Five new books to read this week
By Prudence Wade, Press Association
Countdown star Susie Dent has written her latest murder mystery…
Fiction
1. Death Writ Large by Susie Dent is published in hardback by Zaffre. Available now
When strange runes and threatening graffiti are found daubed near the body of an Oxford University lecturer, Dr Martha Thornhill and her fellow lexicographers at the Clarendon English Dictionary pit their puzzle-solving skills against a vengeful figure targeting arrogant graduates. Susie Dent – best known as the dictionary corner dynamo on Countdown – returns to the City of Spires where the clever coterie of Martha, Safi and Alex from her debut novel, Guilty by Definition, help DI Oliver Caldwell crack another case. Dent vividly describes Oxford as she populates both town and gown with realistic characters who navigate cryptic clues, false trails and red herrings. It’s a murder mystery and language lesson combined, with each short and punchy chapter opening with the definition of an obscure but fittingly related word to delight amateur enigmatologists and linguists alike.
9/10
(Review by Amy Crowther)
2. Ghost Cities by Siang Lu is published in hardback by Summit Books UK. Available now
In a masterful blur of myth and reality, Siang Lu tells the story of a young man caught between English-speaking and Chinese cultures, while a timeless fable of an autocratic emperor beset with fraternal vengeance unfolds in parallel. Told in alternating chapters, Lu flips his writing from a modern, conversational style to that of a classical narrator of an oral tradition. He spins a web of metaphor and suggested meaning, as you try to find the links between the alternating stories, while the characters themselves navigate endless acts of deception that leaves them questioning the validity of their experiences. The absurdity of megalomaniacal leaders is comedic, while an appreciation of art and its ability to reveal truth in the face of cynical deceit shines throughout.
9/10
(Review by Danny Halpin)
3. A Thought Without Collision by Adrian Duncan is published in paperback by Tuskar Rock. Available now
Told across two timelines, A Thought Without Collision follows mathematical prodigy, and later accomplished University of Oxford professor, Catherine Carolan. In post-civil war Ireland, Catherine’s blossoming intellect is nurtured in a small schoolhouse while her parents grapple with familial and financial woes. In the summer of 1951, Catherine reunites with old friend Dr Josef Alois, to care for him through his mental and physical decline. Contemplative and philosophical, Adrian Duncan’s latest novel is a tender examination of our relationships to one another and the world around us. Duncan’s characters, lovingly and carefully crafted, are defined by their innermost thoughts, plotted and laid bare for readers in microscopic detail. Layered with complexity and frequent mathematical musings, A Thought Without Collision is best suited to readers craving something unique – and perhaps a challenge – rather than those searching for easy bedtime reading.
7/10
(Review by Izzie Addison)
Non-fiction
4. I Shoot Rock Stars by Tim Pope is published in hardback by Wildfire. Available now
I Shoot Rock Stars is a must-read for music-lovers. Penned by music video director Tim Pope – responsible for visuals for the likes of The Cure, Queen, Talk Talk, Neil Young and David Bowie – it tells a madcap tale of the golden age of music videos. Pope tracks his beginnings in North London’s Enfield – getting his hands on his first camera, but not having enough money for film – to becoming music’s go-to director, making videos that pushed boundaries and often raised eyebrows. It’s funny, wild, and at times dark – particularly the chapter regarding Pope’s unfortunate time with the Weinstein brothers – and a fun look behind the curtain of what rock was really like in the Eighties and Nineties.
8/10
(Review by Prudence Wade)
Children’s book of the week
5. Paper Chase by Julia Donaldson, illustrated by Victoria Sandoy, is published in hardback by Alison Green Books. Available now
Ginger and James have a chance meeting under a tree when her paper plane crashes into his book – and so begins Paper Chase, the latest offering from The Gruffalo author Dame Julia Donaldson. But what starts off as a sweet but conventional first meeting of childhood friends takes an unexpected turn when the pair are separated and the tree is cut down and taken to the paper factory. What follows next is an exploration of how paper is made and its many uses and how those uses then bring the duo back together. While the story doesn’t have the whimsy of Donaldson’s classics, including the aforementioned The Gruffalo, Stick Man and The Smeds and The Smoos, the prose is so melodic and hypnotic it turns even the most exhausted reader into a masterful public speaker, and the illustrations by Victoria Sandoy are a joyful addition.
7/10
(Review by Laura Harding)
BOOK CHARTS FOR THE WEEK ENDING AUGUST 8th
HARDBACK (FICTION)
1. The Lion And The Deathless Dark by Carissa Broadbent
2. Steelborn by Taylor J. LaRue
3. May We Feed The King by Rebecca Perry
4. Yesteryear by Caro Claire Burke
5. The Things We Never Say by Elizabeth Strout
6. Dungeon Crawler Carl by Matt Dinniman
7. Fruit Fly by Josh Silver
8. Land by Maggie O’Farrell
9. A Trade Of Blood by Robert Jackson Bennett
10. John Of John by Douglas Stuart
(Compiled by Waterstones)
HARDBACK (NON-FICTION)
1. Welcome To Your Life by Roland Orzabal
2. London Falling by Patrick Radden Keefe
3. The Odyssey by Homer
4. How Lucky Am I by Christian Watson
5. BBQ by Jamie Oliver
6. Biological War by Annie Jacobsen
7. Things I Told My Notes App by Milly Goldsmith
8. Regime Change by Maggie Haberman & Jonathan Swan
9. Let Them Theory by Mel Robbins & Sawyer Robbins
10. The Book Of Birds by Robert Macfarlane & Jackie Morris
(Compiled by Waterstones)
AUDIOBOOKS (FICTION AND NON-FICTION)
1. It Could Have Been Her by Lisa Jewell
2. Odyssey by Stephen Fry
3. Yesteryear by Caro Claire Burke
4. Dungeon Crawler Carl by Matt Dinniman
5. London Falling by Patrick Radden Keefe
6. Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir
7. Carl’s Doomsday Scenario by Matt Dinniman
8. Harry Potter And The Philosopher’s Stone by J.K. Rowling
9. The Let Them Theory by Mel Robbins
10. The Dungeon Anarchist’s Cookbook by Matt Dinniman
(Compiled by Audible)
