Exquisite escapism
Island in the Sun by Katie Fforde(Century, £16.99)
A Caribbean island, a mission to find some rare stone carvings, and the company of a handsome journalist: what could possibly go wrong? Cass travels to Dominica to fulfil a promise made by her father to an old friend, accompanied by Ranulph. But when the island is hit by a hurricane, she must dig deep to find strength and courage she never knew she had - while romance blossoms.
WIVES LIKE US by Plum Sykes(Bloomsbury, £18.99)
The lives, loves and intrigues of the Cotswolds super-rich - and their equally fascinating staff - are wittily dissected in this affectionate satire. All-seeing gay executive butler Ian presides over the whirl of parties, rivalries and crises, while exquisitely dressed women jostle for social supremacy. A compellingly entertaining tale, reminiscent of Evelyn Waugh and Nancy Mitford.
The Happiest Ever After by Milly Johnson(Simon & Schuster, £8.99)
Put-upon Polly Potter is taken for granted by everyone, including her unfaithful partner. Her only solace is the novel she is writing at her evening classes, living vicariously as her protagonist Sabrina, a shinier version of herself. But when she finds herself in hospital with partial amnesia, she becomes convinced she is Sabrina. Can she start afresh, or will the past catch up with her?
MEET ME AT RAINBOW CORNER by Celia Imrie(Bloomsbury, £16.99)
It's 1944 in London. Dot Gallagher, just arrived from Liverpool, takes shelter from the bombs in a tube station, where she finds American GIs dancing round a gramophone. The scene is set, and sparks fly as Dot is introduced to a secret servicemen's nightclub where wartime troubles can be danced away. A heart-warming tale based on real events.
Non-fiction
THE HOUSE DIVIDED: SUNNI, SHIA AND THE MAKING OF THE MIDDLE EAST by Barnaby Rogerson(Profile Books, £25)
An ideal book for people who want to understand more about this troubled region. It answers basic questions, such as the difference between Sunni and Shia Islam, and outlines the current rivalries and conflicts, as well as the involvement of Britain and the global superpowers.
C.S. LEWIS'S OXFORD by Simon Horobin(Bodleian Library Publishing, £30)
Despite his wonderful flights of imagination, C.S. Lewis rarely left Oxford as an adult. The Narnia stories are inspired by real-life locations and buildings all over city. Drawing on previously unpublished diaries, letters and poems, Simon Horobin shows how intimately Lewis and the city were intertwined.
PARIS '44: THE SHAME AND THE GLORY by Patrick Bishop(Viking, £25)
This year marked the 80th anniversary of the D-Day landings, prompting a surge of books on the subject. Bishop's is among the best, exploring how Paris was saved, almost miraculously intact, while other towns and cities were being laid waste by war.
THE PIANO PLAYER OF BUDAPEST by Roxanne de Bastion(Robinson, £22)
When the author, a singer-songwriter, inherited a piano that had been in her family for over a century, and found a recording of her grandfather playing it, she began to delve into the true story of the instrument and her family. What emerges is an extraordinary tale of music and survival.
SUNKEN LANDS: A JOURNEY THROUGH FLOODED KINGDOMS AND LOST WORLDS by Gareth E. Rees(Elliot & Thompson, £16.99)
Deluge legends occur in many mythologies across the world, and archaeological finds have shown that some have a basis in fact. Gareth Rees surveys drowned landscapes in Wales, the Fens, the Bay of Bengal and the coast of Virginia, among others, documenting man-made destructive change but also celebrating their surreal beauty.
Crime & thrillers
THE MYSTERY OF THE CROOKED MAN by Tom Spencer(Pushkin Press, £16.99)
A cantankerous archivist with a gin habit and a crime-fiction obsession, Agatha Dorn discovers a lost manuscript by Gladden Green (a fictional Christie) that propels her to sudden fame. Then it is exposed as a fake, and her ex-lover is found dead. Are the two connected? Agatha turns sleuth to find out. A deliciously witty, wryly humorous whodunnit.
ARGYLLE by Elly Conway(Bantam, £16.99)
When a Russian magnate threatens to throw the world into chaos, powerful CIA chief Frances Coffey recruits an unlikely misfit to foil his nefarious plan. The most talked-about spy thriller of the year, which inspired Matthew Vaughn's recent star-studded film adaptation.
THE COMING STORM by Greg Mosse(Moonflower, £8.99)
In this sequel to 2022's The Coming Darkness - one of the Sunday Times's Thrillers of the Year - Alexandre Lamarque returns to the fray in a showdown against devious forces of evil (a disturbingly resonant threat). A deftly plotted, fast-paced futuristic dystopia with a sweeping reach - from Paris to the lithium mines of Mali.
THE FORMIDABLE MISS CASSIDY by Meihan Boey(Pushkin ONE, £16.99)
The flame-haired Scottish heroine of the title is no ordinary governess: multilingual and multi-talented, she can bring the most unruly children into line. Arriving in 1890s Singapore for a new job, she ends up dealing with mysteries in a richly evoked setting steeped in folklore. Mary Poppins meets Buffy the Vampire Slayer.
Fiction
NORMAL RULES DON'T APPLY: SHORT STORIES by Kate Atkinson(Doubleday, £18.99)
A talking horse that gives racing tips; the unseen lives of a child's toys, and a mysterious, terrifying void are just some of the subjects in this collection of highly enjoyable but thought-provoking stories. Atkinson, the author of Behind the Scenes at the Museum and a three-time Whitbread and Costa Book Award winner - is at her best when describing the flint-edged charm of the bourgeoisie - an entertaining cross between Evelyn Waugh and Angela Carter.
OLD ROMANTICS by Maggie Armstrong(Tramp Press, £13.99)
This sharply observed and witty debut collection of interrelated short stories charts the turbulent life of an Irish woman as she navigates a series of dubious romantic liaisons, from her teenage years through to motherhood and family life. It is a strikingly perceptive and entertaining study of a woman's search for what she really wants. These stories will alternately make you cringe and
HEART, BE AT PEACE by Donal Ryan(Doubleday, £16.99)
In a small town in rural Ireland in 2019, the jobs are back following the economic downturn and there is optimism in the air. But a new threat is looming. This beautiful and moving novel, told in 21 voices, serves up heartbreak and hope in equal measure.
THE GHOST SHIP by Kate Mosse(Pan, £9.99)
This epic, swashbuckling tale of adventure, piracy and romance on the high seas has two strong female characters at its centre - not just as love interests, hurrah! Mosse's meticulously researched historical fiction, with its stunning exotic locations, bravery and passion, is the perfect paperback to pack.
Absolutely & Forever by Rose Tremain(Chatto & Windus, £16.99)
In this semi-autobiographical coming-of-age love story about a girl growing up in the home countries on the brink of the 1960s, Tremain deftly captures the era of Morris Minors, Vogue patterns and Remington typewriters. A brilliant evocation of the period.
Biography and memoirs
God and the Angel: Vivien Leigh and Laurence Olivier's Tour de Force of Australia and New Zealand by Shiroma Perera-Nathan(Melbourne Books, £46.99)
At the height of their fame, the two superstars of stage and screen toured the Antipodes, performing plays and being treated like royalty. But behind the scenes their marriage - and Leigh's mental health - were failing. An expertly researched and empathetic biography.
Better Broken than New by Lisa St Aubin de Terán(Amaurea Press, £19.95)
The title of her new memoir is how Lisa St Aubin de Terán describes herself now, aged 70. Her first book in nearly 20 years looks back on her bohemian, dramatic and much-travelled life: from Clapham to the Venezuelan Andes, from Italy and the Caribbean to Mozambique. A spellbinding storyteller, she inspires wanderlust.
A VERY PRIVATE SCHOOL by Charles Spencer(William Collins, £25)
Heartfelt, moving and eloquently written, Spencer's account of his time at elite boarding school Maidwell Hall in the 1970s is devastating but compulsive reading. It exposes the school's culture of cruelty and abuse, but is as much about self-discovery and healing as it is about surviving childhood trauma.
BEHIND THE SHOULDER PADS: TALES I TELL MY FRIENDS by Joan Collins(Seven Dials, £22)
The star of 1980s TV hit Dynasty and of Hollywood's golden age looks back on her sensational 70-year career and offers an intriguing overview of an industry that is forever changing and reinventing itself. There are gossipy anecdotes about many of the greats - from Marilyn Monroe to Elvis - spiced with Dame Joan's signature sharp wit.
This review first appeared in the August 2024 issue of The Lady magazine.
◆ BOOKSHELF with monthly book reviews is edited by Juanita Coulson. In every issue of The Lady magazine, for your local stockist use the store finder on the website.
