News by Julie
Autumn book treats
There’s only one thing that can rescue me from end-of-summer blues: the promise of some great new books for autumn. And this year’s list of has some real gems. Just have a look.
Welcome to Bookstoker!
We’re here to help you find that book that you can’t put down, the book you’ll push on all your friends, the book that’ll change your life.
We read literary fiction, non-fiction, classics and children’s books, all genres and styles embraced in our aim to share the love. You’ll also find fabulous Bookstagrams and literary news.
A world of bookish delights!
Kirstin and Julie
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News by Julie
Is this Britain’s most glamorous literary festival?
I can’t think of a more glamorous literary festival than the Cliveden Literary Festival (29-30th September) taking place at Cliveden House just outside London. Seeped in a cocktail of royalty, aristocracy, sex and political scandals, most famously the Profumo affair, Cliveden has a history few authors could dream up. And it comes with a price to match. At £105 a day, it’s probably also the most expensive. But, hey, you don’t often get a chance to be in a room with Hanif Kureishi, Sir Anthony Beevor, Alain de Botton, HRH Princess Michael of Kent (uhm…), Sarah Waters, Edmund de Waal, Norman Foster, Naomi Wolf, I could go on and on. They really have a fabulous programme. Cancel that Christmas holiday and sign up today!
Bookstoker Young Readers
The Muslims
Lots of giggles in a prize-winning book that puts British Muslim kids at the heart of the story
The Infinite Lives of Maisie Day
Bold, brilliant and fizzing with big ideas
The Exact Opposite of Okay
A funny, fiery and vital shout-out to girl power
Review by Julie
The Grapes of Wrath
A classic worthy of a re-read
The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck somehow slipped through the cracks for me. I’ve spent the summer rectifying this and I can see why this novel has become such an enduring classic and a favoured choice amongst English teachers. The story of the Joad family, uprooting from their arid Oklahoma farm, fleeing poverty and industrialisation of farming in search of the American Dream is beautifully told, incredibly moving and a highly effective piece of political propaganda. If you haven’t read it yet, do. If you have, perhaps it’s time for a re-read?
Review by Julie
History of Violence
Raw, honest and brave about rape
One of the extraordinary things about Édouard Louis’ debut novel, The End of Eddy, was the complete absence of judgment and bitterness on behalf of the protagonist. Louis’ second novel, History of Violence, shares this quality and, again, it’s a story from Louis’ own life. On the way home from Christmas dinner, Louis meets a stranger whom he invites home for a drink. They share their life stories and have passionate sex. But as the stranger prepares to leave the next morning, things turn ugly. Louis’ skill as a storyteller, intelligent observation of his own and other people’s reactions and ability to draw connections between the personal and the collective proves what an extraordinary talent he is.
Review by Kirstin
Marianne Dreams
Celebrating 60 years of Catherine Storr's haunting journey into a young girl's psyche
The luckiest of readers often find that a handful of childhood books will stay in their hearts their whole lives through. Marianne Dreams by Catherine Storr is one of those for me. Having bewitched me since childhood, I was thrilled that its 60th anniversary presented the opportunity to write a glowing review. It is the story of invalided 10-year-old Marianne, who passes her lonely, bedridden hours by drawing a house. When Marianne sleeps, her dreams transport her into her picture, to the house she drew and the secrets it conceals. The stage is set for the spookiest of psychodramas.
News by Julie
What I’m reading this summer
Don’t you just love this side of summer? At this point it seems endless, hence the towering pile of books on my desk that I intend to read during the holiday. Maybe this will be the year I have time to read them all?!
News by Julie
Kirstin’s picks for children’s summer reading
Packing your suitcase ready for your summer hols? Don’t forget to slip in the odd paperback or two for your kids. Starting off with our favourite reads so far in 2018, here are the books we can guarantee your kids will love!
News by Julie
What to read summer 2018?
What are the best books for summer 2018? We’re thrilled to present our summer reading list. A list full of great reads for every mood. Funny and sad, light and heavy, it’s all here. Happy summer from all of us at Bookstoker!
Review by Julie
Charlotte
A punch of a book
Charlotte by David Foenkinos is a novel based on the true story of artist Charlotte Salomon, a German Jew growing up in Berlin in the late 1930s. From a family ravaged by mental illness and suicides, Charlotte grows up in the shadow of death and depression but also with a huge creative talent. David Foenkinos’ all consuming passion for his subject matter shines through in this intense little book which, as its first page will tell you, ends in tragedy.
