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Introducing Meg – Bookstoker’s latest addition

I’m extremely pleased to tell you that we have a new book reviewer on our team. Apart from being an ex-publisher with tons of experience from the industry and an extensive network, London based Meg is a super bright and totally delightful person.  She’s been obsessed about books since childhood and within minutes of meeting we were deep into book discussions. She has quietly been writing a few reviews for us already which are listed below. You can read more about Meg in the About section. Welcome Meg!

The Quincunx

All the Light We Cannot See

Mister Pip

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Books being made into movies

Lots to look forward to on the film front over the coming months. I can’t wait to bring my kids to see Mark Rylance as the BFG in Martin Scorsese’s film adaptation of Roald Dahl’s book The BFG. I won’t be the last one to see Tom Hanks and Felicity Jones in Dan Brown’s Inferno either.  Set in Florence, Venice and Istanbul, it should be worth it for the stunning locations alone! Emma Watson and Tom Hanks will star in the film version of Dave Eggers’ The Circle. Martin Scorsese is also making a film of Silence by Shusaku Endo, a story set in 17th century about Jesuit priests trying to bring Christianity to Japan. Will try to read that before it comes out. And there’s more…

More books being made into films

 

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A Hologram For The King

The perfect beach read

I’m discovering I have a soft spot for Dave Eggers and his ingenious way of writing about modern life. I very much enjoyed The Circle (Eggers’ satire on our obsession with technology and connectivity) and A Hologram for The King, set in the ghostly King Abdullah Economic City in the middle of the Saudi Arabian desert, is just as good. A delightful, light and funny read to pack on your holiday. Can’t wait for his new book Heroes of the Frontier which comes out in July!

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The Girls

When the writing gets in the way of the story

First we had Gone Girl, then The Girl on the Train, The Girl in the Red Coat and this year, it’s simply The Girls…25-year old Emma Cline’s soon to be published (16th June) debut comes steeped in expectations, a $2 million dollar advance and just in time for the summer… rest assured, it won’t be the last time you hear about this book! The story of The Girls is inspired by 1960s cult leader and one of America’s most notorious criminals, Charles Manson, whose followers went on a murder spree around California. The setting is interesting enough, the drama and gore guaranteed, but what about the delivery?

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The Red Scarf Girl

11-13 years

A short but interesting autobiography of a privileged girl in Beijing who’s life is thrown into turmoil by the Cultural Revolution and the ‘Great Leap Forward’. A simple read with good insight into China in the early 70s. A must for young history lovers, to be enjoyed more for content than style.

(11+ years)

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Poem Donation Box

The British by Benjamin Zephaniah

Benjamin Zephaniah’s poems always put a smile on my face while conveying something more serious. The British is a timely and funny reminder that we are all immigrants.

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The Quincunx

Lose yourself in this epic historical novel

I’ll admit right at the beginning of this review that I think this is one of the best historical novels I have ever read. And I’m deeply envious of anyone who hasn’t yet discovered it. You have an enormous treat in store. I first read this epic novel in one long sitting from cover to cover in my early twenties and I’ve returned to it many times over the years, discovering something new on every fresh reading.

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12 bookstores every reader should visit in their lifetime

To add to your list of things to do before you die: 12 interesting bookshops, as chosen by The Independent. I like the look of Venice bookshop Aqua Alta and have always wanted to go to the famous Atlantis Books in Santorini, think I’ll start with those…  Extremely pleased to see one of my local book shops on the list: Lutyens & Rubinstein in Notting Hill. Their well-read and friendly manager Claire can take credit for many a recommendation on this blog.

The Independent – 12 Bookstores Every Reader Should Visit in Their Lifetime

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The Reflection

Mind maze noir thriller

A modern thriller with a proper appreciation for the noir of the 1940s, The Reflection is a mind-bender that trips you back and forth through a monochrome kaleidoscope of existence and mental disorder. Caught in a web of confusion, a psychiatrist stumbles from one incident to the next, amidst the twist and turns of mistaken identity and questioning his own sanity. Leaves you guessing until the last (a clue! no…a red herring! no… a clue…!!), and distinctly baffled long after.

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