Emily Gunnis. The Girls They Forgot, Tyto Alba, 2024
Emily Gunnis is the reader-favorite author of the international bestsellers The Letter Girl, The Lost Child, and The Stranger’s Secret. Her new novel “Girls Who Forgot” is an extremely moving story about strong, but at the same time very vulnerable women and girls: mothers, daughters, sisters.
Why didn’t you care about her when she was still alive? When else could you find and save her? No one paid attention to us. She told you she didn’t care about us here, but you still arrested her and took her back to Morgate.
1944, Bletchley Park. A patriotic Olivia comes to work as a dispatch courier. A girl full of youthful fervor has no idea what trials await her. She knows one thing: she wants to see the world, not sit at home like a mother.
2015, Soltdin. The remains of a girl are found in a remote area. Police Inspector Jo Hamilton suspects that they are seventeen-year-old Holly Mor, a ward of the Morgate Orphanage who disappeared thirty years ago. For decades, this riddle haunted Joe. Like the death of fifteen-year-old Jemma Smith. Now Jo’s time is up, and she has just five days to uncover the truth. But why is everyone urging this case to be left alone? Why is the boss lying and the victim’s sister refusing to talk to the police? In addition, Joe’s mother’s life is dying in the hospice, so Joe will have to choose what to devote his energy and time to.
This is a shocking story about secrets kept for decades and unhealed wounds that wear out the soul even after many years. About the unquenchable desire for freedom and at the same time the need to belong to someone, to receive support, to be loved. About love. Killing. And giving strength.
This moving, heartbreaking and shocking story is definitely worth reading.
James Clavell. “Taipan. The Epic Story of Hong Kong’s Founding, Golden Meadow, 2024
For summer reading, we also recommend the two-part novel Taipanas“. The new second part of this series has just arrived from the publisher. The book will definitely appeal to those who like historical novels.
James Clavell’s novel “Taipan” reveals a wonderful love story that takes you to another era and another world. Romantic feelings revolve around Dirk Struan, a brave and charismatic British merchant, and Mei Mei, a Chinese woman whose family is noble and wealthy. Their relationship is more than just a romance, it’s a meeting of two cultures!
European merchants and adventurers began to penetrate mysterious China, eager for riches and new lands. At the beginning of the 19th century, Scotsman Dirk Struan is determined to turn the deserted island of Hong Kong into an impregnable fortress of British power and becomes the supreme leader of the Chinese – the taipan. Only one can be called a taipan! At the same time, he is a pirate, an opium smuggler and a great master of negotiation and manipulation. Brock, the second richest man on the island, also aspires to be taipan and intends to take over from his rival.
A fierce battle boils over, blood is spilled, intrigues are woven, feelings flare up, and family secrets are revealed. This is the story of the quest to become the undisputed masters of the Orient and establish its dynasty in the Far East.
Will it be possible to find a cure for malaria? “Happy Valley Fever?” Will Struan’s beloved Mei Mei recover? Is love more important than power and wealth?
Go East with the novel Taipan, it will not only enrich your historical knowledge, but also give you an unforgettable literary journey to 19th century Hong Kong.
Charlene Carr. Protect My Girl, Alma littera, 2024
What would you do if the child you gave birth to is not biologically yours and another mother wants it back? Author Charlene Carr poses this question in the breathtaking, riveting novel, Save My Girl.
Katrina, who has been unsuccessfully trying to get pregnant for seven years, finally gets a miracle after assisted insemination – she gives birth to a daughter. But why is Rose’s skin pale? Is Katrina black?
Tessa never got a happy ending. She underwent assisted reproduction at the same time as Katrina, but her daughter Hana was stillborn. Tesa breaks up with her husband, remains penniless, works in a job she doesn’t like and doesn’t match her abilities.
Before Rose’s first birthday, Katrina gets a call from the fertility clinic: there’s been an unfortunate mistake, two women’s eggs have been swapped during fertilization.
Katrina’s perfect life begins to fall apart. And Tessa finally sees a ray of hope. Neither woman is going to budge for Rose. The two enter a custody battle for the girl, eager to prove they can be Rose’s mother.
Protect My Girl is a triumph of an emotionally complex novel. Two women. One child. And a sad mistake that messed up my life…
FOR CHILDREN
Rebecca Una. The Last Children, Nothing Serious, 2024
We present the most recent book by Rebeka Una, a well-known youth writer in Lithuania, “Paskutiniai vaikii“. It is a poetic and inspiring story about friendship, hope, the Earth worn out by excessive human consumption, the desire to live and leave something beautiful behind.
In this thin book, the writer takes the readers to the future, which will not be beautiful, because the world is dying, there are few people. With more than one natural disaster and longer and longer droughts raging, our planet is becoming less and less suitable for humans. With the European continent under water, Nuolidis village at the foot of Kilimanjaro is one of the few places where children, parents and grandparents still live. It is interesting that they are learning to grow their own food, seasoning the diet of the poor with spices. Here, the small residents have long since replaced plastic toys with others.
One day, the children living in the village hear an important message – they are the last generation of humans on our planet! There will be no other children after them. How do you go on knowing this? What would you do if you found out that soon all humans would disappear? That you and your friends are the last ones on Earth? This is the news that the book’s characters Elsis, Kajus, Tadas, Mira, Ludvikas and other children of Nuolidis village hear at school and in their families. Everyone takes this news differently, but they don’t give up. One crafts scary scarecrows, the second prepares to escape, the third pretends that he only cares about roses, which he calls frogs. Everyone is trying to find meaning in the new section they will have to live through. Maybe there will be something beautiful in it?
The story told by Rebekah Una has its own thought and layers of depth that some readers will absolutely love and others may find boring. The Last Children book balancing between interesting and uninteresting. Here we have no action and not even a story arc, which are usually found in other books. As a result, when reading the book, one does not know what the problem is, how it will be solved, and finally, what will be the culmination of everything. In this book, the reader observes a sluggish but interesting world in its own way, how people try to survive in a dying world and children accept the message that they have no future.
The book “Last Children” is decorated with illustrations by Lithuanian artist Lena Klyukina.
Recommended for readers ten years and older, but the poetic language and deep insights will appeal to adults as well.
Lithuanian writer Rebeka Una has written the books for teenagers “Atjunk”, “Givažmogis”, “Saturday at eight o’clock”, for children – “Pius and Nicholas”, “Barbora and the Grandfather of the Swamps”, “The God of Garbage”, “I will change the world”, etc. .
Helen Lipscombe. Danger at Your Fingertips, Nothing Serious, 2024
Writer Helen Lipscombe grew up in Wales and loved writing from an early age. As a child, when she found a free minute, she kept creating various stories, which were later printed in books. Danger at Your Fingertips is the first book in an adventure series for middle school readers. From the first pages of the book you will get to know ballet shoes, the story is interwoven with secret tasks and dangers in the spy school!
The mother of the main heroine of the book, Mile, is a famous ballerina. A girl’s dream is to dance like her someday! The day is coming when the most important performance awaits Mile. The girl hopes that her mother will be proud to see her daughter dancing. Unfortunately, the show doesn’t go well. But there is still a small problem. Unexpectedly, Mile’s mother disappears from the audience hall. Half a year later, she is still nowhere to be found. What happened? Will the daughter meet her mother again?
Everything changes when Mile receives an unexpected invitation to study at Swan House Ballet School. You can’t refuse such a good offer! However, Mile soon realizes that this is no ordinary ballet school. SPIES are secretly trained here! Mile has a glimmer of hope, maybe her new abilities will help her find out where her mother has gone and what is the mystery of her disappearance?
When reading engaging stories, the example of the characters inspires to be brave, honest, resourceful. It teaches you to achieve your goals, not to give up even if you don’t succeed at first. The most important thing is that you can achieve a lot with your own efforts!
The book about the school of ballerinas and spies is decorated with drawings by the Lithuanian artist Maivyda.
Prepared by Rokiškis Juozas Keliuotis Public Library, Head of Funds Organization Department. librarian Vesta Kavaliauskienė and head of the Children and Youth Department Aušra Žukauskienė
2024-08-01 13:05:47