Five new books to read this week

FICTION

Until August by Gabriel Garcia Marquez, hardback by Viking

When Colombian author Gabriel Garcia

Marquez died in April 2014, there were reports of an unpublished manuscript. A decade later, it has materialised as Until August, presented by his two sons.

We meet seemingly happily married mum Ana who has a one-night stand with a stranger on an annual pilgrimage to her mother’s grave on a tropical island. It’s the start of a journey filled with a literary magic only Garcia Marquez could conjure.

Ana is likeable with quiet resilience and a touch of mystery that keeps you devouring her story in this refreshing page-turner.

8/10

Family Politics by John O’farrell, hardback by Doubleday

When activists trying to save a city farm from closure smuggle animals into a council meeting, they cause chaos and widespread publicity.

Labour Party member Emma Hughes is thrilled at the stunt’s success only to crash to earth when Dylan confesses he’s turned Tory at university.

Here writer and political campaigner John O’farrell explains the challenges facing the family when Emma’s husband Eddie is selected as Labour’s candidate in the local by-election, and Dylan campaigns against his dad for the opposition. It’s the perfect read for anyone hooked on politics who enjoys a good plot laced with humour.

8/10

Go Lightly by Brydie Lee-kennedy, hardback by Bloomsbury Publishing

Ada Highfield treats life with a light touch, giving money, sex and relationships the same fleeting disregard – and when she meets Sadie and Stuart at the same time, she sees no harm in sharing her affections with them both.

But when Sadie and Stuart evolve into more than merely passing fancies and find out about each other, Ada is forced to ask herself questions she’s always avoided – and she realises she might have to start making some serious decisions. Blending humour with pathos and social observation, Go Lightly establishes its author as a new voice in LGBTQ+ literature.

7/10

NON-FICTION Learning To Think by Tracy King, hardback by Doubleday

This is a compelling memoir about Tracy

King’s journey to taking charge of her belief system. After her father’s tragic death, her family became committed Christians.she tells stories of both poverty and grief, and how she navigated them through the lens of extreme religion from Christianity to the occult. But after reading a book that taught her how to think critically, King could make decisions about the world for herself. It’s a devastating yet hopeful read, and seeing King develop a new perspective on life, always checking in with reality, is something we can all learn from.

9/10

CHILDREN’S Pirates Of Darksea

by Catherine Doyle, paperback by Bloomsbury

This swashbuckling adventure is packed with magic, skullduggery and epic bravery in a daring crusade to defeat evil and rescue the secret kingdom of Darksea from a deadly monster. Our hero is 11-year-old Max who needs stardust to help his hospitalised big brother, so he boards the Stolen Sunrise and bargains with Captain O’malley, accepting a dangerous quest in return for the last bottle of precious stardust.but all is not what is seems in Darksea, and the bigger picture unveils a deeper evil he must confront in this tale about finding inner strength against the odds.

7/10