top of page

Books We ♡

At Goring Library, we love to share books. Here are some of our readers thoughts about the titles we have on offer. Below this is also a list of just some of the new books our library manager has acquired for library users ...

The Bee Sting

by Paul Murray

This is a book about The Barnes family and they are in trouble. Until recently they ran the biggest business in town, now they’re teetering on the brink of bankruptcy – and that’s just the start of their problems. Dickie and Imelda’s marriage is hanging by a thread; straight-A student Cass is careening off the rails; PJ is hopelessly in debt to the school bully. It is a gritty, heart-warming snapshot of a normal, if complicated, family and all the consequences of being flawed and human in our society. A true representation of life, full of emotional turmoil, lies, unwise decisions, buried deep feelings and truths, addiction, guilt and mental breakdown. It is one of the best books I have read in a long time. The writing from each perspective was intricate and well thought out. Everything interlinked at the end leaving you to consider what the ending would be long after the novel ends.

A Killing in November

by Simon Mason

The story is set within an Oxford College. DI Ryan Wilkins and DI Ray Wilkins are a sort of new take on Morse and Lewis, but with the non-Oxford grad (Ryan) as the brains of the outfit. Ryan is a great character who says what we would all like to say in certain situations. By far the most appealing aspect of the book is the developing relationship between Ryan and Raymond, and together they make a good team. Mason explores the two sides of Oxford: privileged and elitist vs deprived and marginalised. All in all a refreshing take on the police procedural crime novel. Simon recently joined the Friends for an evening in the Five Little Pigs in Wallingford to discuss his latest novel.

The Household by Stacey Halls

The Household is about Charles Dicken's home for fallen women and inspired by real figures from history. Urania Cottage is in the countryside outside London, but the house and its location are top secret. Its residents are unknown to one another, despite all being prostitutes, petty thieves or destitute. Urania Cottage offers a second chance at life – but will they take it or throw the opportunity away? Meanwhile, a few miles away in a Piccadilly mansion, millionairess Angela Burdett-Coutts, one of the benefactors of Urania Cottage, makes a discovery that leaves her cold – her stalker of 10 years has been released from prison. As the women's worlds collide in ways they could never have expected, they will discover that freedom always comes at a price. This is an immersive, historical novel that sheds light on a fascinating and unknown period of Dicken’s life. 

New Books

Look out for the new books that Kate has been able to buy with funds raised by Friends of Goring Library.

​

For instance, she has bought dozens of new children's books; new releases; older classics you've always been meaning to read and reference books like cookery, art and travel, to mention but a small selection.

Author                             Title

Benjamin,Floella          Coming to England
​Charman,Katrina         Car, car, truck, jeep

Chatterjee,Rangan       Make change that lasts: 9 simple ways to break free from the habits that hold you back

Christie,Agatha          The last séance: tales of the supernatural by Agatha Christie

Christie,Agatha           Why didn't they ask Evans?

Donaldson,Julia          Jonty Gentoo

Elston,Ashley               First lie wins

Erikson,Thomas         Surrounded by idiots: the four types of human behaviour (or, How to understand those who cannot be understood)

Ganeshananthan,V.V.     Brotherless night

Grahame,Kenneth        The wind in the willows

Grisham,John              The partner

Hamel-Akre,Jessica    The art of not eating: a doubtful history of appetite and desire

Hannah,Kristin           The nightingale

Hannah,Kristin           The women

Harvey,Samantha        Orbital

Henry,Emily                 Funny story

Hood,Louenna            Your baby's first year: a day-by-day guide

Jackson,Holly              A good girl's guide to murder

Karmel,Annabel         Annabel Karmel's fun, fast & easy children's cookbook

Lawrence,Patrice        Orangeboy

Pilkey,Dav                    Big Jim begins

Quinn,Kate                  The rose code

Read,Shelley                Go as a river

Russell,Helen              How to be sad: the key to a happier life

Russell,Helen              How to raise a Viking: the secrets of parenting the world's happiest children

Russell,Helen             The year of living Danishly: uncovering the secrets of the world's happiest country

Schwartz,Heather E.  Go geocaching!

Setterfield,Diane        Once upon a river

Taplin,Sam                  We're moving house

Taylor,C.L.                  The island

Thompson,Lisa          The goldfish boy

Tucci,Stanley              What I ate in one year: (and related thoughts)

Yanagihara,Hanya      A little life

Yuzuki,Asako             Butter

50 walks in Oxfordshire

bottom of page