Winter is a good excuse to curl up on the couch with a good book and totally veg out. But if you’re stuck for ideas on what to read, here are some new releases hitting the shelves around about now.
As Time Goes By – Mary Higgins Clark
The Author – Mary Higgins Clark lives in New York and has written thirty-four suspense novels all of which have appeared on the New York Times bestseller list.
The Plot – a TV journalist, called Delaney Wright is covering the murder trial of Betsy Grant convicted of killing her wealthy doctor husband who had Alzheimer’s. Although the evidence against her is damning, Betsy refuses to plead guilty and goes on trial to prove her innocence. Standing to gain a big inheritance from the death of the father is Betsy’s stepson Alan, who has a mountain of debts to pay off. Delaney tries to help prove Betsy’s innocence but time is running out.
Labour of Love: A Story of Generosity, Hope, and Surrogacy – Shannon Garner
The Author – Shannon Garner lives in New South Wales with her husband and two children. As well as being a writer, she gives advice to women who want to become surrogate mothers based on her own experiences.
The Plot – Bearing a baby that will never be yours is considered an extremely altruistic act, and this is exactly what Shannon Garner did, despite already being married with two children. The book is an account of Shannon’s decision to be a surrogate mother for a gay male couple from Sydney, what was involved in the process and the emotional courage required to carry and birth someone else’s baby.
Mike and Dave Need Wedding Dates – Mike Stangle and Dave Stangle
The Authors – Mike and Dave Stangle, the book has been made into a movie starring Zac Efron and Adam DeVine as the title characters.
The Plot – A lighthearted read about two party-loving brothers who put an ad on Craigslist to entice dates to their cousin’s wedding. In the ad they describe themselves as “both in our 20s, single, dashingly tall, Anglo-Saxon, respectfully athletic, love to party, completely house trained…but still bad boys” that are looking for women that are “attractive or our aunts will judge you, but not TOO attractive or one of our uncles might grope you.”
The Radium Girls – Kate Moore
The Author – Kate Moore lives in London and is a Sunday Times bestselling writer, her novels encompass varying genres from romantic and historical fiction to biography and history.
The Plot – A true story based in 1920s America about a group of women who worked in factories painting objects such as military dials and watches in radium paint. When they asked “Does this stuff hurt you?” The company said that it wasn’t dangerous, that [they] didn’t need to be afraid.” Unfortunately, in the years to come, they learned the paint had indeed poisoned them and was even killing them. The women band together to fight for justice when their employers deny all responsibility.
Golden Hope – Johanna Nicholls
The Author – Johanna Nicholls is an Australian author who lives in Sydney and is a historical novelist with three other titles under her belt.
The Plot – A saga about a group of struggling circus performers who arrive in an isolated gold mining town to restore their fortunes. The main character Clytie Hart is an acrobatic horse rider who falls in love with a roving gypsy called Rom Delaney and wants to put down roots in the town. But the town has hidden secrets despite its respectable facade which she will eventually discover.
