Ruby
Get to know more about Ruby and her taste in books.
More about me
Who are your auto buy authors?
Ai Yazawa, I love her writing and illustrations.
Hirohiko Araki, peak fiction!
What's your favourite genres?
Non-fiction specifically nature/travel writing.
Sci-fi, magical realism and shojo romance.
Do you judge a book by it's cover?
Yes, probably too often. I can't help but go for a pretty book.
Your most anticipated release of 2024
In the clear moonlit dusk volume 6.
How do you organize your personal bookshelves?
Usually series in order, by size or colour coordinated.
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My favourite book quote:
"I stand up, wipe the dirt off my jeans, and walk away. I know I'm not coming back."
Currently Reading:
Lonely Castle in the Mirror
By Mizuki Tsujimura, Philip Gabriel
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A #1 Japanese bestseller and winner of the influential Japan booksellers' award, for fans of BEFORE COFFEE GETS COLD.
Fairy tale and magic are weaved together in sparse language that belies a flooring emotional punch.
'Strange and beautiful. Imagine the offspring of The Wind-up Bird Chronicle with The Virgin Suicides'
- GUARDIAN
Translated by Philip Gabriel, a translator of Murakami
_______________________________
How can you save your friend's life if she doesn't want to be rescued?
In a tranquil neighbourhood of Tokyo, seven teenagers wake to find their bedroom mirrors are shining.
At a single touch, they are pulled from their lonely lives to a wondrous castle filled with winding stairways, watchful portraits and twinkling chandeliers. In this new sanctuary, they are confronted with a set of clues leading to a hidden room where one of them will be granted a wish. But there's a catch- if they don't leave the castle by five o'clock, they will be punished.
As time passes, a devastating truth emerges- only those brave enough to share their stories will be saved.
Tender, playful, gripping, LONELY CASTLE IN THE MIRROR is a mesmerizing tale about the importance of reaching out, confronting anxiety and embracing human connection.
Favourites of 2024
Wren of Edgewood is no stranger to suffering. With her parents gone, it is Wren’s responsibility to ensure she and her sister survive the harsh and endless winter, but if the legends are to be believed, their home may not be safe for much longer.
For three hundred years, the land surrounding Edgewood has been encased in ice as the Shade, a magical barrier that protects the townsfolk from the Deadlands beyond, weakens. Only one thing can stop the Shade’s fall: the blood of a mortal woman bound in wedlock to the North Wind, a dangerous immortal whose heart is said to be as frigid as the land he rules. And the time has come to choose his bride.
When the North Wind sets his eyes on Wren’s sister, Wren will do anything to save her – even if it means sacrificing herself in the process. But mortal or not, Wren won’t go down without a fight.
Jacob and Kira live in the heart of Mbale, Uganda with their conservationist mother and navigate life as unsuspecting geniuses; Kira with hopes to explore outside the hot terrains of Uganda, and conspiracy theorist Jacob, whose fear often holds him back from the answers he so desperately wants to uncover.
But when they discover that someone has been watching their every move in the hopes to enlist them in a top-secret agency called Transcendent, their lives are turned upside down.
Soon the twins are hurtled from the luscious landscapes of Mbale, to the sleek streets of London, where - alongside other selected protegees - they must undertake three rigorous trials, each more difficult than the last, to be accepted into Transcendent. If they are successful, they will be launched into space to complete a high-stakes mission to fight the greatest threat the world has ever seen.
Only, the twins soon realise they have more to contend with than they bargained for ... is there a more sinister reason they have been chosen?
Two kids, one top-secret agency and an epic mission to save the world.
'A fun, action-packed thriller with a brother-sister duo that I really loved.' - David Owen, author of the Alex Neptune series
Drawing on her life as an indigenous scientist, a mother, and a woman, Kimmerer shows how other living beings-asters and goldenrod, strawberries and squash, salamanders, algae, and sweetgrass-offer us gifts and lessons, even if we've forgotten how to hear their voices. In a rich braid of reflections that range from the creation of Turtle Island to the forces that threaten its flourishing today, she circles toward a central argument- that the awakening of a wider ecological consciousness requires the acknowledgment and celebration of our reciprocal relationship with the rest of the living world. For only when we can hear the languages of other beings will we be capable of understanding the generosity of the earth, and learn to give our own gifts in return.
Mitsumi is bound for high school in Tokyo! She's got book smarts, but this small-town girl is about to find out she's massively unprepared for the social norms of big city high schoolers.
Harlow receives the shock of her life when she wakes up to see Rukh, a stranger who has clearly been on his own his whole life, but she soon learns that there is much more to this gruff, barbaric alien than the savage he appears to be.
The ice planet has given me a second lease on life, so I'm thrilled to be here. Sure, there are no cheeseburgers, but I'm healthy and ready to be a productive member of the small tribe. What I didn't anticipate? That there'd be a savage stranger waiting nearby, watching me. And when he takes me captive, the unthinkable happens...I resonate to him.
Resonance means mating, and children...but I don't know if this guy's ever been around anyone before. He's truly a barbarian in all ways, and he has claimed me as his own.
So why is it that I crave his touch and hunger for more?
Book Bucket List:
London, 1812. Oliver Bennet feels trapped. Not just by the endless corsets, petticoats and skirts he's forced to wear on a daily basis, but also by society's expectations. The world—and the vast majority of his family and friends—think Oliver is a girl named Elizabeth. He is therefore expected to mingle at balls wearing a pretty dress, entertain suitors regardless of his interest in them, and ultimately become someone's wife.
But Oliver can't bear the thought of such a fate. He finds solace in the few times he can sneak out of his family's home and explore the city rightfully dressed as a young gentleman. It's during one such excursion when Oliver becomes acquainted with Darcy, a sulky young man who had been rude to "Elizabeth" at a recent social function. But in the comfort of being out of the public eye, Oliver comes to find that Darcy is actually a sweet, intelligent boy with a warm heart. And not to mention incredibly attractive.
As Oliver is able to spend more time as his true self, often with Darcy, part of him dares begin to hope that his dream of love and life as a man could be possible. But suitors are growing bolder—and even threatening—and his mother is growing more desperate to see him settled into an engagement. Oliver will have to choose: Settle for safety, security, and a life of pretending to be something he's not, or risk it all for a slim chance at freedom, love, and a life that can be truly, honestly his own.
The Remixed Classics Series
A Clash of Steel: A Treasure Island Remix by C.B. Lee
So Many Beginnings: A Little Women Remix by Bethany C. Morrow
Travelers Along the Way: A Robin Hood Remix by Aminah Mae Safi
What Souls Are Made Of: A Wuthering Heights Remix by Tasha Suri
Self-Made Boys: A Great Gatsby Remix by Anna-Marie McLemore
My Dear Henry: A Jekyll & Hyde Remix by Kalynn Bayron
Teach the Torches to Burn: A Romeo & Juliet Remix by Caleb Roehrig
Into the Bright Open: A Secret Garden Remix by Cherie Dimaline
Most Ardently: A Pride & Prejudice Remix by Gabe Cole Novoa
What follows is a tale of mishaps, mysteries, dragons, and a murderous queen throwing the realm's biggest temper tantrum. Through it, these two women will discover what they mean to each other - and their world.
Can't Spell Treason Without Tea by Rebecca Thorne is a gorgeous treat of a book, filled with cosy adventure, sapphic romance and good feelings. The story continues in the swashbuckling A Pirate's Life for Tea.
Lila has never been more frightened in her life, but when Rokan appears, everything changes.
When I wake up on the ice planet, I'm scared of everything- This place is cold, silent, and the locals look more like blue devils than aliens. To make matters worse, one of the strangers decides I'm going to be his girlfriend and kidnaps me away from my sister. I'm completely and utterly alone. What's a girl to do?
Well, this girl escapes.
Of course, that means I go from the frying pan into the fire, and my situation gets even more dangerous. Just when I have no hope left, a new hero shows up. Sure, he's blue, horned, and has a tail. He's also fierce, protective, makes me purr...and thinks I'm perfect.
But is what we have real or just a mating instinct?
Though the trial period is over, Yoi and Ichimura-sempai realize that navigating their new relationship will be no easy task. Their friend trip to Kobe reveals they still have a lot of work to do when it comes to being able to voice their own desires while being understanding of their partner's. Meanwhile, Yoi's fellow part-timer Ohji has something on his mind that he may not be able to hold in much longer...
After decades of adventuring, Viv the orc barbarian is finally hanging up her sword for good. Now she sets her sights on a new dream – for she plans to open the first coffee shop in the city of Thune. Even though no one there knows what coffee actually is.
If Viv wants to put the past behind her, she can’t go it alone. And help might arrive from unexpected quarters. Yet old rivals and new stand in the way of success. And Thune’s shady underbelly could make it all too easy for Viv to take up the blade once more.
But the true reward of the uncharted path is the travellers you meet along the way. Whether bound by ancient magic, delicious pastries or a freshly brewed cup, they may become something deeper than Viv ever could have imagined.
Legends & Lattesby Travis Baldree is a cosy, heartwarming slice-of-life fantasy about found families and fresh starts – perfect for fans of TJ Klune, Katherine Addison and T. Kingfisher.
While Mitsumi adjusts to big city life, her cheerful and forthright personality brings joy to her classmates. Now that she's getting the hang of high school, her circle expands even further.
Excellent student Iwakura Mitsumi has always dreamt about leaving her small town, going to a prestigious university, and making positive change in the world. But she's so focused on reaching her goals that she's not prepared for the very different (and overwhelming) city life that awaits her in a Tokyo high school. Luckily, she makes fast friends with Shima Sousuke, a handsome classmate who's as laid-back as she is over-prepared. Can this naive country girl make it big in Tokyo with Sousuke by her side? This charming manga was nominated for the 2020 Manga Taisho Award and is sure to skip its way into your heart.
Discover the groundbreaking Korean YA thriller, for fans of Squid Game, Black Mirror and The Hunger Games!
WHEN YOU'RE INSIDE, THE WHOLE WORLD IS WATCHING . . .
Raised in a climate-ravaged, frozen world, every day is a struggle for survival for Chobahm. Her only solace comes in the form of twenty-four-hour reality television shows, streamed directly from Snowglobe - the climate-controlled domed city at the heart of her world, and the only warm place left on the planet.
The citizens of Snowglobe have everything- fame, fortune and, above all, safety from the frigid wasteland outside their walls. In exchange, their lives are broadcast to the less fortunate of their world, who watch eagerly, hoping for the chance to one day become an actor themselves and join their ranks.
Chobahm is one of the dreamers. But her life changes in an instant when she is visited by two strangers from Snowglobe, who deliver earth-shattering news- Goh Haeri, Snowglobe's biggest star has died - and because of Chobahm's striking resemblance to her, she's been chosen to take her place.
Given the chance of a lifetime, Chobahm agrees to enter Snowglobe and take on Haeri's identity. Within the domed city's walls, she will finally have the existence she's always dreamed of - but if life in Snowglobe is so great, why did Haeri seem so desperate to escape it? And when everyone around you is a performer, how can you ever know what is reality, and what is created for the audience . . . ?
Published in English for the first time from its original Korean, the critically-acclaimed Snowglobe is a page-turning thriller with twists around every corner.
Since colonisation, Australia has been frantically logging our native forests as if our lives depended on it. Our lives do indeed depend on the forests - but on keeping them, not destroying them.
World-leading forest expert Professor David Lindenmayer uncovers the grim truth about what is happening in our tall eucalypt forests. Koalas, greater gliders, Leadbeater's possums and hundreds of other iconic animal and bird species are being killed in droves each year, driving many closer to extinction. Logging makes bushfires worse for decades after the chainsaws stop. Carbon emissions from the forestry industry are a major contributor to climate change. Native forest logging doesn't even provide much wood to build houses: it mostly goes to woodchips and pulp for paper and box liners. It's not even profitable: taxpayers are funding it everywhere.
Lindenmayer reveals an unholy alliance between state forestry, the timber industry and unions. Loggers routinely breach regulations, and industry intimidates anyone who questions what they are doing. Worse still, even where native forest logging is supposedly ending, efforts are being made to continue under a different guise.
The fact is that native forests are considerably more economically valuable left standing. If Australia stopped native forest logging, we could reach our 2030 carbon emission target of 43 per cent on this measure alone.
'In the face of all the lies and industry spin, an evidence-based account that's clear, humane, and trustworthy.'Tim Winton
* A #2 Times bestseller
* A New York Times bestseller
‘Humming with a sly, exhilarating magic’ BRIDGET COLLINS
‘A much-heralded epic’ OBSERVER
‘Empowering’ GLAMOUR
Three women, five centuries, one spellbinding story
In the present day, Kate flees a traumatic relationship to the Cumbrian cottage she inherited from her great-aunt; but the cottage hides secrets of its own.
In 1942, Violet rebels against her father’s ideas of a ‘proper young lady’ . . . until he takes matters into his own hands.
In 1619, Altha is on trial for witchcraft, implicated in the gruesome death of a local man.
Three women they tried to cage – but Weyward women belong to the wild. And they cannot be tamed…