My Friends by Fredrik Backman

Reviewed by Vicky

Three teenagers are sitting on the pier. They have bruises and heartache from their lives at home, but together, they can do anything. They don’t know it yet, but this moment will be immortalised for all the world to see – through art. 25 years later, their friendship still has the power to change lives.

Fredrik Backman had me mesmersied. How can anyone’s writing be quite so human and so poetic? Every sentence is filled with effortless wisdom. Life-affirming, heart-wrenching and beautiful. This is a joyous summer read.

Only Here, Only now by Tom Newlands

Reviewed by Vicky

Oh my goodness. This is one of those special books that you just don’t want to end.

A remarkable debut about a childhood lived in poverty and longing for more. But when you dream of a different life, maybe you miss what’s right in front of you.

You’ll fall in love with Cora Mowat. Yes, she makes rash decisions, she says things in the moment, but she is resilient and hilarious. Her story is utterly heartbreaking but full of hope and truth. 

I envy everyone who hasn’t read this yet because once you do, it’s impossible to forget.

The Original by Nell Stevens

Reviewed by Vicky

After her parents are taken to an asylum, Grace comes to live with her unwilling aunt and uncle. Often alone, she discovers a talent for copying works of art. Her only friend, cousin Charles, is missing at sea for many years but is purportedly resurrected when the family receives a letter from him. Is it really Charles? Surely they should know… But Grace has face blindness so she’s not the most reliable narrator when it comes to solving this intriguing puzzle… 

An inventive tale of deception, identity and secrets. It poses irrepressible questions: what is authentic and what is mere forgery? And more importantly, does it even matter? 

Sceptred Isle by Helen Carr

Reviewed by Vicky

A peasant uprising, the black death and not one, but two deposed kings – welcome to the fourteenth century. (Spoiler alert: it’s the best one.)

Full of cantankerous nobles, royal favourites and those pesky Scots (not to mention the French), our medieval ancestors weren’t short of problems. But what have possibly been overlooked by many, are the seismic changes that occurred and the growing sense of opportunity. These are examined alongside the trials and tribulations of a royal family that gives new meaning to the word dysfunctional.

Helen Carr has written a propulsive narrative history of an extraordinary era. Get ready for it to become your favourite century too.

Silverback by Phil Harrison

Reviewed by Vicky

Ostensibly this is about a serious crime – Robert Rusting has been accused of murdering his father. On the jury is successful surgeon James Fechner who feels irresistibly drawn to the man in the dock. But lurking beneath is a narrative about control. It depicts a masculinity that is sharply menacing, yet at the same time deeply vulnerable. 

This one is brutal and angry but written with an impressive precision.

The Mobius Book by Catherine Lacey

Reviewed by Jen

“Belief in abstractions is both the peril of the delusional and a necessity in love; how do rational people accept this paradox?”

This creative book dissolves boundaries of narrative with no beginning and no ending. It is both novella and memoir as Lacey explores where fiction and non-fiction connect and intertwine.

Propulsively and elegantly written, both sides of this dos-a-dos explore relationships, friendship, love, anger, faith and autonomy.

I was fascinated to recognise the connections and relationships linking a voyeuristic reality and enigmatic fiction.

Sometimes sad and reflective, always fascinating and eloquent, Lacey has written of the interior lives of women in a compelling and original format. 

The Mobius Book compels you to read and reread.

The Editor by Sara B Franklin

Reviewed by Jen

A fascinating insight into the life of a most remarkable figure in American publishing: Judith Jones.

Jones worked at the renowned publishing house Alfred A Knopf after World War 2 during decades of dramatic cultural change, the civil rights movement and the fight for women’s equality. We have Jones to thank for the development of cookbooks as a literary form. Her stable of cookery writers included Julia Child, Edna Lewis, Claudia Roden and James Beard.

She also discovered, nurtured and published dozens of writers such as Anne Tyler, John Updike, Sylvia Plath and Sharon Olds. 

A sensualist, her love of food and words alongside her great curiosity for life, people and places made her a force in the world of publishing. 

Written with great love and admiration by Jones’ friend Sara B Franklin, this book opened my eyes both to the world of publishing and to the struggles of women in the workplace in the mid 20th century, the importance of doing something you love and the often overlooked impact individuals have on the people their lives touch and the society they live in. 

Liars by Sara Manguso

Reviewed by Jen 

The Liars throbs with anger and frustration as Jane, the narrator, lives her life as wife to the chaotic and egotistical John; mother to “the child”; and prizewinning writer. 

With hopes of having it all, Jane tries to juggle everything. However, as her career flourishes – despite the everyday difficulties of nurturing it – and her husband’s ventures and projects fail, her marriage suffers…

Jane writes and reframes her story as time passes. But what is her truth?  What are the lies she’s telling herself and us? Why does she stay with him?

Thought provoking and blunt, this is a compulsive and fresh read.

A love story this is not!

The Persians by Sanam Mahloudji 

Reviewed by Rosamund

A multi-generational blast told through the (immaculately made-up) eyes of five women, born into a formerly prestigious Iranian family. 

The various voices, from imperious matriarch and rebellious teenager in post-revolutionary Iran, to wealthy, conflicted ex-pats in the US, all leap from the page.  They are in turn outrageous, funny and touching.

Reputation is all to the Valiats, even if these Americans only understand money, not the importance of an illustrious Persian background. So, when flamboyant Shirin is arrested for attempted prostitution while on the annual holiday in Aspen, longheld secrets threaten to surface. 

Our booksellers love to recommend books and share their favourite reads with other booklovers (it is their job but also their hobby). Our blog is a good place to start to find some recommendations but if you still need some help, simply pop into the shop, give us a call or shoot us an email.

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