Missing Bridgerton? Then why not pick up A Lady’s Guide To Fortune-Hunting…
Fiction
1. A Lady’s Guide To Fortune-Hunting by Sophie Irwin is published in hardback by HarperCollins. Available now
They say all is fair in love and war. But Kitty Talbot is about to start QUITE the scandal…
The irrepressible #LadysGuide makes her grand entrance today.
She’s already setting tongues wagging across the world, and we can’t wait for you to meet her!https://t.co/WjrPfNeIc8 pic.twitter.com/CQW6cyu92z— HarperFiction (@HarperFiction) May 12, 2022
The diamond of the season, A Lady’s Guide To Fortune-Hunting is a Regency-style romcom with all the classic character tropes, plenty of scandals, and more than a dash of sass. Sophie Irwin’s well-timed debut is the perfect salve for Bridgerton fans on the lookout for a new heroine. Enter Kitty Talbot, a cross between Vanity Fair’s Becky Sharp and Pride And Prejudice’s Elizabeth Darcy, in ruthless pursuit of marrying rich to save her three sisters from ruin. She soon meets her match in Lord Radcliffe – the Mr Darcy of this story – and thus ensues a riotous tale of faking-it-till-you-make-it. Parodying the high society pecking order with its endless trifling rules, Irwin’s modern take on Austen is pure entertaining escapism.
9/10
(Review by Rebecca Wilcock)
2. Wrong Place, Wrong Time by Gillian McAllister is published in hardback by Michael Joseph. Available now
Calling audiobook lovers! #WrongPlaceWrongTime by @GillianMAuthor, THE thriller everyone is talking about this summer, is out now in audiobook! To whet your taste buds, listen to this exclusive audiobook preview... 🎧 pic.twitter.com/0w56pgM6b8
— Penguin Michael Joseph (@MichaelJBooks) May 13, 2022
Wrong Place, Wrong Time contains layers of intrigue and secrecy, uncovered through the lens of Jen, who is travelling back through time to try and save her son’s future. It’s the kind of book that will make you reflect on all the seemingly insignificant details we either take in, or miss, over a period of 24 hours – or a week, or a year – all which eventually come together to make a lifetime. Jen goes back in time a day at a time, trying to uncover why her teenage son ended up committing such a horrific crime. You’ll turn each page of Jen’s story, eager to find out – as she did – what secrets have been hiding in plain sight all along. While the ending isn’t quite as satisfying as you might want, you’ll still recommend this book to everyone you know.
9/10
(Review by Karis Pearson)
3. The Pharmacist by Rachelle Atalla is published in hardback by Hodder & Stoughton. Available now
This brilliant speculative debut is coming soon - just 2 more days to wait until #ThePharmacist hits shelves! @rachelle_ata https://t.co/Gdu65GArJF pic.twitter.com/GLdTgjaqAt
Advertisement— Hodder & Stoughton (@HodderBooks) May 10, 2022
Rachelle Atalla’s debut is a thought-provoking addition to the post-apocalyptic genre, full to the brim with disturbing tension. The world is shrunk down to the confines of an underground bunker, and Atalla cleverly draws intricate details about this new way of life – without revealing much about the events that caused it. Through Wolfe, the bunker’s pharmacist, we live a dismal ‘new normal’, questioning individual morality and the indomitable need to survive, all while sanity unravels in a desperate, claustrophobic environment. A lack of speech punctuation blurs the line between real conversations and inner thoughts, lending a sense of detachment to the prose that mirrors the inhabitants’ grasp on reality. Oppressive and uncomfortable yet compulsive, you’ll have to remember to periodically come up for air.
8/10
(Review by Rebecca Wilcock)
Non-fiction
4. Fix The System, Not The Women by Laura Bates is published in hardback by Simon & Schuster. Available now
'Get your daughters to read this, but only after your partners and sons have finished it’ - Jo Brand
Fix the System Not the Women by Laura Bates, bestselling author and founder of @EverydaySexism is out this week and available to pre-order now https://t.co/OXnIh2qQ0m pic.twitter.com/ZRtmTzTeBZ— Simon & Schuster UK (@simonschusterUK) May 9, 2022
This is a timely book, with Laura Bates, founder of the Everyday Sexism project, issuing a rallying cry. She’s fed up with women continually being told to fix the problems they encounter – such as not being able walk safely at night, not getting that job, promotion or wage rise, having to do more domestic labour, or not being able to get justice when facing domestic abuse. Why, she argues, should the people being oppressed be asked to sort it out, rather than those causing the problems – especially as many solutions have been proposed and ignored? This is not a book that should be read by women who know this stuff already, it should be read by men. They are the ones with the power to change things, so buy it for the men in your life.
8/10
(Review by Bridie Pritchard)
Children’s book of the week
5. I Am NOT A Prince! by Rachael Davis, illustrated by Beatrix Hatcher is published in paperback by Orchard. Available now
This rhyming story is of Hopp, who doesn’t want to be like their fellow frogs – who line up by the lagoon, waiting to be kissed and turned into a prince. Hopp is banished by the other frogs, and on their adventures Hopp helps other creatures facing problems, until they find a fair wizard who promises to help them become who they want to be. Meanwhile, their friends have started missing them. We won’t reveal what Hopp has become when he returns, but it makes for a positive, colourful and easy-to-read-aloud story. It’s about acceptance and being proud of who you are, and is a great way to encourage young children to be accepting of difference.
7/10
(Review by Bridie Pritchard)
Book charts for the week ending May 14th:
Hardback (Fiction)
1. Bad Actors by Mick Herron
2. The House With The Golden Door by Elodie Harper
3. The Dance Tree by Kiran Millwood Hargrave
4. A Lady’s Guide To Fortune-Hunting by Sophie Irwin
5. Thrown by Sara Cox
6. Young Mungo by Douglas Stuart
7. Book Of Night by Holly Black
8. Elektra by Jennifer Saint
9. Lessons In Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus
10. People Person by Candice Carty-Williams
(Compiled by Waterstones)
Hardback (Non-fiction)
1. Why Has Nobody Told Me This Before? by Dr Julie Smith
2. Nothing But The Truth by The Secret Barrister
3. House Arrest by Alan Bennett
4. The Premonitions Bureau by Sam Knight
5. The War On The West by Douglas Murray
6. Managing Expectations by Minnie Driver
7. Freezing Order by Bill Browder
8. Life Is Sad And Beautiful by Hussain Manawer
9. The Palace Papers by Tina Brown
10. Chums by Simon Kuper
(Compiled by Waterstones)
Audiobooks (Fictions & Non-fiction)
1. Why Has Nobody Told Me This Before? by Dr Julie Smith
2. Thrown by Sara Cox
3. The War On The West by Douglas Murray
4. The World’s Worst Pets by David Walliams
5. Atomic Habits by James Clear
6. The Couple At No. 9 by Claire Douglas
7. The Thursday Murder Club by Richard Osman
8. Positivity by Paul McKenna
9. The Man Who Died Twice by Richard Osman
10. Managing Expectations by Minnie Driver
(Compiled by Audible)
