The it’s-almost-Christmas giveaway #1
Can the end of this year come fast enough? Well, it’s nearly here and to celebrate we’re running a series of giveaways to take us into the festive season. To go in the draw to win all four of these fab books, simply email...
ANDREW O’HAGAN Mayflies. Reviewed by Paul Anderson
Andrew O’Hagan’s new novel evokes Scotland in the 1980s, the music, the politics, and the bonds of male friendship. If Mayflies was a record it would be a double A-side seven-inch single with a literary sleeve. It is a remarkable novel of two equal...
STUART TURTON The Devil and the Dark Water. Reviewed by Ann Skea
The award-winning author of The Seven Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle returns with a dark and dangerous mystery set on the high seas. The Devil and the Dark Water reminds me a little of the old circular joke: It was a dark and stormy night and the Captain said to...
TRENT DALTON All Our Shimmering Skies. Reviewed by Chris Maher
The author of the bestselling Boy Swallows Universe returns with a tale of a young girl’s quest. Following the resounding acclaim for his debut novel, Trent Dalton has drawn together some of the elements that made Boy Swallows Universe such a success and remixed...
KATE SUMMERSCALE The Haunting of Alma Fielding: A true ghost story. Reviewed by Ann Skea
Kate Summerscale recounts the surprising story of Alma Fielding, ghost magnet. ‘GHOST’ WRECKS HOME … FAMILY TERRIFIED – Sunday Pictorial 20 Feb. 1938 Alma Fielding was 34 years old and living with her family in a modest house in the London suburb of Thornton Heath...
CERIDWEN DOVEY Life After Truth. Reviewed by Amy Walters
Set among Harvard alumni, Ceridwen Dovey’s new novel explores power relations and hidden lives. Life After Truth is Ceridwen Dovey’s fourth work of fiction, following on the heels of her critically acclaimed 2018 novel In The Garden of the Fugitives. The story...
ROSS GARNAUT Superpower: Australia’s low-carbon opportunity. Reviewed by Kurt Johnson
Respected economist Ross Garnaut shows how addressing climate change provides a golden opportunity for Australia. Lockdown has had me researching books about climate change in Australia. Delving into the canon is a rollercoaster – readers can expect to experience...
RICHARD FIDLER The Golden Maze: A biography of Prague. Reviewed by Braham Dabscheck
The Golden Maze offers a broad sweep of Prague’s history and a clear warning against totalitarianism. Richard Fidler is a broadcaster and host of Conversations on ABC Radio. In an earlier life he was part of the comedy trio the Doug Anthony All Stars. In late...
RICHARD OVENDEN Burning the Books: A history of knowledge under attack. Reviewed by Michael Jongen
Richard Ovenden, head of Oxford’s Bodleian Library, makes the case for libraries and the preservation of knowledge. Libraries, those repositories of human knowledge, have become a popular subject for writers. Collections built, sacked and resurrected feature in...
CATRINE CLAY The Good Germans: Resisting the Nazis 1933–1945. Reviewed by Kim Kelly
In telling their personal stories, Catrine Clay brings to life the Germans who resisted Nazism, reminding us that the Fuhrer’s cheering crowds did not represent everyone. Catrine Clay is an award-winning BBC documentary-maker and author of three previous works...
OTTESSA MOSHFEGH Death in Her Hands. Reviewed by Lou Mentor
Ottessa Moshfegh’s new novel is an unconventional mystery that walks a fine line between reality and existential fantasy, probing the nature of memory, identity and loss. Vesta Gul is not your typical little old lady. At 72 years of age she lives a hermit-like...
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