Books reviewed on Friday 28 July 2017:
Exile by James Swallow. Published by Zaffre. 488 pages. A vicious Serbian gang whose profits come from fake nuclear deals. A disgraced Russian general with access to real nuclear weapons. A vengeful Somali warlord with a cause for which he’d let the world burn. Only one man can see what’s coming, but even Marc Dane might not be able to prevent it.
This is the second Marc Dane thriller. On Nomad, the first, Wilber Smith said “Unputdownable. A must read.”
Greek Theme:
Adults in the Room: My Battle With Europe’s Deep Establishment by Yanis Varoufarkis. Published by Bodley Head. 550 pages.
What happens when you take on the establishment? In this blistering, personal account, world famous economist, Yanis Varoufarkis blowd the lid on Europe’s hidden agenda and exposes what actually goes on in its corridors of power. Varoufarkis sparked one of the most spectacular and controversial battles in recent political history when, as Greece’s financial minister, he attempted to renegotiate his country’s relationship with the EU, provoking the fury of Europe’s political, financial and media elite. Here are records of brinkmanship, hypocracy and betrayal that will shake the deep establishment to its foundations. The Guardian asked “one of the greatest political memoirs ever?”
For the Winner by Emily Hauser. Published by Doubleday. 353 pages.
Abondoned at birth on the slopes of Mount Pelion, Atalanta is determined to prove her worth to the father who rejected her. Having taught herself to hunt and fight and disguised as a man, she claims a place on the greatest voyage of an heroic age: with Jason and his band of Argonauts in search of the legendary Golden Fleece. And it is here in the company of men who will go down in history as heroes that Atalanta must battle against the odds and the will of the gods to take control of her destiny.
A beautiful retelling of ancient Greece’s most exciting legend from a woman’s perspective.
The Children of Jocasta by Natalie Haynes. Published by Mantle. 335 pages.
A magnificent retelling of the legend of Oedipus, the prince of Thebes the oracles predicted would kill his father, King Lauis, and marry his mother, Jocasta. The ancient world is painstakingly recreated from the perspectives of the overlooked Jocasta and her youngest daughter, Ismene. The ancient Greeks have no rivals when it comes to tragedy and the story of Oedipus is the most tragic of all. In her reworking of the myth, Haynes has created something unique and magnificent.
Books mentioned by Vis Chetty:
The Ministry of Utmost Happiness by Arundhati Roy. Published by Hamish Hamilton.
It has been a twenty year wait for the follow-up novel from the Booker prize winning author of The God of Small Things.
The Choice by Edith Eger. Published by Ebury.
In 1944, 16 year old Edith was sent to Aushwitz. There she endured unimaginable experiences including dancing for Josef Mengele. Over the coming months Edith’s bravery helped keep her sister alive and led to her bunkmates rescuing her during a death march.
In The Choice, Dr Edith Eger shares her experiences of the Shoah and the remarkable stories of those she has helped ever since.
Fierce Kingdom by Gin Phillips. Published by Doubleday. 276 pages.
When an ordinary day at the zoo turns into a nightmare, Joan finds herself trapped with her beloved son, Lincoln. She must summon all her strength to protect him at all costs, even if it means crossing the line betweem right and wrong, between humanity and animal instinct. As powerful as Room and We Need to Talk about Kevin.
The Music Shop by Rachel Joyce.
Classic storytelling that will pull at your heartstrings from a beloved author.
The Softness of the Lime by Maxine Case.
Spoils by Brian van Reet.
A Gap in the Hedge by Johan van Louw.
Don’t Close Your Eyes by Holly Seddon.
Final Girls by Riley Sagar
Here and Gone by Haylen Beck
Books reviewed on 30 June 2017:
A Horse Walks into a Bar by David Grossman. Published by Jonathan Cape. 196 pages.
Winner of the 2017 Man Booker International Prize. Israeli author Grossman writes the tragic yet redemptive story of an Israeli comedian, Dovaleh G, a past-his-prime comic who falls apart in his show in a Netanya nightclub. Literature of the highest quality.
The Devil and Webster by Jean Hanff Korelitz. Published by Faber and Faber. 356 pages.
Naomi Roth is the first female and Jewish president of Webster College, a New England liberal arts college. A vague student protest that begins on campus unsettles and challenges every aspect of the university with comic and thought provoking consequences.
How Emotions are Made: The Secret Life of the Brain by Lisa Feldman Barrett. Published by Macmillan. 410 pages.
Most scientists believe that emotions come from specific parts of the brain and that we feel them whenever they are triggered by the world around us. Lisa Feldman Barrett draws on the latest scientific evidence to challenge these assumptions. This is a brilliant and original book on the science of emotions.
The Knowledge Illusion: Why We Never Think Alone by Steven Sloman and Philip Fernbach. Published by Macmillan. 294 pages.
In this book the two authors show that to function, individuals rely not only on knowledge that is stored in their brains but also on knowledge stored elsewhere , increasingly with other people. The process of human thought is miraculously impressive but this book demonstrates that at its deepest level it never truly belongs to any individual alone.
Wonderful Feels Like This by Sara Lövestam. Published by Allen & Unwin. 305 pages.
A celebration of being a bit odd, finding your people and the power of music to connect us
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