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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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Discover our favourite translated novels from the blog

Meteoric rise in the sales of translated fiction

Sales of translated fiction in the UK has sky-rocketed by an astonishing 96% over the past 15 years. Fantastic news in our opinion! We are celebrating by listing our favourite translated books from the blog. All translated novels can be found in the drop-down menu under ‘Reviews’ on the home page.

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Read our review of The Vegetarian, International Man Booker Prize winner 2016

We are thrilled that South Korean Han Kang’s The Vegetarian, translated by Deborah Smith, has won the International Man Booker Prize 2016. It’s a truly original and wonderfully weird story of a young woman’s break down. Read our review here to see if this is for you.

The £50,000 prize is shared between the author and the 28 year old translator Deborah Smith who taught herself Korean only three years before. Extraordinary!!

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Poem Donation Box

I Wish I Loved the Human Race by Sir Walter Raleigh

Thank you to Maria for our second poem donation! Sir Walter Raleigh’s I Wish I Loved the Human Race. We need more so please send your favourite to [email protected]. You can remain totally anonymous…

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A Fool, Free

A journey into the mind of a schizophrenic

A Fool, Free is the extraordinary story (allegedly fiction, but suspiciously similar to the authors own life) of Swedish/Norwegian Eli, a filmmaker and author, as she battles the many personas inhabiting her mind, medication (too much or too little) and nurses and doctors with a varying degree of understanding of how best to treat her. Four male voices, Espen, Emil, Prince Eugen and the rebellious Erik, the instigator of Eli’s most violent outbursts, controls Eli’s life. She wants to go through a sex change but doesn’t know which sex to choose. She oscillates from being forcibly hospitalised and heavily medicated to being a productive and successful filmmaker and author. A hugely enlightening look at a mental illness shrouded in myths and fear.

A Fool, Free by Beate Grimsrud is published by Head of Zeus, 496 pages.