Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus
If you want a joyful, funny and uplifting book, then this one’s for you. Elizabeth Zott is a feisty, feminist heroine: a scientist in 1960s America who accidentally becomes a hit tv chef. Along with her dog, Six thirty and her daughter, Mad, she tries to figure out life in an unfair world. It’s a hugely charming novel (from 64 year old debut author Bonnie Garmus) and a big word-of-mouth hit that is now being made into an Apple TV Series with Brie Larson starring as Zott.
Great Circle by Maggie Shipstead
This epic novel is over 600 pages but don’t let that put you off. It is a dual timeline story of two women: one, Marian Graves, a pioneering aviatrix of the early 20th century; the other, Hadley Baxter, the actress portraying her in a biopic in the present day. Both women are compelling (although we found Marian and her twin brother slightly more so than Hadley) and although a little slow to start, it soon has you gripped. It’s an ambitious, compelling novel and we aren’t surprised it has been shortlisted for the Women’s Prize for Fiction.
Murder Before Evensong by The Reverend Richard Coles
Published June 9th, if you liked The Thursday Murder Club Books by Richard Osman, then you’ll love this first of a debut series by the newly retired Reverend Richard Coles (formerly co-founder of The Communards 80s pop group). The book follows Canon Daniel Clement who turns detective after a murder in his village, all whilst tending to varying needs of his parish. It’s funny, wise and gentle, despite the gruesome deaths.
The Paper Palace by Miranda Cowley Heller
Another debut and one that immerses you into a family drama of lost love, childhood accidents and the questions over different paths taken in life. It’s beautifully written and really envelopes you in the heady, hot atmosphere of summers spent on the lakes in North East America. It isn’t all splashing about in the water though and the serious childhood incidents that are recalled and which give shape to the lives to come, also give the book a sharp, compelling edge.
In 1962, just out of business school, Phil Knight borrowed $50 from his father and created a company with a simple mission: import high-quality, low-cost athletic shoes from Japan. Selling the shoes from the boot of his car, Knight grossed $8,000 in his first year. Today, Nike’s annual sales are over $30 billion. We loved this amazing story of the highs and lows of one of the most successful businesses created this century – Knight was CEO of Nike from 1964 – 2005, a board chairman until 2016 and he is currently Chairman Emeritus.
The premise of this book – to track the relationships between a family over the course of a year through a series of lunches, dinners and drinks – might seem contrived but it works. When Linda and Gerry Maguire announce that they are divorcing after 30 years of marriage, their two children start to question their own lives. The book follows the fall out from their announcement and each chapter gives the back story of a different family member. It’s well observed, funny and sad all at the same time and amazingly assured writing for a debut novel.
The Inseparables by Simone de Beauvoir
This recently-discovered novella by Simone de Beauvoir has just come out in a slim paperback with an introduction by Deborah Levy. The book begins with two 9-year old girls, Andrée and Sylvie making friends at school in Paris and follows the way their friendship is tested as they grow up. An autobiographical story, it was never published in Simone de Beauvoir’s lifetime, and this edition includes an Afterword by Sylvie Le Bon de Beauvoir, her adopted daughter about the process of the book going to print.
A Little Bird Loves
