Searching for a new book to read over the Christmas holidays? Look no further…
Fiction
1. Wish You Were Here by Jodi Picoult is published in hardback by Hodder & Stoughton. Available now
Sound on! If you want to escape the wintry weather and be transported to the Galapagos 🌴 this weekend then you need to pick up a copy of @jodipicoult's stunning new novel WISH YOU WERE HERE. Half-price in @Waterstones Black Friday Deal https://t.co/vUn9ExRqp4 pic.twitter.com/PmkKXldyBJ
— Hodder & Stoughton (@HodderBooks) November 26, 2021
Lots of readers found their concentration drop off the radar during the pandemic. If reading became a struggle for you, let Jodi Picoult show you how your brain can still get utterly engrossed in a good read, and page-turning magic is not lost. Picoult is known for knocking out bestsellers at speed, but Wish You Were Here is impressive even by her own standards – set during the early months of the Covid-19 pandemic. It sees 29-year-old art specialist Diana fly solo to the Galapagos, as her boyfriend Finn, who was originally meant to come on the trip, is unable to take time off from his job as a hospital doctor now the virus has hit. Once there, the world goes into lockdown. Diana is stranded alone in paradise, whilst Finn faces a traumatic frontline. Cue the beginning of much self-reflection and re-evaluation, eventually delving into near-death experiences and how we choose the paths to follow – but are things as they seem? Wish You Were Here will make you laugh, nod and cry – and at one point gasp out loud at a twist you will not see coming. Picoult will have you closing the book on occasions, taking a moment to let it all sink in. Superb.
9/10
(Review by Abi Jackson)
2. Today A Woman Went Mad In The Supermarket by Hilma Wolitzer is published in hardback by Bloomsbury Publishing. Available now
🍋 A @TIME 'New Books You Should Read'
🍋 A @people magazine 'Book of the Week'
🍋 A @nytimes Editors' Choice
Hilma Wolitzer's Today a Woman Went Mad in the Supermarket is OUT NOW https://t.co/Ic4juP9FVH pic.twitter.com/9nVJsBpBoo— Bloomsbury UK (@BloomsburyBooks) November 13, 2021
A collection of short stories written over several decades by the now-91-year-old Hilma Wolitzer – many were originally published in magazines such as Esquire in the Sixties and Seventies, but there are new ones, too. Even in her 90s, she remains as relatable as ever, and this book gives her the opportunity to have her voice heard by a new generation of readers. The story that gives this collection its title focuses on a woman crumbling under the pressures of motherhood, while another tackles the current pandemic. This mirrors Wolitzer’s own experience, of contracting and surviving coronavirus, and the sad death of her husband from the disease. Heart-warming, witty and wise, it is definitely worth acquainting yourself with her writing.
7/10
(Review by Frances Wright)
3. Go Tell The Bees That I Am Gone by Diana Gabaldon is published in hardback by Century. Available now
It’s here! 🐝 #GoTellTheBeesThatIAmGone is finally out today! We hope you enjoy the latest epic instalment of the #Outlander series from @Writer_DG. Tag us in your posts! #GoTellTheBees pic.twitter.com/KbYLiqLtJG
Advertisement— Century Publishing (@centurybooksuk) November 23, 2021
Diana Gabaldon releases the hotly-anticipated ninth instalment in her Outlander series. Picking up where the last book left off, Claire and Jamie Fraser are reunited with their daughter Brianna and her family in 1770s North Carolina. As the clan reacquaint with one another, the Revolutionary War continues to draw them close – but the family is still figuring out their past, so things are far from smooth sailing. Slow-paced to start, Gabaldon’s latest addition weaves complicated plot lines, a weighty cast and improbable melodrama to create an exhausting read. You often feel the book could have cut 200 pages and several characters – especially when all the reader is really here for is Jamie and Claire. At times compelling, the latest instalment sadly doesn’t live up to the original novel – or the pacey TV adaptation.
5/10
(Review by Holly Cowell)
Non-fiction
4. These Precious Days by Ann Patchett is published in hardback by Bloomsbury Publishing. Available now
Looking for the perfect Christmas gift for a loved one? 👀 These Precious Days by Ann Patchett is the gift that keeps giving with a collection of heartfelt essays and memoirs 🎁
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Get your copy here: https://t.co/cD64oXu9zm pic.twitter.com/CIYZ9q5qfF— Bloomsbury UK (@BloomsburyBooks) November 30, 2021
Ann Patchett aficionados will likely have read a number of these essays in their various published guises, but as a collection, These Precious Days is comforting dip-in material that draws you into Patchett’s considerate, all-embracing world. Compiled, edited and added to during the pandemic, the essays range from an incredible analysis of her three fathers and the huge roles they played in her life, to an ode to the power of knitting, and the curious travels of a nightstand. The title story tells Patchett’s remarkable lockdown story – with a cameo from Tom Hanks. She discusses writing, yoga, best friendships, the importance of dogs (she really loves dogs), and does it all with a gentleness that’s cosy, without being too sentimental. A very soothing assortment of tales.
8/10
(Review by Ella Walker)
Children’s book of the week
5. Black And British: An Illustrated History by David Olusoga, illustrated by Jake Alexander & Melleny Taylor, is published by Macmillan Children’s Books. Available now
Delighted to share the cover of the new illustrated edition of Black and British. Written for young readers aged 6+ and illustrated by @JakeIllustrate and Melleny Taylor @illoagency.
Published by @MacmillanKidsUK on 11 Nov, pre-order now from @waterstones or @bookshop_org_uk pic.twitter.com/xdBQ7wg4Wa— David Olusoga (@DavidOlusoga) July 29, 2021
David Olusoga follows his bestseller Black And British: A Short, Essential History with a children’s edition. It makes room for the black British history we likely weren’t taught at school – about the Romans, Tudors, Stuarts, Georgians, Victorians, World Wars, Windrush and more. Beautifully illustrated by Jake Alexander and Melleny Taylor, each page brings to life the lives of black people in Britain in these eras, from Roman Africans guarding Hadrian’s Wall, to an African trumpeter in the court of Henry VIII, and black soldiers fighting for Britain. Olusoga takes us right up to the present day, showing full perspective of the journey, as well as how black British people have helped to shape British culture. Despite being aimed at younger readers – an audience it no doubt will captivate with its colourful visuals, easy-to-read fonts and compelling information – it’s telling that even as an adult, it’s an informative, intriguing and worthwhile read.
10/10
(Review by Hannah Millington)
BOOK CHARTS FOR THE WEEK ENDING DECEMBER 4th
Hardback (Fiction)
1. The Man Who Died Twice by Richard Osman
2. Better Off Dead by Lee Child & Andrew Child
3. Snow Country by Sebastian Faulks
4. The Promise by Damon Galgut
5. Silverview by John le Carré
6. Sharpe’s Assassin by Bernard Cornwell
7. The Cat Who Saved Books by Sosuke Natsukawa
8. Beautiful World, Where Are You by Sally Rooney
9. Never by Ken Follett
10. Go Tell The Bees That I Am Gone by Diana Gabaldon
Hardback (Non-fiction)
1. And Away… by Bob Mortimer
2. Windswept & Interesting by Billy Connolly
3. Private Eye Annual: 2021 by Ian Hislop
4. The Lyrics by Paul McCartney
5. Guinness World Records 2022 by Guinness World Records
6. The Storyteller by Dave Grohl
7. Celebrating The Seasons With The Yorkshire Shepherdess by Amanda Owen
8. Diddly Squat by Jeremy Clarkson
9. This Much Is True by Miriam Margolyes
10. Big Panda And Tiny Dragon by James Norbury
Audiobooks (Fiction & Non-fiction)
1. P. G. Wodehouse Volume 2 by P. G. Wodehouse
2. Will by Will Smith & Mark Manson
3. Windswept & Interesting by Billy Connolly
4. The Rock by LJ Ross
5. The Clever Guts Diet by Dr Michael Mosley
6. This Much Is True by Miriam Margolyes
7. Call The Midwife by Jennifer Worth
8. I Wish It Could Be Christmas Every Day by Milly Johnson
9. The Man Who Died Twice by Richard Osman
10. Songbirds by Christy Lefteri
