Our books guru Jessi, has put in the hard yards this month, sorting out the great books from the leave-on-the-shelves - find your perfect May read here...

After the Fall, Kylie Ladd
Kate, Cary, Cressida, and Luke, are two couples who meet and become friends. They take holidays together, share movies and dinners, until it all falls apart. Kate and Luke cannot resist their attraction, and for seven months conduct a tempestuous, passionate affair.  Their guilt cannot stop them, and it only ends as their respective partners find out.

This gripping novel examines the nitty-gritty of the affair and how it affects each person involved. From gentle Cary, who was hoping to start a family with Kate, to Cressida, coping with her dying father and her husband’s infidelity, to play-boy Luke and indecisive Kate, all four react in very different ways. I found it hard to put this book down, and it stayed with me long after I had finished it. Allen & Unwin, RRP $37.99.

Stars: 5
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50 Ways to Find a Lover, Lucy-Anne Holmes
Sarah Sargeant is desperate. It’s been 351 days since she’s had sex, and 1350 days since she had a boyfriend. After spending five months getting up the courage to ask her balding pub-owner out, he’s rejected her in favour of watching Narnia, at home, by himself. Now, she isn’t even considered interesting enough for reality TV shows. It’s time to take matters into her own hands, and start a blog. 

This entertaining story centres on a one-woman quest to try as many different dating techniques as it takes to find the perfect man. Witty and light, 50 Ways is perfect to snuggle down with on these autumn nights, and if you’re single and looking, might well inspire a quest of your own! PanMacMillan, RRP $27.99 (Out June 10).

Stars: 4

Dark Places, Gillian Flynn
Libby Day isn’t used to being short of cash. Seven years-old when her brother gruesomely murdered her mother and two sisters while she hid in the cupboard, Libby has been living off the kindness of strangers for over twenty years. Now the money’s run out, and Libby is forced to do a guest speaking appearance at the Kill Club, a group of true-crime obsessives who believe her brother is innocent. 

Switching between Libby in the present day, and the various perspectives of Libby, her brother Ben, and her mother Patty on the day of the murder, Dark Places is a haunting thriller covering crimes from paedophilia to Satanism. I wouldn’t advise reading this on your own as it is truly spooky, but a fascinating read. Weidenfeld & Nicolson, RRP $38.99

Stars: 4
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Sugar and Spice, Jules Stanbridge
When Maddy is dumped from her high-flying, high-paying corporate job, she panics. Fearing she’ll never get a job again, she brainstorms with her sister about what else she could possibly do, and decides to start a business selling the most delectable, mouth-watering cakes ever tasted. However, between cranky bank managers, family troubles, and a gorgeous bit of distraction named Matt, Maddy may have taken on much more than she bargained for. 

Sugar and Spice is as light and fluffy as the cake it’s named after, with heaps of tasty recipes and the occasional day-dream, In true recessionista style, Maddy never gives up, and the story of her baking business is an entertaining read. Little Black Dress, RRP $16.99.

Stars: 3.5
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Dead and Gone, Charlaine Harris
Finished Breaking Dawn? Can’t wait til New Moon comes out? Or a total new-comer to the vampire genre, but want something witty and exciting, and a bit more adult than Twilight?  Then get your hands on Charlaine Harris’s True Blood series, of which Dead and Gone is her ninth book. The TV series starring Golden Globe-winning nzgirl Anna Paquin is currently screening on Prime, and the books are the perfect blend of romance, mystery and the supernatural.

The books follow Sookie Stackhouse, a cute waitress who’s also a mind-reader with a talent for attracting vampires. In Dead and Gone, she’s forced to deal with the realities of the supernatural beings who live in her town, not just vampires but were-animals, shifters and the fairies. Far from being cute and benevolent, Sookie soon discovers that fairies can be vindictive and deadly, leading her to a battle for her life. Although I hadn’t read any of the others in the series, I definitely will do now, and Dead and Gone makes it easy enough to pick up the threads and be immersed in Sookie’s world. Gollancz, RRP $34.99

Stars: 4
Buy it at Fishpond 

Jessi Phillips