5 new books to read this week

This week’s top book takes you back in time to the Roaring Twenties…

Fiction

1. Ex-Wife by Ursula Parrott is published paperback by Faber & Faber, priced £9.99 (ebook £7.99). Available now

We’re in New York, and Patricia is splitting up from her husband, Peter. This is not 2024, but 1924, the setting for Ursula Parrott’s Ex-Wife. Reissued 95 years after it became a bestseller, its vivid descriptions of the cocktails, the clothes, the speakeasies, the dancing and the romances jump off the page and spin the reader into a giddy whirl of the Roaring Twenties. However, along with the glitz and glamour comes a dark side of violence and shame. The book is witty and smart – although some lines are undoubtedly problematic and jarring for the reader of today. Author Parrott, as intriguing as the characters she expertly builds, was one of the most successful female writers of the 1930s but died aged 58, destitute and alcoholic. Through Ex-Wife – a tale of love, heartbreak and friendships, which still resonates after almost a century – her voice lives on.

9/10

The Focacceria is a brilliant bakery serving up some of the best chips I’ve ever tasted - Eating Out

Niall McKenna’s back-to-school recipes

(Review by Eleanor Barlow)

2. The Villa by Jess Ryder is published in paperback by Penguin, priced £8.99 (ebook £2.99). Available now

Why would a group of women return to the Spanish villa where they spent a hen weekend three years ago – and where the bride-to-be was murdered? To find out who killed their friend, and discover answers to a series of tragic events leading to the murder. The women quickly realise it was a bad idea, as they fall out with each other, rekindle dreadful memories – and dice with death themselves. Different versions of the murder keep the group confused and angry, but at least one of them is determined to stay until the truth is known. You’ll love the way the chapters switch from the weekend of the murder to the return visit, as the hunt for the killer takes some unexpected, and violent, turns. The Villa looks destined to be Jess Ryder’s most successful psychological thriller yet – as long as you don’t read this in a Spanish villa on a hen weekend.

8/10

(Review by Alan Jones)

3. The Echoes by Evie Wyld is published in hardback by Jonathan Cape, priced £18.99 (ebook £9.99). Available August 1

Written in an intriguing style that keeps you turning page after page, author Evie Wyld takes you back and forth in time following the narratives of partners Max and Hannah. Starting with Max having died and living as a ghost in their house, the reader gains insight into their deteriorating relationship and his reflections on it from the afterlife. Wyld also weaves through Hannah’s childhood past in Australia that she struggles to confront in the present and keeps secretive from Max, making her a particularly complex, unpredictable character to follow. It’s an enjoyable read, but has an ending that might leave you wanting more.

6/10

(Review by Anahita Hossein-Pour)

Non-fiction

4. Iconic: My Life In Fashion In 50 Objects by Zandra Rhodes and Ella Alexander is published in hardback by Bantam, priced £25 (ebook £13.99). Available now

British fashion designer Dame Zandra Rhodes’ new memoir explores her fierce and multifaceted life through 50 of her most treasured possessions. From fly spray to Diana, Princess of Wales’ watercolour sketch, Rhodes’ disparate objects culminate in humorous and heartwarming stories. Unusually, it is a memoir that doesn’t require to be read chronologically, as its form lends itself well to leafing through one object at a time. Iconic isn’t filled with jaw-dropping celebrity gossip, perhaps aside from Rhodes’ relationship with Vivienne Westwood, rather the book relays the trials and defiance of a young woman making her way in the fashion industry in 1960s Britain. Uninhibited and humorous, Iconic is an astute read for anyone interested in fashion tales from the swinging Sixties and beyond.

7/10

(Review by Lara Owen)

Children’s book of the week

5. We’re Moving House by Mick Jackson, illustrated by Rashin Kheiriyeh, is published in hardback by Walker Books, priced £12.99 (no ebook). Available now

A small child completely misunderstands what his mum means when she tells him they’re moving house in this picture book. He suddenly has a vision of his home having to be picked up and moved, and worries about the logistics of it all – creating a few fascinating scenarios captured in interesting detail in the illustrations, with lots of things to point at. It will be helpful to any parent wanting to explain to small children about a move – especially as it ends on a really positive note. But also any child fascinated by cranes, boats, lorries and helicopters will have their imagination piqued. Mick Jackson, nominated for the Booker Prize for adult novel The Underground Man, can clearly write for small children too.

7/10

(Review by Bridie Pritchard)

BOOK CHARTS FOR THE WEEK ENDING JULY 27

HARDBACK (FICTION)

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

2. You Are Here by David Nicholls

3. When The Moon Hatched by Sarah A. Parker

4. Glorious Exploits by Ferdia Lennon

5. The Book Of Bill by Alex Hirsch

6. Blue Sisters by Coco Mellors

7. All The Colours Of The Dark by Chris Whitaker

8. The Black Bird Oracle by Deborah Harkness

9. Long Island by Colm Tóibín

10. Iron Flame by Rebecca Yarros

(Compiled by Waterstones)

HARDBACK (NON-FICTION)

1. So Good by Emily English

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

3. Autocracy, Inc by Anne Applebaum

4. My World by Ami Charlize

5. Paris ’44 by Patrick Bishop

6. Ask Not by Maureen Callahan

7. Iconic by Zandra Rhodes & Ella Alexander

8. Greekish by Georgina Hayden

9. The Anxious Generation by Jonathan Haidt

10. Restore by Will Kirk

(Compiled by Waterstones)

AUDIOBOOKS (FICTION AND NON-FICTION)

1. Message Deleted by K. L. Slater

2. Atomic Habits by James Clear

3. Hillbilly Elegy by J. D. Vance

4. None Of This Is True by Lisa Jewell

5. The Thursday Murder Club by Richard Osman

6. The Word Is Murder by Anthony Horowitz

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

8. MILF by Paloma Faith

9. Unruly by David Mitchell

10. The School For Good And Evil Audio Collection: The School Years (Books 1-3) by Soman Chainani

(Compiled by Audible)