<p> Recommended Reads</p><p>Where can I get these books? You can get all of these books, and many more, for free from your local library, see https://www.suffolklibraries.co.uk/ or call into your local library.</p><p>Don’t like our recommendations? Then send us yours and we will add them to the list, which we will update regularly. If we get enough responses, we will split the list into genres. Email your recommendations to [email protected]</p><p>Disclaimer: These recommendations are the personal views of library staff and do not represent the views of West Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust or the Library and Information Centre. We do not endorse or promote any particular author or genre.</p><p>T hese recomm endati ons</p><p>TITLE AU GENRE BLURB (No plot spoilers please!) S REVIEW TH OR Life After Life Kat Historical A bit like Groundhog Day in that it’s the story of a girl’s life *Not complicated and very easy to become absorbed in e lived over and over again.. Starts in 1910 and moves the story Atk through to the 60s. ins on Etta and Otto and Russell Em Journey/quest An 82 year old Canadian woman, who is starting to forget, * Gentle story – if you liked “The unlikely pilgrimage of and James ma & who has never seen the sea leaves her husband and Harold Fry”, you’ll probably enjoy this Ho friend to walk to the ocean. op er Crossing Places Elly Crime Ruth Galloway series, 7 books so far. Ruth is a Forensic * Gri Archaeologist so not the usual detective angle. ffit hs The Left Hand of Darkness Urs Science Fiction Written 40 years ago but still has a fresh feel to it and the * More a story about friendship and loss rather than ula technology is believable. Set on an imaginary frozen alien invasion. Very thought-provoking. le planet, Winter, and telling the story of the first ‘alien’ who Gui lands there. The unique characteristic of Winter is that the n people there have no fixed gender, it is fluid. Perhaps as a consequence, they have never experienced war. The Signature of All Things Eliz Historical This tells the story of a woman who, through a series of * By the same author of Eat, Pray, Love but with a very ab events, spends her life studying various mosses. She different style and subject-matter The story draws you eth comes from a very wealthy family and meets many in and despite the subject matter I found it riveting. Gil interesting folk on her travels throughout her life and ber makes a startling and fundamental scientific discovery. t The Blade of Fortriu Juli Fantasy book 3 of The third book of the Bridei Chronicles, tells the story of * I think this was the best of all three books. ett 3. Faolan, the kings’ assassin and spy. e Book 1: The dark Ma mirror rilli Book 2: The well er of shades The Bone Clocks Da Science The story follows mostly one character, Hollie, for forty I’ve only just discovered Mitchell, but what a find. This vid fiction/fantasy/fic odd years, in the form of a time slip novel with echoes of a book is hard to categorise, like nothing I have ever Mit tion vampire theme. read before but clearly influenced by some great che writers. The plot is pure fantasy but totally believable ll because the writing is just so good. He is particularly good at characterisation and dialogue. It’s one of the funniest books I’ve read in a long time. The Winter Ghosts Kat Fiction/ghost She of Labyrinth and Sepulchre fame. It has the same An atmospheric book and I liked the wintry e story setting, in the mountains of the Carcasonne, but it’s a lot descriptions of the landscape, but it was not scary. It Mo shorter in length.. I accept she will write about what she was quite daft in places and it all felt a bit tired sse knows, but I think she has done the Carcasonne to death, if you will excuse the pun. The Button Box Lyn Non-fiction/social This book traces women’s social and industrial history This is a really fascinating read. Women had it so hard, n history from about the 1870s to the 1980s through the clothing simply to clothe themselves and keep clean, let alone Kni they wore, at all levels of society. It’s part-biography and clothe their families and uphold social conventions. ght part historical fact 1.Mistress of the Art of Ari Historical fiction The main character is a female doctor (pathologist, really) The premise of the book was a little unlikely, but if you Death ana Other books in in the 11th century, investigating a series of child murders. get past this, the book is extremely enjoyable. I really Fra the series: The story is set in Cambridge, and is the first in a series. empathised with the main character, Adelia, and the nkli 2. The death maze author makes some startling and interesting points n 3. Relics of the about the treatment of women without it being too dead preachy. This was a book written with real warmth 4. The assassins’ and humanity. prayer Winter Siege – not part of the Adelia series, completed after the authors’ death by her daughter. Our Endless Numbered Clai Fiction, post- A survivalist dad takes his daughter off to live in the Described as ‘haunting’ and I would agree, this stayed Days re apocalyptic woods, telling her the rest of the world no longer exists. with me for a long time after I finished it. I gave it four Full As she grows and starts to suspect this is not actually so stars because it left me feeling rather low, but it was er the novel grows darker and more shocking, more so very well-written. because the reality of her situation is left largely for the reader to deduce. The Wall Ma Fiction, post- A woman wakes up one morning to discover she is all A glutton for punishment, this was recommended by a rle apocalyptic, alone. There are no chapters, just one long account of colleague. One of the best books I’ve read in a long n dystopian how the main character survives and thrives, to some time. Described as a feminist classic and a radical Ha extent, with just a few animals (whom you will come to criticism of modern civilisation, I felt it was all of those ush love) for company. things, but mostly it was a very human story, deeply ofe moving, shocking and I couldn’t get it out of my head. r When I finished it, I felt lost. The main character’s loneliness and feelings of desolation are palpable, but despite all that, it’s a wonderful read. Sentinel Mage Em Fantasy, book 1 of The story of a terrible curse that strikes an imaginary I’m not a huge fantasy fan, but this was well-written (Cursed Kingdoms #1) ily 3 world, made up of seven kingdoms (yes, it’s a bit Game of and from a female point of view. There is a burgeoning Ge Thrones but without the violence and misogyny), one of romance and it’s pretty clear what is going to happen, e which produces mages or witches. Mages are reviled in but for a smooth, enjoyable not-too-challenging read, the remaining kingdoms and treated as outcasts, but in this fits the bill. About halfway through I realised they order to lift the curse (which forces people to turn on couldn’t lift the curse by the end of the book, hence each other and murder friends and family), a group of the next two instalments, but I enjoyed it so much I’ve mages must work with a royal-born mage to defeat the ordered books 2 & 3 from the library. There is some curse. The blood and hands of the royal are required, but violence, but all in context, and some good, strong they don’t have to be attached to a living being, so every female characters. Tom, Dick and Harry is after the group of reluctant allies.</p>