.png)
We survived the scary month! Now we're all just waiting for the holidays, aren't we? The wait won't be too long because there are so many books to read! Let's take a look at the last few books published THIS year (now that sounds scary, hahaha).
Children’s Books
The Little Mermaid and Other Tales by Hans Christian Andersen
A beautiful hardback with 10 black and white illustrations. Hans Christian Andersen’s iconic fairy tales have been shared and treasured for generations. Readers across the world know his poignant tale “The Little Mermaid,” whose title character chooses love above all, and “Thumbelina,” about the very tiny girl who goes on a big adventure. Now, fifteen of his beloved stories, including “The Ugly Duckling,” “The Princess and the Pea,” and “The Snow Queen,” are collected in this illustrated edition.
All Aboard the Bedtime Bus by Karl Newson
Join the bus driver and all his sleepy passengers as they go on a magical bus journey to bedtime. Travel from stop to stop, brushing your teeth at Snoozyville, reading bedtime stories at Sleepy Town and, finally snoring along at Slumber Land. With an infectious bedtime song that mirrors each step in a typical bedtime routine, this is the ideal book to help parents deal with bedtime battles.
Personally, really looking forward to reading this second part! After her encounter with the Witch-Queen, Zuli is shaken—but feels more determined than ever to find out what’s happening to the bird spirits. Armed with new information about her identity, she mounts a daring escape from a merchant airship and takes off with Frowly and Orien by her side. But the more she tries to solve the mysteries swirling around herself, the more she’s drawn to legends about the mythical Siric, who have long since disappeared from the world. Zuli might be prepared to take on new challenges, along with the new allies she meets, but is she prepared to go farther than ever before to confront the universe’s broken magic?
Anzu and the Realm of Darkness by Mai K. Nguyen
This looks like another amazing graphic novel! Anzu has just moved to a new town during Obon, a time for families to remember and celebrate their ancestors. Ever since her grandmother Obaachan died, though, Obon has lost its magic for Anzu. She doesn't feel like celebrating. Escaping the festivities, Anzu chases after a stray dog. She slips and falls down a ridge - to find herself in the Shinto underworld known as Yomi, a place she's heard about in Obaachan's stories. The stray dog, she finds out, is actually the Gatekeeper of Yomi, and he warns her to return to the human realm before it's too late. Only, getting home is not simple. Faced with the nefarious Queen Izanami and a realm of creatures, Anzu is in a race against the clock. Can she break a curse, free the spirits of other lost children and reach the gate home before sunrise? . . . Or will she be stuck in Yomi forever?
YA Book recommendations
Heist Royale by Kayvion Lewis (Thieves’ Gambit #2)
In the aftermath of the betrayals revealed in Thieves’ Gambit, Ross and Devroe are now reluctant partners pulling jobs all over the world, run by Count, the Organization’s enigmatic leader. Astoundingly, even after Devroe’s treachery has been revealed, he’s still trying to make a play for Ross’s heart, but Ross can’t trust him and staying alive has to be her number one priority. Devroe’s wish that could end not only her life, but her family’s, is still in force. But when another high-ranking member of the Organization attempts to oust Count, Ross sees her chance to save herself. A new gambit is proposed to see who should lead the Organization into the future—Count or Baron, a crafty and ruthless opponent who will stop at nothing for the win. And so begins the ultimate Gambit to determine not who the best thief is, but who will rule the Organization of cutthroats, and more importantly to Ross, who will live and who will die.
More Than This by Krystal Marquis (The Davenports #2)
Newly engaged Ruby Tremaine is eagerly planning her wedding to the love of her life when a nasty rumor threatens her reputation and her marriage. Olivia Davenport has committed to the social justice cause and secretly hopes she’ll be reunited with dashing lawyer Washington DeWight—until her parents decide she’s to marry someone else. Amy-Rose Shepherd is making her lifelong wish of owning a salon come true, but when an incident forces her to return to Freeport Manor, she’s back in the path of John Davenport, who still holds her heart. Helen Davenport is determined to get over her own heartbreak and bring the Davenport Carriage Company into the new century, even if it means teaming up with a thrill-seeking racecar driver who just loves to get under her skin.
The Murder Hypothesis by Sarah Wishart
How do you catch a murderer without knowing who the victim is? Science-obsessed Grace’s fresh start with her dad in Devon is derailed when the smart speaker in their new house comes alive at midnight and says: I’m going to murder you. And after Grace begins to investigate, she uncovers four mysterious deaths – all supposedly accidents – that are linked to the device. But only Grace knows that one of those deaths was actually a murder – and now she must identify both the victim and the killer, using the methodology of a chemistry experiment … before she ends up dead herself.
Iron Flame by Rebecca Yarros (The Empyrean #2)
Everyone expected Violet Sorrengail to die during her first year at Basgiath War College-Violet included. But Threshing was only the first impossible test meant to weed out the weak-willed, the unworthy, and the unlucky. Now the real training begins, and Violet's already wondering how she'll get through. It's not just that it's grueling and maliciously brutal, or even that it's designed to stretch the riders' capacity for pain beyond endurance. It's the new vice commandant, who's made it his personal mission to teach Violet exactly how powerless she is-unless she betrays the man she loves. Although Violet's body might be weaker and frailer than everyone else's, she still has her wits-and a will of iron. And leadership is forgetting the most important lesson Basgiath has taught her: Dragon riders make their own rules. But a determination to survive won't be enough this year. Because Violet knows the real secret hidden for centuries at Basgiath War College-and nothing, not even dragon fire, may be enough to save them in the end.
Contemporary
The Rom-Commers by Katherine Center
She's rewriting his love story. But can she rewrite her own?Emma has big dreams, though she hasn't let herself think about them in years. Until her big break comes along: the chance to re-write a screenplay with her hero, Charlie-freaking-Yates! Even better: it's a rom-com - Emma's dream come true. Charlie is a Hollywood legend. He's also, as it turns out, kind of a jerk. He's written the worst rom-com Emma's ever read - and it turns out Charlie doesn't believe in love at all… But Emma's not going down without a fight. To help Charlie write the perfect rom-com, she needs to make him understand true romance. But the more she tries to teach him about love, the more real it all starts to seem .
The Chibineko Kitchen by Yuta Takahashi
Follow the bank of the Koitogawa river until you reach the beach. From there a path of white seashells will lead you to the Chibineko Kitchen. Step inside, they'll be expecting you. These are the directions Kotoko has been given. She arrives at the tiny restaurant, perched right by the water, early in the morning. Still reeling from the sudden death of her brother, she's been promised that the food served there will bring him back to her, for one last time. Taking a seat in the small, wood-panelled room, she waits as Kai, the restaurant's young chef, brings out steaming bowls of simmered fish, rice and miso soup. Though she hadn't ordered anything, Kai had somehow known the exact dish her brother always used to cook for her. And as she takes her first delicious bite, the gulls outside fall silent and the air grows hazy.
Dog by Rob Perry
When 18-year-old Benjamin Glass goes to look at a dead whale that has washed up on the beach, he meets an unfamiliar dog who follows him home to his caravan. Benjamin isn’t equipped to take care of a dog – he has a chronic fear of germs, and is currently living alone while his grandmother is in hospital. But when a delivery driver recognises the dog as The Mighty Gary, the fastest greyhound in the country, and tells Benjamin about his unsavoury owners, Benjamin is forced to trust the stranger on his doorstep and devise a plan to keep Gary safe. As Benjamin becomes more attached to the dog, it becomes clear that his trust in the delivery driver may well have been misplaced. He will have to leave his comfort zone, take some unhygienic risks, cross paths with dangerous and powerful men and confront his very worst fears if he has any hope of protecting what he loves the most.
The Unmaking of June Farrow by Adrienne Young
In the small mountain town of Jasper, North Carolina, June Farrow is waiting for fate to find her. The Farrow women are known for their thriving flower farm - and the mysterious curse that has haunted them for generations. The madness that led to Susanna Farrow's disappearance left her daughter, June, to be raised by her grandmother. Everyone in Jasper is certain it's only a matter of time before she finds the same end, but June has kept secret that her unravelling has already begun. After her grandmother's death, June follows a series of clues that link her mother's disappearance to the town's dark history, leading finally to a mysterious door. Behind it may lay the answer to the mysteries that have always lingered like a dark shadow.
Hope we gave you some inspiration as to what to read these last few weeks of 2024!
This blog post is written by The Little Bookshop, your bookshop for English books in Rennes.