Five new books to read this week
By Prudence Wade, Press Association
Dive into a new book with this week’s fresh releases from John Lanchester, Mieko Kawakami and more…
Fiction
1. Look What You Made Me Do by John Lanchester is published by Faber & Faber. Available now
Look What You Made Me Do follows the story of Kate, married for 30 years to husband Jack, until tragedy strikes; and Phoebe, a young screenwriter and the creator of the year’s hit TV show, Cheating. The story follows the perspective of both women – as Kate realises that the series is based on her life and intimate details that only she and her husband would know; and Phoebe, who takes readers through her inspiration for the show, mixed with her turbulent relationship with her narcissistic mother, loving boyfriend and twin brother. Lanchester’s writing keeps readers on their toes as they work out how everything has unfolded into such a mess. With flashbacks to the past and a twisted ending, this book makes you question who to feel sorry for, if everyone is in the wrong and how the past can have a huge effect on the future.
8/10
(Review by Sara Keenan)
2. The Soul Catchers by Naoko Higashi, translated by Lucy North, is published in hardback by Doubleday. Available March 19th
If you want a calm, simple read, this is the book for you. The Soul Catchers by Naoko Higashi (translated by Lucy North), is a collection of fables. Eleven souls have passed over, but they are too attached to life in the mortal realm. The Soul Catcher links these souls to everyday items in their past lives. From a wife unable to leave her husband, who is then transported to being a triceratops mug, to a student unable to move on from her teacher being absorbed into a fan. Each short tale is a lesson in connection and is both straightforward, sad and life-affirming at the same time.
8/10
(Review by Rachel Howdle)
3. Sisters In Yellow by Mieko Kawakami, translated by Laurel Taylor and Hitomi Yoshio, is published in hardback by Picador. Available March 19th
Mieko Kawakami’s Sisters In Yellow follows Hana, a young woman living in Tokyo who grew up poor and had a strained relationship with her parents, with an absent father and a mother who works late at bars and falls for inappropriate men. Hana drops out of school, and with her older friend Kimiko, runs a bar called Lemon – named due to her obsession with the colour yellow, which she believes brings wealth. After a fire at the bar, she comes to work for a low-level crime organisation, initially hoping to reopen Lemon. While there are interesting themes within the novel – youth, faith, superstition – at points, you might find yourself wanting the author to get on with it and advance the plot. The prose is a bit bland, with an overly detailed style.
6/10
(Review by George Thompson)
Non-fiction
4. Tales Of The Suburbs by John Grindrod is published in hardback by Faber & Faber. Available now
John Grindrod’s postcards of the LGBTQ+ experience from suburban Britain provide short, sharp insight of the harsh landscape faced by many people whose sexuality or gender wasn’t considered the norm in the latter half of the 20th century. Thankfully, he does not shy away from showing the green shoots of joy and acceptance that have continued to spread into modern society. Alongside them Grindrod, a social historian, provides historical accounts to show the hardships felt by those returning from war or suffocated by the stuffy suburban existence of commuter Britain in the first half of the century. Some cases will stay with the reader more than others. The AIDS crisis of the Eighties looms large through many testimonies, but there are moments of delight – like teenage Terry from Southsea skipping his school trip to venture to the gay pubs of London’s Earl’s Court, and 300 campaigners turning up to support protesters who leafletted a homophobic council leader in the Black Country.
8/10
(Review by Harry Taylor)
Children’s book of the week
5. See, Touch, Feel: Busy Book by Roger Priddy is published in hardback by Priddy Books. Available now
Described as the ‘ultimate sensory book’, this colourful board book should keep babies entertained in between nappy changes. Each page has a brightly coloured picture of activities for tiny fingers to touch and explore. From the front page of three interlocking wheels, to a back page of a rocket blasting off, there are plenty of shapes and swirly colours to keep a youngster’s attention. Pictures of a dog, mouse, bees and a worm also appear, as well as a ladybird hiding underneath a leaf. A shiny mirror and a drum to tap complete the number of sturdy pages designed to withstand a baby battering. It’s an ideal first book for a little one – and their parents.
7/10
(Review by Alan Jones)
BOOK CHARTS FOR THE WEEK ENDING MARCH 14th
HARDBACK (FICTION)
1. The Wings That Bind by Briar Boleyn
2. To Snap A Silver Stem by Sarah A. Parker
3. The Family Friend by Claire Douglas
4. Between Two Fires by Christopher Buehlman
5. The Correspondent by Virginia Evans
6. Dungeon Crawler Carl by Matt Dinniman
7. Wuthering Heights by Emily Brontë
8. Judge Stone by James Patterson & Viola Davis
9. Witch Trial by Harriet Tyce
10. A Far-flung Life by M L Stedman
(Compiled by Waterstones)
HARDBACK (NON-FICTION)
1. Kids, Wait Till You Hear This! by Liza Minnelli & Michael Feinstein
2. Rasputin by Antony Beevor
3. My Gardening Life by Mary Berry
4. Bloody Dangerous by Colin Bell
5. A Hymn To Life by Gisele Pelicot
6. Let Them Theory by Mel Robbins & Sawyer Robbins
7. Always Remember by Charlie Mackesy
8. The Shortest History Of Ireland by James Hawes
9. No-Nonsense Nutrition by Dominique Ludwig
10. Tender by Harry Baker
(Compiled by Waterstones)
AUDIOBOOKS (FICTION AND NONFICTION)
1. Harry Potter And The Order Of The Phoenix by J.K. Rowling
2. Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir
3. Harry Potter And The Goblet Of Fire by J.K. Rowling
4. Harry Potter And The Philosopher’s Stone by J.K. Rowling
5. Harry Potter And The Prisoner Of Azkaban by J.K. Rowling
6. Harry Potter And The Chamber Of Secrets by J.K. Rowling
7. My Husband’s Wife by Alice Feeney
8. The Let Them Theory by Mel Robbins
9. The Names by Florence Knapp
10. A Hymn To Life by Gisele Pelicot
(Compiled by Audible)
