What the books are about

New Nepal, New Voices

Nepal is changing. It is moving from feudalism to democracy, from tradition to modernity, from conflict to a newly formed peace. This collection of short stories explores this moment. The stories reflect the lived experience and relationship of the writers with their home country. From diaspora to political turmoil, from spirituality to alienation, the stories offer up glimpses of the Nepali soul.”

Divisadero

Hauntingly beautiful... What an unusual, and unusually rich, experience it is to read Divisadero, the new novel by Michael Ondaatje... Ondaatje expertly shift(s) into different voices and tenses, disrupting the conventional chronology with the easy grace that has become his hallmark... There are countless examples of perfect phrasing in Divisadero, and those who spend time within its pages will discover even more proof — not that they needed it — of Michael Ondaatje’s peerlessness as a storyteller and poet.

Two Lives

Two Lives tells the remarkable story of Seth’s great uncle and aunt. His great uncle Shanti left India for medical school in Berlin in 1930s and lodged with a German Jewish family. In the household was a daughter, Henny, who urged her mother ‘not to take the blackie’. But a friendship developed and each managed to leave Germany and found their way to Britain. Shanti joined the army and lost his right arm in the battle of Monte Cassino, while Henny made a life for herself in her adopted country. After the war they married and lived the emigre life in north London where Shanti, despite the loss of his arm, became a much-loved dentist. During his own adolescence in England, Seth lived with Shanti and Henny and came to know and love them deeply. His is the third life in this story of Two Lives. This is also a book about history, encompassing many of the most significant themes and events in the 20th century, whose currents are reflected in the lives of Shanti, Henny and their family.

The End of Oil

Billions of people around the world enjoy an unprecedented standard of living based on one thing: oil. And each year we demand more. We produce and consume energy not simply to heat, feed, move or defend ourselves, but to educate, entertain, construct our world then fill it with stuff... the pursuit of fuel is relentless. It can shape the diplomatic, economic and military strategies of nations, perverting the cultures and politics of entire regions; it props up corrupt governments and dictators; it fosters the instability and resentments. In this devastating piece of reportage, Paul Roberts shows what is likely to happen, why the transition from oil will be complicated, traumatic and possibly dangerous, and what it will mean for our daily lives.

Airman

Conor Broekhart was born to fly. Or, more accurately, he was born flying. Little wonder he became what he became. In an age of discovery and invention, many dreamed of flying, but for Conor flight was more than just a dream, it was his destiny. In one dark night on the island of Great Saltee, a cruel and cunning betrayal destroyed his life and stole his future. Now Conor must win the race for flight, to save his family and to right a terrible wrong... This is swashbuckling new fiction from the amazing Eoin Colfer, ideal for readers aged 10-plus.

Memoirs of a Boy Soldier

The first-person account of a 25-year-old who fought in the war in Sierra Leone as a 12-year-old boy. In the more than 50 conflicts going on worldwide, it is estimated there are some 300,000 child soldiers. Ishmael Beah used to be one of them. What is war like through the eyes of a child soldier? How does one become a killer? How does one stop? Child soldiers have been profiled by journalists, and novelists have struggled to imagine their lives. But until now, there has not been a first-person account from someone who came through this hell and survived. Ishmael Beah, now 25-years-old, tells a rivetting story: how at the age of 12 in Sierra Leone, he fled attacking rebels and wandered a land rendered unrecognizable by violence.