Review Round-Up
Blog · Posted July 26, 2024
Here is what our booksellers have been reading on their summer holidays.
Our booksellers have been taking it in turns to take their summer holidays. In amongst their sight-seeing and relaxing, here is what they have enjoyed as their summer holiday reading in a recent read round-up
Behind You is the Sea by Susan Muaddi Darraj | Hardback fiction – Reviewed by Grace
This book intertwines the stories of Palestinian families who made the move to America for a better life. Following love, loss and the fight between culturally traditional parents and their Americanised children, the story time-jumps over the lives of characters related by blood, marriage and friendship and highlights the difficulty of ‘making it’ 5000 miles from home. You feel the emotions of those struggling along on the breadline, feeling cheated by this promised land and face the stark reality of those who thrived yet still seem to lead unhappy lives. The short, character-led chapters are truthful, brutal and emotional, a truly moving take on entering a land so different from your own and attempting to win.
Sister in Law by Harriet Wistrich | Hardback Non-fiction – Reviewed by Vicky
Thank goodness for Harriet Wistrich. Not content to allow individuals to get trampled by a legal system designed to defeat them, she fights injustice until she can fight no more. An astonishing range of cases sees her challenging the police, the CPS and the government on their failures and mishandlings. At times tough and triggering, one conclusion shines above it all – you want Harriet Wistrich on your team.
Prepare to be angry, to be frustrated and to be appalled. This is an inspirational book by an indefatigable woman.
Murdle by G.T Karber | Paperback puzzle book – Reviewed by Vicky
I’ve arrived at the Murdle party very late and wondering why it took me so long to pick this up!
Help Detective Logico sort through clues and track down killers as he investigates a frankly alarming amount of murders. A whole cast of characters appear in hilarious twists and turns, wielding unlikely weaponry.
Good for a chuckle and a head scratch. Grab a pencil and put your little grey cells to the test!
Blue Sisters by Coco Mellors | Hardback fiction – Reviewed by Grace
The Blue sisters are as close as close could be. Having grown up in a tiny flat in New York the four girls know what it means to fight but they also understand that love heals all. The death of their beloved Nicky hits the three remaining sisters hard. Now spread across the world, they are brought back together by the selling of Nicky’s flat, their childhood home. Each sister is struggling with their own issues of fidelity, unrequited love and addiction but they must trust in each other in a way they have not in years to gain closure. They have to take from the wise words of Nicky, that they love each other too, without the too, just love.
This book shows what it really means to have siblings. It’s a read so captivating you won’t want to reach the last page and say goodbye to the Blue sisters.
Cleopatra and Frankenstein by Coco Mellors | Paperback fiction – Reviewed by Jen
Don’t be fooled by the frothy meet cute that is the first chapter in this debut novel from Coco Mellors. Cleopatra and Frankenstein is no rom-com but rather a compulsive and propelling insight into the relationship between ‘the undoer of men’ and the ‘maker of monsters’ and, equally, the cast of characters that are their friends and family: a story of loneliness and looking to belong as much as love… Dark and unsettling, humorous as well as poignant, I was so caught up in the mismatched relationships, there were moments I gasped as their stories unravelled.
Mellors has written characters that are mixed up and at times extremely unlikeable, but as she revolves the cast around each other they evolve and you are drawn in, hoping for their happy endings – whatever they may be. Set in New York, this is a very modern love story and I’m looking forward to reading more of Mellors – see Grace’s review of Blue Sisters!
The Art Thief by Michael Finkel | Paperback non-fiction – Reviewed by Sarah
A story that is so baffling it feels like fiction. When Stephan Breitwieser began stealing, he did not put much thought into it. He simply entered a museum with no plans and walked out with what he wanted. In just under a decade, Breitwieser managed to go on to steal close to 300 works, amounting to several billion dollars, with nothing but a Swiss Army knife and his girlfriend as a lookout.
Finkel details these brazen heists and tries to unpick the motives and madness behind Breitwieser’s actions to find out how it all spectacularly fell apart. A compelling yet refreshingly light non-fiction read that will have you reaching for it in any spare moment you can find.
The Covenant of Water by Abraham Verghese | Paperback fiction – Reviewed by Sarah
Verghese orbits his tale around Big Ammachi, the matriarch of her family, her village and beyond. Through her eyes, and those connected to her, we witness each character experience highs and lows while social upheaval and modernisation occur across their country.
The tale begins in 1900 and the final passage sees us in 1977, yet you hardly notice that decades are flying past you as you turn the pages. This is a sweeping story that spans three generations that face trauma and grief, hardship and loss. However, the tone never strays from hope. It reads as a fable, encompassing so much and offering a snapshot in history. While its length is intimidating, the writing and the characters are worth diving in for. You will not regret picking this up.
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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