Inside Monthly Top 10s Reviews: Children’s Young Adults’ Non Fiction Story Time Sign up to our email list

Top 10 Bestsellers

1. Fire and Fury by Michael Wolff

2. A Gentleman in Moscow by Amor Towles

3. The Barefoot Investor by Scott Pape

4. Yellow & Black: A Season With Richmond

by Konrad Marshall

5. The Little Paris Bookshop by Nina George

6. The Subtle Art of Not Giving A F*ck by Mark Manson

7. The Dry by Jane Harper

8. Force of Nature by Jane Harper

9. Tinkering: The Complete Book of John Clarke

by John Clarke

10. Two Steps Forward by Graeme Simsion and Anne Buist

It was a beautiful bright autumn day, with air like cider and a sky so blue you could drown in it.

Diana Gabaldon, Outlander

Tim’s Bookshop

WORDS WORTH READING Autumn Edition 2018

Adult Fiction

The Watchmaker of Filigree Street by Natasha Pulley

Thaniel Steepleton’s existence consists of working at the telegram office and struggling

to make ends meet after sending half his pay to his widowed sister. When a gold watch

appears in his room on the same day that the Irish terrorist group, Clan na Gael, threaten

to bomb London, he has no idea just how much his life is about to change. The

watchmaker, a Japanese immigrant called Keita Mori, is suspected of making the bomb

that blew up Scotland Yard and Thaniel is to befriend him in order to help the police find

enough evidence to arrest the quiet, brilliant but lonely Mori. This novel has everything;

fantastic writing, a plot that weaves and sways in ways you won’t see coming, drama, love, history and magic.

Let your imagination free and enter a world you won’t want to leave.

The Shepherd's Hut by Tim Winton

Told in Winton’s trademark style, with a strong sense of time and place, comes the story

of an unlikely pilgrimage into the sparse, dry desert of Western Australia. Unlike in his

normal novels, Jaxie Clackton’s tale does not focus on, or even feature, the ocean. This

is not to say that water isn’t a constant source of tension in the story; Jaxie, trekking

across the desert to escape the horror of his home life and a particularly grisly, though

perhaps welcome, discovery, must measure and ration his water, and Winton certainly

highlights the importance of the element to our survival both as individuals and as a race. As Jaxie ventures

inland, and north, his past is unraveled for us and while Jaxie is an unlikely hero, we begin to understand his

actions and his motivations. This is a haunting novel, exploring the lengths we will go to to be understood, to

find the ones we love, and, ultimately, to escape. (Release Date 13th March)

The Immortalists by Chloe Benjamin

When four siblings visit a fortune teller as children, they have no idea of the catastrophic

effect her words will have on them all. They each now believe they know the date on

which they will die, and this knowledge changes everything.

Told in four parts, this novel is intense, intriguing, philosophical and, despite being a

book about death, it is also absolutely full of life. A fantastic literary thriller by a born

storyteller.

Little Fires Everywhere by Celeste Ng

Shaker Heights is a placid, ordered, decidedly well-planned hamlet in a world that

is otherwise chaos, at least according to the residents of Shaker Heights. The

Richardsons live in Shaker Heights, and their lives are picture perfect. However,

when Mia Warren, artist and single mother, arrives to rent one of the Richardsons'

properties, bringing her enigmatic daughter Pearl along with her, old secrets are

brought to the surface and both Elena Richardson and Mia Warren realise that all is

not as it seems. Perfect for fans of Sally Hepworth or Jodi Picoult.

Under the Cold Bright Lights by Garry Disher

Alan is a former detective brought out of retirement to solve cold cases. He is good at

his job, even if his younger colleagues believe him to be past it, and he is a strong

believer in justice, especially when the crimes start to get a little too close to home.

With plenty of twists, a very likeable lead character and a dark humour running

throughout, this homegrown mystery is a page-turner that will have your questioning

your own moral fibre.

Lincoln in the Bardo by George Saunders

When Abraham Lincoln’s son, Willie, died in 1862, the President of America

spent hours by his dead son’s side, lost in grief. While Lincoln mourns, several of

the inhabitants of the graveyard watch on from the bardo, a place somewhere

between mortal life and the unknown beyond. As the ghosts bicker, whine and

tell their own stories, they also band together to help Willie move on to the next

realm, and they learn a great deal about the state of their country while they do so.

This is one of the most original books around at the moment and as such, it won’t

appeal to everyone. If you read it as a play and are prepared to let your

imagination run wild, then Saunders’ book can be truly rewarding. It has a great

deal of heart, history, humour and insight, with a touch of wickedness thrown in

for good measure. It is also a timely reminder that no two accounts of an event

are the same and that there are often three sides to every story.

Only Child by Rhiannon Navin

This may be the most powerful book you read this year. Perfect for fans of

Alice Sebold and Jodi Picoult comes a debut novel that is like nothing else.

Told from the perspective of six year old Zach, beginning on the worst day of

his life, we are guided sensitively, but tragically, through the aftermath of a

fatal school shooting. As Zach huddles inside a cupboard in his first grade

classroom, he struggles to understand what is happening, and when there is a

fatality that hits very close to home, he must somehow show his family the

way out of their grief and despair. A celebration of life as much as a

condemnation of mass violence, this is a heartbreaking, beautiful story of

survival, courage, family, and community.

In the Midst of Winter by Isabel Allende

In the middle of a Brooklyn snowstorm, three people are thrown together by chance

and, whilst they choose to help each other they also end up sharing their stories. Each

has known horror, sadness and disappointment but as they struggle with what they

have to do now they also discover hope and maybe even love. Along with the mystery

of a dead body in the present, there are also beautifully woven tales from the past that

are completely engaging and moving.

The Only Story by Julian Barnes

Would you rather love the more, and suffer the more; or love the less, and suffer

the less? That is, I think, finally, the only real question.

Paul is nineteen when he meets the love of his life on a tennis court. It is England

in 1963 and Paul’s mother has signed him up to the tennis club over the summer

holidays when he is on break from University, hoping he’ll meet a nice

respectable girl there. Susan is perfectly respectable, but she is also 48 years old

and married, not quite the girl Paul’s mother had in mind. Despite the hurdles

before them, Paul and Susan’s love affair lasts for years, until her fragile emotional state and her alcoholism put

an end to the relationship.

Julian Barnes is brilliant at creating characters and a world that will engross you. Along with the pain of the

ending of a love affair, he also gives us the joy of the beginning, the naïveté of youth, musings on life, family,

aging and mental illness, all with a little humour and a little sadness to help us along. A thought-provoking read,

perfect for bookclubs.

Non Fiction

Whenever you read a good book, somewhere in the world a

door opens to allow in more light.

- Vera Nazarian

The Trauma Cleaner by Sarah Krasnostein

This is the incredible, almost unbelievable but very real story of Sandra Pankhurst.

Assigned male at birth, Sandra endured a long and often violent childhood, adolescent

and early adulthood, seeing friends and loved ones turn away, turn to crime, and even

be killed simply for who they were. These experiences lead her to start her own

business, trauma cleaning, where she helped people order their houses and often, as a

result, their lives. From hoarders to crime scenes, Sandra and her team help clean up

the messes we as humans leave. We loved this passionate, and compassionate, story.

Told with heartfelt insight and respect, this is a must for anyone with an interest in

psychology, marginalised communities, and living with courage.

Cold Vein by Anne Tonner

Chloe is dying. Slowly. She’s incredibly sick, and her mother, human rights lawyer

Anne Tonner, has no idea how to keep her alive. For years, Chloe has suffered at the

hands of the serious, often fatal disease that is anorexia nervosa. Anne, her husband,

and her other children have tried everything to help Chloe; from inpatient treatment to

closely monitoring her eating and exercise habits at home. Finally, as a last ditch

effort to save their eldest daughter, they apply for and are granted a spot at a cutting-

edge clinic in Stockholm, Sweden. Anne’s recount of these years is gripping, honest,

and brave. You will never look at eating disorders the same way, rather you will come

to understand them and the people they possess with compassion and empathy.

Young Adult

Turtles All The Way Down by John Green

Aza, sixteen years old, suffers from Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, which comes

with at-times crippling anxiety. When she reconnects with an old friend, Davis, the

son of a local millionaire who has problems of his own, she is drawn into the

mysterious disappearance of Davis's father, and it's mystery she isn't sure she wants

to solve. With his signature humour and sensitivity, John Green addresses issues

including mental health, friendship, family, and, ultimately, what it means to finally

put yourself first. Turtles is suitable for anyone aged 13+, but it does deal with

some serious topics.

Before I Let Go by Marieke Nijkamp

Corey and Kyra are best friends; both from the small town of Lost, Alaska, where

everybody knows each other, and everybody knows each other's business. The people

of Lost don't take kindly to difference of any kind, and when Kyra is diagnosed with

Bipolar Disorder, after spiraling from a deep depression into a frantic mania, she

becomes an outcast. When Corey leaves Lost to attend a boarding school in another

state, Kyra is left on her own to deal with the increasingly hostile town. However,

when Corey learns that Kyra has died in mysterious circumstances, the town labeling

it a suicide, Corey returns to Lost to find out what really happened to her best friend.

What she finds are secrets and paranoia, and she is terrified. This is a brilliant book, exploring what it means to

be different, to belong to a small community, and to fight for what you believe. Highly recommended for adults

and teenagers alike.

White Night Ellie Marney Bo is a regular kid in a normal country town. His days are spent hanging out with

his mates at school, playing in the local footy team, and helping out at home.

On the first day of year 11, when his biggest worries are what electives to

choose, he meets Rory, who lives in an off-the-grid eco-community called Eden

and is going to high school for the first time.

As cracks start to appear in his home life, and tough school choices loom closer and

closer, the seemingly idyllic life at Eden looks better and better to Bo.

But Eden is full of secrets, and some of them might be more serious than Bo can

imagine.

Children’s

Children’s Top 10 Bestsellers

1. Dog Man #3 Dog Man & Cat Kid by Dav Pikley

2. Diary of a Wimpy Kid #12 The Getaway by Jeff Kinney

3. Wonder by R.J Palacio

4. Bad Dad by David Walliams

5. When Michael Met Mina by Randa Abdel-Fattah

6. The 91-Storey Treehouse by Andy Griffiths & Terry Denton

7. The Doldrums #3 The Helmsley Curse by Nicholas Gannon

8. The Selwood Boys Maintain the Mischief by Tony Wilson

9. Do Not Open This Book Again by Andy Lee

10. The 13-Storey Treehouse by Andy Griffiths & Terry Denton

The Extremely Inconvenient Adventures of Bronte Mettlestone by Jaclyn Moriarty

Bronte is only ten when she is told her parents have been killed by pirates. She’s not too

bothered as she has little memory of the people who left her on her aunt’s doorstep when

she was a baby, but in their will, her parents have stipulated that she must go on a journey

to visit all of her other aunts and give them all a gift on certain days at certain times. If she

fails to do this her whole town will fall apart. And she must go on her own. The adventures

that Bronte has on her way are fabulous, often amusing and will keep the kids intrigued the

whole way through. For ages 9+.

The Girl, the Dog and the Writer in Rome by Katrina Nannestad Freja has lived a very different life so far, travelling the world with her famous zoologist

mother, studying animals and their habitats in some very extreme conditions. This nine

year old can speak four languages, ski, snorkel and befriend all creatures great and small,

but one thing she can't do is socialise with people. When her mother falls ill and Freja

has to go and live with a family friend, she is terrified and homesick. Fortunately, Tobias

and his dog, Finnegan are completely nuts and Freja fits right in. When they go on

a promotional trip for Tobias' new novel to Rome, there is a mystery to solve and SO

much wonderful Italian food to be eaten. This delightful, madcap adventure is perfect for

children aged 9+ who love animals, food and journeys of the imagination.

Picture Books for the Little Ones…

A Dog with Nice Ears by Lauren Child

Charlie’s little sister Lola wants a dog, but their parents are always saying

‘Absolutely NO dogs!”. Lola tells Charlie all about the perfect dog she is

going to get. It will be brown, she’ll call it Snowpuff, even if Charlie thinks

that’s a terrible name for a brown dog, it will have nice ears and a very

long bushy tail and extremely furry fur and a wiggly nose and no fleas and

maybe, just maybe, Lola’s dog will turn out to be, in fact, a rabbit…. This

delightful hardback picture book is fun for the whole family!

After the Fall by Dan Santat

After Humpty Dumpty fell off the wall and was put back together again, he still isn’t

quite right. Suddenly, he is afraid of things he had never been fearful of before. Now

he knows that accidents could happen, and even though he loved sitting on top of the

wall and seeing the birds and the sky and the view, he can’t bring himself to go back

there. Or can he? This is a stunning, inspirational picture book that is a must for every

child (and grown up!).

Franklin’s Flying Bookshop by Jen Campbell

Franklin is a dragon who loves to read. He reads all the time, to anything and anyone

he can find to read to. The problem is that people are most often frightened by dragons

and don’t actually want to be read to by one at all. This makes Franklin rather sad and

lonely, until he meets Luna, a girl who loves books as much as he does and is willing

to help Franklin be accepted in the village and to share his many stories. For ages 3+.

Go Go and the Silver Shoes by Jane Godwin & Anna Walker

Go Go has three older brothers. Everything she owns is a hand-me-down from

them, except for a very special pair of brand new sparkly shoes she got to choose

herself. She wears them ALL the time, until one terrible day when one of her

shoes is swept away when Go Go is playing in a creek. Fortunately, Go Go is used

to being different from the other kids at school and so she just wears mismatched

shoes until the day a new girl arrives and, (can you believe it?!) she has the other shoe!

The whole family will adore this fabulously illustrated new picture book from our favourite local duo.

Liked our newsletter? Now “Like” us on Facebook and follow us on Instagram and Twitter for up to date reviews, upcoming events

and much, much more!

Tim’s Bookshop

Open 7 Days

Contact us

Canterbury: Kew: 143 Maling Rd 129 High St

Canterbury, 3126 Kew 3101 9836 3007 9853 5634