New Titles and Recommendations December 2023

December 2023

Molly has travelled the world, unpacking her suitcase to live and work in several countries.
On returning to Tunbridge Wells, Kent, Molly set up an estate agency chain and ran it for 17 years until she decided to pursue her life-long passion for writing.

Book of the Month – Mr Smith to You | Kerry Taylor

For most of his 76 years, Bill Smith preferred solitude over socialising, horses over people and confidentiality over confidantes As a jockey, he was known for always turning up already fully kitted out in his silks. But now, in his advancing years, a fall lands him in full-time care and it becomes impossible to maintain his privacy.

Nurse Maureen Bannon resents having to look after `the geries` especially grumpy old buggers like Mr Smith, but when she discovers Bill’s secret an unlikely alliance is formed. Bill was assigned female at birth, a fact that shaped his life but never limited his ambition. With Mr Smith’s health declining and time running out, Maureen wants to find someone who knows and loves him, but only one name seems to mean anything to Bill- Catherine, is first love. Can Maureen find out more to help Bill find peace?

Mr Smith to you is a beautiful and tender novel about identity and a powerful testament to kindness and the human spirit.

Recommended Reads

A Woman of Courage | Tania Blanchard

Fresh from her teaching studies in Durham, she joins her parents in rural village, brimming with newly found passion and the groundswell towards women’s suffrage unfolding in London. Working tirelessly to help women and children in the country, Hannah is determined to make fight for the vote her life’s work, adding her voice to the rising chorus across the nation, and hopes for a new world and a new way of thinking.

But soon she must fight a new, unexpected battle – that of the yearning of her own heart. As Hannah grapples with her conflicting feelings she discovers that when power is threatened, darkness, brutality and dangerous, closely guarded secrets are never too far from the surface. How far can she go to fight for what’s right?

In the Shadows | Jane Isaac

In the suburban town of Hampton, the peaceful night air is shattered by the sound of gunfire. Outside a local pub five are feared dead and the murderer has fled the scene.

DCI Helen Lavery works alongside the counter terrorism unit to investigate. Who is behind the mass shooting? Why target this town?

Meanwhile,Helen is preparing for the trial of Chilli Franks, an organised crime boss who has a grudge against her family. But when Chilli’s nephew befriends her son, and suggestions are made about Chilli’s involvement in the shooting, past fears clash

with the present.

Under the spotlight of the world’s media. Helen finds herself in a race against time to solve the case protect her family and track down the killer before they strike again.

Voices in the Dark | Fleur McDonald

When Sassi Stapleton receives a middle-of-the-night phone call to tell her that her beloved grandmother is unwell she quickly puts her job on hold, packs her ute and sets off on the long drive home. Knowing her grandfather will need her.

Less than an hour away from Sassi’s hometown, Barker, she swerves to miss a roo and her car rolls down an embankment. By the time Sassi is found, her grandmother has already passed away. On the other side of the world, Sassi’s estranged mother, Amber, receives a similar call and shocks the who family when she flies home from south Africa.

With everyone under the same roof, tensions escalate as Amber’s secrecy and odd behaviour become unsettling. What is she really doing at home with a father she’s barely spoken to since she left years ago? And will Amber and Sassi ever be able to reconnect?

More of Rosemary’s new releases & recommendations.

Library events

Library news

Subscribe to our Newsletter

Library

Back to our Library homepage

Tours

The BMI can provide public tours of the building. Get in touch with us to book in a tour for your group.