Gulf Weekly Book Club

BOOK OF THE WEEK with Charlie Richards. Double Down (Diary of a Wimpy Kid book 11), Jeff Kinney, ISBN 978-0141373010 (Puffin) BD6.400 for Gulf Weekly Book Club members

The pressure’s really piling up on Greg Heffley. His mum thinks video games are turning his brain to mush, so she wants her son to put down the controller and explore his ‘creative side’. As if that’s not scary enough, Halloween’s just around the corner and the frights are coming at Greg from every angle.

When Greg discovers a bag of gummy worms, it sparks an idea. Can he get his mum off his back by making a movie . . . and will he become rich and famous in the process? Or will doubling down on this plan just double Greg’s troubles?

READ IT NOW IN PAPERBACK

Holding Up the Universe, Jennifer Niven, ISBN 978-0141357058 (Penguin) BD3.900 for Gulf Weekly Book Club members.

Everyone thinks they know Libby Strout, the girl once dubbed ‘America’s Fattest Teen’. But no one’s taken the time to look past her weight to get to see who she really is. Since her mum’s death, she’s been picking up the pieces in the privacy of her home, dealing with her heartbroken father and her own grief.

Now, Libby’s ready: for high school, for new friends, for love and for every possibility life has to offer. Everyone thinks they know Jack Masselin too. Yes, he’s got swagger, but he’s also mastered the art of fitting in.

What no one knows is that Jack has a secret: he can’t recognize faces. Even his own brothers are strangers to him. He’s the guy who can re-engineer and rebuild anything, but he can’t understand what’s going on with the inner workings of his own brain. So he tells himself to play it cool: Be charming. Be hilarious. Don’t get too close to anyone.

Until he meets Libby. When the two get tangled up in a cruel high school game which lands them in group counselling, Libby and Jack are both angry and then surprised. Because the more time they spend together, the less alone they feel. Because sometimes when you meet someone, it changes the world - theirs and yours. Jennifer Niven delivers another poignant, exhilarating love story about finding that person who sees you for who you are - and seeing them right back.

MY FAVOURITE READ OF THE WEEK

A Street Cat Named Bob, James Bowen, ISBN 978-1473633360 (Hodder) BD4.400 for Gulf Weekly Book Club members

When James Bowen found an injured, ginger street cat curled up in the hallway of his sheltered accommodation, he had no idea just how much his life was about to change. James was living hand-to-mouth on the streets of London and the last thing he needed was a pet.

Yet James couldn’t resist helping the strikingly intelligent tom cat, whom he quickly christened Bob. He slowly nursed Bob back to health and then sent the cat on his way, imagining he would never see him again. But Bob had other ideas.

Soon the two were inseparable and their diverse, comic and occasionally dangerous adventures would transform both their lives, slowly healing the scars of each other’s troubled pasts. A Street Cat Named Bob is a moving and uplifting story that will touch the heart of anyone who reads it.