Hidden Treasures - My Top 10 Lesser Known Books

Lists of bloggers' Top 10 Favourite books are very common - I've done it for kids books but not adult (well aside from this and this). In this post I wanted to highlight some books and authors that I've really enjoyed but for various reasons aren't quite as well known. They're a mix of fiction genres, aside for one non fiction title, but I guess a common theme in them all is .... expect the unexpected....Here they are in no particular order:

City of Women - David Gilham

Fiction - Gilham turns the standard WW2 novel on its head with his lyrical, fast paced but tightly written debut novel set in Berlin in 1943. With most of the men at war, this casts a light on life for the women left behind - and one in particular. Tired of being bound to the morality of the time, Sigrid Schroder finds herself caught up in the war in an entirely different way.

Will I like it? If you like deftly plotted thrillers with an eye for period detail and a good anti-hero(ine) then yes. If you like WW2 fiction, this is a bit different. I think David Gilham is one to watch!

What else will I like? Alternative WW2 fiction is Sian Busby's neat thriller A Commonplace Killing, set in London in 1946. There is also the gruelling and not-for-the-faint-hearted The Kindly Ones by Jonathan Littell.

Home - Julie Myerson

Non Fiction - the strapline for this book is "the story of everyone who ever lived in our house" but it is so much more than that. Myerson, a talented fiction author researched the history of everyone who ever lived in her South London terraced house and then created a unique and magical blend of fact and fiction in this book. It not only builds a picture of south London over the last 150 years, but also elaborates on what we mean by the words "home" and "house". 
Will I like it? This is one for anyone who has ever stood in a place and felt the `hum` of years past and people long gone, I was really spell-bound by this slow burn non fiction work. 
What else will I like? You should try her fiction. She has a luminous, magical prose - in the dreamy  but chilling Out of Breath and the rather more harrowing Something Might Happen.

Fairy Tale - Alice Thomas Ellis

Fiction. This does what it says on the tin. Ellis' ethereal writing is fantastic in this eerie short novel set in Wales. Eloise, our protagonist is desperate for a baby. With her husband not around much, after a visit from 4 strange men, Eloise returns from a walk with a baby.....and then things get a bit odd....

Will I Like It? I don't know is the honest answer. I've not met many people who've read this book, but those who have, have enjoyed it. It's not quite like anything else out there. It is truly a fairy story for adults and those fascinated by Changeling myths will love it.
What else will I like? If you like her style, then anything else by ATE. Also try Julie Myerson's Out of Breath as mentioned above.

Illumination Night - Alice Hoffman

Fiction. This is the most perfectly written book I've ever read. It may not be my favourite, but it is a masterpiece in how to write a compelling piece of fiction. Hoffman's style is similar to that of Ann Tyler but with a touch of magic. Telling the story of Jody, looking after her grandmother on Martha's Vineyard, this novel touches on isolation, first love, adolescence and the nature of our relationships. It packs a lot into its scant 208 pages.

Will I like it? If you like cinematic prose, american domesticity and characters that walk off the page and into your head then yes. Scenes from this book have stayed with me many years after my first reading. 
What else will I like? The River King is probably Hoffman's most beautiful novel, and she is most famous for Practical Magic but The Dovekeepers completely and utterly blew me away - Hoffman's style was made for this biblical tale of motherhood and love.

Engleby - Sebastian Faulks

Fiction. Think you know Sebastian Faulks? Think again. As much as I enjoyed his war fiction, Engleby  is his most underrated work of fiction. Imagine being inside the mind of a semi-sociopathic Adrian Mole  - Faulks brings us the story of Michael Engleby, besotted with another student at Cambridge...and what happens when she disappears. 

Will I like it? Touching on themes of masculinity, isolation and unrequited love - but also capturing perfectly the class divide of the time but with deft black humour, this is a great read.

What else will I like? Julian Fellowes' Past Imperfect for its illustration of the class divide and again a male protagonist who is a little 'off'.

The Rapture - Liz Jensen

Fiction. This book is unique. I mean where else have you read about a psychopathic teenager who is able to predict the future and the coming of the end of the world? I know, it sounds crazy. But it's bloody brilliant - an apocalyptic tale that references environmental events, TV evangelists and physics - the last few pages of this novel are unlike anything else I've ever read!
Will I like it? Jensen's writing style is assertive and acerbic and her stories are masterfully told and gripping. You may not like it but you'll be compelled to get to the end dammit, to know who is telling the truth!
What else will I like? If you like her style after reading this, then you'll devour the rest of Jensen's work - famous for Louis Drax, but War Crimes for the Home is better IMO.

A Company of Liars - Karen Maitland

Fiction. I couldn't have a list without historical fiction and Maitland's Company of Liars was gripping reading. A tale of a group of misfits fleeing the plague, unaware that a much greater danger is within them, this tale, cliche as it may be, had shivers running up my spine. It's also great for shedding light on the a period of history not much loved by novelists but Maitland has a great eye for period detail and brought the 1300s to life for me.
Will I like it? If you like a magical plot that builds suspense to a masterful climax (!) then yes. It's not the fastest of books but the turns of phrase and descriptions are very entertaining.
What else will I like? Maitland's other novels are good reads but none quite manage the perfection of Liars -  The Owl Killers is worth a try. Also in a simillar vein is the Mistress of the Art of Death by Ariana Franklin which has a more engaging protagonist.

The Way The Crow Flies - Ann-Marie MacDonald

Fiction. This is a big, long book. But it is beautifully paced and a novel in the traditional sense of the word. It's not for everyone but MacDonald's fluid, light style casts everything and everyone in her novel into a dreamy golden haze - which makes her tale of murder and morality sent in Canada during the Cold War all the more mesmerizing. 
Will I like it? If you're a fan of the great American (Canadian...) novel, then yes. For fans of true Americana such as Of Mice and Men and To Kill A Mockingbird. Although the story is very different, the perception of the world through a child's eyes will mean you enjoy this novel.
What else will I like? As above really. It's a bit of a tricky one. Maybe Ann Tyler for the dreamy quality of writing. Post war Americana I'm not expert on sadly. Any recommends for me? 

Season of the Witch - Natasha Mostert

Fiction. I'm not a fan of the paranormal and although I like a dash of magic in my fiction, I like it rooted in the domestic and familiar. This book is none of those but I really, really enjoyed it! I was intrigued by premise of 'remote viewing' and then, much like Gabriel in the book, I was bewitched by Monk House and its gothically seductive inhabitants. It is bonkers and the ending could have done with tighter editing, but this was a great, entertaining thriller.
Will I like it? If you like the paranormal, mysticism, richly evocative writing and an intriguing love triangle yes. This is not the best written book on this list but it was a fun ride. It is also award winning, so it's not just me.
What else will I like? Not quite in the same vein but if you're a fan of paranormal gothic thrillers then you may enjoy Joanne Harris (Chocolat) 's little known first novel Sleep Pale Sister and also the spellbinding Her Fearful Symmetry from Audrey Niffenegger (author of The Time Traveller's Wife).

Ladder of Years - Ann Tyler

Fiction. The tale of an ordinary woman, simply getting up and walking away from her family on a busy American beach - and then setting up a new life, I adore this tale of identity and domesticity. What it means to wear the labels mother and wife and their places in society - then and now. Can we ever truly shake them off? Or are they in us in the marrow of our bones? Ann Tyler is renowned as a very skilled author indeed.
Will I like it? If you've ever wondered what it would be like to simply up and leave, then this book does it for you. It'll make you think and wonder and value yourself and your family. And it'll make you smile.
What else will I like? Anything else by Tyler for that small-town American feel, that thoughtfulness and humour. Also worth trying Elizabeth Berg - although her writing is slightly 'sweeter' and Alice Hoffman as above. 

Phew, that was a long post! I'd love to hear your lesser known faves, so please let me know in the comments below. And if I've persuaded you to read any of the above, I want to know what you think. Don't forget you can hit me up on twitter  - @stupidgirl45

Thank you and goodnight,

Stupidgirl has left the building

PS Sorry for the crappy formatting on this, blogger was playing up....

Becky's Book Review #8 - Sarah's Key by Tatiana de Rosnay

Title: Sarah's Key/ Elle s'appellait Sarah
Author: Tatiana de Rosnay
Rating: 4/5
Genre: Modern + historical fiction/holocaust

General Description:
This is one of the tougher books I've read recently - and it was quite a harrowing movie as well. This review will predominantly cover the book but I've also written a little section on the movie also.

The novel covers the events of the Vel D'Hiv - in July 1942 around 7,500 Parisian Jews were rounded up and held in the Velodrome D'Hiv for 5 days with no food, water or toilets before being sent to the death camps. Of this figure, 4000 were children. The French government organised and were complicit in this - under orders from the Nazis. There wasn't a public apology until 1995.

Split between modern day with an American journalist covering the Vel D'Hiv and 1942, the book focuses on a little girl called Sarah who is taken to the Vel D'Hiv with her family. Unfortunately when the police came to round everyone up, she'd locked her little brother in their toy cupboard believing they were coming back + she could let him out. After the Vel D'Hiv she is taken to the camps along with all the other Jews. The story is her journey to get back to her brother. Back to modern day, the journalist is uncovering personal ties to Sarah and her story that she could never have expected.

It sounds wrong to say that I enjoyed this book but I did. I couldn't put it down. Firstly, it was very educational, I'd never heard of the Vel D'Hiv before, despite the fact that I'm Jewish and know a bit about the holocaust. I enjoyed the flick back to modern times also, although Julie (the journalist)'s marriage breakdown was not directly relative to the story - it just seemed to contrast all the liberty we take for granted with the terrible separation of Sarah from her parents at the camps. 

Becky's Book Review #7 - How To Be A Woman by Caitlin Moran

Title: How To Be A Woman
Author: Caitlin Moran
Rating: 4/5 for humour, 2/5 for content
Genre: Cultural/social studies

Note - today's book review is going to be a little bit different. Firstly I'll give you an overview of the book and then my opinion of it. I'm also going to follow up this review with a post about my opinion on some of the topics Moran covers. I really look forward to your comments at the end....

Book Overview
Caitlin Moran - a regular Times/Guardian columnist and paid up member of the British Twitterati- has written a modern feminist's handbook which aims to do exactly as per the title - how to be a woman. Following Moran's experiences of everything from porn to pubic hair, menstruation to abortion, we learn how it seems Moran thinks we should be women in the 21st century. This is a humourous call to arms aimed squarely at Generations X + Y......or is it?

Becky's Book Review #6 - The 52 Seductions by Betty Herbert

Book: The 52 Seductions
Author: Betty Herbert
Genre: Relationships/Sex
Star Rating: 4/5

General Description:
You might remember, back in February, I interviewed a blogger called Betty Herbert. I'd found Betty Herbert after someone posted a link to her blog on the forum I belong to. Betty was blogging about sex in a long term relationship and the affect that being together for a long time can have on your sex life.

She'd been with Herbert, her other half for about 14 years - and married for awhile too - and is in her early 30's. As an experiment, they'd decided to seduce each other, once a week for a year - hence The 52 Seductions. I was absolutely captivated by her blog - her refreshing honesty, candour and humour as well as how much she and Herbert loved each other.

I wasn't surprised either to find out that her blog had come to the attention of a literary agency and was being turned into a book - hence this review. It's important to state that the book is not just a bind up of 52 odd blog posts, it's a coherent literary narrative describing one year in the sex life of a married couple. It's endearing, funny, rude, entertaining and just quite simply, wonderful.

Becky's Book Review #5 - The Snowman by Jo Nesbo

Book: The Snowman

Author: Jo Nesbo

Genre: Crime/Thriller

Star Rating: 5/5

General Description:

I decided to read this book on the strength of a recommendation from @SamAtRedMag. And boy was she right - I was totally hooked from the first page. 

After a stunning opener in which a boy awakens in the middle of the night to see a snowman on his back lawn - and then in the morning his mother has disappeared - Norway's most famous detective, Harry Hole is put on the case to discover why so many mothers and wives have been going missing over the last few years. Unfortunately for Harry, he discovers that not only is there a serial killer operating in Norway, but Harry himself is part of a macabre and terrifying game.

The book is pacy and exciting, but also a decent intellectual thriller that really kept me thinking. Equally I was astounded by Nesbo's ingenuity and ability at weaving many complex plot strands together. Read it now!

Oh....kudos must also go to the translator of this book - the original is obviously written in Norwegian and it takes a very special gift at translating to ensure that nothing is er, `lost in translation` - ie: that the same tone, atmosphere and style is kept across the languages.

Becky's Book Review #4 - Mistress of Rome by Kate Quinn

Book: Mistress of Rome
Author: Kate Quinn
Genre: Historical Fiction
Star Rating: 5/5

General Description:

If you are looking for a great read for your holidays this year, you've found it! I absolutely could not put this book down when I read it late last year and felt it deserved a glowing review on here.

Our heroine - Thea, a slave girl from Judaea, breaks all the rules in her quest for survival in Domitian's treacherous Rome!  Surving violence and squalor, only the gladiator Arius offers her a shred of tenderness in a brutal world. Sold on to cruel slave masters,Thea disappears - and in her place, the singer Athena arrives. Catching the eye of Domitian himself she begins to live a life of luxury by the emperor's side, but as threats begin to close in is Domitian aware that the very woman he trusts the most has the ability to betray him at all costs.

Becky's Book Review #3 - Sing You Home by Jodi Picoult

Book: Sing You Home
Author: Jodi Picoult
Genre: women's fiction
Star Rating: 3.5/5

General Description
Zoe is happily married to her husband Max and after years of trying for a baby is about to get her wish, when tragedy strikes. In the aftermath of this, she and Max split up and Zoe discovers exactly what it means to love someone - particularly when it's not someone you expected to fall in love with. Several years later, Zoe remarries and wants to use her IVF frozen eggs to try to become pregnant again - only now Max has turned to evangelical Christianity and doesn't want her to use the eggs - for what happens next... you'll have to read the book!

I bought this book when I was home sick with the flu and I have to say that it was perfect to curl up with whilst I was feeling crap. I liked Picoult's usual trick of telling a tale from several different angles, which really fleshes out a plot - and prevents you from falling down on one side or another in judgement. I like the way she wasn't afraid to tackle moral and ethical dilemmas - and to present the different sides respectfully, regardless of the personal politics of the author or reader (ie: i'm very liberal but I didn't feel forced into keeping my liberal stance through out the book).

I also liked the musical element to the book - Zoe is a music therapist and I loved the way she used music with her patients, it really was incredibly touching. In addition, this book is really clever because
 - and I thought was a genius idea - there is a soundtrack that comes with the book. Basically at certain points in the book you can go to a website and download a song written speshly for the book. I loved this and really helped me get a feel for the mood of a character at a given time. To be honest, I'm surprised this isn't done more with books - although I guess copyright issues could be limiting.

So to wrap up, if I liked it that much, why did I only give the book 3.5/5? I did that because it's not my favourite Jodi Picoult novel - and it seemed a little formulaic - particularly the ending which I thought was rather predictable. Some of her books do seem to be written by numbers - her most recent ones for sure. This doesn't take away from their absolute page turning readability - which this one definitely has - but I think it just doesn't quite have the spark that her earlier books did. I think perhaps she's given us too many points of view and thus watered down her characters a little. 


All in all a good solid work from Jodi Picoult, with interesting, thought provoking plot lines - but not my favourite!

If you like.......
Other Jodi Picoults, Anne Tyler, Elizabeth Berg, Alice Hoffman, The Memory Keeper's Daughter, Joanna Trollope, women's fiction
....then you'll like this

Why You Might Like This Book
It's told from several points of view
It challenges your thinking on several rather sensitive issues (for some) including IVF, same sex marriage + relationships, equal rights, evangelical Christianity being the key ones
It's got a soundtrack that you can download and listen to at certain bits of the book
It's a page turner
The characters are really likeable, even with their flaws.
It's written with what I call, a light touch. Picoult very much `shows` rather than `tells` her readers what's happening.

Why You Might Not
You're sensitive around baby loss/IVF and simillar issues
You have very strict views around same sex/gay marriage and don't want to challenge these
You're looking for something very intellectually stimulating (not that this isn't a challenging read but it's not `hard`)
You don't like women's fiction
You don't like `emotional` type books (this book made me cry)


Have you read this Jodi Picoult? Or any of her others? What did you think? Please let me know your comments below!


Thank you and good night


Stupidgirl has left the building

Becky's Book Review #2 - More To Life Than Shoes by Nadia Finer + Emily Nash

Book: More To Life Than Shoes: How to Kick Start Your Career + Change Your Life
Author: Nadia Finer + Emily Nash
Genre: Job hunting/careers/women/self help
Star Rating: 5/5

General Description
As per the book blurb itself, this is perfect for anyone who has wondered if there's more to life than living for the glass of wine at the end of the day, knackering yourself on the tube and just generally wondering WTF am I showing up in this office for every damn day.Through a series of exercises, mini essays and more importantly, interviews with women who've achieved some amazing things, this book will help you realise that apparently, there is more to life than shoes!

I'm not normally a fan of life coaching/self help/career coaching type books - I guess I've always been a bit dubious and snobbish about them. However when Nadia from MTLTS sent me a link to their website, I totally fell in love with the concept of women supporting other women to achieve their dreams. As I said in WoTW the other day, we don't celebrate our achievements often enough and this book helps you figure out how to achieve your dreams. Actually more importantly than that, it helps you figure out what your dream is and to 
me, that's half the battle.


Another part of the book - that I liked the best - were the interviews scattered throughout - particularly with Martha Lane Fox, Rachel Johnson + Kanya King (founder of the Mobos). 

If you like....... 
What Colour is My Parachute? Erin Brockavich Sliding Doors Getting Things Done The Secret...inspiring true stories, female empowerment, practical advice
....then you'll like this


Why You Might Like This Book
You're curious about self-help/career coaching and tempted (tho cynical) about books in that genre
You're bloody fed up with life
You need some inspiration
You need a helping hand
You want some practical exercises to help you figure out what makes you happy at work and play


Why You Might Not
You're happy with your life
You're not happy with your life but you have no desire to change it
You're not yet in a place to make change in your life
You're not a feminist 
You don't like inspiring stories


So all in all, I am now converted to self-help+career coaching. This book was so inspiring and the exercises were great - I did some of them with a friend in the pub and we both came away feeling a lot more positive about what we wanted.


Thats all for now. Thank you and goodnight


Stupidgirl has left the building

Becky's Book Review #1 - Kate's Wedding by Chrissie Manby

This is the first in a series of book reviews I hope to do on the blog - possibly alternating them with the weekly interviews....I'll be covering a range of genres, so even if you don't like tonight's genre, be sure to check back regularly for something more to your taste. And who knows - you might be persuaded to try something new.....so here we go, hope you like it..

Book: Kate's Wedding
Author: Chrissie Manby
Genre: Hmmmmm chick lit/women's fiction
Star Rating: 4/5


General Description
Kate Middleton isn't the only bride getting married on April 29th 2011, there's Diana, born in July 1981, running amok with Daddy's credit card, aiming to have the biggest and bestest wedding ever. And then there's 39 year old Kate, who never expected to get married and now finds herself planning for a wedding that seems to be spiralling out of control during one of the most stressful times in her life...

Perfectly timed to coincide with the Royal Wedding mania, this book shows all sides to wedding planning and the stress leading up to taking your vows. It's both funny and sad in equal measure - and introduces some characters that I'd love to have heard more from. Tapping into the wedding zeitgeist perfectly, this is one to read for those of us who are sick of the royal wedding, but love to hear about REAL (if fictional) weddings. Definitely one for the plane, train, car, bed or bath this easter holiday!