Hello again. Here is this week’s (and last week’s) shipment of new books. Hopefully some will interest you!

Sam Stern’s Student Cookbook, by Sam Stern and Susan Stern (266 pages) – This is young Sam’s fourth cookbook. His first few books were written for teens who wanted to cook food that wasn’t too challenging, but not too basic as well. This book is for teens and students have have left home and need to fend for themselves, and who don’t want to eat spag bol every night for three years, like I did.

Runescape : The Official Handbook (110 pages) – Runescape is a free online adventure game that boasts more players than World of Warcraft. Which is pretty impressive, although it is free and you don’t need to buy a game to play it. This book has maps, guides, and all that kind of thing to help both new players and old players.

The Book of Big Excuses, by Tracey Turner (156 pages) – This non-fiction book looks at famous and funny excuses for lateness, accidents, mistakes, and bad behaviour. It also suggests excuses that the reader may want to utilise should the occasion present itself. (There aren’t any that might explain an overdue library book, unfortunately.)

Somebody’s Crying, by Maureen McCarthy (371 pages) – Three years ago Alice’s mother was murdered, and the killer was never found. Alice, her cousin and his friend, are drawn together by mystery – but what are they hiding?

First sentence: ‘Hearing his voice after so long was weird to say the least.‘

Exposure, by Mal Peet (439 pages) – This is the third novel about Peter Faustino, South America’s top football journalist. It is also a rework of Shakespeare’s Othello; South American football hero Otello marries Desmeralda, pop-star daughter of a right-wing politician.

First sentence: ‘The boy with all the dreadlocks had two lines of business: cars and the patio trade.‘

In Too Deep : An Elite Novel, by Jennifer Banash (246 pages) – This is the second book in a series about a group of affluent teens living in New York’s Upper East Side. (The Upper East Side is a borough in Manhattan.) There is a website for the series.

First sentence: ‘Madison Macallister straightened the silken sleeve of her floral-patterned black and crimson wrap dress, and stabbed her fork into the desiccated remains of her smoked salmon salad, bringing a mouthful of baby greens up to her matte ruby-red lips.‘

Stolen Car, by Patrick Jones (229 pages) – Danielle lives in a trailer park with her clueless mother. She meets up with Reid, whose life seems to revolved around fast cars, parties, and his sleazy friends. Danielle’s best friend Ashley is determined to rescue her from this increasingly out-of-control life …

First sentence: ‘I’m fifteen years old and I’m driving a stolen car.‘

Spanking Shakespeare, by Jake Wizner (287 pages) – Shakespeare Shapiro hopes that his writing project – a memoir – will bring him ‘respect, admiration, and a girlfriend … or at least a prom date.’ He hates his name, his family is eccentric, and he’s pretty socially inept. Very funny, according to reviews.

First sentence: ‘It’s hard to imagine what my parents were thinking when they decided to name me Shakespeare.‘

The Fledging of Az Gabrielson : The Clouded World Book 1, by Jay Amory (347 pages) – Az is one of the Airborn, a race with wings who live high above the ground. Az, alas, has no wings and so can’t fly. He’s asked to go beneath the clouds to see what’s happening with the lifts that are supposed to carry the goods the Airborn need to survive, and which have been failing.

First sentence:’The airbus touched down outside the Museum of Arts, Sciences and History and opened its door to let out thirty students from High Haven senior school.‘

The Fatal Child, by John Dickinson (547 pages) – The sequel to The Cup of the World and The Widow and the King.
Cruisin’, by Brian Caswell (149 pages)
Ocean Pearl, by J. C. Burke (331 pages) – The second ‘Starfish Sisters’ book.