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Paper Plus Barrington

@paperplusbarrington

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I think its the mark of a fantastic writer when they can have you reading a book with avid interest about a topic that you have absolutely no interest in. I absolutely love Chris Hammer’s books, and almost every one has been a five star read for me. If Full Circle didn’t have his name on the cover I wouldn’t have picked it up, but I would have been missing out because this was a fantastic read. I might not have understood all of the intricacies but I enjoyed every minute. He really is a master storyteller.

Full Circle is set around financial crime, big companies, the stock market, powerful families and dodgy dealings. Travis finds himself entangled in a huge power struggle and takedown of a formidable family and soon there’s murder, drugs, dangerous men, bribery, corruption and cover-ups to contend with. Travis wants justice but he also wants to live and that seems like it might not be possible...

This book plays out across a couple of timelines and we see the action unfolding from several angles and before, during and after the major events. It’s incredibly well plotted and told and it’s so smart! I had to pay attention as I read and I did do a bit of flicking backwards to check on things and keep everybody straight, but that in no way impacted my enjoyment.

Travis is a great MC with his own demons, and he really gets put through some strife in this book. He’s smart and perceptive but he’s looking in at a world filled with financial and tech savants as well as people with money to solve all their problems, so getting to the crux of what has and is happening isn’t easy. While there is necessarily a bit of jargon in this book, Hammer does a great job of explaining things and making it accessible - no mean feat! I was totally caught up in it, and I just had to know how it would all resolve. Happily, we get all the answers and see how all the characters come out of it at the end - it’s very neatly tied up. This is another triumph with plenty of twists - thanks so much to @paperplusbarrington ! by @paperplusbarrington

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3 days ago

Signed some stock and left some goodies at the @paperplusnz in Barrington. 👀⏰💕

The Fault In Our Stars X They Both Die At The End

72 HOURS OF YOU is a speculative tragic YA romance about Sydney, a girl who sees countdown clocks over people’s heads 72 hours before they die. And Peter Beckett the ultimate sunshine golden retriever book boyfriend who changes how she sees life (and death). ✨⏰💕 taken in Paper Plus Barrington by @paperplusbarrington

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23 days ago

If you enjoy books with central child characters, you need to get your hands on When Sullivan Met Lola! I’m a huge Monica McInerney fan and I’ve been reading her for many years. I love that she has written many books where the same characters crop up, and this is no exception - Lola, Sullivan and Eliza, not to mention Bett, Carrie, Jim and Geraldine all make a reappearance. It still would read fine as a stand-alone, though!

This book sees elderly Lola travel alone to Melbourne after getting some sobering news about her health. She expects it to be her last trip before living a quieter life, and she is understandably nervous, but determined to revisit all the places she went to with her old flame, Alex. While there, she meets Sullivan, a smart but unusual boy who is helping out in the hotel while his mother has a prolonged stay in hospital. Bullied and friendless but still hopeful and resilient, Sullivan becomes friends with Lola and they decide to help each other with their secret plans...

A McInerney novel is always like a warm hug. They are effortless to read, full of rich details of family life, have a strong emotional pull, and are ultimately feel-good and hopeful. While here Lola and Sullivan are both struggling in their own way, their connection is heart-warming and feels genuine. McInerney makes their friendship feel believable, and you will really feel for both of these two who are battling their own demons. I do think Sullivan totally steals the show, and I’d read another book just about him - he is adorable.

There’s some nice gentle humour in When Sullivan Met Lola, but there are also many moments which are very poignant and which will really resonate with most readers, I think. While this is a gentle story, it still has some depth, and I just want to take a moment to also say, I hope I’m dressing like Lola when I’m in my 80s! Her outfits are sensational. This novel joins all of McInerney’s other books on my shelves - there’s quite a stack now! Thanks so much to @paperplusbarrington and @penguinbooksnz by @paperplusbarrington

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a month ago

Hello, all! I popped into the wonderful @paperplusbarrington a few weeks ago and picked up these two. I also got very tempted by some new beautiful editions of some Agatha Christie books (swipe to see a picture). I can just picture these on the bookcase, so pretty! I spied a gorgeous illustrated edition of Frankenstein too...

The Death Row Support Club is one I’ve had my eye on for a while, and it’s one of those really fast paced thrillers you can fly through in a day. I loved the concept - a club for children of death row killers - and it was just as juicy and twisted as I hoped with an intriguing mystery and a bunch of characters who I just didn’t know if I could trust, including the MC. I did have to suspend disbelief in a few places, mostly concerning how easily the MC decided to trust somebody who had betrayed her, and there were a few spots where the timing felt a little confusing, but on the whole, I really enjoyed this and there were some good reveals! It was the perfect kind of filler thriller between heavier reads and there was plenty to hold my attention and keep me wondering.

Slayer is a very different book than The Death Row Club, even though there is murder in both! It’s the new one from the very prolific Leia Stone (how have I never tried one of her books?) and it’s a YA vampire romance where the MC gets to attend Nightguard Academy, a school for vampire hunters. I’ve only just started this one but I can already see its pitched perfectly for the teen audience, and the early reviews are glowing! The two MCs are very likable and it feels like its going to be easy and entertaining. It’s being pitched as a Buffy/Vampire Academy mash up and I’m getting a nice coming of age feel too. Also, how pretty is this cover?

How has your month of reading been so far? Mine has had a really wide mix of genres and on the whole, has been mostly really good reads. My favourites so far have been The Wretched Divine, The Neverfear and Bad Words…😊 by @paperplusbarrington

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a month ago

The Wretched Divine, by Adalyn Grace is out soon, and this book is fabulous! I’ve read and loved her others, and I was curious to see what her first adult book would be like. It’s a big, chunky book, and it’s the first in a series, yay!

The Wretched Divine stars Aurelie, who has a family legacy that entitles her to bond with an angel. She’s destined to be the saviour of her people in the fight against the demons who are slowly winning the war. Yuriel is the soldier angel who bonds with her, but in the midst of their ceremony, something horrific happens, forcing Aurelie to take matters into her own hands and make a second bond – this time with the demon Severin. He’s her only hope, and he thinks he knows a way to end the war for good. As the three of them are forced to work together, their assumptions about each other and their histories are challenged, and Aurelie starts to wonder just which side of the war she wants to be on…

I’m not usually a huge fan of angels and demons in books, but here it’s done right. The range of demons and the original sins they are associated with works really well, and the different powers they possess and the way they can bond with humans means they are a formidable enemy. While we don’t find out as much about the angels, the interludes that pop up now and again give us an insight into Yuriel and his path and I really enjoyed these. Aurelie is an interesting MC – physically capable but emotionally naïve, brave yet sometimes impulsive, and sheltered in some ways, yet accustomed to the horrors of the battlefield. The tension between the three main characters and their dialogue is very well done, and I enjoyed their bickering! While more of a minor character, it’s clear Princess Ilaria will become more significant too, and she gets more interesting as the book progresses.

The world-building in this book is very well done. I liked the journal entries, scriptures and information each chapter started with, and they worked well to strengthen the world and give the reader pertinent information. There’s high stakes here, and the ending is explosive! Thanks to @hachettenz and @paperplusbarrington by @paperplusbarrington

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2 months ago

Hello, book friends! So, after having an amazing couple of months of books in May and June, July and August have been very patchy... but the last half a dozen have been amazing, so I think I’m starting a winning streak again. I read these two fantasy novels back to back, and they were both really good! Both of these were courtesy of the wonderful @paperplusbarrington , who just happen to have an excellent fantasy and romantasy section!

After loving Innamorata by Ava Reid, I was so excited for Winterveil, and it was a five star read! It’s a complex, smart and original book set in an alternate reality future America where the Cold War is still in play. It follows a bunch of fascinating characters who have been recruited to an academy which trains students to be assets in the war. It’s part dark academia, part dystopian thriller, and it’s so intelligent. The characters are very complex and the dynamics between them really get you invested. You want these people to be friends and trust each other, but you never quite trust them as a reader. I knew there was something dark and sinister going on between the school and the CIA, but I never knew quite what until the reveals. Happily there is another book to come... and I’ve now got all of Ava Reid’s back catalogue to read!

Tempest is Victoria Aveyard’s adult debut and it’s high fantasy set on the seas. I’m a huge fan of her Red Queen series, but wasn’t as fussed about the Realm Breaker series. She is totally back to form here, with a fantastically built world and a ruthless MC who has had to be cunning and smart to survive in a world where pirates and the Navy are constantly battling for control. There’s a slow burn romance with an enigmatic pirate and the story is told over two timelines. Pretty much all the characters are morally grey, and the dynamics are fascinating. It’s gritty, well-built and altogether fascinating, with betrayal and double-dealing a constant. Aveyard must have done a heap of research into piracy and seafaring and it really shows. I totally believed in this brutal yet colourful world Bring on book 2! by @paperplusbarrington

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2 months ago

》》GIVEAWAY CLOSED 《《

✨ACOTAR GIVEAWAY ✨

Since we’re all a little bit excited about ACOTAR 6 coming in October 😉🌙 I thought we’d celebrate with a little A Court of Thorns and Roses prize pack!

One lucky winner will receive:

🖤 An Enemies to Lovers tote bag
🌙 2 Romantasy bookmarks
🎨 An ACOTAR colouring book
📖 A special Night Court edition of A Court of Thorns and Roses

Basically… everything you need for a little Night Court escape ✨

To enter:
✨️ Follow @anotherbooktoread & @paperplusbarrington
-📖 Tell me what books you are reading in preparation (I've just finished ACOSF & will be picking up Crescent City 3 next!)
✨️Tag some friends - each tag = 1 entry
📖 Save, share & repost for extra entries 🎉

Good luck! 🖤🌙✨

NZ only 📫 by @paperplusbarrington

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2 months ago

More childhood favourites.....this time staff picks!

Some excellent choices here - see any you've read?

》》Tell us some books the young people in your life are loving right now - hopefully it's on our shelves (if not we'll probably add it ASAP 😂)

If you are looking for some recommendations to get middlegrade or YA readers reading then save this post.....or pop in store for a chat - we love recommending books (or just chatting about books in general 🤓😂)
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#nzchildrensbookweek #staffpicks #booksellersrecs #childhoodnostalgia #bookshops by @paperplusbarrington

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2 months ago

Happy Tuesday everyone - here's a little bit of bookish nostalgia for you 😊

It’s NZ Children’s Book Week here this week, which has generated lots of chat with customers & staff about our favourite childhood reads......so here’s a little round-up of some favourites from my own collection...... with a big dose of bookish nostalgia 🥰🩷

Swipe across to see them all.....🤓

》》Let me know if you spot any you’ve loved too - & tell me your all-time favourite (or favourites 😂) from childhood 😊

Have a fabulous day everyone 😘
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#nzchildrensbookweek #bookish #anneofgreengables #vintagebooks #bibliofile by @paperplusbarrington

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2 months ago

A little late, but you know what they say…..better late than never! 😂📚

Here are our Top 10 books for July — and judging by this list you lot have excellent taste 🙌

Did you read any of these? 📖 by @paperplusbarrington

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2 months ago

Hello, book friends! I’ve got a yellow and black stack here today to accompany The Damned, by Matt Rogers. I’ve actually read and enjoyed all of these, go me! It’s a rare thing... my physical TBR is ridiculously out of control. Of course, it doesn’t help that I keep visiting bookshops - The Damned is courtesy of the lovely @paperplusbarrington (which also has the most gorgeous range of pretty editions of classics, plus collectors editions and boxed sets) - so tempting!

The Damned is the second in the Logan Booth series, but it’s totally fine to read as a stand-alone - I haven’t read the first. I definitely don’t believe in girls and guys books, but I do think this would be a great one for a male reader, especially with Father’s Day coming up in NZ. The MC really reminded me of Jack Reacher. He’s a man with many talents, and he’s intelligent and thoughtful as well as capable of looking after himself in a fight and taking pretty much anyone down. He’s retired from his career as an assassin, but when a chain of events takes him to Columbia, he finds himself in the midst of a dangerous situation and some very dangerous people...

This book has one of the most shocking and gory openings I’ve read for a while, and it remains a very dark and gritty read all the way through. It’s full of bad, violent people but Logan is one of the good guys, trying to turn his life around. He has a strong sense of right and wrong and protecting the innocent, and in the situation he finds himself in, that’s not easy. The Columbian setting and all of the political unrest is the perfect backdrop, and the danger drips from every page. There’s some softness here too, though. Logan’s platonic relationship with Alice and her own struggle to regain a sense of herself gives the book some heart, and when she gets involved, it also really amps up the tension as well.

This book is full of action and there is never a dull moment. It was a wee bit too dark for me, but I still enjoyed it and found it very readable and compelling, albeit horrifying! by @paperplusbarrington

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2 months ago

🔎 GIVEAWAY! 🔎

Calling all mystery lovers - this one’s for you! 🕵️‍♀️

I’ve put together a little Agatha Christie prize pack for one lucky reader, including:

📖 An Agatha Christie book
📋 An Agatha Christie reading tracker
🔖 Some gorgeous Agatha Christie bookmarks

Basically, everything you need for a little Christie-inspired reading adventure.

To enter:

📚 Follow @anotherbooktoread & @paperplusbarrington
❤️ Like & save this post
👯‍♀️ Tag some fellow mystery lovers (1tag = 1 entry)
💬 Tell me your favourite Agatha Christie mystery (or one your would love to read!)

For an extra entry, share this post to your stories and tag me so I can see it!

🇳🇿 NZ only.

Good luck! 🔎📚 by @paperplusbarrington

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2 months ago