BOOKMARK August 2024 Book recommendations
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August 2024 titles
All books are available from Waterstones in Perth and Adventure Into Books in Blairgowrie.
James by Percival Everett
(Pan Macmillan, 2025)
Fiction
James by Percival Everett (ISBN: 9781035031238, hardback). In this reimagining of Mark Twain’s The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, enslaved Jim emerges to claim his voice, as he and Huck set off on a life-changing odyssey, down the Mississippi River towards the elusive ‘free’ states. In the words of author Ann Patchett, it is ‘funny and horrifying, brilliant and riveting’.
Daughters of Olympus by Hannah Lynn
(Sourcebooks, 2024)
Fiction
Hannah Lynn’s Daughters of Olympus (ISBN: 9781464221330, paperback) gives new voice to known but perhaps muted characters, in this case from the Greek myths. It is the story of Demeter, Goddess of Life, and her fierce love for her daughter, Core, who is kidnapped by Hades and becomes Persephone, Queen of the Underworld. Battling against the fates, their love irrevocably shapes the world.
Guilty by Definition by Susie Dent
(Bonnier Books, 2024)
Fiction
Susie Dent’s debut novel, Guilty by Definition (ISBN: 9781804183946, hardback). Set in Oxford, a trail of complex clues is sent to Martha Thornhill, the senior editor for the Clarendon English Dictionary. All point to the mystery surrounding the disappearance of Martha’s much-loved, and much-missed, sister Charlie, and a powerful secret she was keeping. Can Martha and her team decipher the clues and solve the mystery?
Frank and Red by Matt Coyne
(Wildfire, 2024)
Fiction
Frank and Red by Matt Coyne (ISBN: 9781472297457, paperback). This is the cross-generational story of six-year old Red and the grumpy, grieving recluse Frank, who lives next door. It’s an uplifting, funny story of an unlikely friendship.
Welcome to the Hyunam-Dong Bookshop by Hwang Bo-Reum
(Bloomsbury, 2024)
Fiction
Welcome to the Hyunam-Dong Bookshop by Hwang Bo-Reum (ISBN: 9781526662286, paperback). When Yeongju’s perfectly planned out life falls apart, she follows her dream and opens a bookshop (apparently, that’s what some people do, though the ‘falling apart’ bit is optional). In a quaint neighbourhood in Seoul, Yeongju’s bookshop becomes a refuge for her and her customers. There is a Korean saying that ‘life’s off to a good start after you do up the first button’ but what happens after that? These are stories of people facing up to past disappointments and stepping into new openings: it is gentle and warming.