Disappointed to report that as of this month (October) Bookchoice England will cease to operate. I have no further details as to why, just a refund of the remainder of my subscription and an email  notifying me of that fact. It was good while it lasted, but I’ve have long since wondered how such a model was viable at the price point it was offered at. 

E-book and Audio Titles

 

Cold Granite by Stuart MacBride

It’s DS Logan McCrae’s first day back, and it’s raining hard enough to burst the banks of the River Don. Of course, he’s forgotten his umbrella.

But the weather isn’t the worst of it. By the time police found David Reid, he’d been dead for months: strangled, mutilated and dumped in a ditch. He is only four years old.

Now McCrae’s boss is breathing down his neck to catch the killer before he strikes again, Professional Standards are keeping a clоse eye on him, and the press an even closer one.

For McCrae the saying is true: when it rains, it pours.

 

Big Brother by Lionel Shriver

It was rude to stare, and even ruder to cry.

Pandora hadn’t recognized her brother at first. She’d been looking for a man that strode through the airport like the world knew his name. So she hadn’t looked twice at Edison’s wheelchair, his deep-set eyes, or the hundreds of extra pounds. These couldn’t belong to her brother.

She knew then that she’d do anything to save him.

Big Brother is a startling and moving novel about the limits of sibling devotion, and the ways we are willing to sacrifice ourselves for others, even when they don’t want us to.

 

The Surfboard by Dan Kieran

One week. One board. One new craft.

Dan Kieran, CEO of Unbound, undertakes a new challenge when he feels he has reached his limits, both personally and professionally. He retreats to Cornwall, where he learns the intricate craft of building a seven-foot surfboard from scratch, despite never having surfed a day in his life.

With this project comes a time of pure reflection regarding all the obstacles, rewards and realisations he has encountered upon starting his business and turning it into a success.

Both an insightful business memoir and an ode to the value of craftmanship, this book is a must for anyone looking for their next challenge.

 

Exquisite by Sarah Stovell

Alice is an aspiring author still figuring her life out. Bo Luxton is an established novelist, wife and mother. Despite their differences, when they meet at a writers’ retreat they form an immediate bond and embark on a thrilling and illicit affair.

But something sinister lurks beneath the secret letters and whispered phone calls.

As their intimacy grows, disturbing realisations and hints of a dark past come to the surface. Accusations, betrayal and manipulation abound, as the two womens’ lives are torn apart. Both are telling the story, but who is telling the truth?

 

E-book only titles

 

The Secret life of Cows by Rosamund Young

The lives of animals pose many questions. What do they get up to when we’re not looking? Do they have friends? Do they have their own unique personalities? Do they hold a grudge?

When it comes to cows, farmer Rosamund Young has the answers to everything you could ask and more.

This charming account details her observations, accumulated over a lifetime of tending cattle. The Secret Life of Cows reveals the real-life drama found in everyday bovine life, and shows that not every cow follows the herd.

 

The Frighteners by Peter Laws 

If you’ve cheered the revving of a chainsaw, this book might be for you.

If you’ve spent hours trying to achieve that perfect fake blood consistency, this book might be for you.

If you’ve slowed down, just for a second, and snatched a glance at a road accident, then this book might be for you.

Join Peter Laws, life-long horror fan and ordained minister, as he investigates the darker side of our imaginations. From the forests of Transylvania to the catacombs of Rome, Laws travels the world to prove that loving the monsters under your bed doesn’t make you monstrous.

 

The Murder of Norman Ware by Rosamund Kendal

Amidst the secure luxury of posh eco-estate San La Mer outside Durban, a shocking murder takes place. Prominent advocate Norman Ware is found mutilated and dead, and attention turns to the estate residents to find the culprit.

Through skillful introduction of an eclectic cast of characters, everyone seems to have a hand in what happened to Norman Ware. Rosamund Kendal weaves a story that is uniquely South African, depicting a society that is both widely diverse and divided.

 

Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet by Jamie Ford

1986, The Panama Hotel. The old Seattle landmark has been boarded up for decades, but now the new owner has made a startling discovery in the basement: personal belongings stored away by Japanese families sent to interment camps during the Second World War.

Among the fascinated crowd gathering outside the hotel, stands Henry Lee, and, as the owner unfurls a distinctive parasol, he is flooded by memories of his childhood. He wonders if by some miracle, in amongst the boxes of dusty treasures, lies a link to the Okabe family, and the girl he lost his young heart to, so many years ago.

 

Audio book only titles

 

The Other Boleyn Girl by Philippa Gregory

Mary Boleyn arrives in the English court, fresh-faced and eager to earn her place as the favourite of the king. She catches his eye, a flirtation begins, and what happens next changes the course of English history.

At the center of it all is Mary and her sister Anne – both the fiercest of rivals and dearest of friends. This addictive story of family, ambition, and love in all its forms is a Sunday Times bestseller and a major motion picture starring Natalie Portman and Scarlett Johansson – and has now been released in a new audiobook recorded by Vanessa Kirby (The Crown’s Princess Margaret).

 

The Book of Memory by Petina Gappah

Memory is an albino woman languishing in Chikurubi Maximum Security Prison in Harare, Zimbabwe, where she has been convicted of murder. As part of her appeal her lawyer insists that she write down what happened as she remembers it.

The death penalty is a mandatory sentence for murder, and Memory is, both literally and metaphorically, writing for her life. As her story unfolds, Memory reveals that she has been tried and convicted for the murder of Lloyd Hendricks, her adopted father. But who was Lloyd Hendricks? Why does Memory feel no remorse for his death? And did everything happen exactly as she remembers?

 

Things Bright and Beautiful by Anbara Salam

When Bea found there was no outhouse door, she realized the island didn’t value private space.

The jungle invades the mission house she shares with her husband. There are weevils in the powdered milk and black orchids in the sink.

Houseguests are just as invasive. They claim their own room, their own chair, their own place in the kitchen. Their constant humming is the only thing louder than the insects.

And if you believe the islanders, it’s hard to keep the Devil out. He’s taken root amongst those who dare to sin. Only faith can drive him out. Faith and violence.

 

And Fire Came Down by Emma Viskic

Deaf since childhood, Caleb is no stranger to facing difficulties head on. However, following the aftermath of his best mate’s death and falling out with his ex-wife, he’s struggling to make it through the day.

When a young woman is killed after pleading for his help in sign language, he throws himself into the mystery of her identity and finds himself lead back to his hometown, Resurrection Bay. At the height of summer and faced with brush fires advancing in the distance, it’s a fitting backdrop for a town that is torn by racial tensions and simmering with secrets.

 

Disappointed to report that as of this month (October) Bookchoice England will cease to operate. I have no further details as to why, just a refund of the remainder of my subscription and an email  notifying me of that fact. It was good while it lasted, but I’ve have long since wondered how such a model was viable at the price point it was offered at.