Which Books Should You Be Buying This Week?
Your round-up of the weekend's newspaper book reviews Dec 2/3
Ho Ho Ho… Holy Sh*t, how is it this time of the year already? Last weekend I had Covid and so the tree went up yesterday (hence this round-up being a few hours late) and my living room is now a twinkling, glistening little grotto.
Because it is ‘that time of year’ the newspapers were not full of reviews of new books this weekend, instead editors and writers were rounding up their books of the year. So I guess, that’s what we’ll do here this week.
I am very pleased to say that one of the books that I had written made it onto one of the prestigious Books of the Year lists. Frances Wilson chose Wendy Mitchell’s ONE LAST THING as her favourite of 2023 in The Spectator calling it ‘the best and most useful book I have read this year.’
“[Wendy] She does not want to ‘slip over the edge’, she explains, and spend her last years inside a black hole. The point at which her life will lose its joy and therefore purpose is when she can no longer go for walks, type or recognise her two daughters. ONE LAST THING is an argument for assisted dying and also, invaluably, a guide to the paperwork and acronyms involved, including ACP, ReSPECT, LPA and DNACPR forms. It is curious, Mitchell notes, how little value we place on a good death when the death rate among us is 100 per cent.”
You can buy ONE LAST THING here.
Some fiction now, in the Observer New Review round-up, Mary Beard chose Zadie Smith’s historical novel, THE FRAUD as one she will be wrapping for people this year.
You can buy THE FRAUD for your friends and family here.
Booker shortlister, THE BEE STING, might not have been declared the winner but it made it onto several lists of favourites in the round-ups.
“I was very impressed with Paul Murray’s THE BEE STING, about a well-off Irish family that falls on hard times,” wrote Clive Myrie in The Observer’s New Review. “Money perhaps helped paper over and suppress turmoil within, masking a true understanding of their world, as well as the wider one in which they live. It’s funny and painful with ghosts from the past and spectres from the future.”
You can buy THE BEE STING here.
Claire Kilroy author of SOLDIER SAILOR said Audrey Magee’s THE COLONY would be bumped to the top of her stocking wishlist.
Speaking of Claire Kilroy, The Sunday Times declared SOLDIER SAILOR one of its favourites this year, and I still remember the stunning review it received back in the summer.
“You could heat a small family home with the paper wasted on mediocre writing about motherhood, so how refreshing it is to read Claire Kilroy. This is a psychological horror story-cum-love letter about a new mother stuck at home with her monster of a toddler, while her useless husband (or is he? Being sleepless and strung-out doesn’t make for the most reliable narrator) texts her smiley faces and expects dinner. The perfect Christmas present for men married to new mothers.”
You can buy SOLDIER SAILOR here.
Rachel Cooke chose Daniel Clowes’ new graphic novel MONICA as one of her books of the year. “A new book by Clowes is always eagerly anticipated and MONICA, a collection of nine stories loosely linked by the prickly misfit of its title, didn’t disappoint. Conspiracy theories, crank cults, toxic relationships: he gives us our own times magnificently disguised as a gorgeous looking period piece.“
I would be delighted to find this under my tree, it’s a wildcard book that most book lovers won’t have considered buying for themselves and it’s also rather beautiful.
ARRANGEMENTS IN BLUE by Amy Key was one of my favourite books of the spring time and it also made it onto The Times’ best memoir list.
“The poet Amy Key’s Joni Mitchell-inspired account of loneliness and longing might not be the best stocking filler, but this startingly honest account of long-term singledom hits a courageous sweet spot, tackling the issue with real heart. ‘The last time I had a boyfriend I was 22,’ she writes. ‘I’m about to turn 44.’ Her observations are raw and real, but also expose the narrative of romance we all cling to. Her singular voice on this (almost) taboo subject is to be celebrated.”
You can buy ARRANGEMENTS IN BLUE here.
Also, two final shout outs from me.
Firstly, MADONNA: A REBEL LIFE by Mary Gabriel if you are stuck what to buy the Madonna fan in your life then look no further. To be honest, you don’t even need to be a super fan, because this is not just a biography but a social commentary of not just Madonna’s coming of age, but all of ours.
You can buy MADONNA: A REBEL LIFE here.
And my own book of the year is Sheena Patel’s I’M A FAN, I’ve tried to impress this on you many, many times in this newsletter, but it’s been a real stand out for me this year and I was very happy to see it on many prizelists.
There you go, that’s your lot, but do remember I can order any book as well as those listed, so do send me a custom order to help support my work, and so I can afford goose not gruel for Christmas! You can custom order here.
Plus don’t forget my Christmas book hampers. I sold one of my historical fiction ones over the weekend, and they are a rather lovely gift for a book lover!
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