Nobel Prize-winning author Gabriel García Márquez’s abandoned last book is being released to the world, a decade after his death…
Fiction
1. Until August by Gabriel García Márquez is published in hardback by Viking
When Colombian author Gabriel García Márquez died in April 2014, having been diagnosed with dementia, there were reports of an unpublished manuscript left behind. And now, a decade later, that has materialised in the form of Until August. The book, presented by his sons Gonzalo and Rodrigo García Barcha, is a welcome surprise to fans of the author, whose famous and beloved works include Love In The Time of Cholera and One Hundred Years Of Solitude. In Until August we meet Ana Magdalena Bach, who is, for all purposes, a happily married mother and wife. Every year she visits her mother’s grave on a tropical island in the month of August. We meet Ana on one such trip, the first where she has a one-night stand with a stranger. And so begins a journey for the reader and Ana, one that is filled with the wondrous literary magic only García Márquez could ever conjure up on the pages. The novel lives up to every expectation. As a character, Ana is likeable and interesting, with a touch of mystery that keeps you devouring her story. There’s a sense of quiet resilience in her, and it is a refreshing page-turner to follow the narrative of an older woman who isn’t painted as bitter, boring or bemoaning her lot. It is a bitter sweet experience to turn the final pages knowing that the late author previously asked for the book to be ‘destroyed’, but also savouring the words he left.
8/10
(Review by Kerri-Ann Roper)
2. Family Politics by John O’Farrell is published in hardback by Doubleday
When a group of activists trying to save a city farm from closure smuggle animals into a council meeting, they cause chaos – and widespread publicity. Labour Party member Emma Hughes is thrilled at the success of her stunt, only to come crashing to earth when her son confesses he’s become a Conservative while at university. In Family Politics, writer and political campaigner John O’Farrell draws on his wealth of experience to explain the challenges faced by Emma, her Labour councillor husband Eddie, and their newly right-wing son Dylan. The arguments reach a new level when Eddie is selected as Labour’s candidate in the local by-election, and Dylan campaigns for the opposition. With a general election looming this year in the UK, Family Politics is the perfect read for anyone hooked on politics and enjoys a good plot that’s laced with humour.
8/10
(Review by Alan Jones)
3. Go Lightly by Brydie Lee-Kennedy is published in hardback by Bloomsbury Publishing
💧 'A novel that really nails the chaos, panic and joy of being young' Daisy Buchanan
GO LIGHTLY by Brydie Lee-Kennedy, publishing Thursday. Pre-order now! pic.twitter.com/ffW01c4jiM— Bloomsbury Books UK (@BloomsburyBooks) March 11, 2024
Ada Highfield treats life with a light touch, giving money, sex and relationships the same fleeting disregard; and when she meets Sadie and Stuart at the same time, she sees no harm in sharing her affections between them both. But when Sadie and Stuart evolve into more than merely passing fancies, Ada is forced to ask herself the questions she’s always avoided – and she realises that she if doesn’t start to make some serious decisions, she might find the choices won’t be hers to make. Blending humour with pathos and critical social observation, Go Lightly is sharp, witty and unexpectedly astute, establishing its author as a new and assured voice in modern LGBTQ+ literature.
7/10
(Review by Hannah Colby)
Non-fiction
4. Learning To Think by Tracy King is published in hardback by Doubleday
When you have nothing, you cling to whatever gives you hope…
Introducing 2024’s most shocking and inspiring memoir, 'Learning to Think' by Tracy King.
This hopeful memoir holds up a mirror to the everyday realities of living in poverty, it is also a testament to the power of… pic.twitter.com/hLyG4A5kHo— Transworld Books (@TransworldBooks) September 20, 2023
Learning To Think is a compelling memoir about Tracy King’s journey to taking charge of her belief system. It starts in 1980s Birmingham, after her father’s tragic death, when her family developed an extreme reliance on the Christian church, and King even stopped going to school. She tells stories of both poverty and grief, and how she navigated such situations through the lens of extreme religion, whether that be Christianity, the occult, or conspiracy theories. After reading a book that taught her to think critically, she was finally able to detach herself from others’ belief systems and make decisions about the world for herself. It’s a truly devastating yet hopeful read, which dives into some of life’s most heartbreaking experiences. Seeing King come out the other end with a new perspective on life, always checking in with reality, is something we can all learn from.
9/10
(Review by Molly Powell)
Children’s book of the week
5. Pirates Of Darksea by Catherine Doyle is published in paperback by Bloomsbury Children’s Books
🏴☠️ PIRATES OF DARKSEA 🏴☠️
A HUGE thank you to the supremely talented @manuelsumberac for this epic cover illustration, which perfectly fits this tale of swashbuckling adventure, extraordinary bravery, and one very special, unbreakable bond of brotherhood… ✨ pic.twitter.com/MZUy3j1ge7— Catherine Doyle (@doyle_cat) October 6, 2023
This is a swashbuckling pirate adventure, packed with good and bad magic, skullduggery and epic bravery, in a daring crusade to defeat evil and rescue the secret kingdom of Darksea from a deadly monster. In an attempt to help his hospitalised big brother Christopher get better, courageous Max climbs aboard the Stolen Sunrise and bargains with Captain O’Malley, accepting a dangerous quest in return for the last bottle of precious stardust. But all is not what is seems in Darksea, and as the weight of 11-year-old Max’s pursuit unfolds, the bigger picture unveils a deeper evil that he is called to confront – can he beat evil Redfin with the help of his friend Ruby and cheeky parrot Squawk? A bold tale you won’t want to put down, Pirates Of Darksea encourages the reader to find inner strength when it looks like the odds might just overwhelm.
7/10
(Review by Karen Shield)
Book charts for the week ending March 9th:
Hardback (Fiction)
1. The Warm Hands Of Ghosts by Katherine Arden
2. The Sunlit Man by Brandon Sanderson
3. Empire Of The Damned by Jay Kristoff
4. Dune by Frank Herbert
5. The List Of Suspicious Things by Jennie Godfrey
6. A Fate Inked In Blood by Danielle L. Jensen
7. End Of Story by A. J. Finn
8. Sunbringer by Hannah Kaner
9. House Of Flame And Shadow by Sarah J. Maas
10. The Island Swimmer by Lorraine Kelly
(Compiled by Waterstones)
Hardback (Non-fiction)
1. The Trading Game by Gary Stevenson
2. The House Of Hidden Meanings by RuPaul
3. Crypt by Alice Roberts
4. Bored Of Lunch Healthy Slow Cooker: Even Easier by Nathan Anthony
5. The Radfords by Sue Radford & Noel Radford
6. Keir Starmer by Tom Baldwin
7. Pinch Of Nom Express by Kay Allinson & Kate Allinson
8. Maurice And Maralyn by Sophie Elmhirst
9. Politics On The Edge by Rory Stewart
10. The Diary Of A CEO by Steven Bartlett
(Compiled by Waterstones)
Audiobooks (Fiction & Non-fiction)
1. The Trading Game by Gary Stevenson
2. Atomic Habits by James Clear
3. None Of This Is True by Lisa Jewell
4. Supercommunicators by Charles Duhigg
5. The Great Deceiver by Elly Griffiths
6. Unruly by David Mitchell
7. The Women by Kristin Hannah
8. The House Of Hidden Meanings by RuPaul
9. Ultra-Processed People by Chris van Tulleken
10. The Fellowship of The Ring by J. R. R. Tolkien
(Compiled by Audible)
