BOOKMARK July 2024 Book recommendations
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July Titles
All books are available from Waterstones in Perth and Adventure Into Books in Blairgowrie.
Weyward by Emilia Hart
(The Borough Press, 2025)
Fiction
Weyward by Emilia Hart (ISBN: 9780008499129, paperback), which has been shortlisted for this year’s Indie Book Awards. It is the story of three women, from three different times and each seen as being different. All three face peril and attempts to control them; all are linked through one story that is gradually revealed.
Brotherless Night by VV Ganeshananthan
(Penguin, 2024)
Fiction
Brotherless Night by VV Ganeshananthan (ISBN: 9780241997673, paperback). Set in Sri Lanka, 16-year-old Sashi dreams of becoming a doctor, but over the next decade her life, and that of her family, is fractured by civil war and the violent clash of political ideologies.
Kairos by Jenny Erpenbeck
(Granta Books, 2024)
Fiction
Kairos by Jenny Erpenbeck (ISBN: 9781783786138, paperback). It’s 1986, in Berlin. A young student, Katharina, meets Hans - an older, married man – in a chance encounter on a bus. The attraction is instant, and Kairos – the god of fortunate moments – steps in. But of course, their passion is bound in secrecy, and as loving turns to cheating and betrayal bites, unhappiness grows.
French Windows by Antoine Laurain
(Gallic Books, 2024)
Fiction
Antoine Laurain’s French Windows (ISBN: 9781913547752, hardback - don’t panic, this slim hardback will easily find space in a suitcase). This is the story of a Parisian apartment block, with five floors and one murder, captured on camera by photographer Nathalia. The shock has caused a creative block, sending Nathalia to seek therapy. As she talks to Doctor Faber, the stories of the people living in the block unfold, revealing only one conclusion…. which I can’t possibly reveal!
Stories for Summer and Days by the Pool by Various
(The British Library, 2024)
Fiction
Stories for Summer and Days by the Pool (ISBN: 9780712355155, paperback). This collection of 15 stories includes pieces by Daphne du Maurier, Virginia Woolf, Muriel Spark and Katherine Mansfield, to name but a few. Insightful and entertaining, it is a perfect volume to dip into while idling by the pool in sunnier climes.
Snail in Space by Rachel Bright
(Simon & Schuster, 2024)
Children
Snail in Space by Rachel Bright (ISBN: 9781471199462) Gail, the snail, is not content with her lot, munching away at (Kate’s) garden vegetables, and she determinedly sets off for space camp to see if she can make the grade and go to space. The story and illustrations are brilliant.
Torfinn and the Gruesome Games by David MacPhail
(Floris, 2015)
Children
David MacPhail’s Viking stories of Thorfinn and Velda are full of fun: Thorfinn and the Gruesome Games (ISBN: 9781782501596) would be a perfect companion ahead of a visit to one of our local Highland Games.