The Birthday Present by Ruth Rendell (2008)

Ivor Tesham is a handsome, single, young member of Parliament whose political star is on the rise. When he meets a woman in a chance encounter--a beautiful, leggy, married woman named Hebe--the two become lovers obsessed with their trysts, spiced up by what the newspapers like to call "adventure sex." It's the dress-up and role-play that inspire Ivor to create a surprise birthday present for his beloved that involves a curbside kidnapping. It's all intended as mock-dangerous foreplay, but then things take a dark turn. After things go horribly wrong, Ivor begins to receive anonymous letters that reveal astonishingly specic details about the affair and its aftermath. Somehow he must keep his role from being uncovered--and his political future from being destroyed by scandal. Like a heretic on the inquisitor's rack, Ivor is not to be spared the exquisitely slow and tortuous unfolding of events, as hints, nuances, and small revelations lay his darkest secrets hideously bare for all the world to see. The Birthday Present is a deft, insightful, and compulsively readable exploration of obsessive desire--and the dark twists of fate that can shake the lives of even those most insulated by privilege, sophistication, and power.

10 little rubber ducks by Eric Carle (2005)

When a storm strikes a cargo ship, ten rubber ducks are tossed overboard and swept off in ten different directions. The rubber duck's squeak is reproduced at the end of the book. Based on a factual incident.

Natchez Burning by Greg Iles (2011)

You Should Have Known by Jean Hanff Korelitz (2014)

In my idea it will be great

Skybreaker by Kenneth Oppel (2005)

Matt Cruse, a student at the Airship Academy, and Kate de Vries, a young heiress, team up with a gypsy and a daring captain, to find a long-lost airship, rumored to carry a treasure beyond imagination.

Two years eight months and twenty-eight nights by Salman Rushdie (2015)

"From Salman Rushdie, one of the great writers of our time, comes a spellbinding novel that blends history, mythology, and a timeless love story. A lush modern fairytale in which our world has been plunged into an age of unreason, Two Years Eight Months and Twenty-Eight Nights is a breathtaking achievement and an enduring testament to the power of storytelling" -- Provided by publisher. "Once upon a time, in a world just like ours, there came "the time of the strangenesses." Reason receded and the loudest, most illiberal voices reigned. A simple gardener began to levitate, and a powerful djinn -- also known as the Princess of Fairyland -- raised an army composed entirely of her semi-magical great-great-great-grandchildren. A baby was born with the ability to see corruption in the faces of others. The ghosts of two philosophers, long dead, began arguing once more. And a battle for the kingdom of Fairyland was waged throughout our world for 1,001 nights -- or, to be more precise, for two years, eight months, and twenty-eight nights. Two Years, Eight Months and Twenty-Eight Nights is a masterful, playfully enchanting meditation on the power of love and the importance of rationality, replete with flying carpets and dynastic intrigue" -- Provided by publisher.

The good liar by Nicholas Searle (2015)

"Veteran con artist Roy spots an obvious easy mark when he meets Betty, a wealthy widow, online. In no time at all, he's moved into Betty's lovely cottage and is preparing to accompany her on a romantic trip to Europe. Betty's grandson disapproves of their blossoming relationship, but Roy is sure this scheme will be a success. He knows what he's doing" -- provided by publisher.

The Mighty Quinns by Kate Hoffmann (2011)

Sadie, Ori, and Nuggles Go to Camp by Jamie Korngold (2014)

Pirate Blunderbeard by Amy Sparkes (2017)

Mum is making me take part in the stupid Pirate of the Year Award. All I have to do is fight an enormous sea monster, (doom), beat my oh-so-brilliant brother at something (please please please) and find the legendary treasure that no one has ever found EVER in the history of EVER (easy peasy, then). Wish me luck! Pirate Blunderbeard.

Echo Mountain by Lauren Wolk (2020)

When twelve-year-old Ellie and her family lose livelihood and move to a mountain cabin in 1934, she quickly learns to be an outdoors woman and, when needed, a healer.

Star Wars - Thrawn by Timothy Zahn (2017)

"I have sensed a disturbance in the Force." Ominous words under any circumstances, but all the more so when uttered by Emperor Palpatine. On Batuu, at the edges of the Unknown Regions, a threat to the Empire is taking root--its existence little more than a glimmer, its consequences as yet unknowable. But it is troubling enough to the Imperial leader to warrant investigation by his most powerful agents: ruthless enforcer Lord Darth Vader and brilliant strategist Grand Admiral Thrawn. Fierce rivals for the emperor's favor, and outspoken adversaries on Imperial affairs--including the Death Star project--the formidable pair seem unlikely partners for such a crucial mission. But the Emperor knows it's not the first time Vader and Thrawn have joined forces. And there's more behind his royal command than either man suspects. In what seems like a lifetime ago, General Anakin Skywalker of the Galactic Republic, and Commander Mitth'raw'nuruodo, officer of the Chiss Ascendancy, crossed paths for the first time. One on a desperate personal quest, the other with motives unknown . . . and undisclosed. But facing a gauntlet of dangers on a far-flung world, they forged an uneasy alliance--neither remotely aware of what their futures held in store. Now, thrust together once more, they find themselves bound again for the planet where they once fought side by side. There they will be doubly challenged--by a test of their allegiance to the Empire . . . and an enemy that threatens even their combined might.

Where's My Tushy? by Deborah Aronson (2014)

Angelology by Danielle Trussoni (2010)

Rica y fascinante, mezcla tradición bíblica y la mitología, creando una luminosa historia de una joven atrapada en una batalla que determinará el destino del mundo Evangeline era una niña cuando su padre la dejó a cargo de las Hermanas Franciscanas de la Perpetua Adoración, en el Convento de St. Rose, cerca de Nueva York. Ahora, con veintitrés años, el descubrimiento de una carta de 1943 la sumerge en una historia secreta que se remonta a miles de años: el antiguo conflicto entre la Sociedad de los Angelólogos y los Nefilim, descendientes de la unión de los ángeles y los hombres, unas criaturas de monstruosa belleza. Los Nefilim, que han ido perdiendo lentamente su poder y grandeza de antaño, ansían descubrir los secretos que esconde esta carta, ya que podrían llevarles a su salvación y así conseguirían perpetuar la guerra en el mundo y dominar a la humanidad. Generaciones de angelólogos han dedicado sus vidas a intentar detenerlos. La hermana Evangeline, con la ayuda de Verlaine, un joven historiador, pronto se encontrará en el centro de este conflicto que los llevará desde el bucólico convento a orillas del Hudson hasta los rincones más exquisitos de Nueva York, pasando por el cementerio de Montparnasse y las remotas montañas de Bulgaria.

Criss Cross by James Patterson (2019)

"In a Virginia penitentiary, Alex Cross and his partner, John Sampson, witness the execution of a killer they helped convict. Hours later, they are called to the scene of a copycat crime. A note signed 'M' rests on the corpse. 'You messed up big time, Dr. Cross.' Was an innocent man just put to death? Alex soon realizes he may have much to answer for, as 'M' lures the detective out of the capital to the sites of multiple homicides, all marked with distressingly familiar details--details that conjure up decades-old cases. Details that conjure up Cross family secrets. Details that make clear that M is after a prize so dear that--were the killer to attain it--Cross's heart will no longer have reason to beat" -- Front jacket flap.

Agent 6 by Tom Rob Smith (2011)

Moskau 1950. Der schwarze amerikanische Sänger Jesse Austin besucht die Sowjetunion, um sein idealistisches Bild des Kommunismus zu überprüfen. Damit Austin nicht hinter die Kulissen des für ihn inszenierten Alltags schauen kann, wird ihm Geheimdienstoffizier Leo Demidow an die Seite gestellt. Doch trotz Leos Einsatz kommt es fast zum Eklat. Fünfzehn Jahre später reist Demidows Frau Raisa mit ihren beiden Töchtern nach New York, wo ein Konzert sowjetischer und amerikanischer Schüler für Entspannung im Kalten Krieg sorgen soll. Auch Jesse Austin wurde eine Rolle in dem Spektakel zugewiesen. Der Abend endet mit mehreren Toten, und nur ein Mann weiß, was wirklich geschah: Agent 6. Und eines Tages wird Leo ihn finden.

Transcription by Kate Atkinson (2018)

BBC radio producer Juliet Armstrong finds herself targeted by dangerous individuals from her past as a World War II espionage monitor for MI5.

Judy Moody, Mood Martian by Megan McDonald (2014)

When it is "Backward Day," Judy must turn her usual sour mood upside down and be happy and nice for a change. On Backwards Day, Judy decides to change her mood to "cool-as-a-cucumber neat freak," and, surprisingly, this new mood hangs around for days, but soon her friends begin to question whether this "new" Judy is just an imposter. Book #12

Esther's Hanukkah disaster by Jane Sutton (2013)

"A gorilla named Esther tries--at first unsuccessfully--to give perfect Hanukkah gifts to all her friends."--

Hades by Alexandra Adornetto (2011)

Even the love of her boyfriend, Xavier Woods, and her archangel siblings, Gabriel and Ivy, can't keep the angel Bethany Church from being tricked into a motorcycle ride that ends up in Hell. There, Jake Thorn bargains for Beth's release back to Earth. But what he asks of her will destroy her, and quite possibly her loved ones as well.