Adult Fiction
There are rivers in the sky – Elif Shafak
Elif Shafak is a beautiful writer and writes stories that are very touching. This story revolves around 3 separate strands but linked by a drop of water. Charting an Abyssinian King in the ancient city of Nineveh, in Mesopotamia and a long-forgotten poem when a natural disaster strikes. Then in Victorian England, a boy is born on the edge of the River Thames. He has a photographic memory that earns him a way out of poverty. The third strand is perhaps the most poignant. Set in 2014 on the banks of the River Tigris, we meet Narim a Yazidi girl who is confronted with the horribleness of war.
It takes Zaleekhah in 2018 to bring all the strands together. Her marriage has ended but she finds a deep connection with her homeland that changes everything. A great read, I am bit bias as Elif Shafak is one of my favourite authors.
Summer Reading Challenge for children
July 2025 sees the launch of the Libraries annual Summer Reading Challenge for children aged between 4-11 years old. Can you raise to the challenge? You only have to read six books over the summer holiday and receive lots of goodies along the way. The theme this year is Story Garden so expect lots of garden themed activities and displays around the Libraries. So, to get you started:
Children’s Fiction
The Day I fell into a Fairytale – Ben Miller
This book was recommended to me by one of younger customers and it is a fantastic read. We meet Lana who loves stories, particular ones where she can make-believe with her brother Harrison. Then suddenly Harrison thinks he is too old in playing make-believe games and Lana feels left out. She, however, stumbles on a supermarket called Grimms and discovers a portal into a fairytale world! Lana is in her own fairytale with fantastic characters and an evil witch! But the adventure takes a dark turn, and can Lana defeat the witch? Can she persuade Harrison to believe in stories again and help her?
A great story with an imaginative twist on the Grimm fairy tales.
Asterix the Gaul – R Goscinny & A Uderzo
The year is 50 BC and all of Gaul is occupied under the mighty Roman Empire, well apart from one small village, of indomitable Gauls. The village holds out against the invaders and in this book you are introduced to the famous Asterix, his very good friend Obelix and the cunning druid Getafix. Join them in their village squabbles and their adventures running rings round the Roman Legions with only a small bottle of magic potion. This is the first book of the Asterix adventures but there are many more to investigate. Great fun.
Granny – Anthony Horowitz
A spooky tale from the great author Anthony Horowitz. Grannies are supposed to be nice and cuddly and give you loads of sweets but not Joe Warden’s. Joe lives in splendour in Thattlebee Hall and his distant parents are very rich but he rarely goes out and feels a bit like a prisoner. But this is not his real worry – that happens to be his Granny!
Joe’s Granny is really horrible. She happens to be rather physically repulsive but also very very mean. She descends into Thattlebee Hall and has an evil scheme involving the Golden Granny Awards and wants to involve Joe in her scheme. Can he stop her before disaster strikes? A great read and gives a definite new perspective on Grannies!
Picture Books
Picture Books – as reviewed by Emilie Bioud, Keynsham Library Assistant
Roller-coaster ride – David Broadbent
Vincent is spending the day with his granny. They take the bus to go to the seaside. On the way she says to him maybe they could go to the rides and try the roller-coaster. Vincent gets very excited; you see his imagination going wild and his excitement building up. Sometimes as parents we see our children starting to get too excited and the fall is inevitable. This book shows us exactly that but also that children are pretty good at bouncing back.
Dim Sum Palace – X Fang
I don’t know how to say that to you but I’m very excited about this book! It is absolutely gorgeous!
Liddy gets told by her mother that tomorrow they will go with the family to Dim Sum palace. She tries to understand what is this place her mother is talking about. She falls asleep and goes into a most wild, strange, and wonderful dream where she visits a palace, becomes a dumpling, and meets an Empress.
I can’t tell you how much I loved the illustrations, everyone has plump cheeks and you want to eat the feast with them. I’m not the only one who loves this book as you can find many reviews online, and videos about it. I’m left wanting more!
Library News
There’s always so much going on in all our libraries, and it’s all free. Tuesday 9.30-10am & 10.30-11.00am term time only 0-5 years, for families with children, sing along at Baby Bounce and Rhyme, or get comfy whilst listening to stories at our ever-popular Storytime. Thursday at 10.30am at Keynsham Library – term time only and for 0-4 years. Come along, with a cushion and listen to some fantastic new stories.
For adults, we’ve got book clubs, writing classes, and much more throughout the year. Joining the library costs nothing, so pop in or visit www.librarieswest.org.uk to also access thousands of eBooks, eMagazines, Audiobooks, and a wealth of other resources! Our ‘Virtual Library’ has loads going on, including the latest library news, competitions, book reviews and, all our digital offers.