vying for greater control over their society in a war of cutthroat machinations—at a heavy price. Elsewhere, two members of rival societies lay their own plans for insurrection—with ramifications that will ripple across the Many Worlds ...

Solar Eclipses by William Sheehan

A thrilling guide to the celestial drama and scientific wonder of eclipses.

For millennia, solar eclipses have stirred awe and fear. Once seen as omens, they are now celebrated as rare spectacles that unite science and wonder. This accessible, richly illustrated book explores their cultural, emotional and scientific significance, from ancient myths to modern eclipse-chasing expeditions.

It traces how eclipses helped unlock secrets of the Sun, and why witnessing one inspires powerful reactions and lifelong fascination. The book also offers practical guidance for planning and observing upcoming eclipses, making it an essential companion for curious observers and seasoned eclipse-hunters alike. Combining historical depth, scientific insight and personal experience, this is the definitive guide to one of nature’s most dramatic and moving celestial events.

The Traveler by Joseph Eckert

Available in print 

The Traveler is the story of a reluctant time-traveler and his extraordinary son, and the bond between them that even millennia cannot break. An adventure full of heartbreak, hope, and futures beyond imagination.

It's a day like any other when Scott Treder first jumps forward through time. One moment, he’s on his way to work, fingers drumming the steering wheel. The next, he’s tumbling headlong down the road, his car gone, a dozen panicked voicemails from his wife waiting on his phone.

An entire 24 hours, gone.

This one moment—this first spontaneous slip—marks a change in the course not only of Scott’s future, but that of the world. From this point on, at precisely 7:52am every morning, Scott inexplicably travels forward in time in ever-doubling intervals. First one day lost in a blink, then two, then four, until weeks, even years, are passing him by in an instant.

Meanwhile, his wife is left alone to pick up the pieces of the life they once shared together, and, before long, Lyle, Scott’s genius seven-year-old son, will surpass him in age. Because while his dad is rocketing forward in time, Lyle is growing up–graduating early, studying at Berkeley, becoming the foremost scholar of quantum physics, all in an attempt to bring his father back.

Pinch of Nom : air fryer light & easy : all-new, time-saving meals under 500 calories by Kate Allinson

Available in print

Still intimidated by the air fryer? Luckily the team at Pinch of Nom have you covered with not only easy recipes, but also all the information and help you need to get to know your air fryer, and the dos and don’ts of using it to create healthy meals.

Low calorie, low effort, low cost meals with maximum taste. Satis-fry your tastebuds with meals under 400 calories and under 500 calories. With instructions and ingredient measurements for serving 2 people or 4 people, these meals are perfect for delicious everyday slimming. Kate and Kay have transformed affordable supermarket ingredients into calorie-counted dishes you'll want to fry and fry again.

These mouthwatering recipes are guaranteed to satisfy without stress.

Taking the Fear Out of Watercolour By Hazel Soan

Available in print

In Taking the Fear Out of Watercolour, Hazel Soan teaches you to paint with confidence, releasing you from the fear and trepidation that so often accompanies this challenging medium.

At first glance watercolour painting appears to be quite easy, meaning that beginners start off with very high hopes that are quickly dashed as they realise that it is much trickier than it looks. With wet pigment moving on paper, watercolour is often unpredictable, and it is easy to feel like you are out of control.

In this in-depth guide Hazel Soan takes an alternative approach, teaching you how to work with the watercolour medium and not against it. Special emphasis is placed on the medium's needs as she demonstrates an importance of understanding the properties of the pigments, the fabric of the paper and the purpose and versatility of each and every brushstroke. Full of thoughtful troubleshooting tips and advice, Hazel explains how and when to have control, when to cajole and coax, and more importantly, when to let go.

The Mocktail Playbook - Delicious Sips to Celebrate Every Day

Available in print

Discover 50 irresistible mocktail recipes from top bartenders, featuring bold flavours for any occasion and science-backed tips for a healthier, alcohol-free lifestyle.

A fresh, flavour-packed mocktail recipe book with 50+ bartender-crafted drinks and expert wellness guidance—your go-to playbook for vibrant, alcohol-free living and effortless entertaining.

The Mocktail Playbook transforms your kitchen into a mixology lab of delicious creativity—perfect for weeknight wind-downs, celebratory moments, or anytime you want something delicious without the buzz. 

The Mocktail Playbook is the ultimate mocktail recipe book for those who want to celebrate more and stress less—ideal for the sober-curious, wellness enthusiasts, and anyone craving fun, flavourful alternatives to traditional cocktails.

Yesteryear by Caro Claire Burke

Available in print, Large print and eAudiobook

My name was Natalie Heller Mills, and I was perfect at being alive.

Natalie lives a traditional lifestyle. Her charming farmhouse is rustic, her husband a handsome cowboy, her six children each more delightful than the last. So what if there are nannies and producers behind the scenes, her kitchen hiding industrial-grade fridges and ovens, her husband the heir to a political dynasty? What Natalie’s followers—all 8 million of them—don’t know won’t hurt them. And The Angry Women? The privileged, Ivy League, coastal elite haters who call her an antifeminist iconoclast? They’re sick with jealousy. Because Natalie isn’t simply living the good life, she’s living the ideal—and just so happens to be building an empire from it.

Natalie lives a traditional lifestyle -- and has the social media accounts to prove it. Her charming farmhouse on her working ranch is artfully cluttered, her husband is a handsome cowboy, her homemade sourdough boules are each more beautiful than the last. So what if there are nannies and producers and industrial-grade ovens behind the scenes? What Natalie's followers don't know won't hurt them. Then, one morning, Natalie wakes up in a strange, horrible version of reality. Her home, her husband, her children -- they're all familiar, but something's off. Is this a hoax? A reality show? A test from God? Natalie knows just two things for sure: this isn't her perfect life, and she must escape, by any means possible.