BOOKSIMO

Description 'The fact that this novel is so witty is incidental to how good it is - it has characters you care about deeply and a heart as big as a cathedral' Miles Jupp 'The finest love story I have read in years. Perfect I'd say.' Phyllida Shrimpton, author of  Sunflowers in February Mr Baxter is ninety-four years old when he falls down his staircase and finds himself resident at Melrose Gardens Retirement Home. Baxter is many things - raconteur, retired music teacher, rabble-rouser,  bon viveur ; but 'good patient' he is not. Indeed, Melrose Gardens is his worst nightmare. Then he meets Gregory. Greg is just nineteen years old, but he has already suffered a loss so heavy that he is in danger of giving up on life before he even gets going. Seeing the boy's pain, Baxter decides to take him under his wing. Together they embark on a spirited journey to the war graves of Northern France, for Baxter to pay tribute to the love of his life; the ...

Description 'A masterpiece'  Guardian A compelling speculative mystery by one of Japan's greatest writers. Hat, ribbon, bird, rose. To the people on the island, a disappeared thing no longer has any meaning. It can be burned in the garden, thrown in the river or handed over to the Memory Police. Soon enough, the island forgets it ever existed. When a young novelist discovers that her editor is in danger of being taken away by the Memory Police, she desperately wants to save him. For some reason, he doesn’t forget, and it’s becoming increasingly difficult for him to hide his memories. Who knows what will vanish next? The Memory Police is a beautiful, haunting and provocative fable about the power of memory and the trauma of loss, from one of Japan’s greatest writers. 'One of Japan’s most acclaimed authors explores truth, state surveillance and individual autonomy. Echoes 1984, Fahrenheit 451, and 100 Years of Solitude, but it has a voice and power all its o...

Description 'Absorbing and beautiful - a great achievement' Bridget Collins, bestselling author of  The Binding There are hundreds, possibly thousands, of sisters Grimm on Earth. You may well be one of them, though you might never know it. This is the story of four sisters Grimm – daughters born to different mothers on the same day, each born out of bright-white wishing and black-edged desire. They found each other at eight years-old, were separated at thirteen and now, at nearly eighteen, it is imperative that they find each other once again. In thirty-three days they will meet their father in Everwhere. Only then will they discover who they truly are, and what they can truly do. Then they must fight to save their lives and the lives of the ones they love. Three will live, one will die. You’ll have to read on to find out who and why . .  Review I've previously read and reviewed two of the author's other books, and for me this book whilst an epic mas...

Description Finally, a book series for all of the weirdos of the world! THE INTROVERT CONFOUNDS INNOCENCE   continues the story of the eponymous anti-hero introduced in THE INTROVERT. With his life disrupted by an unscrupulous work colleague and a bully at his son Toby's school, things go from bad to worse when his neighbor's abusive boyfriend goes missing, plunging the introvert into the center of a murder investigation. Increasingly hounded by a meddlesome detective, and with his thoughts continually urging him to make people "red and open" and to "achieve it" with his girlfriend Donna, what follows is a sometimes brutal, oftentimes hilarious, and absurdist account of the life of one very anti-social and unexpected anti-hero I'm delighted to be on the blog tour for this book today. Review This is a standalone book, but I think you'd enjoy it more if you read the first book, The Introvert. Because once you finish this one yo...

Description ‘DAZZLING’ Marian Keyes ,  ‘HILARIOUS’ Dolly Alderton ,  ‘TENDER’ Jessie Burton ,  ‘MAGNIFICENT’ Daisy Buchanan ,  ‘INCREDIBLE’ Candice Carty Williams ,  ‘MOVING’ Laura Jane Williams ,  ‘BRILLIANT’ Nikesh Shukla ,  ‘I LOVED IT’ Sam Baker ,  ‘PAINFULLY TRUE’ Kate Davies Jenny is unloved, unemployable and emotionally unfiltered. Her long-suffering friends seem sick of her and whilst her social media portrays her life as a bed of roses, it is more of a dying succulent. Adults  is what you want it to be. A misadventure of maturity, a satire on our age of self-promotion, a tender look at the impossibility of womanhood, a love story, a riot. And Emma Jane Unsworth is the only voice to hear it from.  Adults  is excruciating, a gut punch of hilarity and a book laden with truth that you will read again and again. Review I'm not in the demographic audience for this book, however, I could still really relate to it....

Description Imagine a world where... Everything you ate was monitored by the government. Every step you took was counted. Your children were weighed every day at school. Neighbours reported on neighbours and no one was safe from judgement. Sugar was illegal, and baking was a crime. Imagine if that world was here... What would you do? Toe the line or fight for your freedom... Review This is a novel set in England in a dystopian future where Sugar is a Class A substance and possession of it can get you into a lot of trouble. You may end up in the shame box which is a glass cube in a public place. We meet Olivia who used to be a baker before baking was banned seven years previously. For this reason Olivia is extremely hurt by the sugar ban and the surrender of all of her cake making equipment. She tries her best to do everything the government (headed up by Mother Mason) requires of her and her family.  There is some veiled humour in the book, suc...

Description The first novel in the Liberty Girls series will be loved by fans of Elaine Everest, Nancy Revell and Mr Selfridge. September, 1941. Mary arrives in war-torn London nursing a broken heart and a painful secret. When she is offered her dream post as an assistant in the fabric department at Liberty store, she knows this is the fresh start she needs. Amid the store’s vibrant prints and sumptuous interiors, Mary finds a new family who can help her to heal. But not everyone will give Mary such a warm welcome, and the trauma of her past will soon catch up with her. As Mary and the Liberty Girls endure the heartache and uncertainty of war,  it will take a steady heart to keep the magic of Christmas alive. Review I saved this book from my personal book shelf to read over the Christmas period, but really you could read it at any time of the year. Liberty's is one of my favourite stores and I was a little nervous at how it was going to treated. I needn't have wo...