5 new books to read this week

Kate Atkinson’s latest offering has echoes of classic Agatha Christie-style murder mysteries…

Fiction

1. Death At The Sign Of The Rook by Kate Atkinson is published in hardback by Doubleday, priced £22 (ebook £10.99). Available August 22

Jackson Brodie is back for his sixth outing in Kate Atkinson’s latest offering, Death At The Sign Of The Rook. Hired to investigate the theft of a painting, Brodie finds himself caught up in an intricate web which (in true Atkinson style) comes together at the end in a satisfying denouement. Based in and around a stately home, the set-up is a delight, paying homage to traditional Agatha Christie-style murder mysteries – with a cast including a major, a vicar and an elderly matriarch, as well as the return of previous Brodie companion, DC Reggie Chase. Long-term fans of the erstwhile detective will not be disappointed – the characters are well-drawn, their stories unfolding alongside each other until gradually the strands unite, keeping the reader guessing how they will ultimately tie together. Those new to the Brodie novels will find enough here to enjoy the story without knowing much about Brodie’s past. A great read.

9/10

Property: ‘Where the mountains of Mourne sweep down to the sea’

This Is Going To Hurt creator Adam Kay: I watched my daughter’s birth on FaceTime

(Review by Alison Kershaw)

2. Mina’s Matchbox by Yoko Ogawa is published in hardback by Harvill Secker, priced £18.99 (ebook £9.99). Available August 15

After the sparse yet captivating brutality of The Memory Police, which got Japanese author Yoko Ogawa on the shortlist for the 2020 International Booker Prize, Mina’s Matchbox is a definite change of pace. It follows 12-year-old Tomoko, who is sent to live with her rich uncle’s family on the other side of the country for a year in the 1970s. The book follows her year there – her friendship with the sickly Mina who weaves elaborate stories, the family’s pet pygmy hippopotamus, the uncle’s long, unexplained absences and more. The characters are beautifully drawn, but there’s not much propelling the plot forward. While it’s a pleasant read, nothing really happens and there’s barely any jeopardy – making it unclear what the overall point is.

7/10

(Review by Prudence Wade)

3. The Instrumentalist by Harriet Constable is published in hardback by Bloomsbury, priced £16.99 (ebook £11.89). Available August 15

Based on the true story of an orphaned violinist in Venice in the 1700s, Harriet Constable’s latest book will delight fans of historical fiction. Anna Maria della Pieta was abandoned at an orphanage when she was a baby, and was raised around music – falling in love with the violin. She’s taught by none other than Antonio Vivaldi, and sets her sights on becoming a female ‘maestro’. It’s the kind of book you can see easily adapted into a movie or miniseries, and will no doubt fascinate readers keen to get a glimpse of 18th-century Venice. It’s a pacy read, but some might find the characters a touch cliched, and the descriptive language – particularly when talking about music – can often seem over-the-top.

6/10

(Review by Prudence Wade)

Non-fiction

4. Home Is Where We Start by Susanna Crossman is published in hardback by Fig Tree, priced £18.99 (ebook £9.99). Available August 15

If you’ve ever fantasised about living in a commune, then this engrossing memoir is likely to make you change your mind. Crossman was six when she, her mother and siblings moved to a crumbling mansion alongside a collection of other adults and children. She stayed there for 15 years – and while this social experiment might have been beneficial to some of the adults, the lack of guidance and boundaries was anything but for the kids. In the book, Crossman describes it as being in the playground all day, all night, and never going home. But this isn’t a misery memoir. Crossman examines philosophical and sociological perspectives on the meaning of home, giving insight both into why utopias are unattainable and why we shouldn’t try to reach them in the first place.

8/10

(Review by Jackie Kingsley)

Children’s book of the week

5. Mama Car by Lucy Catchpole, illustrated by Karen George, is published in paperback by Faber & Faber, priced £7.99 (no ebook). Available now

Writer and activist Lucy Catchpole – known as one half of social media personalities The Catchpoles with her husband James – presents her latest picture book for preschool-age readers, Mama Car. The Mama Car has big wheels and can take you on exciting expeditions, but can also be a safe place like home when you’re feeling unsure. But it’s best feature – it carries Mummy! Mama Car is a simple but effective celebration of the wheelchair which feels inclusive and gentle for very young readers, with simple illustrations by Karen George that are evocative of traditional picture books from years gone by.

7/10

(Review by Holly Cowell)

BOOK CHARTS FOR THE WEEK ENDING AUGUST 10

HARDBACK (FICTION)

1. There Are Rivers In The Sky by Elif Shafak

2. Glorious Exploits by Ferdia Lennon

3. The Pairing by Casey McQuiston

4. When The Moon Hatched by Sarah A. Parker

5. Witness 8 by Steve Cavanagh

6. Blue Sisters by Coco Mellors

7. The Book Of Elsewhere by Keanu Reeves & China Miéville

8. Iron Flame by Rebecca Yarros

9. Slow Dance by Rainbow Rowell

10. You Are Here by David Nicholls

(Compiled by Waterstones)

HARDBACK (NON-FICTION)

1. Pinch Of Nom Air Fryer by Kay & Kate Allinson

2. Let’s Be Honest by Jess Phillips

3. Victor And Barry’s Kelvinside Compendium by Alan Cumming & Forbes Masson

4. Catherine, The Princess Of Wales: The Biography by Robert Jobson

5. Autocracy, Inc by Anne Applebaum

6. Dinner by Meera Sodha

7. Lucky Girl by Lottie Tomlinson

8. Paris ’44 by Patrick Bishop

9. So Good by Emily English

10. Ask Not: The Kennedys And The Women They Destroyed by Maureen Callahan

(Compiled by Waterstones)

AUDIOBOOKS (FICTION AND NON-FICTION)

1. Message Deleted by K. L. Slater

2. Atomic Habits by James Clear

3. None Of This Is True by Lisa Jewell

4. The Thursday Murder Club by Richard Osman

5. A Game Of Thrones by George R.R. Martin

6. Fire And Blood by George R.R. Martin

7. Unruly by David Mitchell

8. We Solve Murders by Richard Osman

9. It Starts With Us by Colleen Hoover

10. The Marlow Murder Club by Robert Thorogood

(Compiled by Audible)