Most Requested #1 – August 2016

A new, occasional series about the most-reserved books in the library. Today, we look at the two most-reserved books at the moment.

Firstly,

Liz Nugent stormed onto the thriller scene with Unravelling Oliver in 2013, and it was still being heavily reserved a couple of years later (which is practically unheard of in library circles; normally a book is popular for three to six months, and can come and go in waves as word of mouth spreads).

Her new book, Lying in Wait, was released on the 14th of July and there is over 280 reserves. It is pretty safe to say that the people have spoken and this book is officially The Next Big Thing.

You can reserve Unravelling Oliver here and you can reserve Lying in Wait here (although be prepared to wait a while, but perhaps not as long as you might think – we try and work our library magic as much as we can!)

LYING IN WAIT

‘Gone Girl fans will love Liz Nugent’s Lying in Wait … it twists, it turns, its characters are utterly despicable and it is a compulsive triumph’ Stylist

‘A stunningly talented writer’ Sophie Hannah

‘The intricate plotting and jolting suspense hold you in a vice till the last page’ Sunday Times

‘Clear your diary if you pick up this seductively sinister story. The twists come together in a superbly scary denouncement which delivers a final sting in the tail. Brilliantly macabre’ Sunday Mirror

‘Brilliant plotting ratchets up the tension in this chilling tale of obsessive love, madness and motherhood’ Woman & Home

‘The wit is sharp and the plot full of punishing twists’ The Times Crime Club

‘An unputdownable psychological thriller with an ending that lingers long after turning the final page’ Irish Times

From the award-winning author of the No 1 bestseller,Unravelling Oliver

‘My husband did not mean to kill Annie Doyle, but the lying tramp deserved it.’

Lydia Fitzsimons lives in the perfect house with her adoring husband and beloved son. There is just one thing Lydia yearns for to make her perfect life complete, though the last thing she expects is that pursuing it will lead to murder. However, needs must – because nothing can stop this mother from getting what she wants …

This is a dark, twisty and utterly gripping domestic noir that you won’t be able to put down from the author hailed as Ireland’s answer to Gillian Flynn.

‘A tense, taut, almost gothic thriller where the tension tightens to near unbearable proportions … impossible to stop reading. A brilliantly written, stand-out novel.’ Marian Keyes

‘Taut, crisp, clear, a storm-warning of a book. It has the eeriness ofThe Turn of the Screw; but as these screws turn, a mighty tension takes hold. Masterly’ Sebastian Barry

‘Deliciously twisted, shot through with dark and acid humour and the denouement is truly chilling.’ Sarah Hilary

‘Lying in Wait is a gradual descent to the very heart of darkness. Liz Nugent’s characters are as unforgettably monstrous as they are believable. A superbly crafted novel and an absorbing portrait of the purest kind of evil.’ Jane Casey

‘I thought it impossible to match the brilliant Unravelling Oliver, but this Liz has done. Not only is her style beautiful, but she keeps the reader on the edge of their seat from page one until the completely unexpected ending. I read Lying in Wait in one sitting. I just couldn’t bear the suspense. I absolutely loved it.’ Amanda Redman

‘As I finished the last page I actually stood up and gave a round of applause to my empty sitting room. Seriously … She writes compellingly, creates posh sociopaths like no-one else and she doesn’t flinch when the end demands what it demands. Lying In Wait is a story you genuinely should not miss’ Rick O’Shea, RTÉ

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Secondly,

Unless you’ve been living under a very large rock, you’ll have heard that on Sunday the 8th Harry Potter book, Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, was published in script format, as it is a two-part play that has just opened in London and has been getting rave reviews from everyone (The Guardian, The Independent, The Telegraph, Variety).

Before I left for the weekend, there was about twenty reserves, but since its release (and due to being able to reserve online 24/7), there’s now close to 90. I’d be very suprised if that didn’t double in number by the end of the week.  A note about the fact that it’s dubbed “special rehearsal edition” – playscripts that are published in conjunction with the premiere are often tweaked/modified in light of seeing how it plays, night in, night out, with a real live audience, and they have followed suit by announcing that a definitive edition of the script will be published next year.

I caved in, bought and read the book yesterday and I shall try and post a review of it sooner, rather than later, on here. For now, here’s the cover and the blurb for the book, and of course, you can add to the growing list of reserves by reserving yourself a copy online at our catalogue here.

HARRY POTTER AND THE CURSED CHILD: PARTS ONE AND TWO (SPECIAL REHEARSAL EDITION: THE OFFICIAL SCRIPT BOOK OF THE WEST END PRODUCTION)

Blurb:
Based on an original new story by J.K. Rowling, John Tiffany and Jack Thorne, a new play by Jack Thorne, Harry Potter and the Cursed Childis the eighth story in the Harry Potter series and the first official Harry Potter story to be presented on stage. The play will receive its world premiere in London’s West End on 30th July 2016.

It was always difficult being Harry Potter and it isn’t much easier now that he is an overworked employee of the Ministry of Magic, a husband, and father of three school-age children.

While Harry grapples with a past that refuses to stay where it belongs, his youngest son Albus must struggle with the weight of a family legacy he never wanted. As past and present fuse ominously, both father and son learn the uncomfortable truth: sometimes, darkness comes from unexpected places.

This Special Rehearsal Edition will be available to purchase until early 2017, after which a Definitive Edition of the script will go on sale.