Flip through the latest issue of Gulf Weekly.
BOOK OF THE WEEK with Charlie Richards. Shelter from the Storm, Ellie Dean, ISBN 978-1784750930 (Arrow) BD3.400 for Gulf Weekly Book Club members
Nineteen-year-old April Wilton has just enlisted in the WRENs in Portsmouth, where she works servicing engines on ships.
She finds herself immersed in dockyard life and surrounded by soldiers - from England and America.
The atmosphere is one of spontaneity and impulsiveness, brought on by the unpredictability of war. So when April meets Daniel, a young American soldier, whose mother is Sioux and father is of African descent, she doesn’t hesitate when she starts to fall for him.
The attraction is immediate, and coming from strict racial segregation in South Carolina, Daniel finds the freedom he has in England overwhelming.
Daniel and April endeavour to spend as much time together as possible - every moment is precious with the threat of Daniel being sent to fight overseas looming over them. But with war and race both involved, their relationship was never going to be simple.
READ IT NOW IN PAPERBACK
Exposure, Helen Dunmore, ISBN 978-0099559290 (Windmill Books) BD4.500 for Gulf Weekly Book Club members
London, November, 1960: the Cold War is at its height. Spy fever fills the newspapers and the political establishment knows how and where to bury its secrets.
When a highly-sensitive file goes missing, Simon Callington is accused of passing information to the Soviets, and arrested.
His wife, Lily, suspects that his imprisonment is part of a cover-up, and that more powerful men than Simon will do anything to prevent their own downfall.
She knows that she too is in danger, and must fight to protect her children. But what she does not realise is that Simon has hidden vital truths about his past and may be found guilty of another crime that carries with it an even greater penalty.
My favourite read of the week
Cogheart, Peter Bunzl, ISBN 978-1474915007 (Usbourne) BD3.900 for Gulf Weekly Book Club members
When 13-year-old Lily’s inventor father vanishes after a Zeppelin crash, Lily’s determined to hunt down the truth behind his disappearance. She’s helped by Robert, the local clockmaker’s son, and her wily mechanical fox Malkin. But shadowy figures are closing in and treachery lurks among the smoky spires of London - along with a life-changing secret.
Be swept away by airships and flabbergasted by dastardly plots in this extraordinary and wildly imaginative debut, bursting with invention and adventure.
