Bookcase

By Keeley Bolger

Book of the week

The One Plus One by Jojo Moyes is published in hardback by Michael Joseph, priced £14.99 (ebook £4.72). Available February 27.

A large part of Jojo Moyes's appeal is that she's a real woman who has worked extremely hard to become the bestselling novelist she is today, and as such, writes about similarly relatable women.

The protagonist in her latest offering The One Plus One, certainly fits the bill. Down-to-earth Jess has had a tough go of it; a single mum, she is struggling to get by, working two jobs to make ends meet, while also desperately hoping that her son doesn't get beaten up by the local yobs. When she and her chaotic family take a trip up to Scotland with the handsome, rich and seemingly snobby Ed, things start to get interesting.

Moyes has a gift of making you instantly relate to her characters and her narrative is so strong it's easy to imagine they are real. When bad things happen to them, it is tear-jerking and you are genuinely praying for a happy ending.

A two-time winner of the Romantic Novel Of The Year Award, Moyes has crafted The One Plus One into an easy-to-read, absorbing story that takes you through every emotion.

9/10

(Review by Harriet Shephard)

The Tell-Tale Heart by Jill Dawson is published in hardback by Spectre, priced £17.99 (ebook £6.99). Available now.

How much of ourselves are carried in our bodies' organs? That's the question Jill Dawson explores in this beautifully haunting tale.

Patrick Robson is a university professor with a heart condition that will kill him in six months and a harassment charge hanging over him at work, when a donor heart suddenly becomes available.

As Patrick begins noticing subtle changes to his personality, he's unsure if they are due to the stress of having had major surgery or if, as his transplant co-ordinator suggests, his donor heart could have carried some of its previous owner's characteristics with it.

Chapters about Patrick alternate with others about his donor and donor's ancestors, all set against the bleak backdrop and turbulent history of a Fens town in decline.

Dawson doesn't try to answer whether personalities really can cross over between donors and recipients and nor do her characters - instead, she gives a skilfully subtle suggestion that momentous events and passionate feelings can't be confined to one person or time.

9/10

(Review by Katie Archer)

The Lemon Grove by Helen Walsh is published in hardback by Tinder Press, priced £12.99 (ebook £4.35). Available February 27.

You would be forgiven for thinking that The Lemon Grove is a love story - or rather, a lust story - if you had the general gist explained to you: Jenn, a woman on the cusp of middle age, has a brief affair with her step-daughter's seventeen-year-old boyfriend, Nathan, while they holiday in lush, arty Deia in Mallorca.

However, while the erotic scenes are masterfully and evocatively written, there is much more in the novel than a cliched affair. Step-daughter Emma is fifteen, on the cusp of sexual maturity, and starting to pull away from her step-mother's grasp; Greg is Emma's father, Jenn's older husband, the keeper of a secret from the family, a secret that makes Nathan's burgeoning masculinity a further point of conflict; and Nathan himself is a working-class teenager, beautiful, clever and intent on wielding his power among this fracturing family.

A gripping read with a tumultuous finish.

8/10

(Review by Emma Herdman)

Boy, Snow, Bird by Helen Oyeyemi is published in hardback by Picador, priced £12.99 (ebook £6.02). Available February 27.

In the winter of 1953 20-year-old Boy Novak runs away from New York and her bullying, abusive father. She ends up in Flax Hill, Massachusetts, makes friends, gets a job and eventually marries a local widower, Arturo Whitman.

She becomes step-mother to his beautiful, beguiling daughter Snow, but when Boy gives birth to her daughter Bird, the Whitmans' dark secret is revealed, her world is turned upside down and her relationship with Snow changes.

Boy is forced to reconsider the image Arturo's family have presented to her, and she, Snow and Bird are broken apart. Then a startling revelation about Boy's own identity and her absent mother makes all three women confront who they are individually and together.

Clever, vibrant and inventive, this is a fairytale for the 21st century that challenges our perceptions about race, gender, appearance and family, and explores the nature of love in all its complex guises.

8/10

(Review by Catherine Small)

Just So Happens by Fumio Obata is published by Jonathan Cape Graphic Novels in hardback, priced £16.99 (ebook £9.99). Available now.

There are not enough graphic novels on the mainstream market, and is this because putting pictures in books seems somewhat juvenile; taking us back to our childhood and making us think they aren't 'grown up' enough? Well, that thought is surely challenged in the reading of Fumio Obata's Just So Happens.

Set across two very different cities and cultures, protagonist Yumiko travels from her home in London back to Japan for the funeral of her father.

Though the story itself doesn't contain a huge amount of action, the interest lies in Yumiko's journey of her culture, home and self. It is told with great care and dignity on what is an extremely sensitive subject matter.

The illustrations reflect the mood of the story perfectly with many sepia tones and soft lines from a watercolour finish creating a sense of movement and transition which mirrors Yumiko's journey.

Do not rule out graphic novels if you have never tried them; this would surely be the place to start.

8/10

(Review by Vicki Bartram)

The Wind Is Not A River by Brian Payton is published in hardback by Mantle, priced £16.99 (ebook £5.39). Available now.

Canadian author Brian Payton has built a vivid depiction of a resonant period of history for his latest novel The Wind Is Not A River.

Opening in the snow-swept landscape of 1943, landed and lost in the northern Pacific, the reader is parachuted into a twisting tale of survival, sacrifice and war.

It's a strong story, and one that reminds you of love's brute strength - the other side of the same coin so frequently spent by traditional romance authors.

Payton writes with clean prose, giving his readers a stark, uncluttered view of a romance. This evocative novel is a deeply moving read which commands your full attention.

7/10

(Review by Amy Nicholson)

Neuland by Eshkol Nevo is published in trade paperback by Chatto & Windus, priced £16.99 (ebook £6.99). Available February 27.

In Neuland, Eshkol Nevo weaves together the haunting pasts and uncertain futures of two Israelis who have unexpectedly found themselves travelling across South America.

Impassioned Inbar is impulsively trying to escape a job she deplores and a boyfriend she doesn't love, while devoted dad Dori is searching for his own grief-stricken father, who fled home after the death of his wife.

As the duo embark on their journeys, Nevo explores both the beauty and difficulty of human relationships and studies how we should cope with a situation we know is imperfect.

Nevo has an effortless knack for storytelling and, through his poetic prose, perfectly captures the moral, physical and philosophical dilemmas each character faces.

At more than 550 pages though, the novel is too ambitious: the crux of the book, which explores a dreamlike, almost utopian reality, doesn't add anything to this otherwise moving tale. Rather, the strength of the book lies in Nevo's vivid portrayal of the narrators coping with love, loss and loneliness, while trying to figure out what it means to be Jewish in the 21st century.

7/10

(Review by Steph Cockroft)

Falling Out Of Time by David Grossman is published in hardback by Jonathan Cape, priced £14.99 (ebook £6.64). Available now.

Described as being part prose, part play and pure poetry, this book is very clever.

The narrative follows a bereaved father, simply called The Walking Man, who embarks on a journey to reach the 'other world' in a bid to find his lost son. He is joined along the way by a host of other characters, all suffering losses of their own, as they pace in ever-increasing circles round the village and beyond.

The repetition and wandering nature of the poetry reflects the character's search for their dead. In this sense the style suits the narrative really well. Though I sometimes got a little lost with what was happening and who was speaking within the story this did not really matter; all good poetry deserves multiple reads to really grasp the point.

For a poem this is lengthy, but for a piece of prose it is a quick read that is heart-wrenching, moving and worth numerous reads.

7/10

(Review by Vicki Bartram)

Non-fiction

Romany And Tom by Ben Watt is published in hardback by Bloomsbury, priced £16.99 (ebook £7.72). Available now.

Since writing his first autobiographical book Patient in 1996, Everything But The Girl musician Ben Watt has become known for his soaring, lyrical prose.

And now, almost two decades on, Watt is back with Romany And Tom, a beautifully tender portrait of his parents' lives.

Taking us through their polar backgrounds, Romany's Methodist upbringing and her luminous acting career, crafted at RADA, and Tommy's working class Glaswegian roots, Watt glides effortlessly through the years with a perceptive, sweet and at times humorous look at the people who raised him.

Particularly poignant are Watt's depictions of Dad Tommy's career. A talented band leader and jazz musician, the change in musical tastes in the Sixties meant Tommy's time at the top was shorter than he would have hoped.

With heartbreaking detail, Watt describes his parents' descent into old age and the decision to put them into a care home.

In telling the story of his parents' sometimes tumultuous relationship, Watt also sheds light on his own life and reflects on the issues that have affected him.

Stirring and with a keen eye for detail, Romany And Tom is an impressive read that wears its heart firmly on its sleeve.

9/10

(Review by Keeley Bolger)

My Life In Agony: Confessions Of A Professional Agony Aunt by Irma Kurtz is published in hardback by Alma Books, priced £14.99 (ebook £7.12). Available now.

To the numerous women and teenagers who have read Cosmopolitan, the name Irma Kurtz will sound familiar. She's the 'no-nonsense' agony aunt who has delivered advice on sex, love, friendships and careers, not only to the letter-writers, but any readers facing similar issues (and those who read her columns out of nosy fascination).

My Life In Agony is not a linear autobiography, nor is it a confessional - swathes of Irma's life are skirted around and she takes care not to reveal all her innermost feelings on a plate. There's a sense that she's slightly guarded, though she's not dressing up her experiences as entirely smooth - early on, she admits "Has the agony aunt troubles of her own? You bet she has".

Kurtz presents herself as a voice of wisdom and common sense, but while her advice, for the most part, seems honest, straightforward and sensible, there are occasions where others will not agree and it seems as if, at times, there's not enough recognition that she doesn't always have all the answers.

There's also a tendency towards generalisation - while her theories on the spiteful attitudes of envious women do ring true when applied to certain examples, they don't hold for the majority.

Even so, the realisation that the same old problems, feelings and disputes are rehashed and regurgitated through the decades is comforting.

People will always search for answers and sometimes, as Kurtz points out, just need someone to put into words what they already know deep down.

7/10

(Review by Claire Ennis)

Where Memories Go: Why Dementia Changes Everything, by Sally Magnusson, published by Two Roads, £16.99, (ebook £6.02). Available now.

Sometimes, the story of a family isn't about them; it's about everyone. And never is that truer than in this heart-rending read from broadcaster Sally Magnusson.

Telling the story of her mother Mamie - journalist and wife of Mastermind presenter, the late Magnus Magnusson - and her descent into dementia, Where Memories Go doesn't just touch on the devastating impact the disease has on Magnusson and her immediate blood, she also passionately implores the impact dementia has on the whole of society.

Talking to experts and families of other sufferers, she highlights the current lack of true understanding, and care, given to dementia; a disease that robs sufferers not only memories, but of independence, hope, and ultimately, life.

Throughout, Magnusson's writing is flowing, compelling and utterly tear-jerking. You may not have known who Mamie was before you read the book, but thanks to her daughter's powerful prose, by the end (indeed, well before the end), you can't help but feel every inch of her decline.

That said, this is not only a tale of sadness. Mamie was a woman bursting with vibrancy and wit, and despite her condition, this continued to shine through until her inevitable death, and Magnusson never fails to celebrate that.

Also blazing through the darkness of dementia is the unshakeable bond between Mamie, Magnusson and her family; a bond reminding us all that whatever life might hurl at you, love can somehow stumble through it.

9/10

(Review by Nel Staveley)

Children's book of the week

Hello, Hugless Douglas! by David Melling is published by Hodder Children's Books for World Book Day (March 6), priced £1 using a World Book Day token (school children are entitled to one token each for free). Available now. For more information visit, www.worldbookday.com

David Melling's beloved big brown bear Hugless Douglas is back with Hello, Hugless Douglas! a new tale for World Book Day (March 6).

This time Melling takes us through a day with the big-hearted bear who never tires of giving or receiving hugs.

After a wake up hug and a scrub of his fur, he's off bouncing around with the Funny Bunnies and climbing trees to pick off apples.

Then he has a bath and settles down for his favourite book, before bundling all his friends together for a huge Hugless Douglas hug.

Sweetly enough, the book ends with a gallery of hugs, including an upside-down hug, a bug toy hug and a woolly hug which should tickle little ones.

For just one book token, Hello, Hugless Douglas, which is available until March 30, is a lovely introduction to the world of the friendly brown bear and is a great, cheap way of helping ignite your child's inner bookworm.

7/10

(Review by Keeley Bolger)

Bestsellers for the week ending February 23

Hardbacks

1 Minecraft: The Official Redstone Handbook

2 Minecraft: The Official Beginner's Handbook

3 Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Hard Luck, Jeff Kinney

4 Paws and Whiskers, Jacqueline Wilson

5 Demon Dentist, David Walliams

6 The LEGO Movie the Essential Guide

7 Extra Special Treats ( ... Not): Tom Gates, Liz Pichon

8 Where Memories Go: Why Dementia Changes Everything, Sally Magnusson

9 The Gospel of Loki, Joanne M Harris

10 Goth Girl: and the Ghost of a Mouse, Chris Riddell

(Compiled by Waterstones)

Paperbacks

1 Life After Life, Kate Atkinson

2 The Cuckoo's Calling: Cormoran Strike, Robert Galbraith

3 The Fault In Our Stars. John Green

4 The Shock of the Fall, Nathan Filer

5 Wreck This Journal: To Create is to Destroy, Now with Even More Ways to, Keri Smith

6 Stoner: A Novel, John Williams

7 The Examined Life: How We Lose and Find Ourselves, Stephen Grosz

8 Fangirl, Rainbow Rowell

9 Ratburger, David Walliams

10 The Book Thief, Markus Zusak

(Compiled by Waterstones)

Ebooks

1. The Book Thief, Markus Zusak

2. Twelve Years a Slave, Solomon Northup

3. The Oyster Catcher, Jo Thomas

4. Take Me Home, Daniela Sacerdoti

5. The Guestbook, Holly Martin

6.The Crow Road. Iain Banks

7. Fractured, Dani Atkins

8. Three Letters, Josephine Cox

9. The Cuckoo's Calling, Robert Galbraith

10. The Color Purple, Alice Walker

(Compiled by amazon.co.uk)