Set on an island that we quickly come to understand to be isolated from the rest of the world, Gather the Daughters is a frightening account of the extent of the rigidity and potential radicalism of a cult. Governed by the Wanderers, who control essentially everything, from how much knowledge…
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Happier Thinking by Lana Grace Riva
Happier Thinking can be thought of as a short and sweet guidebook or manual that you can keep by our side for guidance on the road to a more positive outlook in life. This book contains practical, actionable advice on how to work on making small changes in the way…
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His Bloody Project by Graeme Macrae Burnet
His Bloody Project is a brilliantly written account of a violent triple murder, the events leading up to the murder and the process of convicting and trying the suspected murderer. Seventeen year old Roderick Macrae is arrested for the murders and is asked by his lawyer to write down his…
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Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine by Gail Honeyman
Eleanor Oliphant is nearly thirty years old. She lives on her own and has worked in the same office for over ten years. Eleanor leaves the office on a Friday afternoon and doesn’t speak with another human being until she comes back to the office on Monday morning. Her life…
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Love Island: annoying reality TV or social experiment?
Love Island is like marmite; you either love it or you hate it. You either get addicted and never miss an episode (or record it to catch up), or you don’t even start the season and avoid it the whole way through. Some say that it is an interesting social…
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All the Rivers by Dorit Rabinyan
Are there borders love cannot cross? All the Rivers is a passionate story about two young people falling in love in New York City. There’s just one problem: she is Israeli and he is Palestinian. When Liat meets Hilmi, she is drawn to him despite all her reservations and unwillingness.…
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Ruby by Cynthia Bond
Ruby is a gracefully written tale of love, the power of societal structures and the strength it takes to stand against these often seemingly solid structures in the name of humanity and kindness. Beautiful Ruby Bell has returned to Liberty, a small town in Texas following years in New York…
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Number 11 by Jonathan Coe
Number 11 is a well-written satire depicting today’s Britain; the differences in the lives of the rich and the poor, the politics, social media, the entertainment industry. It consists of a series of intertwined stories that cover several aspects of our contemporary country with significance on the number 11 that…
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The Kindness of a Tiny Stranger
As he walked up to his regular bus stop on his commute to work, Will was struck by how busy it was that Tuesday morning. There were commuters, school children and mothers with pushchairs huddled together trying to stay out of the rain. He stood near enough the bus stop…
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Mental Health Awareness Week: what should we do?
Mental health: we don’t talk about it. At least, we don’t talk about it enough. From my own experience, throughout my 10 years in the workplace, it seemed that mental health trouble was never something that constituted a good enough reason to be signed off work, at least not openly.…