The Bookseller.com

28th August 2008

The latest picks from the proof pile previewed by The Bookseller's editorial team. The blog is edited by The Bookseller's Book News editor Benedicte Page.

Booksellers books of the year

21.12.07

Victoria Gallagher writes:

Martin Whitaker, Browsers Bookshop, Woodbridge, Suffolk
Storm and Conquest by Stephen Taylor
“It is a fantastic story about the British Navy. It reads like a thriller and it’s absolutely gripping.”

Vivian Archer, Newham Books
The Rain Before it Falls by Jonathan Coe
“I thought it was really good—he’s a wonderful writer. We had an event with him and he’s a lovely guy. The book’s got everything going for it. I have to say that my second favourite book would definitely be Half of a Yellow Sun by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie.”

Ian Nicholson, Alison’s of Tewkesbury
The Road by Cormac McCarthy
“It’s the best novel I’ve read all year. I got it from America in March before it came out over here and nothing has managed to catch up with it.”

Peter Donaldson, Red Lion Books, Colchester
A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini
“It is immensely readable. It manages to combine the background of Afghanistan and human toil into a fantastic read.”

Matthew Clarke, Torbay Bookshop, Paignton
The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini
“I think it was very well written. It took me to a part of the world which I’ve never been to and probably never will. The emotion in the novel made me unable to put it down.”

Keith Smith, Warwick Books
A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini
“It was amazing. I haven’t read The Kite Runner, so I didn’t know what to expect. It was a really powerful novel. It deals with not just the role of women, but the whole political background. I couldn’t put it down.”

Matthew Crockatt, Crockatt & Powell
Tree of Smoke by Dennis Johnson
“It’s a proper novel. The reviews here have been totally confused because people forget that novels are works of art. Johnson’s prepared to pick on big themes. It’s brilliant. It took him 10 years to write and it’s extraordinary.”

Anna Dreda, Wenlock Books, Much Wenlock
What Was Lost by Catherine O’Flynn
“It’s a wonderful book. It’s very fresh and different—a very good read. She came to the bookshop and we were very impressed with her. I highly recommend it.”

Alex Milne-White, Hungerford Books
The Tenderness of Wolves by Stef Penney
“It’s just a great story and really well written. It takes you right into Canada. It’s a really absorbing story.”