BOOK OF THE WEEK
- 13 Jan - 19 Jan, 2024
A failing friendship, an impending apocalypse, and a day that just won't end are just a few of the elements that make up Adrienne Celt's brilliant End of the World House. High school best friends Bertie and Kate don't want to grow apart, but now that Kate is leaving for Los Angeles, it seems destined to happen. In hopes of prolonging the inevitable, the duo head to Paris where an unusual man offers them a private tour of the Louvre. What sounds like a dream quickly becomes a nightmare as the women find themselves reliving the same day over and over again as their friendship and the world falls apart around them.
Queen of the Tiles by Hanna Alkaf is poised to do for scrabble what The Queen's Gambit did for chess – make it cool. One year ago, Najwa Bakri's best friend Trina died at a Scrabble competition, which makes Najwa's decision to move forward by entering the same competition questionable at best. But the truth is, she's just not ready to let go of her friend just yet, and that could be because there appears to be more to her death than first met the eye. Someone is posting cryptic messages on Trina's Instagram feed that suggest she may have been murdered, and Najwa won't rest until she uncovers the truth.
As China's Cultural Revolution begins, 16-year-old Mei is eager to escape her village and become a revolutionary in Forbidden City by Vanessa Hua. Upon her arrival in the capital, she takes her place among the women who have been recruited to dance with the Communist Party leaders. Mei soon becomes a favourite of the Chairman, but as the revolution becomes more brutal than she ever could have imagined, the teen begins to question her loyalty to the party. When the Chairman sends her on her first political mission, Mei's disillusionment sets in, leaving her to wonder how she can make a difference when she's so deeply embedded in the revolution.
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