New Titles

Hi all! We got a lot of wonderful new titles in this week. I've chosen just a few to showcase here, in no particular order, but I hope you'll come in and have a browse around and see all the new things.

Click on the covers featured below to visit their goodreads page and learn more about them.

New Titles 6 February 2020

This is one of the biggest publishing days this quarter, with literally dozens of books publishing on this single day across childrens and adults books. I've (randomly) chosen just a few of the children's titles to highlight here, but there are many more to see in store!

New Titles 9 January 2020

Welcome back! It's the first New Title day of the year and there are some fantastic titles out today. Remember, these are just a few of the new titles, presented in no particular order.
(A Heart So Fierce and Broken and Chosen are not in stock yet, but should arrive very soon!)

New titles: Boxsets

Good morning! I'm taking a break from our publishers series to highlight some children's boxsets that recently came into stock. These sets represent a significant saving over buying the books individually, and numbers are very limited.

New titles: HarperCollins Children

The third in our series focuses on HarperCollins Children's books. HarperCollins has been publishing fiction and nonfiction for 200 years and currently host some of the biggest names in children's publishing. As always, these titles are in no particular order and represent only a tiny sample of HCC's fantastic range.

New Titles: DK Children's

In the second of our series on new titles, we're turning to DK. Dorling Kindersley produce factual books for adults and children and regularly top best seller lists.

New Titles: O'Brien Press

Welcome to (I hope!) the first in a series of posts highlighting some of the new titles. At this time of year there are so many lists and suggestions and best buys, it's easy to be overwhelmed. I'm hoping to make things a bit clearer, so do let me know if there's particular information you'd like to help you decide on your books.

We're starting with the O'Brien Press; they've been publishing in Ireland for more than forty years and their children's books regularly win awards nationally and internationally.

For toddlers, this chunky, brightly coloured picture book is a great introduction to vehicles they'll see on the streets every day. From bicycle and car through to Luas and Dart, it's a fantastic first book and a great match with my first book of GAA, also available.

Pangur Ban escapes a manuscript in chase of a plump grey mouse. The ghosts of Trinity help her search - well, some of them do - but she just can't seem to catch that mouse! A beautifully illustrated book showcasing the history of one of our most famous buildings.

The most famous of the Three Sorrows of Irish storytelling, this new rhyming version is a wonderful gift. The illustrations are full of details and just beautiful to look at. Amazing.

One of the best of this genre, this book features more than thirty Irish men and women who excelled in their fields or inspired others, or both! I'll admit I didn't know most of these people before reading the book, which made it really interesting to me. Love the illustrations, too.

Judi has dabbled in historical fiction in the Stand by Me series, but Lily is set much farther back, mixing real fact with imagined history to produce a wonderful adventure novel. This is already selling very well and will be a great buy coming up to Christmas for your tween.


This is a tiny samlpe of the amazing books O'Brien are producing. Please do drop in and see them!

Super Thursday New Titles

Super Thursday is the biggest single publishing day in the year. There are more than five hundred new titles publishing today! Please remember, this is only a tiny sample of the children's titles; there are so many more amazing ones available, and hundreds of adult titles. Do come in and have a browse and we'll be happy to talk through them with you.

New Titles 24 Sept 19

There aren't as many new titles this week, because most of the publishers are focusing on Christmas now. I can tell you that next week includes some titles I've really been looking forward to. For now, enjoy these few new titles and don't forget to come in and look around for the rest.

New Titles

Another amazing list of new titles this week, spanning all ages and interests! Remember, it's never too early to start your Christmas shopping. Just don't forget where you hid them or you'll have to buy them all over again!
Synopses (mostly) from Goodreads.

New Titles

Some wonderful new titles today, in both fiction and non fiction. Starting with the fiction, in no particular order. All summaries from Goodreads. Most of the summaries are from Goodreads, apart from the books that aren't actually listed on there.

These titles cover all age ranges.



Today is a very special day. It is the President’s birthday and everyone is preparing a birthday surprise for him.

So while the President is sent out to the Phoenix Park to walk the dogs, preparations get underway. The pigeon helpfully puts up the bunting, the postmistress delivers the birthday cards, Mrs Mullins dusts down the pictures and the cheeky cat tastes the freshly whipped cream!

Meanwhile, the President enjoys tea and scones at Farmleigh House and even does a spot of yoga on the fifteen acres. But will our forgetful President enjoy his day out in the park too much to remember his own birthday party? Or will it be his turn to surprise everyone instead?



From Paul McCartney—an action-packed picture-book adventure celebrating the fun that grandparents and grandkids can get up to.

See the compass needle spin, let the magic fun begin!

Meet Grandude—a super-cool grandfather who is an intrepid explorer with some amazing tricks up his sleeve. Grandude is a one-of-a-kind adventurer! With his magic compass, he whisks his four grandkids off on whirlwind adventures, taking them all around the globe. Join them as they ride flying fish, dodge stampedes, and escape avalanches! Brought to life with gloriously colorful illustrations from talented artist Kathryn Durst, it’s the perfect bedtime story for little explorers

When Anna borrows a tiny wooden tiger from her Russian grandmother's mantelpiece, little does she realize that it is the start of a magical adventure...

Waking the next day, Anna finds herself in a snowy Russian village, where she hears the news that a tiger cub has been spotted in the nearby woods. Anna knows this is why she must be here - the cub needs her help! But is Anna brave enough to set out in search of a tiger in the forest at night?

The novel of the laugh-out-loud high school musical coming to Netflix in 2020, starring Meryl Streep, James Corden and Nicole Kidman.

Emma knows better than anyone that Edgewater, Indiana, is not a great place to be gay. But she's had enough of high school homophobia and really wants to take her girlfriend - the popular, closeted It Girl Alyssa- to prom. How big a deal could that really be?

But when their classmates find out, the backlash exceeds Emma's worst nightmares.

Meanwhile, in Manhattan, Barry and Dee Dee are Broadway stars of yesteryear. When their new show bombs, they need some good publicity - fast. So when they happen to hear about Emma's plight, they decide to step in and create a prom for everyone.

Suddenly, Edgewater is the centre of a national news story. As the drama queens of New York take over the sleepy town, chaos ensues and the glare of the spotlight is brighter than anyone could have guessed.

But all Emma and Alyssa want is to dance together. Is that too much to ask?

Ellie is a rebellious princess hiding her real identity.

Lottie is her Portman, acting as the princess for the public to shield Ellie from scrutiny.

Jamie is Ellie's Partizan, a lifelong bodyguard sworn to protect the princess at any cost.

Together they are attempting to stay safe from Leviathan, a group determined to take the princess for unknown reasons.

When Leviathan force them to travel to their beloved Rosewood Hall's sister school in Japan, the threesome find that nowhere is beyond Leviathan's long reach. The only solace they find is a secret group called Banshee who are fighting against the organisation's hold. But when long-buried secrets are uncovered, the lives of Lottie, Ellie and Jamie will never be the same again...

This one is borderline fiction/nonfiction, so I've put it in the middle here.

Matilda is BRAVE and BRILLIANT - and you can be too!

Packed with GAMES, JOKES, QUIZZES and much more, this marvellous book has all the tips and tricks you need to become a REAL HERO and even stand up to THE TERRIBLE TRUNCHBULL.

Review: Heartstream

Heartstream by Tom Pollock
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Cat's dating a member of the hottest boyband around...maybe. And Amy's the hottest streamer on Heartstream, the app that lets other people literally feel your emotions. Both think they've experienced the dark side of fandom. But they haven't seen anything yet.


Where to start with this one? First of all, it does not have the tear your hair out ending that White Rabbit, Red Wolf had, so rest easy on that. Not everything is tied up by the end, but it's enough.

Second, I like this view of fandom; that it can be the best place ever, an amazingly supportive family who will bear you up and support you...so long as you follow the rules. I've been on the edge of some of those fandoms, and they can be hideous or wonderful. Often both at once. It's beautifully portrayed here.

Third, I kind of started to get an inkling about what was going on about halfway through, but I had to keep adjusting my thoughts and shifting things around. Tom is amazing at giving you enough information to keep you guessing but not enough to figure things out, but not so little you get bored. I've no idea how he does it.

Fourth, a small amount of violence and gore, be careful.

Fifth, read it. Get two copies and give one to someone else.



I received an ARC and chose to review it honestly.


Panic and despair welled up in me. I suddenly remembered being tony, maybe four or five, and losing Mum in the bustle of a supermarket, and running up and down the aisles of cereal and vegetables and frozen meat frantically searching for her and not finding her and battling against the growing conviction she was gone, gone, and I was never getting her back, and tears springing up hot in my throat because it was my fault, because she told me to keep hold of her hand.

This felt exactly like that, only edged in a leaden despair, because I knew it would never end, because there was no bored girl with a supermarket PA system who could call her to the customer information desk from where she'd gone now. And then I was back watching the burning house, and then...

And then I sort of lost touch with myself.

View all my reviews

Wally is lost again! He should really invest in a good map. Come and see if you can find him - and while you're at it, invest in a good map. Or a compass. They're useful for all sorts of things.

New Titles

#murdermostunladylike by @redbreastedbird is celebrating ten years with this fabulous signed, hardback edition! It includes extra content for you to enjoy. Complete your collection today.

New Titles

How amazing do these look together? Hurry and buy your copies before they're all gone!

New Titles

The classic Milly Molly Mandy stories have been reissued by Macmillan Children's Books in these beautiful paperback editions. These are ideal for any child who is learning to read, as the easy language and simple stories will give them great confidence. (They'll also make you very hungry.)