Book of the Week from Pages Lending Library

The Silent Patient, by Alex Michaelides

Rommell R. David — Mon, 12 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMT

A famous painter shoots her husband and never speaks again, and a psychotherapist sets out to make her talk. A 2019 debut with a famous twist.

Alex Michaelides showcases a masterclass in suspense with a fast-paced psychological thriller in his debut novel, published in 2019: The Silent Patient. Ultimately, it delivers one of the most clever, unforgettable plot twists in recent thriller history.

Famous painter Alicia Berenson shoots her husband five times in the face and then stops speaking completely. Theo Faber, an ambitious forensic psychotherapist, becomes obsessed with her high-profile case and works to make her talk. As Theo unravels Alicia’s past through her therapy sessions and diary entries, he uncovers buried trauma and dark secrets that lead to a jaw-dropping final revelation and a shocking twist.

Ideal for lovers of mind-bending mystery twists, fans of psychological thrillers, casual readers, and book clubs.

Read it for: the atmospheric setting and the unreliable narration, which make an addictive, slow-burn mystery where every character conceals something dark.

Week 42. Accession No. 2457, on the shelves now and free to borrow with a membership.

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Artemis, by Andy Weir

Rommell R. David — Mon, 05 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMT

From the author of The Martian: a porter who smuggles on the side, humanity's first city on the moon, and a heist that goes badly wrong.

From the author of The Martian comes a high-stakes heist set on the moon. Jazz Bashara is a small-time smuggler just trying to scrape by as a porter in Artemis, humanity’s first lunar city. But when a lucrative low-gravity heist goes catastrophically wrong, Jazz uncovers a conspiracy threatening the entire settlement. To stop a ruthless criminal syndicate from seizing control, she must rally a ragtag team (including her estranged father) to pull off an even bigger, far more dangerous job.

Ideal for readers who love fast-paced, near-future techno-thrillers, witty underdogs, and high-stakes heist stories set in rigorously researched worlds.

Read it for: the science. Andy Weir uses real physics and maths to show how a job like Jazz’s would actually work on the moon, which keeps Artemis grounded and authentic.

Week 41. Accession No. 0091, on the shelves now and free to borrow with a membership.

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தண்ணீர், by அசோகமித்திரன்

Rommell R. David — Mon, 28 Sep 2026 00:00:00 GMT

நகரத்தின் கடுமையான தண்ணீர்ப் பஞ்சத்தின் பின்னணியில், சமுதாயத்தால் ஒதுக்கப்பட்ட ஜமுனா, சாயா, மற்றும் டீச்சரம்மா ஆகிய மூன்று பெண்களின் கதை.

நகரத்தில் ஏற்படும் கடுமையான தண்ணீர்ப் பஞ்சத்தின் பின்னணியில் எழுதப்பட்ட ‘தண்ணீர்’ நாவல், சமுதாயத்தால் ஒதுக்கப்பட்ட ஜமுனா, சாயா, மற்றும் டீச்சரம்மா ஆகிய மூன்று பெண்களின் கதையைப் பேசுகிறது. இவர்கள் தங்கள் தனிப்பட்ட மனவேதனை, தனிமை, மற்றும் குடும்ப நெருக்கடிகளை எதிர்கொள்கிறார்கள். தண்ணீருக்கான அன்றாடப் போராட்டம், நகர மக்களின் கொடூரமான சுயநலத்தையும் அதே நேரத்தில் சிலரின் அமைதியான நற்குணத்தையும் வெளிப்படுத்துகிறது. இந்த கடுமையான போராட்டமே, அப்பெண்களுக்குத் தங்கள் வாழ்க்கையை எதிர்கொள்ளத் தேவையான மனஉறுதியையும் தெளிவையும் தரும் திருப்புமுனையாக மாறுகிறது.

யாருக்கு ஏற்றது?

கதாபாத்திரங்களை முதன்மையாகக் கொண்ட இலக்கியப் படைப்புகளை விரும்புபவர்களுக்கும்; பெண்ணியப் பார்வைகள், தனிமை உணர்வு, மற்றும் நகரத்தில் வாழ்வதற்கான போராட்டத்தைப் பேசும் ஆழமான தமிழ் இலக்கியத்தை நேசிப்பவர்களுக்கும் இந்நாவல் மிகவும் ஏற்றது.

ஏன் படிக்க வேண்டும்?

மனிதனின் அடிப்படைத் தேவைகள் எவ்வாறு ஒழுக்க நெறிகளை மாற்றியமைக்கின்றன என்பதையும், அது சாதாரண மக்களிடம் இருக்கும் மோசமான சுயநலப் போக்கையும் அரிதான நற்குணங்களையும் எப்படி வெளிக்கொண்டு வருகிறது என்பதையும் மிகத் துல்லியமாகத் தெரிந்துகொள்ள. மேலும், நகரத்துத் தனிமை, சுற்றுச்சூழல் குறித்த கவலை, மனித உறவுகளின் பலவீனமான இயல்பு போன்ற பல கருத்துகளை இந்நாவல் சுட்டிக்காட்டுகிறது. இவை அன்றைவிட இன்றைக்கு மிகவும் பொருத்தமாக உள்ளன.

Week 40. Accession No. 2456, on the shelves now and free to borrow with a membership.

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The Last Bear, by Hannah Gold, illustrated by Levi Pinfold

Rommell R. David — Mon, 21 Sep 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Hannah Gold's 2021 debut: a girl on Bear Island, a polar bear everyone says cannot be there, and one long Arctic summer to get him home.

First published in 2021, The Last Bear is a debut novel by author Hannah Gold. The novel begins with April being told that there are no polar bears left on Bear Island. That is what her father tells her when he is assigned a scientific research job at a remote Arctic outpost for six months. Until April finds a polar bear: starving, lonely, and lost. Thus begins the adventure of her lifetime, to save the bear and reunite him with his family.

Ideal for readers who enjoy adventure and animal stories, and for young environmentalists. Perfect for readers of 8+, and for any reader with a heart as big as the bear.

Read it for: a powerful wake-up call that inspires children and introduces them to the need to protect our planet and keep it safe. For the fulfilling sense of compassion towards animals and nature. To understand that size is insignificant when you love with all your heart.

Week 39. Accession No. 1150, on the shelves now and free to borrow with a membership.

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The Phantom Tollbooth, by Norton Juster, illustrated by Jules Feiffer

Rommell R. David — Mon, 14 Sep 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Norton Juster's 1961 classic: a bored boy, a tollbooth in his bedroom, and a journey that makes a game of words and numbers.

First published in 1961, The Phantom Tollbooth follows Milo, a boy bored with the world, who receives a mysterious package with a cryptic note: “For Milo, who has plenty of time.” Thus begins an adventure that’s equally enjoyed by both adults and children.

Ideal for readers who enjoy having fun with words and wordplay. This book is, in a way, a self-help or self-motivation kind of a book for children.

Read it for: its wit, a joyful celebration of curiosity that will turn words, numbers, and ideas into a fun-filled adventure. Funny puns and jokes show the literal meanings of common phrases, which bring laughter and remind the reader of the magic hiding in plain sight.

Week 38. Accession No. 2455, on the shelves now and free to borrow with a membership.

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She Walks at Night, by Seishi Yokomizo

Rommell R. David — Mon, 07 Sep 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Golden-age Japanese crime fiction from 1948, in English at last. A sealed estate, a family that cannot stand itself, and headless bodies adding up.

First published in 1948 and most recently translated into English in June 2026, this classic vintage Japanese golden-age crime fiction is an absolute masterpiece.

Welcome to the sprawling, isolated Furugami estate hidden with dark secrets, with a cast of very unusual characters - a drunken, sword-wielding patriarch, an icy mistress, a volatile daughter, a drunken heir, and a failed detective novelist, all trapped together with mutual hatred. And then the murders begin and headless corpses begin to add up.

Ideal for readers of Agatha Christie, Lucy Foley, and for those who love locked room mysteries and classic whodunnits. Read it for the claustrophobic rural setting, shocking family drama, and timeless whodunnit cleverness.

Week 37. Accession No. 2454, on the shelves now and free to borrow with a membership.

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Gridiron, by Philip Kerr

Rommell R. David — Tue, 01 Sep 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Dubbed the Gridiron, Yu Corporation Building is a monument to human genius. It can forecast the weather, sense your body temperature and even talk to you. Integrated with a powerful thinking machine, it is an amalgamation of art and state of the art. Until one death follows another. A slow paced, slow burn thriller seeking to find answers to what happens to the people who are trapped in the marvel. The reader would appreciate the book published in 1995 stands true even today.

Week 36. Accession No. 1459, on the shelves now and free to borrow with a membership.

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