Special Collections

The Short Second Life Of Bree Tanner

Fans of The Twilight Saga will be enthralled by the riveting story of Bree Tanner, a character introduced in Eclipse, and the darker side of the newborn vampire world she inhabits. In another irresistible combination of danger, mystery and romance, Stephenie Meyer tells the devastating story of Bree and the newborn army as they prepare to close in on Bella Swan and the Cullens, following their encounter to its unforgettable conclusion.'I'm as surprised as anyone about this novella,' said Stephenie Meyer. 'When I began working on it in 2005, it was simply an exercise to help me examine the other side of Eclipse, which I was editing at the time. I thought it might end up as a short story that I could include on my website. Then, when work started on The Twilight Saga: The Official Guide, I thought the Guide would be a good fit for my Bree story. However, the story grew longer than I anticipated, until it was too long to fit into the Guide.

Date Added: 03/30/2022

Kissing Emma

From widely acclaimed comedian and author, Shappi Khorsandi, comes a modern fable about the rise and fall of a beautiful, but vulnerable, young woman in a world obsessed with fame and fortune. Emma and her mother are down on their luck. After getting kicked out of their home by their landlord, they're taking turns sleeping on the sofa in her aunt's tiny flat - and desperately trying to come up with an escape plan. Emma is struggling with her family, struggling at college where the girls are bitchy towards her and the boys only seem to want one thing, and struggling with never having enough money for anything, ever. Just as she's contemplating quitting sixth form to get a real job, she meets two men in her local park who convince her that she has a shot at modelling. But their motives are far from innocent, and Emma is soon pulled into the dark world hidden at the heart of London society's richest and most famous. Kissing Emma is inspired by the real life and untold story of Emma Hamilton, Lord Nelson's mistress. But Shappi Khorsandi's modern Emma is going to get the justice her namesake never did - and stick two fingers up at the men who dare to take advantage of young women while she's doing it.(P) 2021 Hodder & Stoughton Limited

Date Added: 03/30/2022

Daughter of Smoke and Bone

Errand requiring immediate attention. Come.The note was on vellum, pierced by the talons of the almost-crow that delivered it. Karou read the message. 'He never says please', she sighed, but she gathered up her things. When Brimstone called, she always came. In general, Karou has managed to keep her two lives in balance. On the one hand, she's a seventeen-year-old art student in Prague; on the other, errand-girl to a monstrous creature who is the closest thing she has to family. Raised half in our world, half in 'Elsewhere', she has never understood Brimstone's dark work - buying teeth from hunters and murderers - nor how she came into his keeping. She is a secret even to herself, plagued by the sensation that she isn't whole.Now the doors to Elsewhere are closing, and Karou must choose between the safety of her human life and the dangers of a war-ravaged world that may hold the answers she has always sought.(P)2011 Hachette Audio

Date Added: 03/30/2022

Pandemonium

Love, the deadliest of all deadly things.It kills you when you have it.And when you don't.I'm pushing aside the memory of my nightmare, pushing aside thoughts of Alex, pushing aside thoughts of Hana and my old school, push, push, push, like Raven taught me to do.The old life is dead.But the old Lena is dead too.I buried her.I left her beyond a fence,behind a wall of smoke and flame.Pandemonium is a poignant, explosive, recklessly romantic and utterly heartbreaking novel. Like Delirium, the first in the compelling trilogy, it will take you to the very edge. That's all you need to know. We'll let Lena do the rest of the talking . . .(P)2012 HarperCollins Audio

Date Added: 03/30/2022

Me and White Supremacy (YA Edition)

Me and White Supremacy has sold over 150,000 copies and was shortlisted for the Non-Fiction Book of the Year award at the British Book Awards. Now, with this YA edition, Layla will help younger listeners to feel more confident talking about white supremacy and antiracism. Layla gives them the knowledge and practical tools they need to help change the world, now and for the generations that come after them.Me and White Supremacy became one of the most talked about books of 2020. It isn't just an audiobook that you listen to, it is an audiobook that you do, and it has the power to make you question the world you live in whilst giving you the tools to do something to change it. In this Young Adult edition, Layla has completely reworked the original to address listeners of 11+ and of all races to help them explore and better understand racism. The audiobook is based on the understanding that it is important for all young people to understand these topics, so they can grow into adults who know how to have conversations about race and racism as well as how to work together collectively to create an antiracist world.Like the original audiobook, this edition guides listeners through the different concepts that contribute to white supremacy and explores how they can help dismantle it to create a fairer world. It is written in such a way that it can be worked through together as a group, in class, or individually, and over any period of time.(P) 2022 Hodder & Stoughton Limited

Date Added: 05/05/2022

Clean

Fall into the lives of the city's filthy rich with Juno Dawson's deliciously dark and intoxicating London Collection. When socialite Lexi Volkov almost overdoses, she thinks she's hit rock bottom. She's wrong.Because rock bottom is when she's forced into an exclusive rehab facility.From there, the only way is up for Lexi and her fellow inmates, including the mysterious Brady.As she faces her demons, Lexi realises love is the most powerful drug of all ... It's a dirty business getting clean.Addiction, redemption, love and despair. Clean is Gossip Girl meets Girl, Interrupted, and it will have you hooked from the very first page.

Date Added: 05/23/2022

Run, Riot

From the editor of The Good Immigrant, an adrenaline-fuelled, powerful YA novel about young people taking charge of their own destiny. A novel about standing up and being counted.Aspiring MC Taran and her twin brother Hari never wanted to move to Firestone House. But when the rent was doubled overnight and Dad's chemo meant he couldn't work, they had to make this tower block their home. It's good now though; they feel part of something here.When they start noticing boarded-up flats and glossy flyers for expensive apartments, they don't think much of it - until Hari is caught up in a tragedy, and they are forced to go on the run. It's up to these teenagers to uncover the sinister truth behind what's going on in the block, before it blows their world apart.(P) 2018 Hachette Children's Group

Date Added: 05/23/2022

Trans Mission

I guess we should start at the beginning. I was born on 2 November 1995. The doctors in the hospital took one look at my genitals and slapped an F on my birth certificate. 'F' for female, not fail - though that would actually have been kind of appropriate given present circumstances.When I was 15, I realised I was a transgender man. That makes it sound like I suddenly had some kind of lightbulb moment. In reality, coming to grips with my identity has taken a long time. Over the last six years, I've come out to my family and friends, changed my name, battled the healthcare system, started taking male hormones and have had surgery on my chest. My quest to a beard is almost complete. This audiobook is my story.(P) 2017 Hachette Children's Group

Date Added: 04/21/2022

Robot Overlords

Narrated by Rupert Degas, and with behind-the-scenes diaries narrated by the author and screenwriter Mark Stay. This audiobook also features exclusive sound-effects from the film and the short story, THE MEDIATOR PROTOTYPE.

To find his father, one boy must defy an empire….

Three years ago, Earth was conquered by a force of robots from a distant world. They have one rule: STAY IN YOUR HOMES. Step outside and you get one warning before you're vaporised by a massive robot Sentry, or a crawling Sniper, or a flying Drone. That's if the vast Cube doesn't incinerate you first.

But Sean Flynn is convinced that his father—an RAF pilot who fought in the war—is still alive. And when he and his gang figure out a way to break the robots' curfew, they begin an adventure that will pit them against the might of the ROBOT OVERLORDS.

This fast-paced, thrilling novelisation is based on the hit British film starring Sir Ben Kingsley (IRON MAN THREE), Gillian Anderson (THE X-FILES) and Callan McAuliffe (THE GREAT GATSBY). A perfect companion to the movie, it expands on the story with additional action, characters, and a special peek behind the scenes.(p) 2015 Orion Publishing Group

Date Added: 05/09/2023

Without Warning and Only Sometimes

From the award-winning author of MY NAME IS LEON, THE TRICK TO TIME and SUPPORTING CAST comes a childhood memoir set to become a classic: stinging, warm-hearted, and true.

Kit de Waal grew up in a household of opposites and extremes. Her haphazard mother rarely cooked, forbade Christmas and birthdays, worked as a cleaner, nurse and childminder, sometimes all at once and believed the world would end in 1975.

Meanwhile, her father stuffed barrels full of goodies for his relatives in the Caribbean, cooked elaborate meals on a whim and splurged money they didn't have on cars, suits and shoes fit for a prince.

Both of her parents were waiting for paradise. It never came.

Caught between three worlds, Irish, Caribbean and British in 1960s Birmingham, Kit and her brothers and sisters knew all the words to the best songs, caught sticklebacks in jam jars and braved hunger and hellfire until they could all escape.

WITHOUT WARNING AND ONLY SOMETIMES is a story of an extraordinary childhood and how a girl who grew up in house where the Bible was the only book on offer went on to discover a love of reading that inspires her to this day. (P) 2022 Headline Publishing Group Ltd

Date Added: 05/09/2023

Tell Me Who I Am

Now an original Netflix documentary: the bestselling account of the love between brothers and the shocking legacy of a dangerous mother.

Imagine waking up one day to discover that you have forgotten everything about your life. Your only link with the past, your only hope for the future, is your identical twin.

Now imagine, years later, discovering that your twin had not told you the whole truth about your childhood, your family, and the forces that had shaped you. Why the secrets? Why the silences? You have no choice but to begin again.

This has been Alex's reality: a world where memories are just the stories people tell you, where fact and fiction are impossible to distinguish. With dogged courage he has spent years hunting for the truth about his hidden past and his remarkable family. His quest to understand his true identity has revealed shocking betrayals and a secret tragedy, extraordinary triumph over crippling adversity and, above all, redemption founded on brotherly love.

Marcus, his twin brother, has sometimes been a reluctant companion on this journey, but for him too it has led to staggering revelations and ultimately the shedding of impossible burdens.

Their story spans continents and eras, from 1950s debutantes and high society in the Home Counties to a remote island in the Pacific and 90s raves. Disturbing, funny, heart-breaking and affirming, Alex and Marcus's determination to rebuild their lives makes us look afresh at how we choose to tell our stories.(P) 2019 Hodder & Stoughton Ltd

Date Added: 05/09/2023

The Ember Blade

'The Ember Blade is hands down the best fantasy novel I've ever read' Grimdark MagazineA land under occupation. A legendary sword. A young man's journey to find his destiny.Aren has lived by the rules all his life. He's never questioned it; that's just the way things are. But then his father is executed for treason, and he and his best friend Cade are thrown into a prison mine, doomed to work until they drop. Unless they can somehow break free . . .But what lies beyond the prison walls is more terrifying still. Rescued by a man who hates him yet is oath-bound to protect him, pursued by inhuman forces, Aren slowly accepts that everything he knew about his world was a lie. The rules are not there to protect him, or his people, but to enslave them. A revolution is brewing, and Aren is being drawn into it, whether he likes it or not.The key to the revolution is the Ember Blade. The sword of kings, the Excalibur of his people. Only with the Ember Blade in hand can their people be inspired to rise up . . . but it's locked in an impenetrable vault in the most heavily guarded fortress in the land.All they have to do now is steal it . . .Read by Simon Bubb(p) Orion Publishing Group 2018

Date Added: 07/21/2022

Broken Throne

Return once more to the deadly and dazzling world of Red Queen in Broken Throne, a beautifully designed, must-have companion to the chart-topping series from #1 New York Times bestselling author Victoria Aveyard.The perfect addition to the #1 New York Times bestselling Red Queen series, Broken Throne features three brand-new novellas, two previously published novellas, Steel Scars and Queen Song - alongside never-before-seen maps, flags, family trees, bonus scenes, journal entries, and much more exclusive content._______________________AN UNSEATED KING searches for meaning in a world altered by war.ENEMY BROTHERS clash one final time.A DOOMED QUEEN pens words of hope to her future son.A SILVER PRINCESS trusts a Red captain with her life in the chaos of an unknown land.A YOUNG SCARLET GUARD captain finds a glimmer of hope that will light a rebellion.AND A HERO whose spark started a revolution discovers where she belongs in peace.This masterful collection offers an entirely new look into the beloved characters in the iconic Red Queen series, where no one is as they appear, and the only certainty is betrayal . . . _______________________WHAT READERS ARE SAYING ABOUT THE RED QUEEN SERIES:'Crazy good' Tahlia'I couldn't put it down' Lagaona'This action packed rollercoaster of a book deserves nothing less than a 5* review!' Bee'I loved this book so much that anything I read after this is a drag to get through' ImaginationBird'Left me breathless, mesmerised' Elle(p) HarperAudio Ltd 2019

Date Added: 07/21/2022

An Absolutely Remarkable Thing

In his much-anticipated debut novel, Hank Green - co-creator of Crash Course, Vlogbrothers and SciShow - spins a sweeping, cinematic tale about a young woman who becomes an overnight celebrity before realising she's part of something bigger, and stranger, than anyone could have possibly imagined. The Carls just appeared. Coming home from work at three a.m., twenty-three-year-old April May stumbles across a giant sculpture. Delighted by its appearance and craftsmanship - like a ten-foot-tall Transformer wearing a suit of samurai armour - April and her friend Andy make a video with it, which Andy uploads to YouTube. The next day April wakes up to a viral video and a new life. News quickly spreads that there are Carls in dozens of cities around the world - everywhere from Beijing to Buenos Aires - and April, as their first documentarian, finds herself at the centre of an intense international media spotlight. Now April has to deal with the pressure on her relationships, her identity and her safety that this new position brings, all while being on the front lines of the quest to find out not just what the Carls are, but what they want from us. Compulsively entertaining and powerfully relevant, An Absolutely Remarkable Thing grapples with big themes, including how the social internet is changing fame, rhetoric and radicalisation; how our culture deals with fear and uncertainty; and how vilification and adoration spring from the same dehumanization that follows a life in the public eye. *****************Here's what people have been saying about Hank's book:'A fun, contemporary adventure that cares about who we are as humans, especially when faced with remarkable events' Kirkus (starred review)'An Absolutely Remarkable Thing is pure book joy' Lev Grossman, #1 New York Times bestselling author of the Magicians Trilogy'Fun and full of truth. To be honest, I'm a little irritated at how good the book is. I don't need this kind of competition' Patrick Rothfuss, #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Kingkiller Chronicles

Date Added: 07/21/2022

Empress of all Seasons

In a deadly tournament to become empress, any may enter but only one will survive, and one competitor doesn't just plan to win, she's going to steal the Emperor's fortune. . . In each generation, a competition is held to find the next empress of Honoku. The rules are simple. Survive the palace's enchanted seasonal rooms. Conquer Winter, Spring, Summer and Fall, and you can marry the prince. All are eligible to compete - all except yokai, supernatural monsters and spirits whom the human emperor is determined to enslave and destroy. Mari has spent a lifetime training to become empress. Winning should be easy. And it would be, if she weren't hiding a dangerous secret. Mari is a yokai with the ability to transform into a terrifying monster. If discovered, her life will be forfeit. As she struggles to keep her true identity hidden, Mari's fate collides with that of Taro, the prince who has no desire to inherit the imperial throne, and Akira, a half-human, half-yokai outcast. Torn between duty and love, loyalty and betrayal, vengeance and forgiveness, the choices of Mari, Taro and Akira will decide the fate of Honoku.

Date Added: 07/21/2022

The Girl King

ALL HAIL THE GIRL KING.Your greatest enemy is closer than you think. Princess Lu is destined to become the first female emperor. Her sister Min is resigned to a life in her shadow. When their father declares their male cousin heir instead, his betrayal changes everything.Determined to reclaim her birthright, Lu goes on the run. Her path crosses with Nokhai, the last surviving wolf shapeshifter. Forced into an uneasy alliance, they're going to need an army to take back the throne. Back in court, Min discovers her hidden power. It's a forbidden, deadly magic that could allow Min to claim the throne for herself.But there can only be one emperor, and the sisters' greatest enemy could turn out to be each other . . . 'I expect this to be one of the most talked-about books of 2019' Samantha Shannon, #1 bestselling author of The Priory of the Orange Tree

Date Added: 07/21/2022

Girls of Paper and Fire

The mesmerising New York Times bestseller!Each year, eight beautiful girls are chosen as Paper Girls to serve the king. It's the highest honour they could hope for . . . and the most demeaning. This year, there's a ninth.And instead of paper, she's made of fire.'A timely reminder that, in the right hands, the fantasy genre has things to say about injustice and abuse of power in the real world' GuardianLei is a member of the Paper caste, the lowest and most persecuted class of people in Ikhara. Ten years ago, her mother was snatched by the royal guards, and her fate remains unknown. Now, the guards are back and this time it's Lei they're after - the girl with the golden eyes, whose rumoured beauty has piqued the king's interest.Over weeks of training in the opulent but oppressive palace, Lei and eight other girls learn the skills and charm that befit a king's consort. There, Lei does the unthinkable - she falls in love. Her forbidden romance becomes enmeshed with an explosive plot that threatens her world's entire way of life. Lei, still the wide-eyed country girl at heart, must decide how far she's willing to go for justice and revenge.(P) 2018 Hachette Audio

Date Added: 05/26/2022

Girls of Storm and Shadow

The mesmerising sequel to the NYT bestselling Girls of Paper and FireThe Girls of Paper and Fire did the impossible. They escaped.But out in the unforgiving wild, hunted like prey, Lei and Wren learn that the most terrifying prisons have no walls.Lei, the naive country girl who became a royal courtesan, is now known as the Moonchosen, the commoner who managed to do what no one else could. But slaying the cruel Demon King wasn't the end of the plan - it's just the beginning. Now Lei and her warrior love Wren must travel the kingdom to gain support from the far-flung rebel clans. The journey is made even more treacherous thanks to a heavy bounty on Lei's head, as well as insidious doubts that threaten to tear Lei and Wren apart from within.Meanwhile, an evil plot to eliminate the rebel uprising is taking shape, fueled by dark magic and vengeance. Will Lei succeed in her quest to overthrow the monarchy and protect her love for Wren, or will she fall victim to the sinister magic that seeks to destroy her?'Beautiful and heart-breaking and meaningful . . . Ngan's writing is stunning' Young Adult Reads(P) 2019 Jimmy Patterson

Date Added: 05/26/2022

War Storm

VICTORY COMES AT A PRICE.

Mare Barrow learned this all too well when Cal’s betrayal nearly destroyed her. Now determined to protect her heart—and secure freedom for Reds and newbloods like her—Mare resolves to overthrow the kingdom of Norta once and for all . . . starting with the crown on Maven’s head.

But no battle is won alone, and before the Reds may rise as one, Mare must side with the boy who broke her heart in order to defeat the boy who almost broke her. Cal’s powerful Silver allies, alongside Mare and the Scarlet Guard, prove a formidable force. But Maven is driven by an obsession so deep, he will stop at nothing to have Mare as his own again, even if it means demolish everything—and everyone—in his path.

War is coming, and all Mare has fought for hangs in the balance. Will victory be enough to topple the Silver kingdoms? Or will the little lightning girl be forever silenced?

In the epic conclusion to Victoria Aveyard’s stunning series, Mare must embrace her fate and summon all her power . . . for all will be tested, but not all will survive.

Date Added: 04/14/2022