Tag: Beat the Backlist

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Audio Books book reviews Emma's Anticipated Treasures

Book Review: Idol by Louise O’Neill

Published May 12th, 2022 by Bantam Press
General Fiction, Thriller

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SYNOPSIS:


‘Follow your heart and speak your truth.’

For Samantha Miller’s young fans – her ‘girls’ – she’s everything they want to be. She’s an oracle, telling them how to live their lives, how to be happy, how to find and honour their ‘truth’.

And her career is booming: she’s just hit three million followers, her new book Chaste has gone straight to the top of the bestseller lists and she’s appearing at sell-out events.

Determined to speak her truth and bare all to her adoring fans, she’s written an essay about her sexual awakening as a teenager, with her female best friend, Lisa. She’s never told a soul but now she’s telling the world. The essay goes viral.

But then – years since they last spoke – Lisa gets in touch to say that she doesn’t remember it that way at all. Her memory of that night is far darker. It’s Sam’s word against Lisa’s – so who gets to tell the story? Whose ‘truth’ is really a lie?

‘You put yourself on that pedestal, Samantha. You only have yourself to blame.’

Riveting, compulsive and bold, IDOL interrogates our relationship with our heroes and explores the world of online influencers, asking how well we can ever really know those whose carefully curated profiles we follow online. And it asks us to consider how two memories of the same event can differ, and how effortlessly we choose which stories to believe.

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MY REVIEW:

Dark, unflinching, cryptic and compelling, Idol is an exploration of image, social media, our relationship with our idols, and the nature of truth and memory. The story centres around Samantha Miller, a social media influencer and lifestyle guru with three million followers that hang on her every word who has built a business empire on a foundation of encouraging positivity, being your best self, and her recovery from sexual assault and addiction. To promote her new number one book Sam writes an essay talking about her teenage sexual awakening with her best friend, Lisa. Until now she hadn’t told a soul and after the essay goes viral Sam learns that Lisa doesn’t remember the night like she does. As her reputation crumbles and she teeters on the brink of losing everything, Sam heads back to her hometown to try and convince Lisa to tell the truth. But which woman’s version is actually the truth?

Louise O’Neill has knocked it out of the park again with this thought-provoking and intelligent thriller. Skillfully written, intricately woven and cleverly plotted, I was not prepared for the bumpy ride this was about to take me on. This is one of those books where you are never quite sure what is real and what isn’t, who is a reliable character, and what is going to happen next. Sam is a very dislikeable protagonist. She’s self-centred, vain, image-obsessed and insecure. Even learning of her difficult past and the damage it has caused didn’t endear her to me and I never knew if I could trust her. This climate of distrust added to the feeling of suspicion and tension that ran throughout the story and I could never quite figure out what had really happened that night between Sam and Lisa. Every time I thought I’d got it figured out another twist would turn everything on its head, and my jaw hit the floor when everything was finally revealed.

O’Neill examines a variety of timely topics in this book, including the world of influencers and the disparity between the carefully curated social media posts and their real lives. She also explores truth and memory, asking if there is really only one ‘truth’? Or does the ‘truth’ depend on our perspective? And if two people remember the same event differently, does that mean there is more than one ‘truth’? It’s an unnerving thought as we like to believe that truth is finite rather than determined by perspective. Another topic she looks at is the stories we tell and what we choose to believe. We’ve all heard the saying ‘if you tell yourself a lie enough times you believe it’. But what does it actually mean if a person tells themselves a lie enough times that they become convinced it is real? And how does that affect those around them? I thought the way O’Neill explored this was particularly clever, though I won’t give any more detail to avoid spoilers.

Bold, twisty, topical and totally riveting, Idol is a brilliant thriller that I highly recommend.

Rating: ✮✮✮✮✰

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MEET THE AUTHOR:

Louise O’ Neill is from Clonakilty, in west Cork. After graduating with a BA in English Studies at Trinity College Dublin, she went on to complete a post-grad in Fashion Buying at DIT. Having spent a year in New York working for Kate Lanphear, the senior Style Director of ELLE magazine, she returned home to Ireland to write her first novel.
She went from hanging out on set with A-list celebrities to spending most of her days in pyjamas while she writes, and has never been happier.

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Audio Books Beat the Backlist book reviews

AUDIOBOOK REVIEW: Daughters of Night by Laura Shepherd-Robinson

Published February 18th, 2021 by Mantle
Historical Fiction, Mystery, Thriller, Historical Mystery, Women Sleuths

Thank you to Mantle Books for my proof copy of this book.

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SYNOPSIS:

‘The best historical crime novel I will read this year’ – The Times

‘This is right up there with the best of C. J. Sansom and Andrew Taylor’ – Amanda Craig, author of The Golden Rule

From the pleasure palaces and gin-shops of Covent Garden to the elegant townhouses of Mayfair, Laura Shepherd-Robinson’s Daughters of Night follows Caroline Corsham as she seeks justice for a murdered woman whom London society would rather forget . . .

London, 1782. Desperate for her politician husband to return home from France, Caroline ‘Caro’ Corsham is already in a state of anxiety when she finds a well-dressed woman mortally wounded in the bowers of the Vauxhall Pleasure Gardens. The Bow Street constables are swift to act, until they discover that the deceased woman was a highly paid prostitute, at which point they cease to care entirely. But Caro has motives of her own for wanting to see justice done, and so sets out to solve the crime herself. Enlisting the help of thieftaker Peregrine Child, their inquiry delves into the hidden corners of Georgian society, a world of artifice, deception and secret lives.

But with many gentlemen refusing to speak about their dealings with the dead woman, and Caro’s own reputation under threat, finding the killer will be harder, and more treacherous, than she can know . . .

‘Spectacularly brilliant . . . One of the most enjoyable and enduring stories I have ever read’ – James O’Brien, journalist, author and LBC Presenter

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MY REVIEW:

“In the wrong hands, a secret is a weapon.”

Atmospheric and absorbing, this riveting historical crime story opens on a dark night in Georgian London when Caroline ‘Caro’ Corsham finds the bloodied and mortally wounded body of a woman she knows as Lucia, an Italian Contessa. Lucia’s fingers find Caro’s, she gazes into her eyes, and with her last breath she whispers, ‘He knows’. The police are initially quick to investigate but drop the case when they discover that Lucia is in fact Lucy Loveless, a highly paid prostitute. Caro is incensed. So, with the help of  thieftaker Peregrine Child, she sets out to solve the crime. Their investigation leads them into the darkest corners of Georgian society and gentlemen who refuse to talk for fear of sullying their reputation. Can Caro and Perry find the killer before they too are silenced?

Daughters of Night has been sitting on my shelf ever since I received the proof in early 2021 and I am so glad I finally got around to reading it. Laura Shepherd-Robinson is an exquisite storyteller, bringing Georgian London and its dark, shadowy underbelly to life in vivid detail. Her research is evident in the authenticity that runs throughout the book, making me feel like I’d been transported back in time. Exploring topics such as shame, lack of female agency, and the unrelenting exploitation and abuse of women, Shepherd-Robinson writes with compassion, but there is also a brutal honesty, and some of the scenes in this book are not for the faint hearted. 

The huge cast of characters felt reminiscent of Dickens which added to the authentic historic feel. The richly drawn and varied cast of characters leaped from the pages and I connected quickly with Caro and young Pamela, the latter breaking my heart in every scene. Evocatively narrated, I lost myself in the elaborate and intricate plot, my heart pounding as the mystery deepened and the many threads began to weave together to finally reveal the full shocking picture. 

A tense, gripping and intriguing historical mystery that is a must-read for anyone who enjoys this genre. 

Rating: ✮✮✮✮✰

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MEET THE AUTHOR:

Laura Shepherd-Robinson was born in Bristol in 1976. She has a BSc in Politics from the University of Bristol and an MSc in Political Theory from the London School of Economics.

Laura worked in politics for nearly twenty years before re-entering normal life to complete an MA in Creative Writing at City University. She lives in London with her husband, Adrian.

Blood & Sugar, her first novel, won the Historical Writers’ Association Debut Crown and the Specsaver’s Debut Crime Novel award, was a Waterstones Thriller of the Month, and a Guardian and Telegraph novel of the year. It was also shortlisted for the Crime Writers’ Association John Creasey (New Blood) Dagger and the Sapere Historical Dagger; the Amazon Publishing/Capital Crime Best Debut Novel; and the Goldsboro Glass Bell; and longlisted for the Theakston’s Crime Novel of the Year.

Her second novel, Daughters of Night, was been shortlisted for the Theakston’s Crime Novel of the Year, the Goldsboro Glass Bell, the Capital Crime Fingerprint Historical Novel Award and the Historical Writers’ Association Gold Crown, longlisted for the Crime Writers’ Association Gold Dagger and was a Book of the Year in The Times, The i, and the Guardian.

Her third novel, The Square of Sevens, is a Sunday Times bestseller and available from all good bookshops now.

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Audio Books Beat the Backlist book reviews Emma's Anticipated Treasures Most Anticipated 2023 Support Debuts

BOOK REVIEW: Clytemnestra by Costanza Casati

Published March 2nd, 2023 by Michael Joseph
Historical Fiction, Fairy Tale, Greek Mythology

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SYNOPSIS:

Mother. Monarch. Murderer. Magnificent . . . meet Clytemnestra, the ancient world’s most wronged woman . . .

‘Vivid with fury, passion and strength, this is a fabulous myth retelling’ JENNIFER SAINT

‘A blaze of a novel, fiery and furious – and alight with murderous revenge’ DAILY MAIL

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She is born to a king but marries a tyrant.

She watches helplessly as he sacrifices her child to the gods.

She bides her time. She plots revenge. She knows how to play this game.

If power will not be given to her, then she will take it for herself.

She is Clytemnestra.

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MY REVIEW:

Mother. Queen. Wronged Woman. Murderer. Heroine. It’s time for Clytemnestra to tell her story in this glorious feminist retelling. 

Before reading this book I’d only heard Clytemnestra’s story as part of the background to the stories of her sister, Helen of Troy, and her daughter Elektra. So I was excited to learn more about this strong and fascinating woman. Though she was born to a King, Clytemnestra always felt second best as the sister to Helen, the most beautiful woman in the world. She manages to find love but it is soon snatched away in a despicable act of betrayal by the cruel tyrant Agamemnon, who is determined to make her his wife at any cost. And so she becomes a woman motivated by vengeance, spending her life plotting and waiting for the perfect moment to strike. 

Exquisitely written, evocative and atmospheric, this isn’t a book you simply read, but one you step into. This phenomenal debut highlights Costanza Casati as a talent to watch and I will certainly be reading whatever she writes next. I listened to it on audiobook and I was hooked from the start. It consumed me, feeling alive as it burned with fury. And although I knew a lot of the things that happened in these myths, I was still on the edge of my seat, listening with baited breath to discover what would happen next, as if it was all new rather than a retelling, something that is a testament to Casati’s masterful storytelling. 

Now, let’s talk about  the woman at the heart of it all: the eponymous Clytemnestra. Fierce, feisty, intelligent, passionate, and unforgiving, she is a remarkable heroine who refuses to be broken or shackled by the rules of the patriarchal society. The fire inside her radiated from the page, Casati making me feel her heartache, rage, vengeance and strength so vividly that it was like it was coursing through my own veins. I wanted Agamemnon dead. Right now! I rooted for her at every step as she bided her time, waiting for the perfect moment to strike and avenge all of the betrayal. After all, revenge is a dish best served cold. And when Clytemnestra’s vengeance is served, it is glacial. 

A furious, devastating, enthralling and magnificent retelling you won’t want to put down, Clytemnestra is a must-read.

Rating: 🏹🏹🏹🏹🏹

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MEET THE AUTHOR:

Costanza was born in Texas in 1995, grew up in a village in Northern Italy and lived in the UK for five years. Before moving to London, she attended a classical Liceo in Italy, where she studied Ancient Greek, and Ancient Greek literature, for five years. Costanza is a graduate of the Warwick Writing MA programme, where she studied under Sarah Moss, and currently works as a freelance journalist and screenwriter. The art and history documentary she wrote on the 16th century painter Tintoretto had over 1 million viewers. Costanza’s short fiction has appeared in the collective Nothing in the Rulebook and broadcast on RAW1251 Warwick Radio.

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Currently 99p on kindle, 5.50 on pb on amazon

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Audio Books Beat the Backlist book reviews

AUDIOBOOK REVIEW: The Trauma Cleaner by Sarah Kranostein

Published April 10th, 2018 by St Martins PR
Biography, Autobiography, True Crime

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SYNOPSIS:

Longlisted for the Wellcome Book Prize
Winner of the Victorian Prize for Literature
Winner of the Australian Book Industry Awards

A woman who sleeps among rubbish she has not put out for forty years. A man who bled quietly to death in his loungeroom. A woman who lives with rats, random debris and terrified delusion. The still life of a home vacated by accidental overdose.

Before she was a trauma cleaner, Sandra Pankhurst was many things: husband and father, drag queen, gender reassignment patient, sex worker, small businesswoman, trophy wife… But as a little boy, raised in violence and excluded from the family home, she just wanted to belong. Now she believes her clients deserve no less. Sarah Krasnostein has watched the extraordinary Sandra Pankhurst bring order and care to these, the living and the dead – and the book she has written is equally extraordinary. Not just the compelling story of a fascinating life among lives of desperation, but an affirmation that, as isolated as we may feel, we are all in this together.

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MY REVIEW:

The Trauma Cleaner is the extraordinary story of Sandra Pankhurst, who created a trauma cleaning company that takes care of a wide range of cleaning needs from hoarding to decomposition. I went into this expecting a story about a woman who cleans crime scenes but this ended up being so much more. 

Pankhurst was born male and raised in a violent home where her sexuality and gender identity was used against her. She transitioned as an adult and has worn a variety of hats, including husband, father, drag queen, sex worker, small business owner, and trophy wife, before opening her trauma cleaning business. Author Sarah Kranostein spent a few years with Sandra, interviewing her and accompanying her on a number of her cleaning jobs, something that allows her to not only tell us Sandra’s story, but that of some of her clients. 

The book is filled with lots of fascinating characters, but none are more intriguing than Sandra herself. She’s quite the character and it is impossible not to be drawn to her. She’s a complex person who has lived a life filled with sadness and trauma and there are some dark and graphic scenes in the book. She is also an unreliable narrator, though we are never sure if this is a case of outright lies or her past drug use and trauma. And although she can be selfish, she is also warmhearted and non judgemental, able to talk to anyone or put herself on any level.

Powerful, moving, funny, and compelling, this book reminds us of the importance of kindness, compassion, and human contact and connection in our lives. Highly recommended. 

Rating: ✮✮✮✮✰

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MEET THE AUTHOR:

Sarah Krasnostein is a multi-award winning writer and critic. She is the best-selling author of The Trauma Cleaner (2017), The Believer (2021), the Quarterly Essay, Not Waving, Drowning (2022) and On Peter Carey (2023). She holds a PhD in criminal law and is admitted to legal practice in New York and Victoria.

Sarah has been awarded the Victorian Prize for Literature, the Australian Book Industry Award for General Non-Fiction, the Victorian Premier’s Prize for Non-Fiction, the Dobbie Literary Award, and the Douglas Stewart Prize for Non-Fiction at the NSW Premier’s Literary Awards. She was a finalist for the Walkley Book Award, the National Biography Award, the Melbourne Prize for Literature and the Wellcome Book Prize (UK). In 2022, she was awarded the Pascall Prize for Arts Criticism.

Sarah is a regular contributor to The Monthly and The Saturday Paper. Her work can be found in a variety of publications in Australia, America, and the UK including The Guardian, Tablet Magazine, Longreads, Literary Hub, The Jewish Quarterly, Meanjin and Oxford Handbooks Online as well as various academic journals. She has lectured in post-graduate criminal law and taught creative writing.

Sarah was born in America, is based in Australia and has lived and worked in both countries.

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Audio Books Beat the Backlist book reviews Emma's Anticipated Treasures

AUDIOBOOK REVIEW: The People on Platform 5 by Clare Pooley

Published May 26th, 2022 by Bantam Press
Humorous Fiction, Literaty Fiction, Psychological Fiction, Lesbian Literature, Urban Fiction

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SYNOPSIS:

Get ready to hop onboard this summer’s unmissable book – the perfect feel-good and heart-warming read.

Readers are falling in love with The People on Platform 5:

‘Incredible book, full of joy and warmth and love!’
‘A great novel with some truly wonderful characters‘
‘The fantastic cast of eclectic characters will steal your heart & have you rooting for their happy endings’
‘A feel-good, once-in-a-lifetime story‘
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Every day at 8:05, Iona Iverson boards the train to go to work with the same group of people who she makes assumptions about, even giving them nicknames. As a seasoned commuter, she knows there are rules that everyone should follow:
· You must have a job to go to
· Don’t consume hot food
· Always pack for any eventuality
· You must never speak to strangers on the train

But then, one morning, Smart-but-Sexist-Surbiton chokes on a grape right in front of Iona. Suspiciously-Nice-New Malden steps up to help and saves his life, and this one event sparks a chain reaction.

With nothing in common but their commute, an eclectic group of people learn that their assumptions about each other don’t match reality. But when Iona’s life begins to fall apart, will her new friends be there when she needs them most?

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MY REVIEW:

One of my promises to myself this year is that I’d read more of my backlist and, as The People On Platform 5 has languished on my shelves for far too long, I decided to listen to it this month. Uplifting, engaging, emotional and hilarious, this love letter to the joy of friendship and the power of connection was just what I needed to lift my spirits on the cold January days. 

Every day Iona boards the train to go to work and sees the same group of people, giving them nicknames and making assumptions about their lives. But she sticks to the strict rules all commuters should abide by and never speaks to them. Until one day when a grape sparks a chain of events that will bring an eclectic group of strangers together. 

This was my first time reading a book by Clare Pooley, but it won’t be my last. Beautifully observed and wonderfully written, this heartwarming story is one I’ll not forget. Romance, humour, heartache, drama, skeletons in closets, and secrets waiting to be revealed, this gorgeous book had it all. It shattered my heart and then pieced it back together, and I often found myself laughing out loud. Who knew that the commute to work could be so eventful. 

The characters are a key part of this book and I adored this motley crew of compelling and richly drawn characters. They each narrate the story, offering us a glimpse into each of their lives and how differently they see the same events. But although there are multiple narrators, Iona still feels like the central character, and she was certainly the one who stole my heart most of all. Spirited and ebullient, she stands out from the crowd and refuses to fade away like people expect a woman of her age to do. I loved her nicknames for the other characters before she met them, her little schemes, and her beautiful romance with her wife, Bea. 

Comforting, affecting, entertaining and funny, this was an absolute joy to read. Highly recommended.

Rating: ✮✮✮✮✰

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MEET THE AUTHOR:

Clare Pooley graduated from Newnham College, Cambridge and spent twenty years in the heady world of advertising before becoming a full-time writer.

Clare’s memoir – The Sober Diaries – has helped thousands of people worldwide to quit drinking.

Clare’s first novel – The Authenticity Project – was a BBC Radio 2 Bookclub pick, a New York Times Bestseller and the winner of the RNA debut novel award. It has been translated into 29 languages. Her second novel is coming Spring 2022.

Clare lives in Fulham, London with her long-suffering husband, three children and two dogs.

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Audio Books Beat the Backlist book reviews Emma's Anticipated Treasures

AUDIOBOOK REVIEW: Now She Is Witch by Kirsty Logan

Published January 12th, 2023 by Harvill Secker
Historical Fiction, Literary Fiction, Women Sleuths, Lesbian Literature

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SYNOPSIS:

In this witch story unlike any other, Lux and Else join forces to take their revenge on a powerful man. Their journey through the wild world will uncover both secrets and danger.

Lux has lost everything when Else finds her, alone in the woods. Her family, her lover, her home – all burned. The world is suspicious of women like her. But Lux is cunning; she knows how to exploit people’s expectations, how to blend into the background. And she knows a lot about poisons.

Else has not found Lux by accident. She needs her help to seek revenge against the man who wronged her, and together they pursue him north. But on their hunt they will uncover dark secrets that entangle them with dangerous adversaries.

From the snowy winter woods to the bright midnight sun; from lost and powerless to finding your path, Now She is Witch conjures a world of violence and beauty – a world where women grasp at power through witchcraft, sexuality and performance, and most of all through throwing each other to the wolves.

‘Mesmerising and evocative…an imaginative triumph’ Observer

‘‘An impassioned reclaiming of female desire. Stuffed, Russian-doll like, with stories,… an absorbingly atmospheric adventure’ Daily Mail

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MY REVIEW:

“Beauty is dangerous. Beauty has power. Beauty has violence.”

When Else finds Lux in the woods she has nothing. Everything she had was burned. The world is suspicious of women like Lux but she is cunning and knows how to blend into the background. Lux also knows a lot about poisons, which is perfect for Else because she needs her help to destroy the man who wronged her. But it will take them on a dangerous path where dark secrets are revealed…

It’s the first day of Booksta Review Week and I’m using it as an excuse to finally catch up on the many reviews I still have to write. Most of them are for books I listened to on audiobook, including Now She Is Witch, which I listened to back in October. 

Atmospheric, evocative and enthralling, this is a dark and witchy feminist fairytale about  power, love, loss, bravery, wisdom, and magic. It’s a timely story about disempowered women finally taking back what is theirs, utilising the magic that can be found in nature to do it. Kirsty Logan’s bewitching and poetic prose is transporting and stirring, telling truths that feel as real today as they did in history, helping the reader to connect with Lux and her story. I didn’t take many notes while listening, choosing instead to just enjoy the experience and what stays with me is the bawdy humour, compelling characters and riveting storytelling. 

Powerful, alluring, eerie, and unexpected, I highly recommend this book. 

Rating: 🧙🏻‍♀️🧙🏻‍♀️🧙🏻‍♀️🧙🏻‍♀️

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MEET THE AUTHOR:

Kirsty Logan is the author of three novels, three story collections, a memoir, two chapbooks, a 10-hour audio play for Audible, and several collaborative projects with musicians and visual artists. Her books have won the Lambda, Polari, Saboteur, Scott and Gavin Wallace awards. Her work has been optioned for TV, adapted for stage, recorded for radio and podcasts, exhibited in galleries and distributed from a vintage Wurlitzer cigarette machine. She lives in Glasgow with her wife, baby and rescue dog.

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Audio Books Beat the Backlist book reviews Cozy Mysteries Read Christie

READ CHRISTIE 2024: The Mysterious Affair at Styles (Hercule Poirot Series Book 1) by Agatha Christie

Published October 1920
Mystery, Cosy Mystery, Crime Fiction, Detective Story, Classic Fiction

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SYNOPSIS:

When Emily Inglethorp is poisoned the police are certain they’ve found the killer, but Hercule Poirot is not so easily satisfied. The sleuth digs deep into a tangled mystery in his debut appearance as the detective hero of Christie’s classic crime series.

Agatha Christie’s first mystery novel marks the initial appearance of her renowned Belgian sleuth Hercule Poirot, known for his impeccably neat appearance, fine mustache, and ability to cut to the core of some of the most complex and puzzling mysteries ever conceived. Summoned to investigate a murder in an elegant English country house, Poirot begins assembling clues and finding reasons to doubt the apparently obvious culprit was actually responsible for the murder. Riddles and secrets multiply as documents vanish, secret alliances are unveiled and the seemingly unsolvable is broken wide open. Deliberately conceived and written to puzzle devoted mystery fans, The Mysterious Affair at Styles has delighted readers since its first publication in 1920 and marks a perfect entry point for those new to the author or her unforgettable sleuth.

With an eye-catching new cover, and professionally typeset manuscript, this edition of The Mysterious Affair at Styles is both modern and readable.

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MY REVIEW:

Ok. I confess. I’m a bad book blogger and I had never read an Agatha Christie book before this one (despite owning many). Like most people I am familiar with the stories and have watched many film and TV adaptations over the years but never got around to picking up one of the actual books. Every year since joining Bookstagram I’ve wanted to take part in the Read Christie, the official Agatha Christie Reading Challenge, but didn’t manage to fit it in. This year I was determined to make it happen and I am thrilled to have finally read my first Agatha Christie. . 

Each year Read Christie has different prompts and in 2024 they are exploring Christie’s works through the decades, starting in 1920 and going all the way through to the 1970s. January’s prompt is the 20s, so after talking to my Christie-expert friend, Sue, I decided to start at the very beginning with Christie’s first ever novel, The Mysterious Affair at Styles, which was first published in the US in October 1920 and in the UK on 21st January 1921, introducing the world to the now-famous Hercule Poirot.

Enthralling, compelling and mysterious, I loved this book. It isn’t a story of Ms. Christie’s that I’m familiar with but I loved that it felt both completely new and comfortingly familiar. It felt like finding a soft toy I’d had as a child and holding it again. Sue recommended listening to the audiobook and I am so glad I took her advice. I loved the little details like the sound of the typewriter keys clicking and thought the narrator was fantastic. I was enrapt and couldn’t stop listening, finishing it in just a few hours. And that ending! Wow. 

This book was a brilliant start to my Agatha Christie reading and one I’d recommend, especially if you’re looking to start her books for the first time like I was. Roll on another one next month! 

Rating: 🔍🔍🔍🔍🔍

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MEET THE AUTHOR:

Born in Torquay in 1890, Agatha Christie became, and remains, the best-selling novelist of all time.

She is best known for her 66 detective novels and 14 short story collections, as well as the world’s longest-running play – The Mousetrap. Her books have sold over a billion copies in the English language and a billion in translation.

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Special Edition (Waterstones)*

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Audio Books Beat the Backlist book reviews

AUDIOBOOK REVIEW: The Lido by Libby Page

Published April 19th, 2018 by Orion
Literary Ficiton, Romance

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SYNOPSIS:

THE SUNDAY TIMES TOP TEN BESTSELLER

Meet Rosemary, 86, and Kate, 26: dreamers, campaigners, outdoor swimmers…

Rosemary has lived in Brixton all her life, but everything she knows is changing. Only the local lido, where she swims every day, remains a constant reminder of the past and her beloved husband George.

Kate has just moved and feels adrift in a city that is too big for her. She’s on the bottom rung of her career as a local journalist, and is determined to make something of it.

So when the lido is threatened with closure, Kate knows this story could be her chance to shine. But for Rosemary, it could be the end of everything. Together they are determined to make a stand, and to prove that the pool is more than just a place to swim – it is the heart of the community.

‘Feel-good and uplifting, this charming novel is full of heart’ LUCY DIAMOND

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MY REVIEW:

“It is raining smiles.”

Emotional, heartwarming and uplifting, The Lido is a truly special book. A story about  the restorative power of friendship, the power of community, life, love, and loss,  it warms you from the inside like Ready Brek and was the perfect book to chase away the cold January blues. 

Rosemary, 86, has lived in Brixton her whole life and has swum at the lido every day since she was a child. It’s the place she met her beloved late husband, George, and remains the centre of her world. Rosemary isn’t your typical elderly woman. She’s feisty, fiercely independent, and has an unquenchable zest for life. The lido is her lifeline to friendship, freedom and community, and its potential closure would mean losing a part of herself. 

Kate, 26, is a reporter for the local newspaper who was assigned to report on the potential closure. She’s recently moved to Brixton and hasn’t managed to make any friends. She’s lonely, filled with self-doubt, and crippled with anxiety and depression, but hasn’t told anyone. The two women forge a strong friendship and join forces with members of the local community to try and save the lido.

This book had languished on my shelves for far too long and I am so glad I finally took the plunge (excuse the bad pun). Libby Page’s writing is alluring, uplifting and emotionally resonant. She takes you through a rainbow of emotions, creating an overwhelming feeling of warmth and positivity despite the loneliness and sadness that runs through the story. But it’s the characters that are my favourite part of this book. I love an intergenerational friendship and the one between Rosemary and Kate is one of the best I’ve read. They were fascinating characters individually but even better together. I loved how Rosemary got Kate on board her quest to save the lido by getting her to swim and the ways they both enriched each other’s lives. I listened to this book on audiobook and the narrator did a fantastic job of bringing the characters and story to life. I was bereft when the story was over and am excited to read the follow up, The Lifeline, which is out in April. 

So if you’re looking for a book to brighten your day, The Lido  is the book for you.

Rating: 🏊‍♀️🏊‍♀️🏊‍♀️🏊‍♀️

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MEET THE AUTHOR:

From Libby’s official website:

I’m Libby Page, the Sunday Times bestselling author of The Lido, The 24-Hour Café, The Island Home and The Vintage Shop of Second Chances. The Lifeline, a follow-up to The Lido, will be published in the UK in April 2024.

Before writing The Lido I worked as a journalist and in marketing. I live in Somerset with my husband and young son.

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Audio Books Beat the Backlist book reviews Emma's Anticipated Treasures

AUDIOBOOK REVIEW: How To Kill Your Family by Bella Mackie

Published July 22nd, 2021 by The Borough Press
Thriller, Supsense, Dark Comedy, Satire

Welcome to my review of the delciously dark How To Kill You Family. This is my first audiobook and backlist book of 2024. Thank you to The Borough Press for the copy of the book.

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SYNOPSIS:
THE #1 SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER

‘I loved this book’ RICHARD OSMAN

‘An antiheroine able to best villainous male protagonists such as Patrick Bateman any day’ OBSERVER

‘Chilling, but also laugh-out-loud funny. Another corker’ SUNDAY TELEGRAPH

They say you can’t choose your family. But you can kill them.

Meet Grace Bernard.
Daughter, sister, serial killer…
Grace has lost everything.
And she will stop at nothing to get revenge.

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MY REVIEW:

“I have killed several people, some brutally, others calmly, and yet I currently languish in jail for a crime I did not commit…”

Grace Bernard is currently in prison for a notorious crime that she didn’t commit. Ironically, her real crimes are unknown and Grace is actually a serial killer who has calmly and meticulously murdered six members of her family and will stop at nothing in her quest for revenge.

A deliciously dark and deadly debut, How To Kill Your Family is a gripping story of familial dysfunction, vengeance and murder. After it languished on my shelves for far too long I decided to listen to it as my first audiobook of the year. And I’m so glad I did. Bella Mackie has created a story dripping with jet-black humour and a compelling anti-hero you won’t forget. It was one of those great audiobooks that are easy to listen to because both the story and narration are so good and I got completely lost in this story. I thought I knew where it was headed and listened safe in that knowledge. But I was completely wrong and was left reeling with my jaw on the floor. Also, how could she end it there?! So cruel. 

Mackie takes us deep inside Grace’s mind, allowing us to understand her behaviours even if we don’t agree with them. She’s a fantastic anti-hero: flawed, unforgiving, bitter, emotionally detached, unpredictable, calculated and untroubled by guilt or remorse yet she has a charm and magnetism that makes you root for her. It’s easy to understand why she’d want revenge on those who destroyed her life and I think we’ve all fleetingly considered how to get revenge on those who’ve hurt or betrayed us. But while we’d move on Grace doesn’t and methodically plans and carries out her complex plans, taking her time to avoid being caught instead of acting rashly and making mistakes. She’s consumed by her obsession and I couldn’t help but wonder if she’d ever truly feel satisfied even after her plans were complete. 

Witty, entertaining and addictive, How To Kill Your Family is a brilliant satirical debut that I highly recommend. 

Rating: ✮✮✮✮✰

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MEET THE AUTHOR:

Bella Mackie is a former journalist who previously worked for The Guardian and Vice News. She writes a twice monthly Vogue column. Her first book, Jog On, was a memoir about mental health and running. It was a number two bestseller (just underneath Michelle Obama, which is a hallowed spot).

Since then she’s written an accompanying journal to encourage others to try exercise more for their minds than their bodies. Bella’s first foray into fiction, How To Kill Your Family, came out in July 2021 and ended up in the number one bestseller spot. Bella lives in London and spends a lot of time wrangling her large stupid dog.

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Beat the Backlist book reviews

BOOK REVIEW: Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte

Romance Novel, Gothic Fiction, Classic Fiction, Bildungsroman, Social Criticicsm, Fictional Autobiography

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SYNOPSIS:

Jane Eyre is one of the most influential English novels every written. Charlotte Brontë’s first published novel, it was immediately recognised as a work of genius when it appeared in 1847.

Orphaned into the household of her Aunt Reed at Gateshead, subject to the cruel regime at Lowood charity school, Jane Eyre nonetheless emerges unbroken in spirit and integrity. How she takes up the post of governess at Thornfield Hall, meets and loves Mr Rochester and discovers the impediment to their lawful marriage are elements in a story that transcends melodrama to portray a woman’s passionate search for a wider and richer life than that traditionally accorded to her sex in Victorian society.

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MY REVIEW:

I recently read this beloved classic after years of saying I’d do it and never getting around to it. When I was chatting to author Polly Crosby earlier in the year she admitted the same, so we decided to buddy read it together and dived in. 

Dark, agonisingly beautiful and alluring, I’m so glad I finally read this gothic classic. I’d always been daunted by the chonky size of this book and was worried I’d not love it like everyone else, but once I got over the hurdle of adjusting to the old-fashioned language, I was hooked. Polly and I decided to read ten chapters at a time before stopping and discussing the book, and it was after the first block that she told me she’d listened to part of it on audiobook. I discovered a forgotten download in my audible library and listened to the rest, something that enabled me to lose myself in the story. 

Following the eponymous Jane Eyre as she goes from childhood to womanhood, this is a story filled with love, passion, heartache and betrayal. It is a journey of self-discovery laced with sadness and hope that makes you feel a rainbow of emotions and I can understand why it is a classic. I love the gothic vibes that are woven into the story and Polly described it best saying that this is “the best kind of gothic! The monster is never the monster…” The infamous ‘madwoman in the attic’ was brilliantly written and I liked the uncertainty that surrounded her at first. I do wish that I’d read it when I was younger so I could have seen it through teenage eyes and felt more of the romance. Reading it now, as an abuse survivor who is a little jaded, all I saw were screaming red flags and problematic behaviour in her famous relationship with Mr. Rochester. But at the same time I felt able to separate my modern understanding of love and femininity with what those things meant at the time this was written.

There are a number of examples of Victorian prejudices, especially against women, threaded into the story, most notably in its portrayal of mental illness. While a number of characters struggle with some form of mental illness, the woman in the attic reveals the depth of prejudice against women who were battling these kinds of issues. The character in question is seen as a monster and treated as less than human, but Jane stands out from the crowd and speaks up to condemn the inhumane treatment and saying that she should instead be treated with empathy and dignity. I applaud Miss Bronte for using her writing to advocate in this way, something I am sure was influenced by her own struggles with clinical depression.

The book is filled with richly drawn characters who leap from the pages and will make you feel every range of emotion. Jane is fierce and feisty, especially when she was young, and I loved that about her. I also admired how she wouldn’t take people’s nonsense at a young age, no matter the trouble she caused for herself, and was rooting for her as she went in search of freedom and equality at a time when that went against societal norms for women. But she could also be very pious and frustrating. My biggest grievances centred around her relationship with Mr. Rochester and the behaviours she accepted from him and even excuses. That man was a walking collection of red flags and though I know it was a different time I still thought she should have taken notice of some of his problematic behaviours and it would annoy me when she’d get angry over something fairly trivial but excuse his more concerning actions. 

Overall, I adored this book and highly recommend it. Thank you Polly for making our buddy read such a joy. I can’t wait for the next one!

Rating: ✮✮✮✮.5

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