American novelist Elizabeth Strout is back with her latest novel following some familiar characters…
Fiction
1. Tell Me Everything by Elizabeth Strout is published in hardback by Viking. Available September 19th
A new book by Elizabeth Strout! A hopeful, healing novel about new friendships, old loves, and the very human desire to leave a mark on the world. Pre-order with 10% off! https://t.co/ZaDbMh2Wnw pic.twitter.com/n1yPL0xSUT
— Borzoi Bookshop (@BorzoiBookshop) March 15, 2024
This is a hopeful, healing novel that brings together the lives of characters living in Maine, exploring new friendships, old loves, and the desire to leave a mark on the world. The story centres on Bob Burgess, Maine’s town lawyer who gets involved in a murder investigation, and his deepening friendship with the writer Lucy Barton. On their weekly walks they share their hopes and regrets, and as they do this, their bond grows stronger. Meanwhile, Lucy befriends Olive Kitteridge, a long-time Maine resident. Initially unsure of each other, they develop a relationship nurtured by stories of ordinary people’s ‘unrecorded lives,’ finding meaning in the overlooked details of others’ experiences. With great characterisation and delicate prose, Strout examines relationships and their significance, making this novel a compelling read. The novel explores some harsh themes, but it does so with an element of hope.
9/10
(Review by Jacqueline Ling)
2. An Eye For An Eye by Jeffrey Archer is published in hardback by HarperCollins. Available September 24th
A man on death row. A daring escape plan. The ultimate race against time is about to begin.
Pre-order your signed edition of An Eye For An Eye now: https://t.co/zAl3LYE6qB pic.twitter.com/trJUyb0y6b— Jeffrey Archer (@Jeffrey_Archer) August 3, 2024
Revenge plots, forged artworks and billion-dollar deals are the ingredients for Jeffrey Archer’s latest thriller. An Eye For An Eye is the seventh novel in the series following Scotland Yard’s William Warwick and gives fans of the veteran author exactly what they’ve come to know and love. If you’re looking for a novel you can relate to, perhaps this is not the book for you – unless you are in line for a spot in the House of Lords. But, while the characters lack morals they offer escapism in spades and the – at times slightly ludicrous – plot will keep you turning the pages right until the end.
7/10
(Review by Eleanor Barlow)
3. A Sunny Place For Shady People by Mariana Enriquez, translated by Megan McDowell, is published in paperback by Granta Books. Available September 26th
'I was afraid of Los Angeles. The neon, the highways, the color of the sunset, the nearness of the desert, the sun so high'
Mariana Enriquez, the queen of gothic short stories, returns with A SUNNY PLACE FOR SHADY PEOPLE. Publishing in September 🖤https://t.co/wmWJkcnw7T pic.twitter.com/S9OVGqm4RjAdvertisement— Granta Books (@GrantaBooks) June 4, 2024
Mariana Enriquez’s A Sunny Place For Shady People is simultaneously a collection of horror stories and a study of society’s ills. It tells tales of ghosts haunting their loved ones after being abused when alive. Their supernatural acts are bizarre and grotesque – rotting bodies reappear, faces melt off the living. But the apparitions’ backstories emerge and often make their haunting less threatening than the society that harmed them. People who were scared when they died go on to terrify their families and neighbours, but it allows the living characters to engage with, reappraise, and sometimes mend old wounds. Previously shortlisted for the International Booker Prize for her last short story collection, this one is terse and graphic. At times it lags with unnecessary colloquialisms, but the book provides an engaging view of inter-generational trauma and what happens to pain after death.
7/10
(Review by Pol Allingham)
Non-fiction
4. Now What: On A Mission To Fix Broken Britain by Carol Vorderman is hardback by Headline. Available now
Presenter Carol Vorderman has become increasingly vocal about politics on social media in recent years, so it was only a matter of time before she distilled her views into a book. Now What is a diary-meets-manifesto – laying out Vorderman’s views (particularly her perceived failings of the previous Tory government) and giving a rundown of what happened in politics through her eyes from the end of December 2022 up until the recent election. It’s everything you might come to expect from Vorderman – unapologetic, data-driven and, at times, funny. Although it’s hard to see who this book is for – her fans will likely agree with everything in it, but it’s unlikely anyone who doesn’t see eye-to-eye with Vorderman will pick it up.
7/10
(Review by Lily Rose)
Children’s book of the week
5. It’s Time For Bed by Rosey Davidson, illustrated by Sophie Kent, is published in paperback by Hachette Children’s. Available now
Looking for inspiration to help your little one off to sleep? Rosey Davidson’s A Time For Bed acts as a great bedtime story that takes us through the ideal process – with some excellent advice and handy tips to make bedtime as smooth and tantrum-free as possible. Filled with colourful yet calming illustrations, the steps in the story will make getting ready for bed a lot more engaging for your child and help them understand why bedtime routines consisting of bath-time, PJs, teddies and snuggles with mummy or daddy are so important and make them something to look forward to. With each step, we’re given a small breakdown of why we do this, and to help with bedtime further, recommended exercises that you can do with your little one to keep them relaxed in the run-up to them going off to sleep.
8/10
(Review by Christopher Henry-Reeve)
BOOK CHARTS FOR THE WEEK ENDING SEPTEMBER 14th
HARDBACK (FICTION)
1. We Solve Murders by Richard Osman
2. Think Again by Jacqueline Wilson
3. Frankie by Graham Norton
4. Precipice by Robert Harris
5. Vilest Things by Chloe Gong
6. The Hotel Avocado by Bob Mortimer
7. What A Way To Go by Bella Mackie
8. The Ending Fire by Saara El-Arifi
9. Gabriel’s Moon by William Boyd
10. The Life Impossible by Matt Haig
(Compiled by Waterstones)
HARDBACK (NON-FICTION)
1. Want: Sexual Fantasies by Anonymous, compiled by Gillian Anderson
2. Nexus by Yuval Noah Harari
3. The Siege by Ben Macintyre
4. Henry V by Dan Jones
5. The Golden Road by William Dalrymple
6. A Beginner’s Guide To Dying by Simon Boas
7. On Leadership by Tony Blair
8. Guinness World Records 2025
9. Led By Donkeys by Led By Donkeys et al
10. Ottolenghi COMFORT by Yotam Ottolenghi, Helen Goh, Verena Lochmuller & Tara Wigley
(Compiled by Waterstones)
AUDIOBOOKS (FICTION AND NON-FICTION)
1. We Solve Murders by Richard Osman
2. The Hotel Avocado by Bob Mortimer
3. Nexus by Yuval Noah Harari
4. Precipice by Robert Harris
5. The Life Impossible by Matt Haig
6. The Satsuma Complex by Bob Mortimer
7. Atomic Habits by James Clear
8. The Fellowship Of The Ring by J. R. R. Tolkien
9. The Siege by Ben Macintyre
10. The Thursday Murder Club by Richard Osman
(Compiled by Audible)
