FULLY booked

THIS MONTH, DAWN ANNANDALE HAS TUCKED INTO SOME HEAVYWEIGHT NUMBERS WHERE THE EFFECTS OF WAR SET THE STAGE FOR THRILLERS AND CHILLERS. BUT TO LIGHTEN THE LOAD, THERE'S A LOVELY-DOVEY FAIRY TALE AND A TOME THAT TEACHES YOU HOW TO ENTERTAIN BOHO STYLE

THE WARRINGHAM CHRONICLES, VOLUME 1: THE RUNAWAY

By Rebecca Gable

Publisher:

Audible Originals

Genre: Historical Fiction

Audio: Available and excellent

For you lovers of historical fiction, this series is absolutely fantastic. Just the right combination of swashbuckling, romance, history and intrigue. The complete series is a family saga, which spans several generations and monarchs: the political shenanigans are identical to those of today and it would appear that our rulers have learned nothing!

England under the rule of Edward III was a cruel world for the impoverished. The story begins with the young Robin learning of the death of his father, and the fall from grace of his family. Robin has to survive against the odds with the help and hindrance of both the nobility and the common people. The plague, failed harvests and the war in France all contribute to the hardships faced by the peasants during the 50-year reign of this most pious king. The church was incredibly powerful, and even the king was cautious of his treatment of the clergy. At the time of his father’s death, Robin was a 12-year-old student at an austere monastery, desperate to complete his education and get out into the big world. His adventures are compelling and I eagerly read the next book in the saga.

Actually, I listened to the Audible version of the book which was excellent, told through a combination of narration and acting.

The Charity Shop Detective Agency

By Peter Boland

Publisher: Joffee Books

Genre: Mystery

Audio: Not available

A lovely, silly story of old ladies and Victoria sponge. We all know the type of ladies in the story – most of us are probably just like them! If you liked the Lady Hardcastle books or Richard Osman’s tales, this is definitely for you.

A serial killer is stalking the elderly of Southbourne. The only clue left behind is a domino in the hand of each victim – with a name scratched on the back. Eighty-six-yearold Sarah Brown is found dead in her hallway one morning by her delivery man. She was stabbed in the back.

Fiona, Sue and Daisy, volunteers at the local charity shop, Dogs Need Nice Homes, can’t believe their favourite customer is dead. The ladies vow to bring the killer to justice.

With plenty of tea and cake along the way, and despite squabbles with their rivals, the Cats Alliance across the street, the Charity Shop Detective Agency is born.

THE SOUTHERN BOOK CLUB’S GUIDE TO SLAYING VAMPIRES

By Grady Hendrix

Publisher: Quirk Books

Genre: Horror

Audio: Available and excellent

A funny horror story, with vampires. Yep, I thought so, too but it is actually the retelling of a classic tale which will become apparent once you begin to read. Very ‘different’ and definitely not my usual, but the things I do for you lot!

The High Mountains Of Portugal

By Yann Martel

Publisher: Canongate books

Genre: Fiction

Audio: Available and excellent

I chose this book for two reasons: the title, as we are a Portugal-based magazine, and because it is by the author of Life of Pi. Yes, it’s definitely worth reading and definitely very odd. But, give it a try because this guy has won the Booker Prize.

In Lisbon in 1904, a young man named Tomás discovers an old journal which hints at the existence of an extraordinary artifact that, if it can be found, would redefine history. Travelling in one of Europe’s earliest automobiles, he sets out in search of this strange treasure.

Thirty-five years later, a Portuguese pathologist devoted to the murder mysteries of Agatha Christie, finds himself at the centre of a mystery of his own and drawn into the consequences of Tomás’s quest.

Fifty years on, a Canadian senator takes refuge in his ancestral village in northern Portugal, grieving the loss of his beloved wife. But he arrives with an unusual companion: a chimpanzee. And there the century-old quest will come to an unexpected conclusion.

The High Mountains of Portugal is part quest, part ghost story, part contemporary fable. It offers a haunting exploration of great love and great loss. Filled with tenderness, humour and endless surprise, it takes the reader on a road trip through Portugal in the last century and through the human soul.

ANTI-INFLAMMATORY DIET COOKBOOK FOR BEGINNERS

By Poula Ray

Publisher: Independently published

Genre: Cookery

Audio: Not available

I love cooking, eating and all things food. We could all do with learning a few tricks to help us with diet and nutrition as we age; and let’s face it, none of us are getting any younger. This book is great. Informative, concise, using available ingredients, not too fancy or fussy but sensible information on how to eat well whilst doing something constructive about your arthritis and other achy bits. Many cultures believe you are what you eat, and if I can make myself feel physically better by altering my diet then I’m happy to learn. Anything has to be better than popping yet another pain killer and masking the problem rather than fixing the root cause. Beautiful photos, excellent value.

The Whistle Blower

By Robert Peston

Publisher: Zaffre

Genre: Thriller

Audio: Available and excellent

Peston’s debut thriller is set in the London of 1997, with a crumbling Conservative government falling in the face of a modern Labour opposition. In the middle of it all is political journalist Gil Peck. He’s a reporter who would sell his granny for a scoop. He is the well-connected son of a former Labour advisor who grew up a secular Jew in north London. This could almost be Peston himself and it’s tempting to see his protagonist as a self-portrait. But if it is, he certainly does not spare himself: Peck is thoughtless, tactless and utterly self-obsessed, until the death of his high-flying civil servant sister shakes him out of his smug little world. Her death – and the possibility it was not an accident – pushes Peck to find out some uncomfortable home truths. The plot ticks along pretty smoothly, enlivened by a fond cynicism for the worlds of politics and newspapers. I have to stop there otherwise I would give the game away.

Peston’s portrayal of 1990’s London is fun and dripping with drink, drugs, private members’ clubs and an eye for designer clothes, while news junkies and political addicts will enjoy trying to put the real names to some of the characters.

As a journalist myself, I thoroughly enjoyed the book and would recommend it to anyone who enjoys a thriller and recalls those hedonistic days of the 1990s.