Borrow Box from North Ayrshire Libraries have thousands of eBooks and audio books available for loan. For more information see their website.
Today, the A-Z of authors concludes. But there thousands more to discover on Borrow Box – have a look!
Y is for Yanagihara – Hanya Yanagihara’s “A Little Life” – an immensely powerful and heartbreaking novel of brotherly love and
the limits of human endurance. When four graduates from a small Massachusetts college move to New York to make their way, they’re broke, adrift, and buoyed only by their friendship and ambition. There is kind, handsome Willem, an aspiring actor; JB, a quick-witted, sometimes cruel Brooklyn-born painter seeking entry to the art world; Malcolm, a frustrated architect at a prominent firm; and withdrawn, brilliant, enigmatic Jude, who serves as their centre of gravity.
Over the decades, their relationships deepen and darken, tinged by addiction, success, and pride. Yet their greatest challenge, each comes to realize, is Jude himself, by midlife a terrifyingly talented litigator yet an increasingly broken man, his mind and body scarred by an unspeakable childhood, and haunted by what he fears is a degree of trauma that he’ll not only be unable to overcome – but that will define his life forever. (For senior pupils and adults).
Z is for Zusak – Marcus Zusak’s “The Book Thief”. Set in 1939, Nazi Germany is holding its breath. Death has never been busier, and will become busier still.
By her brother’s graveside, Liesel’s life is changed when she picks up
a single object, partially hidden in the snow. It is The Gravedigger’s Handbook, left there by accident, and it is her first act of book thievery. So begins a love affair with books and words, as Liesel, with the help of her accordion-playing foster father, learns to read. Soon she is stealing books from Nazi book-burnings, the mayor’s wife’s library, wherever there are books to be found. But these are dangerous times. When Liesel’s foster family hides a Jewish fist-fighter in their basement, Liesel’s world is both opened up, and closed down.
are frantic, and there’s no one to look after the family’s lively Border collie puppy, Jess. Jess is miserable and lonely without her best friend, and so is Chloe. But Chloe doesn’t really like dogs, and Jess the puppy only wants Will. Can the two of them ever be friends?
Williamson’s “The art of being normal”. David’s parents thin he’s gay but only his two best friends know the real truth – David wants to be a girl. On the first day at his new school Leo Denton has one goal – to be invisible. Attracting the attention of the most beautiful girl in Year 11 is definitely not part of that plan. When Leo stands up for David in a fight, an unlikely friendship forms. But things are about to get messy. Because at Eden Park School secrets have a funny habit of not staying secret for long.
hunger, no disease, no war, no misery: Humanity has conquered all those things and has even conquered death. Now Scythes are the only ones who can end life – and they are commanded to do so in order to keep the size of the population under control. Citra and Rowan are chosen to apprentice to a scythe – a role that neither wants. These teens must master the ‘art’ of taking life, knowing that the consequence of failure could mean losing their own.
the fatal shooting of her childhood best friend Khalil at the hands of a police officer. Khalil was unarmed. Soon afterward, his death is a national headline. Protesters are taking to the streets in Khalil’s name. Some cops and the local drug lord try to intimidate Starr and her family. What everyone wants to know is: what really went down that night? And the only person alive who can answer that is Starr. But what Starr does or does not say could upend her community. It could also endanger her life.
German Childhood under the Nazis and Soviets. Luise’s family lived east of the river Oder, and as the Third Reich crumbled and the Soviet Red Army advanced, she was one of 15 million Germans trapped in a war zone during the terrible winter of 1945. Weakened by starvation and forced to flee their home, it was only the bravery and ingenuity of Luise’s mother that saved the family from total destruction. In East of the Oder, Luise relives that harrowing time, written in memory of her mother, to whom she owes her life. (For senior pupils and adults).
enchanting collection containing the first three novels in New York Times bestselling author Julia Quinn’s beloved Bridgerton series set in Regency England—The Duke and I, The Viscount Who Loved Me, and An Offer from a Gentleman—now a series created by Shonda Rhimes for Netflix.
Jack and Kate meet at a party, he knows he’s falling – hard. Soon she’s meeting his best friends and Kate wins them over as easily as she did Jack. But then Kate dies. And their story should end there.
revenge, redemption and dragons. Sarah’s dad needs a dragon to help on their farm. Kazimir the dragon, knows something Sarah doesn’t. He has arrived at the farm because of a prophecy. A prophecy that involves a deadly assassin, a cult of dragon worshippers, two FBI agents – and somehow, Sarah herself.
reimagining of the Little Mermaid fairy tale. Deep beneath the cold, stormy sea, Gaia is a mermaid who dreams of freedom from her controlling father. On her first swim to the surface, she is drawn towards a human boy. Gaia longs to join his carefree world, but how much will she have to sacrifice? What will it take for the little mermaid to find her voice?
mystery novels. Agatha attends prestigious St Regis Grammar School, has an eye for all things vintage, lives in Hyde Park, London, and has wanted to be a detective for as long as she can remember. She’s just waiting for her first Big Case…And nothing gets bigger than saving the city of London from a deadly red slime. Agatha teams up with Liam – her best friend and partner in crime – determined to solve the mystery . For Agatha, no case is too odd…
true story of the 16th Royal Scots, otherwise known as the ‘Hearts Battalion’ made up of Heart players and fans. It interweaves the present day life of an ordinary football-mad boy with a story of young men who volunteered for war and focuses on the friendships that develop as the lads play football and learn to become soldiers together.
which Mrs Vaughan is particularly keen on! Stephanie’s uncle Gordon is a writer of horror fiction. But when he dies and leaves her his estate, Stephanie learns that while he may have written horror, it certainly wasn’t fiction. Pursued by evil forces intent on recovering a mysterious key, Stephanie finds help from an unusual source – the wisecracking skeleton of a dead wizard. Skulduggery Pleasant is a detective and he and Stephanie team up to defeat evil.
novel. When teen adventurer Beck Granger finds himself stranded on a Himalayan mountainside, he has to draw on all his strength and skill to survive.
remains are stirring beneath the waves . . . On the streets of the Island of Lady’s Crave live 14-year-old street urchins Hark and his best friend Jelt. They are scavengers: diving for relics of the gods, desperate for anything they can sell. But there is something dangerous in the deep waters of the undersea, calling to someone brave enough to retrieve it. When the waves try to claim Jelt, Hark will do anything to save him. Even if it means compromising not just who Jelt is, but what he is . . .
when Farmer Palmer chooses Lewie the llama to guard his new lambs. It’s the most important job on the farm and everyone thought he’d pick the biggest strongest, loudest llama. Lewie is the best at singing and dancing but is he a match for a cunning coyote?
film, this dystopian adventure is one for those who love action.
get to grips with his more ‘feminine’ side following an unfortunate incident with a lollipop lady and a stolen bottle of Martini Rosso from Waitrose. He finds a new hobby – knitting. Laugh-out-loud, often ridiculous, sometimes quite touching, and revelatory about the knitting world.
Legs”. Marinka dreams of a normal life, where her house stays in one place long enough for her to make friends. But her house has chicken legs and moves on without warning. For Marinka’s grandmother is Baba Yaga, who guides spirits between this world and the next.
girls to the world of Faerie, where Jude is installed in the royal court but mocked and tormented by the Faerie royalty for being mortal.
the new term as one of the most popular pupils in school, and he’s finally got a girlfriend after more than eighty years of being single. But his life soon unravels when a new pupil, Jason, joins the school, and has his sights set firmly on Nigel’s girlfriend. Vampire and werewolf go head to head in the pursuit of love . . . with hilarious consequences!