Shelf Portraits

An Absolutely Remarkable thing by hank green is published in hardback by Trapeze, priced £14.99 (ebook £7.99)

» Youtuber Hank Green’s debut novel is part millennial social commentary, part sci-fi novel. An Absolutely Remarkable Thing is both completely realistic and utterly fantastical, while managing to touch on some incredibly deep themes, including gender, the internet, fame and humanity. Green’s first-hand knowledge of Youtube fame and fortune gives complete authenticity to the protagonist 23-year-old April May, who is the first to discover one of 64, 10-ft-tall sculptures (named Carl) that suddenly appear on Earth. The novel follows April as she shoots to internet, and then worldwide fame, and has to deal with everything that comes with that - not to mention what the Carls are and what they’re doing here. It’s an adventure that starts off with excitement and ends with a lot of questions about love, life, the media and what’s beyond Earth. 8/10 Review by Rebecca wilcock

i invited her in by Adele PARKS is published in paperback by HQ, priced £7.99 (ebook £5.99)

» Melanie is delighted when her old university friend Abigail gets back in touch after 17 years. Childless Abigail is a glamorous, successful TV presenter, while working mum Melanie feels dowdy and boring - although she’s happy enough with her suburban life, three children and a handsome husband. The title of Adele Parks’ latest novel makes it clear from the start that devious Abigail is not the long lost friend Melanie hopes for and her life is about to be turned upside down. But the lack of surprises from the fast-paced plot does not make this novel any less enjoyable for those seeking a fun, easy read. Melanie and her family are believable characters and, while Abigail is larger than life, she never quite falls into the trap of becoming too much like a panto villain. A really fun read to liven up a dull commute or to take on holiday. 7/10 Review by beverley Rouse

French exit by Patrick dewitt is published in hardback by bloomsbury Publishing, priced £16.99 (ebook £14.99)

» I wanted to think highly of Patrick dewitt’s satirical tale of two super-rich New Yorkers fallen on hard times. It starts well: ‘Black Widow’ Frances Price and her feckless son Malcolm are established as being so wealthy they are above the laws and social obligations that shackle the rest of us. But when, instead of finding jobs, the noxious pair sail for France on a luxury liner my irritation set in. Though I’ll buy dewitt’s argument that when the rich become poor, their poverty isn’t like the destitution experienced by, well, the migrants he depicts suffering police brutality in a Parisian park. Frequently, instead of a plausible narrative we are given random-seeming encounters with bizarre minor characters. By a bit of doubling back, the talented and ingenious dewitt eventually lassoes them all into his Wes Anderson-style plot. But his increasingly surreal devices do include a spirit-infested cat... 5/10 Review by liz Ryan

my thoughts exactly by lily Allen is published in hardback by blink Publishing, priced £20 (ebook £7.19)

» When people call a book “no holds barred” usually it’s an utter disappointment, the supposed juiciness simply a mirage to sell copies. My Thoughts Exactly does not remotely fit that model. In fact, Lily Allen has detonated the line between private and public with this memoir, and it’s dark rabbit hole of grief, loss, confusion, contradiction, fear, selfdestruction and addiction to get lost in. However, you can’t argue with the fact it is a fantastic read. The headlines (and of course, it’s already making them) include: Allen kissing Zoe Kravitz, having a tryst with Liam Gallagher and engaging a hooker while on tour in America. She name-drops endlessly, is annoying in the extreme, recommends sex toys and berates her family repeatedly, but she also calls out the music industry for its own #Metoo crimes, many yet to be heard, as well as the Met police over the way they handled her being stalked. She also shouts for women to share their own stories, takes responsibility for her role in the breakdown of her marriage and writes about the death of her son with a rawness that leaves you breathless. It’s in some of the smaller moments - taking cookery lessons at Le Cordon Bleu as a child thanks to then step-dad Harry Enfield that you see a lightness otherwise absent. This is an emotionally hefty read and Allen pulls no punches. It’s hard not to be hooked, even though it’s frustrating being unable to ‘fix’ or ‘save’ Allen from herself. 8/10 Review by ella walker

lonesome bog And little dog by iona tulloch And HARRY Woodgate is published in paperback by little Forest Publishing, priced £6.99

» Canadian-born but Scotland-raised, Iona Tulloch now lives in Ashdown Forest, Sussex and her love for and connection to nature is abundantly clear across the pages of Lonesome Bog And Little Dog. Illustrated in a vibrant, mixed-media style by Hertfordshire’s Harry Woodgate, Lonesome Bog is a story of an unlikely friendship between two outcasts: The anthropomorphic bog who is shunned for being “too messy” and a tiny terrier who is bullied by the local dogs - and their owners - simply because of his size. Their fateful meeting and development of a special connection help the neighbourhood realise the true value of the bog and its hidden beauty, while Little Dog is similarly redeemed. Children who are beginning their reading adventure will enjoy the tale as much as older budding readers, and there is a strong thread of Stig of the Dump nostalgia for parents to enjoy. 8/10 Review by James caan