Garin College

55,532 pages read and 7,754 team points

Team members

Mandy

14,900 pts

(12,551 pages read)

Jenny Cooper has a secret

By Joy Fielding

2 stars

I’ve really enjoyed this author in the past but this was not one of her best
The Widow

By John Grisham

4 stars

I enjoyed this, but felt it just fizzled out, somehow.
When the deep dark bush swallows you whole

By Geoff Parkes

4 stars

A very good crime story set in NZ. Believable and sprinkled with Kiwi references to foods, music etc.
Someone else’s bucket list

By Amy T. Matthews

4 stars

Another interesting premise, but again set in a world where money makes everything happen (though the main character is dragged into that from medical debt on behalf of her dead sister).
Gone before goodbye

By Harlan Coben & Reece Witherspoon

3 stars

A bit meh for me - celebrity authors often are. An interesting premise but to be honest I thought the main character was a pill who deserved all the drama. And I get sick of books set in uber rich lifestyles - not aspirational for me, and actually sickening to read about the excess that is seen as normal life. I know it makes it easier to make your plot work if they have money to hire cars and jump on flights etc but…
My friends

By Fredrik Backman

5 stars

Loved this book! I saw it on lots of Best books of 2025 lists, and I can see why. It made me cry and made me laugh, and the characters are fantastic. Should be compulsory reading for all teachers to remind them of how many students are dealing with bucket loads of crap at home. This is one I won’t forget, will recommend to everyone, and will buy for our library. 10/10
Say you’ll remember me

By Abby Jimenez

4 stars

Cute rom-com
The hallmarked man

By Robert Galbraith

5 stars

Love her or hate her, JK Rowling can write a great read. This is another of my favourite ever series - the books might be weighty but I love every word.
Swept away

By Beth O'Leary

4 stars

A unique setting for this romance, on a houseboat that gets cast accidentally adrift
The Black wolf

By Louise Penny

5 stars

One of my favourite series of all time
Great big beautiful life

By Emily Henry

4 stars
Miss Austen investigates

By Jessica Bull

5 stars
Lost and found sisters

By Jill Shalvis

5 stars

Another funny, sweet romance about two sisters who find each other after their mother dies. Great character.
The Paradise problem

By Christina Lauren

5 stars

A funny romance story about a young couple who marry for housing benefits as college students, then have to fool one of their (obscenely rich) families 5 years later. A familiar trope but done well and enjoyable.
Lost and found

By Liz Byrski

1 stars

DNF - I'd enjoyed a previous book by this author, but this was tedious. Life’s too short to read books you don’t enjoy!
Lucky thing

By Tom Baragwanath

4 stars

A sequel to Paper Cages, this continues the story of Lorraine, who while not a sworn police officer (she works in records) sees her Marterton community in a way that makes her invaluable in crime solving.
Everywhere we look

By Martine Kropkowsi

4 stars

An Australian story about 3 friends meeting up for a weekend a year after the fourth member was killed by her husband, only to find another young woman who is in a hard family situation.
The deeper the dead

By Catherine Lea

4 stars

Another great read!
Better left dead

By Catherine Lea

4 stars

The second book in the series is also great, though I think I caught a couple of times where something was mentioned that hadn’t been uncovered yet. I’m enjoying the NZ stories.
The Housemaid

By Freida McFadden

5 stars

A quick read with great plot twists.
The Water's Dead: A DI Nyree Bradshaw Novel

By Catherine Lea

5 stars

I never would have picked this up in the public library if I hadn’t been looking for NZ books for this challenge - thanks Read NZ! A very well plotted murder mystery set up in the far North. I’m glad I’ve already got the 2 sequels here ready to go…
Nash falls

By David Baldacci

4 stars

A mild-mannered man has his life absolutely upended after he is approached by the FBI who are investigating the company he works for. Felt a little like it was from the Jack Reacher stable.
Total control

By David Baldacci

4 stars

Great story, written in 1997, so it’s interesting to see where he thought technology was heading. But I found at least 5 spelling mistakes!! So irritating.
Lessons in love at the Seaside Salon

By Sophie Green

4 stars

Another sweet book by Sophie Green about 3 women working out what they want from their lives, and their men, in Oz in the late 80’s.
The vanishing place

By Zoe Rankin

5 stars

This book was so gripping, and I really enjoyed that it was set in NZ. The two time periods kept me guessing. The whole time I was reading it I had the Tom Phillips case in the back of my mind - so it felt very realistic.
The funeral crashers

By Joanna Nell

5 stars

A sweet Australian story about quirky characters connecting- and that Edwina is a hoot!
Fever beach

By Carl Hiaasen

4 stars

The cover says “if you could use some wild escapism right now” but this book felt sadly realistic - a commentary on US politics and corruption and conspiracy theorists and hate groups. But at the same time, often very funny. Enjoyed it but…
The Love haters

By Katherine Center

5 stars

I’ve read everything Katherine Center writes, and while lately she has turned to writing romances more than ‘family’ stories, she knows how to write a fun romance. Her stories always have a depth and wisdom greater than your average romance book. I really enjoyed this one.
No place left to hide

By Megan Lally

5 stars

YA mystery. Brooke is on the perfect planned life path she and her perfect family expect when on the way home from a party a crazy driver tailgates her & her best friend and threatens to run them off the road. An earlier party and the tragic death of a classmate are entwined in this story, that culminates… nope, can’t tell you that without spoiling it!
The layover

By Beth Reekles

5 stars

I thought this was a romcom, but it had way more depth than that. Three people on the way to the same wedding end up stranded in an airport, where the truth behind thei plans they all have for stopping the wedding come out. There’s depth here about the assumptions we make about other people, and the stories we tell ourselves to justify our actions.
The prisoner of Castillac

By Nell Goddin

4 stars
The luckiest woman ever

By Nell Goddin

4 stars
Eleanor Jones is not a murderer

By Amy Doak

4 stars

YA. Australian. New girl Eleanor has just arrived at her latest school (Mum moves them around a lot) when the boy she talks to on the first day is found attacked and unconscious. As she tries to figure out what is going on, she accumulates a group of friends, for the first time in a very long while. Enjoyable.
See how they fall

By Rachel Paris

5 stars

8 - 0 - 1

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Garin College

55,532 pages read and 7,754 team points

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