What to read in September – the best new books
From the rulers of a boy’s heart to the glory days of Queen, via the Festival of Britain, this month’s new book releases will rock you.
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From the rulers of a boy’s heart to the glory days of Queen, via the Festival of Britain, this month’s new book releases will rock you.
His mother drowned herself: he couldn’t save her. His Slovak father has lost his mind: “He’s gone gaga altogether…” Jack, aged 12, moves in with Grandad Pio and formidable Nana, a dervish in an apron. It’s a full house, with sexy aunt Rose, uncles Theo and Haulie, and young, troubled JJ.
They’re a shouty, sweary bunch, with their “yard of broken-down cars and orphaned cats, and purblind dogs”. And Jack’s doing just fine – or so he thinks, helping Theo and Haulie in their workshop, aligning points, swapping out condensers. And if he’s actually falling apart, they’ll be there for him, his kings.
A novel bursting at the seams with love, humour and compassion.
Mysterious graffiti starts to appear around Oxford, presaging the deaths of members of a literary cabal. After recognising the images as a runic alphabet created by a late fantasy writer, Martha Thornhill and her team at the Clarendon English Dictionary step up to decipher the clues.
Another corker from our very own word-loving columnist, as the City of Dreaming Spires becomes a neighbourhood of nightmares.
It is 1951 in war-scarred London, and war-scarred Harry Flynn (Burma railway, don’t ask!) is part of a team organising the Festival of Britain. When a female colleague goes missing after a date (of sorts), Harry comes under suspicion.
A stroppy teen stepdaughter, a dog named Mrs Betty, and a supporting cast of cranks make for a fun, crazy read in which the most absurd elements turn out to be historically correct.
When Reece finds his parents dead in bed, it seems like a clear case of murder-suicide (his dad holds a gun and left a note). But then Reece’s phone rings, and who should be calling him but…? Classic Barclay, a gritty, twisty, heart-stopping blockbuster in which the past gives up its secrets as the sea gives up bodies.
Believable, complex characters drive a plot that motors along to a shocking denouement.
Farrokh Bulsara, aka Freddie Mercury, would have been 80 on 5 September. To Mary Austin, his one-time lover, fiancée and friend, he left a trove of his paintings, doodles, jottings, photos, compositions, and the lyrics that run through a poignant memoir faithful to the legacy of the brilliant boy from Zanzibar.
Biba, the King’s Road, the birth of Queen… Those were the days of their lives.
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These engrossing novels and fascinating non-fiction picks are the perfect summer escape.
Dr Mark Porter dives into the health issues affecting us all in the new podcast from Saga.
The celebrity historian shares her travel stories and disasters.
The BBC newsreader on running 23 marathons, coping with grief and why she’s still chasing new challenges at 58.
The writer and broadcaster on childhood adventures, Winnie-the-Pooh and the lesson that has guided him.
The TV presenter shares her favourite places and the surprising companion she would love to travel with.
TV’s Dr Hilary Jones on why he wants sweeping reform to modern healthcare.
