New Year reads
LIKE the idea of escaping after the chaos of Christmas with a good book at New Year? There are plenty of new offerings to choose from so just treat for yourself.
Here are some of 2017’s bigsellers, as well as a clutch of inspirational reads to get stuck into . . .
Whether it’s a selfie-taking monkey, a skateboarding dog, the longest fur on a rabbit or the highest jump by a llama, the world can’t get enough of crazy animal stories — and this new offering from Guinness World Records has collated all of the best ones in one bumper book for the first time ever. A must for animal lovers young and old.
An ideal stocking-filler with a difference for Weatherfield fans. This first in a series of nostalgic novels, it’s set in 1939 and sees the return of the Street’s most iconic characters, including Elsie Tanner, Ena Sharples and Annie Walker. There will be two more novels coming up in 2018.
Another clever book from Jamie Oliver, once again aimed at people with little time for cooking. So he chooses five ingredients per recipe — which include Thai red chicken soup, quick steak stir-fry and “So easy” fish curry — for maximum flavour and minimum fuss. The ingredients aren’t all store cupboard staples, but it’s a novel format for time-hungry diners.
The awardwinning writer and comedian is now a force to be reckoned with when it comes to his massively successful children’s books. This one is about a boy named Frank, whose dad is thrown into prison for driving the getaway car in a bank robbery. Frank hatches a daring plan to break his father out for the night, so they can put the stolen money back. But will the evil crime boss Mr Big stop them?
It’s been 17 years since Philip Pullman’s final book from the His Dark Materials series. Set in Oxford, this new story, from the Book Of Dust series, centres on 11year-old Malcolm Polstead, who lives with his parents at The Trout Inn pub. The story follows his curious adventure to discover a baby named Lyra who desperately needs his help. It’s frightening at times, but is coupled with lessons of friendship and hope.