Cocktails & Conversation

April 1st is April Fool's Day . . . just saying

'Hello? Can you hear me? Probably not. I'm Dr Miriam Price. And I'm dead.'

The local police think I drank myself into an early grave. The nerve! I was murdered and unless I prove that my death was no 'misadventure' within 30 days, I'm condemned to Limbo Land. I have to find my killer fast but I can't communicate with any living human.

Well, there's one, but she barely qualifies . . . Winnie, my neighbor and nemesis.

Suspects? How long have you got? My saintly husband? My best friend? My secret lover...? My disgruntled colleague? Professor Plum? Your guess is as good as mine.

So Winnie, grab your big girl panties and let's go catch a killer! Assuming we don't kill each other first.

320 pgs
(humor/mystery)

• CWA Dagger Award, Shortlisted (2024)
• Fingerprint Award - Crime Audio-Book of the Year (2024)

Once again, we’re going to double down on sci-fi. One night for proper sci-fi (robots, AI, the whole futuristic shebang), and another for sci-fi lite (but deep enough to win a French literary award). Feel free to pick one event or both (with the understanding you might get just one).

The first pick? A book that ambushed my brain so hard, I’m still recovering. And I don’t even like sci-fi. It’s the kind of story that latches on and won’t let go, the kind you’ll want to shove at friends just to get their views. Pro tip: AFTER reading, hunt down a hardcover version, discreetly strip the cover, and stare at what’s underneath. Trust me. Just wait.

What makes us human . . . ?

Life has thrown Zelu some curveballs over the years, but when she's suddenly fired and her latest novel is rejected, all in the middle of her sister's wedding . . . come on.

Disabled, unemployed and from a nosy, high-achieving, judgmental family, she's not sure what comes next. In her hotel room that night, Zelu takes the risk that will define her life when she decides to write something crazy and unlike her other books. A sci-fi drama about robots and AI after the extinction of humanity.

And everything changes. Every thing. Because sometimes a story really does have the power to reshape the world . . . ?

448 pgs
science-fiction

We’re going to double down on sci-fi again. Last week's event was for proper sci-fi and this one is more sci-fi lite. Not to worry, it’s still deep enough to have won an obscure French literary award. Feel free to pick one event, or both if you’re feeling really adventurous.

This event is the people’s choice - our ‘Official’ Sci-Fi Winner! You all voted for it, despite the warnings, so no take-backs. Let’s cross our fingers and dive into our next reading adventure. Regrets? Let’s read and see.

Welcome to Femlandia . . . It’s no place like home.

In the 2040s, the world is unsafe for a woman alone. Miranda’s life has unraveled in a matter of months. Her home seized, her job erased, her husband gone. With nowhere left to turn, she sends a desperate message to the one person she swore she’d never ask for help. Her mother. The woman who vanished decades ago to build Femlandia, a secluded, self-sustaining community where women live free from the violence of men. A utopia for women.

And while the invitation is a lifeline, it isn’t the sanctuary expected. Behind its pretty facade, something festers. Miranda isn't so sure she wants to join the Sisterhood. The women smile too wide, their loyalty to the cause borders on fanatical, and the rules? Unspoken but ironclad. No questions. No doubts. No men.

Yet, babies are born here . . . Always daughters, never sons. And the deeper Miranda digs, the more she realizes that her mother didn’t just escape the world. She remade it. But at what cost?

Life outside the gates is full of danger, but there’s something just as sinister going on within.

336 pgs
science-fiction