There are a few months left to complete our 2026 Book Bingo challenge!
This is a great way to read outside your comfort zone, with new categories and great prizes from St Pierre Park Hotel, the OGH and local kiosk Mylk.
If you’re struggling with ideas for any of the categories, our team have put together some recommendations to help you on your way.
Click the links to borrow and keep an eye on our Library displays for more ideas!
Starting with the first letter of your name
So many books could fit into this category, and it’s personal to you! But to give an example, if your name was Thomas, you could read Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson, or Twilight by Stephenie Meyer.
If you were Frederick, you could check out Frida Kahlo: the Artist in the Blue House, or The Fellowship of the Ring by J. R. R. Tolkien.
Non-Fiction
We have an excellent and varied selection of non-fiction at the Library. Our recommendation here is to follow your passion and Go All In.
If you’re into it, read into it. If you love football, read about football. If you love music, or video games, read about music or video games. Reading, in all its forms, allows you to go deeper into your passions than ever before.
Murder Mystery set in another country
These twisty tales are set outside of the UK. What’s better than a bit of international mystery?
A Refiner's fire – Donna Leon [book]
When two teenage gangs are arrested after clashing violently in one of Venice's campi, the son of a local hero is implicated. But when Commissario Guido Brunetti is asked by a wealthy foreigner to vet this man, Monforte, for a job, he discovers that Monforte might not be such a hero after all.
This seeming contradiction, and a brutal attack on one of Brunetti's colleagues by a possible gang member, concentrate Brunetti's attentions. Soon, he discovers the sordid hypocrisy surrounding Monforte's past, culminating in the fiery meeting of two gangs and a final opportunity for redemption.
Death on the Nile - Agatha Christie [book]
The tranquillity of a cruise along the Nile was shattered by the discovery that Linnet Ridgeway had been shot through the head. Hercule Poirot has to solve the mystery.
The Burning Grounds - Abir Mukherjee [book]
In the Burning Ghats of Calcutta where the dead are laid to rest, a man is found murdered, his throat cut from ear to ear. The body is that of a popular patron of the arts, a man who was, by all accounts, beloved by all: so what was the motive for his murder? Despite being out of favour with the Imperial Police Force, Detective Sam Wyndham is assigned to the case and finds himself thrust into the glamorous world of Indian cinema.
Crown on the Cover
Heartless – Marissa Meyer [book]
Long before she was the Queen of Hearts, Catherine Pinkerton was just a girl who wanted to fall in love. Catherine may be one of the most desired girls in Wonderland and a favourite of the unmarried King of Hearts but her interests lie elsewhere. A talented baker, all she wants is to open a shop with her best friend. But according to her mother, such a goal is unthinkable for the young woman who could be the next queen.
Then Cath meets Jest, the handsome and mysterious court joker. For the first time, she feels the pull of true attraction. At the risk of offending the king and infuriating her parents, she and Jest enter into an intense, secret courtship. Cath is determined to define her own destiny and fall in love on her terms. But in a land thriving with magic, madness and monsters, fate has other plans.
Circe – Madeline Miller [book]
In the house of Helios, god of the sun and mightiest of the Titans, a daughter is born. But Circe has neither the look nor the voice of divinity, and is scorned and rejected by her kin. Increasingly isolated, she turns to mortals for companionship, leading her to discover a power forbidden to the gods: witchcraft.
When love drives Circe to cast a dark spell, wrathful Zeus banishes her to the remote island of Aiaia. There she learns to harness her occult craft, drawing strength from nature. But she will not always be alone; many are destined to pass through Circe's place of exile, entwining their fates with hers. The messenger god, Hermes. The craftsman, Daedalus. A ship bearing a golden fleece. And wily Odysseus, on his epic voyage home.
Clytemnestra – Costanza Casati [book]
As for queens, they are either hated or forgotten. She already knows which option suits her best . . . Mother. Monarch. Murderer. Magnificent.
You are born to a king, but marry a tyrant. You stand helplessly as he sacrifices your child to placate the gods. You watch him wage war on a foreign shore and comfort yourself with violent thoughts of your own. You play the part, fooling enemies who deny you justice. Slowly, you plot. You are Clytemnestra.
But when the husband who owns you returns in triumph, what then? Acceptance or vengeance - infamy follows both. So you bide your time and wait, until you might force the gods' hands and take revenge. Until you rise. For you understood something that the others don't. If power isn't given to you, you have to take it for yourself. A blazing novel set in the world of Ancient Greece and told through the eyes of its greatest heroine, this is a thrilling tale of power and prophecies, of hatred and love
Local Author/Setting
The Book of Ebenezer Le Page - Gerald Edwards [book]
Edwards's novel is a testament to the richness and variety of life found in even the smallest of places. In recounting his 80 years on the tiny Channel Island of Guernsey, Ebenezer Le Page proves himself as wise in the ways of the world as any cosmopolitan.
Toilers of the Sea - Victor Hugo [book]
Written while Hugo was living in exile on the island of Guernsey, Toilers of the Sea is a story of adventure that expresses the everyday struggles of a fool in love while capturing the changes wrought by political and economic revolution in Europe.
The French House - Jacquie Bloese [book]
Left profoundly deaf after an accident, Émile is no stranger to isolation - or heartbreak. Now, as Nazi planes loom over Guernsey, he senses life is about to change forever.
Trapped in a tense, fearful marriage, Isabelle doesn't know what has become of Émile and the future she hoped for. But when she glimpses him from the window of the French House, their lives collide once more.
Leutnant Schreiber is more comfortable wielding a paintbrush than a pistol. But he has little choice in the role he is forced to play in the occupying forces - or in his own forbidden desires. As their paths entwine, loyalties are blurred and dangerous secrets forged. But on an island under occupation, courage can have deadly consequences.
Exactly What You Mean - Ben Hinshaw [book]
A brilliantly innovative, tender and unsettling novel exploring what it means to lose our innocence. Surrounded by the dramatic beauty of Guernsey, a teenager discovers a secret and finds his betrayal has the power to ruin adult lives.
In London, a marriage shot through with infidelity leads to a quest for revenge, resulting in a series of simultaneously comical and catastrophic events. And in California, as wildfires threaten landscapes and lives, a young veteran struggles with the trauma of war, seeking solace at a local ranch. In this extraordinary debut, a cast of characters grapple with unexpected betrayal, the loss of innocence and the lies we tell. With sharp insight, Ben Hinshaw illuminates the unnerving nature of what it means to grow up, to be a teenager playing at adulthood and an adult playing games.
Audiobook
Find these on BorrowBox.
Oh Miriam - Miriam Margolyes [eAudio]
From declaring my love to Vanessa Redgrave to being fed cockroaches by Steve Buscemi, from turnip-based comedy with Blackadder to being farted on by Arnold Schwarzenegger, from Graham Norton's sofa to Alan Cumming's camper van, my life has been (and continues to be) an uproarious adventure.
Oh Miriam! has been such a constant refrain in my life, said in all kinds of tones - laughs, surprised gasps and orgasmic sighs - that it had to be the title of this audiobook. And with a cast list that stretches from Churchill to DiCaprio, Dahl to Dietrich, Princess Margaret to Maggie Smith, I've so much more to tell you and so much more to say.
The Maid's Secret - Nita Prowse [eAudio]
Molly the maid is no stranger to secrets. She sees everything behind closed doors at the Regency Grand hotel - wiping away the dust and grime of guests passing through. But one secret lies much closer to home. An old trinket - a faux Faberg - is revealed to be a precious antique during an appraisal at the hotel, making Molly a rags-to-riches sensation.
But no sooner has the egg shown its value than it is stolen, vanishing without a trace. Determined to crack the case of the missing Faberg, Molly begins dusting for clues, uncovering a mystery that stretches deep into the past. For in the pages of a long-forgotten diary, written by her late gran, lie the secrets that could unlock all others - and only Molly holds the key.
Simply More - Cynthia Erivo [eAudio]
It is never too late to build the life you're seeking. Part-memoir, part-inspirational manual for better living, Simply More by Cynthia Erivo is for anyone seeking greater harmony and fulfilment in their lives.
Cynthia Erivo learned the music to Wicked a decade before she needed it, not knowing that those same lyrics would change her life. Ten years later, she performed those songs on a world stage, showing us that there is always time to keep discovering ourselves, and that the journey of becoming is not a finite one. In Simply More, through a series of powerful, personal vignettes, Cynthia reflects on the ways that she has grown as an actor and a person, shares the lessons she's learned over years of performing, and reminds us how we are capable of so much more than we think. In this profoundly honest and moving memoir, Cynthia draws from her experiences running marathons, both real and metaphorical, on stage and on screen, to show how each challenge can help us.
Suggested by a Friend
For this category, get in touch with your bookish friends to see what they recommend reading!
If you’re looking for a community of like-minded book lovers, why not check out one of our Library book clubs? At the Library we host Silent Book Club, where you can read quietly in the company of others, Lit with Liberate, which reads LGBTQ+ titles, and the Library Book Club, where we discuss set books on a monthly basis with drinks and snacks.
Find out more about the different library books clubs here: www.library.gg/bookclubs
Has a Green Cover
Way back - Sarah Cox [book]
Josie's life is fine. Absolutely, completely fine. Nice husband, brilliant best friend, a gorgeous kid at uni. The big house of her dreams on its leafy London street is a lifetime away from the Lancashire farm of her childhood. So what if her mother is tricky, and James isn't in love with Josie any more, and maybe she's not in love with him either? It's great to have time to herself now Chloe's flown the nest - isn't it?
This is the life Josie never believed possible. The life she needed when her heart was breaking as a child, when her mum wasn't coping and Josie had to grow up too fast. So why this feeling, nibbling away at the edges of Josie's thoughts? The sense that she has lost something. That she has lost herself. If Josie is to truly live, she must now take back the reins and confront her future. And to find her way ahead, she needs to go back - way back - to the place where it all began.
The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo - Taylor-Jenkins Read [book]
Aging and reclusive Hollywood movie icon Evelyn Hugo is finally ready to tell the truth about her glamorous and scandalous life. But when she chooses unknown magazine reporter Monique Grant for the job, no one is more astounded than Monique herself. Monique is not exactly on top of the world. Her husband has left her, and her professional life is going nowhere. But she is determined to use this opportunity to jumpstart her career. Summoned to Evelyn's luxurious apartment, Monique listens in fascination as the actress tells her story. Evelyn unspools a tale of ruthless ambition, unexpected friendship, and a great forbidden love. Monique begins to feel a very real connection to the legendary star, but as Evelyn's story near its conclusion, it becomes clear that her life intersects with Monique's own in tragic and irreversible ways.
A Lesson in Cruelty - Harriet Tyce [book]
Anna wants a fresh start. She doesn't believe she deserves it, but after three years behind bars she has finally paid her dues. Most of them, anyway.
Lucy craves the attention of the only man she can't have, her alluring Oxford professor. He's married - not for the first time. Maybe she should be next in line?
Marie the recluse has been locked up for too long. She's not ready to be free, but some rules are meant to be broken. Everyone wants a perfect life. But not everyone is prepared to take it. Unless someone decides to teach them a lesson.
Cli-Fi (climate fiction)
The Wall – John Lanchester [book]
Kavanagh begins his life patrolling the Wall. If he's lucky, if nothing goes wrong, he only has two years of this, 729 more nights. The best thing that can happen is that he survives and gets off the Wall and never has to spend another day of his life anywhere near it. He longs for this to be over; longs to be somewhere else. He will soon find out what Defenders do and who the Others are. Along with the rest of his squad, he will endure cold and fear day after day, night after night. But somewhere, in the dark cave of his mind, he thinks: wouldn't it be interesting if something did happen, if they came, if you had to fight for your life?
Cold People - Tom Rob Smith [book]
The world has fallen. Without warning, a mysterious and omnipotent force has claimed the planet for their own. There are no negotiations, no demands, no reasons given for their actions. All they have is a message: humanity has thirty days to reach the one place on Earth where they will be allowed to exist . . . Antarctica.
Cold People follows the journeys of a handful of those who endure the frantic exodus to the most inhospitable environment on the planet. But their goal is not merely to survive the present. While they cling to life on the ice, the vestiges of their past swept away, they must also confront the most urgent of challenges: can they change and evolve rapidly enough to ensure humanity’s future? Can they build a new society in the cold?
Flight Behaviour - Barbara Kingsolver [book]
On the Appalachian Mountains above her home, a young mother discovers a beautiful and terrible marvel of nature. As the world around her is suddenly transformed by a seeming miracle, can the old certainties they have lived by for centuries remain unchallenged?
Need more recommendations? Get in touch and we'll do our best to help! Email us [email protected] or drop us a message on Facebook.