Book after Book

By Aravind Adiga Published by Picador Synopsis: Manjunath Kumar is fourteen. He knows he is good at cricket - if not as good as his elder brother Radha. He knows that he fears and resents his domineering and cricket-obsessed father, admires his brilliantly talented sibling and is fascinated by the world of CSI and by curious and interesting scientific facts. But there are many things, about himself and about the world, that he doesn't know… Sometimes it seems as though everyone around him has a clear idea of who Manju should be, except Manju himself. When Manju begins to get to know Radha's great rival, a boy as privileged and confident as Manju is not, everything in Manju's world begins to change and he is faced with decisions that will challenge both his sense of self and of the world around him… How did this book end up in my hands? I bought this book during a bookshop crawl in London as I feel it is important to support independent businesses. Was it a pag...

By Marianne Power Published by Picador Synopsis: Marianne Power was stuck in a rut. Then one day she wondered: could self-help books help her find the elusive perfect life? She decided to test one book a month for a year, following their advice to the letter. What would happen if she followed the 7 Habits of Highly Effective People ? Really felt The Power of Now ? Could she unearth The Secret to making her dreams come true? What begins as a clever experiment becomes an achingly poignant story. Because self-help can change your life – but not necessarily for the better… How did this book end up in my hands? I saw this book mentioned on Twitter and it sounded intriguing so when I found the audiobook version on the BorrowBox app, I jumped right in. Was it a page-turner? I took my time to listen to this book to make sure I absorbed whatever I could. I have never read self-help books so this was my way of letting someone else do all the work for me… hehe! I probably would...

By Sarah Rayner Published by Picador I read One Moment, One Morning , the novel that brought Sarah Rayner into the spotlight, over two years ago and I still praise and recommend it at any given occasion. That’s why I jumped at the opportunity of reading an early copy of her latest novel, The Two Week Wait. Like its predecessor, The Two Week Wait focuses on important – and often controversial – issues: motherhood and infertility. And – now as before – Sarah Rayner excels at dealing with such personal matters with compassion and understanding. In Yorkshire, Cath and Rich are married and want to build a family. After two years spent fighting cancer, Cath is now healthy but, as a consequence of the illness, she can’t have children. In Brighton, Lou and Adam are both gay, single and wanting a child. For different reasons, time is running out for these four adults to fulfil their desire and create a new life. Thanks to the advances in fertility treatments, however, they are in a position to...

By Roberto Bolaño Translated by Laura Healy Reviewed by Juliet Wilson Published by Picador Roberto Bolaño was a Chilean novelist and poet, who travelled and lived in Mexico, El Salvador, France and Spain. He saw himself primarily as a poet, setting up infrarrealista an anarchic school of poetry. He later turned to writing novels as a way of supporting his family. The Romantic Dogs , a collection of his poetry written between 1980 and 1999, was published in 2006 and this bilingual edition, with translations by Laura Healy came out in 2008. The poetry is varied in style and content, some of the poems are long narratives, while others are fragments, some are clearly inspired by political events, while others seem to be based on personal experiences. The poet’s obsessions quickly become clear, particularly in a sequence of five poems about detectives. ‘I dreamt of frozen detectives in the great refrigerator of Los Angeles.’ from Dirty Poorly Dressed ‘Detectives who stare at Their open pa...

By Jackie Kay Published by Picador Reviewed by Juliet Wilson Jackie Kay is a talented writer, a novelist, a short story writer, a playwright and a poet. I recently really enjoyed her book of short stories Wish I Was Here and her brilliant novel Trumpet . I was therefore looking forward to reading her new poetry collection Fiere , which is described on the book jacket as ‘ her most accomplished, assured and ambitious collection of poems .’ Fiere (the title means friend in Scots) is billed as a lyric counterpart to Kay’s Red Dust Road (the story of her search for her birth parents) which I haven’t read, but the collection stands alone. It is full of the different voices that make up the poet’s heritage, so Scots poems such as Body o’ Land are found alongside poems set in Nigeria such as Egusi Soup . There are poems about ancestors and children, adopted parents and birth-parents; poems inspired by paintings and poems about love and friendship. All are heartfelt, simply written and acc...

By Carol Ann Duffy Published by Picador Christmas is approaching. Never mind presents and roast turkeys, it’s time for another magical tale penned by our Poet Laureate! For the joy of children and adults alike, Carol Ann Duffy takes the Christmas Victorian classic and transforms it into a modern, yet timeless, story of hope and belief. Late on Christmas Eve, a child creeps down the stairs and hides behind an armchair. She is determined to find out whether Santa Claus is real. As a shooting star high up above starts to take the shape of a sleigh pulled by reindeer, she falls asleep by the fireplace. Will she wake up in time to see the man dressed in red from head to toe who suddenly stands in her living room? Rob Ryan’s gorgeous illustrations, appearing like dreams in black and white vignettes enriched by golden details, are a perfect accompaniment to the beautifully rhyming verses of this cute, little hardback.

By Emma Donoghue Published by Picador Shortlisted for the Man Booker Prize 2010, Room is a book that, regardless of any literary prize, will be remembered for a long time. Little Jack and his Ma live in Room with Wardrobe, Rug and other various objects-cum-friends. They spend their time playing, singing, reading, exercising and watching a little television. At night, the person they named Old Nick comes to visit Ma and Jack goes to sleep in Wardrobe. Jack likes his world with the exception of those days when Ma doesn’t move from the bed, when she is “gone”. Ma has also another name but Jack doesn’t know it. He is going to find it out soon though because Ma decided that she doesn’t want to live in Room anymore. She wants to live in Outside. Jack is not sure. There is Room and then there are the people in television. Now his Ma his saying that the things they see in television are real and he doesn’t really understand that. But he will have to. Soon. Room makes you smile even when you al...

By Carol Ann Duffy Published by Picador Carol Ann Duffy’s Love Poems, a poetry collection published by Picador at the beginning of the year, will conquer you from the moment you lay eyes on its book jacket, deliciously decorated with dream-like patterns. However, you need to beware: the contents of this little volume are not as romantic as the cover might suggest. Or at least, not romantic in the conventional meaning of the word. The thirty-four poems selected were drawn from previous collections, such as The World’s Wife and Rapture, as well as the forthcoming The Bees, to be published in 2011. All the poems are joined by a common thread: love. This however, can take many shapes and appear in different nuances and combinations. Love and desire, as in Girlfriends: ‘That hot September night, we slept in a single bed/ naked, and our frail bodies the sweat/cooled and renewed itself’. Love and truthfulness, as in Valentine: ‘I give you an onion/ Its fierce kiss will stay on your lips/ poss...

By Sarah Rayner Published by Picador There are books that grab your attention from the very beginning and never let it go. One Moment, One Morning is one of them. One Moment, One Morning is also one of those books that leave a lasting impression and will linger at the back of your mind to suddenly jump into the foreground when a sound or an image reminds you of them. In her new book, Sarah Rayner takes us on a journey on the 07:44 train from Brighton to London. It’s Monday and Anna and Lou are travelling on the same train, packed with commuters. They don’t know each other and are sitting in different compartments. Anna is reading a magazine and Lou is listening to music while observing her travelling companions. Next to her, on the opposite side of the aisle, are Karen and Simon. A happily married couple, they are going to London to sign the contract for a new house. Suddenly, Simon collapses. He dies instantly, of a heart attack. In that same instant, many lives are changed. Karen’s, ...

Do you want to impress your family and friends with a beautiful coffee table book? Or maybe you want to treat yourself with one of those hardbacks that are a pleasure just to hold in your hands? Quadrille Publishing has something perfect for you! The recently published Wallpaper: The Ultimate Guide , written by Charlotte Abrahams, is a source of inspiration for whoever is interested in the history and development of interior design. In 256 pages divided into three sections – namely Architectural Illusions, Fabulous Florals and Pasted Pictures – the author answers all the questions you might have. What are the origins of each particular style? In what way can I use wallpaper to create a specific effect? Who are the leading designers and manufacturers? Where can I buy the wallpaper featured in the book? Ranging from contemporary to classic designs, the overall 250 full-colour photographs are truly spectacular and the 150 full-page reproductions of wallpapers printed in Hexachrome® for th...