FULLY booked

DAWN ANNANDALE DOES A FAIR AMOUNT OF RESEARCHING AND READING EVERY MONTH, AND NOW THAT THE TEMPERATURES HAVE COOLED DOWN, SHE ’ LL BE INTO A ROUND OF NEWLY-PUBLISHED BOOKS, AND THOSE HERALDED AS BEST-SELLERS-TO-BE, AS WELL AS SOME REAL OLD-TIME FAVOURITES THAT YOU COULD READ TIME AND TIME AGAIN. LET US KNOW YOUR PAST FAVES

Corpus

By Rory Clements

Publisher: Zaffre

Genre: Military fiction

1936. Europe is in turmoil. The Nazis have marched into the Rhineland. In Russia, Stalin has unleashed his Great Terror. Spain has erupted in civil war. In Berlin, a young Englishwoman evades the Gestapo to deliver vital papers to a Jewish scientist. Within weeks, she is found dead, a silver syringe clutched in her fingers. In an exclusive London club, a conspiracy is launched that threatens the very heart of government. When a renowned society couple with fascist leanings are found brutally murdered, a maverick Cambridge professor is drawn into a world of espionage he knows only from history books. The deeper Thomas Wilde delves, the more he finds to link the murders to the girl with the silver syringe and, even more worryingly, to the scandal surrounding the Abdication.

Set against the gathering drumbeat of war and moving from Berlin to Cambridge, from Whitehall to the Kent countryside, and from the Fens to the Aragon Front in Spain, this thriller is a masterpiece. I absolutely loved it –the intrigue is off the scale.

The Extra Mile

By The Extra Mile

Publisher: Penguin

Genre: Autobiography

I am totally in awe of this man. His kindness and the love shown to his fellow Rugby League player, Rob Burrow, is extraordinary. The Extra Mile is no ordinary sports memoir. But Kevin Sinfield is no ordinary sportsman. A one-club legend of Leeds Rhinos, who has now crossed codes as a defence coach for Leicester Tigers, Kevin Sinfield is a rugby icon. But in recent years he has shown heroism of a very different kind through his selfless and extraordinary fundraising for Motor Neurone Disease (MND), the terminal illness that affected his best mate and former teammate Rob Burrow. Sinfield’s epic challenges have included running seven marathons in seven days, and running over 101 miles in 24 hours. In the process, Sinfield has captured the hearts of the nation and raised nearly £5 million for MND Research He was awarded an OBE for his efforts.

Told with Sinfield’s characteristic warmth, dry wit and inspirational leadership, The Extra Mile is the story of an astonishing life, of an enduring friendship, of perseverance against the most difficult of challenges and of a remarkable, humble human being who has defied the odds. Be warned, the book will make you cry.

How To Kill Men And Get Away With It

By Katy Brent

Publisher: Harper Collins

Genre: Chick lit

Kitty Collins is a famous influencer with over a million followers on Instagram. She absolutely adores her lifestyle and her vegan ways of living. Her days include meetings, brunches, dinners at fancy places and showcasing the products received from PR companies on her page.

One night, after a party at a nightclub, Kitty is followed home by a guy who wouldn’t leave her alone and would not take NO for an answer. During the course of the events, she accidentally pushes him causing his instant death. She thought she would be caught, but when it appears that she has got away with it, the thrill, the glow she feels in her body is exhilarating and that’s where the addiction begins for Kitty.

Her taste for revenge in respect to men who wrong women becomes very strong and she feels as if she is on a mission, until she does something completely wrong, messing everything up. Just to complicate matters, Kitty has a stalker who has followed her each and every move.

Silly, funny, daft, unbelievable but with a hugely strong message, this book is about the right to refuse sex, to say no. The right to being treated with respect and for men to understand boundaries. This is just lighthearted entertainment but the message comes through loud and clear – No means no.

The Lost Bookshop

By Evie Woods

Publisher: Harper Collins

Genre: Fiction

Three people telling their stories; two in today’s world and one from the 1920s, the stories interwoven with mystery and terrible injustice.

Opaline is only 19 years old. She is a lover of antique books, an avid reader and at the mercy of her cruel brother. Martha is a battered wife: desperate to escape the violence her husband regularly inflicts upon her, she runs away to Dublin. Henry is an Englishman studying in Dublin: he is tormented by memories of a dysfunctional childhood and his love for this girl, Martha, whom he has chanced upon.

I really enjoyed the flitting through time in this book. The individual stories are terribly sad, especially Opaline’s horrendous treatment at the hands of her money-grabbing brother, who attempts on various occasions to destroy her. The injustice of the world towards women in the 1920s is beyond comprehension in our modern society but the differences, for the good, are apparent in Martha’s story.

There is a degree of fairy tale combined with reality, time travel, magic and fantasy. It’s a lovingly written tale of good triumphing over evils and ghosts finally being laid happily to rest.

5 Ingredients Mediterranean

By

Jamie Oliver

Publisher: Michael Joseph

Genre: Cookery

At last – the perfect cookery book! What a stunner of a book – beautiful photos, amazingly simple recipes and so healthy, too!

The Mediterranean’s sun-soaked coastal regions span Southern Europe, Northern Africa and Western Asia – from Tunisia and Morocco to Lebanon and Turkey via Greece, Italy and Spain (plus more!). This results in a multitude of cuisines and cultures that differ from region to region.

Thanks to its geography, there are some staple Mediterranean ingredients that cross borders and feature in most local cooking, including plenty of fresh fruit and veg and aromatic herbs; as well as extra virgin olive oil, nuts, super-fresh seafood, meat, and dairy products. 5 Ingredients Mediterranean shows you how to use these Mediterranean flavours in your kitchen, with minimal fuss and just a few staple ingredients.

Destinations Of A Lifetime

Publisher: National Geographic Society

Genre: Travel

This book made me want to rush to the airport. I now have so many new destinations on my bucket list along with very itchy feet! National Geographic takes you on a photographic tour of our world in this spellbinding new coffee-table travel book.

Hundreds of Earth’s most breathtaking locales are illustrated with vivid, oversized full-colour images taken by Nat Geo’s worldclass photographers. These images, coupled with evocative text, feature a plethora of visual wonders: ancient monoliths, scenic islands, stunning artwork, electric cityscapes, whitesand seashores, rain forests, ancient cobbled streets, and both classic and innovative architecture. Loaded with hard service information for each location, this one has it all – when to go, where to eat, where to stay, and what to do to ensure the most enriching and authentic experience. A wonderful gift.