5 new books to read this week

Jacqueline Wilson returns with her first adult’s novel since the 1970s…

Fiction

1. Think Again by Jacqueline Wilson is published in hardback by Bantam, priced £22 (ebook £10.99). Available September 12

A comforting, engaging, nostalgic, and heartwarming read – the iconic Jacqueline Wilson is back with her latest adult novel called Think Again, a sequel to the Girls franchise. Following Ellie Allard’s life into adulthood, the novel starts on her 40th birthday, where she finds life is not looking exactly how she had imagined – but there is so much for her to learn and discover, she just doesn’t know it yet. Themes of motherhood, friendships, relationships, school, sex, body image, health, and employment are covered in the most relatable way, making you smile and laugh and ask questions to yourself along the way. You never feel alone reading one of Wilson’s books and her writing is brilliant and honest. This is a must-read for any Jacqueline Wilson fan – you won’t be disappointed.

9/10

Martin Clunes: I can’t afford to retire – I’ve got too many horses

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(Review by Eleanor Fleming)

2. What A Way To Go by Bella Mackie is published in hardback by The Borough Press, priced £20 (ebook £9.99). Available September 12

After the roaring success of her debut, How To Kill Your Family – soon to become a Netflix series starring Anya Taylor-Joy – Bella Mackie is back with another murder mystery. What A Way To Go begins with the suspicious death of ultra-wealthy Anthony Wistern, a businessman who gets gruesomely impaled at his 60th birthday party. The book is subsequently told from multiple perspectives – from Anthony, looking at proceedings from a kind of purgatory; his odious family members, scrabbling for the inheritance and discovering that their father was no angel; and an amateur sleuth, who’s convinced the death is foul play. Mackie’s latest offering is fast-paced, funny and will have you guessing until the end – it will no doubt be another bestseller.

8/10

(Review by Prudence Wade)

3. Blackwater by Michael McDowell is published in paperback by Penguin, priced £9.99 (ebook £4.99). Available September 5

Originally published in 1983, Blackwater I: The Flood is the first in the six-book Blackwater series set in the small community of Perdido, Alabama in the early 20th century. It begins with a catastrophic flood that brings destruction – and something more sinister – to the town. As the waters recede, the focus turns to the efforts of the respectable yet dysfunctional Caskey family, to come to terms with the mysterious newcomer in their midst. While the dialogue is at times somewhat leaden, the horror-inflected southern setting drips with enough atmosphere and charm to keep you engaged.

7/10

(Review by Nick Forbes)

Non-fiction

4. Rosen’s Almanac by Michael Rosen is published in hardback by Ebury Press, priced £16.99 (ebook £8.99). Available September 5

Have you ever wondered what happened to certain words you used to hear all the time? Perhaps they were words your grandma often said when she lost something, or a phrase your grandad picked up from the war that has died out with their generation. In this book, author, poet and broadcaster Michael Rosen delves into our use of words and some of the reasons we choose to change our language over time, as English continues to evolve. This is a brilliant collection of weird and wonderful words and phrases from all over the UK – and some theories behind their meaning, with a different one selected for each day of the year. It’s an enjoyable and light-hearted read which may get you wondering why we no longer use some vocabulary that was once in everyday use.

8/10

(Review by Karen Shield)

Children’s book of the week

5. Life In The Wild: Observing The Mysterious Lives Of 10 Real Animals by Lizzie Daly, illustrated by Chiara Fedele, is published in hardback by DK Children, priced £14.99 (ebook £6.99). Available September 5

This is a stunning book with delightful colour illustrations that will thrill every wildlife loving child and adult. It takes you through 10 different informative stories, starting with a polar bear and her cub on their journey for sea ice – which will let them hunt for food. Global warming has made this journey longer, with catastrophic results. Other stories include jaguars having to ferociously defend their territories, as well as tales about leopard seals, sharks, crocodiles and more – highlighting their struggles to survive. It is very thought-provoking, highlighting how delicate our planet can be, and why we need to properly care for it.

9/10

(Review by Joanne Brennan)

BOOK CHARTS FOR THE WEEK ENDING AUGUST 31

HARDBACK (FICTION)

1. The Hotel Avocado by Bob Mortimer

2. Precipice by Robert Harris

3. The Examiner by Janice Hallett

4. Safe Enough: And Other Stories by Lee Child

5. The Life Impossible by Matt Haig

6. Death At The Sign Of The Rook by Kate Atkinson

7. Shy Creatures by Clare Chambers

8. Glorious Exploits by Ferdia Lennon

9. There Are Rivers In The Sky by Elif Shafak

10. The Dark Wives by Ann Cleeves

(Compiled by Waterstones)

HARDBACK (NON-FICTION)

1. Speedy Weeknight Meals by Jon Watts

2. A Voyage Around The Queen by Craig Brown

3. The Greatest Nobodies Of History by Adrian Bliss

4. Pinch Of Nom Air Fryer: Easy, Slimming Meals by Kay & Kate Allinson

5. Truss At 10: How Not To Be Prime Minister by Anthony Seldon

6. Eighteen: A History Of Britain iIn 18 Young Lives by Alice Loxton

7. Imminent:Inside The Pentagon’s Hunt For UFOs by Luis Elizondo

8. Hitler’s People by Richard J. Evans

9. Trelawny’s Cornwall by Petroc Trelawny

10. How To Win The Premier League by Ian Graham

(Compiled by Waterstones)

AUDIOBOOKS (FICTION AND NON-FICTION)

1. The Hotel Avocado by Bob Mortimer

2. Sometimes People Die by Simon Stephenson

3. Atomic Habits by James Clear

4. It Starts With Us by Colleen Hoover

5. Precipice by Robert Harris

6. The Satsuma Complex by Bob Mortimer

7. The Thursday Murder Club by Richard Osman

8. The Life Impossible by Matt Haig

9. Message Deleted by K. L. Slater

10. Unruly by David Mitchell

(Compiled by Audible)