Attack Of The Theater People
books, top 10, fiction, theatre, people, marc acito
Attack Of The Theater People
By Diane Shipley
They don\'t come much some different than Marc Acito. His 1980s-set novel is full of jazz hands, legwarmers and body glitter, as eighteen year old Edward Zanni achieves his dream of attending legendary New York university Juilliard to study music. However, he\'s soon suspended for being too over the top, and in camp and hilarious style he becomes a ‘motivator\', a guy who gets parties started. Alongside this is a sub-plot concerning insider trading (i.e: the reason Martha Stewart went to jail) that\'s so ridiculous it wouldn\'t work for most writers, but Marc Acito pulls it off with hilarious aplomb.
Attack Of The Theater People by Marc Acito, £8.00 from Amazon.co.uk
I Was Told There\'d Be Cake
books, fiction, top 10, bestseller, cake, sloane crosley
I Was Told There\'d Be Cake
Is being a young single woman in New York anything like the lifestyle of Carrie Bradshaw and co, or is it more of a Monica and Rachel-style struggle to survive (little money but a fabulous apartment)? According to Sloane Crosley\'s new book, it\'s neither. In this collection of idiosyncratic stories about her life, she talks about everything from why naps are great to her secret obsession with plastic ponies. Crosley flatly refuses to fall into any of the stereotypical traps of writing about twenty-something life in Manhattan, and her book is all the better for it.
I Was Told There\'d Be Cake by Sloane Crosley, £4.67 from Amazon.co.uk
The Cellist Of Sarajevo
books, fiction, top 10, bestseller, cellist, stephen galloway
The Cellist Of Sarajevo
Hailed as the next Kite Runner, this novel is set during the siege of Sarajevo in the 1990s, a time when the town had snipers on almost every street corner and leaving the house to get water was enough to get a person killed. This book follows three people trapped in the cross-fire of the battle, one of them a crack female sniper asked to protect the life of a cellist playing a non-stop memorial to the victims of war. You\'ll be moved, uplifted and ultimately saddened to realise how much of the story is true.
The Cellist Of Sarajevo by Steven Galloway, £9.09 from Amazon.co.uk
A Fraction Of The Whole
books, fiction, top 10, bestseller, alternative, steve toltz
A Fraction Of The Whole
This is one of those books that you could buy for the cover alone. Thankfully, there\'s also a substantial story underneath the superb design. Split into three parts (hence the title), A Fraction Of The Whole tells the story of Jasper Dean and his father Martin from different perspectives. This gives this interesting and unique story about a dysfunctional Australian family who love each other, but have a funny way of showing it, an added twist, and ensures you\'ll be intrigued to the very last page.
A Fraction Of The Whole by Steve Toltz, £6.99 from Amazon.co.uk
Breaking Dawn
books, fiction, vampire, bestseller, stephanie meyer, breaking dawn
Breaking Dawn
Stephanie Meyer is often mentioned in the same breath as Harry Potter, but her books are darker, more mysterious, and even bigger bestsellers. The last release in her Twilight series, Breaking Dawn, the last release in the Twilight series, uncovers the fate of Bella and her vampire love Edward in this teen-crossover novel which \"will keep readers madly flipping the pages,\" according to Publishers Weekly. Who needs wizards, we say!
Breaking Dawn by Stephanie Meyer, £7.64 from Amazon.co.uk
When You Are Engulfed In Flames
books, fiction, bestseller, david sedaris, engulfed in flames
When You Are Engulfed In Flames
Criminally under-read and underrated in the UK, American-in-Paris Davis Sedaris is a superb chronicler of the absurdities of everyday life, whose essays appear in The New Yorker as well as in his wonderful books of real-life stories. But you don\'t need to have read his previous work to enjoy When You Are Engulfed In Flames, just a sense of humour. Although many of the essays share the common theme of death and are packaged with a scary title and vaguely threatening cover, don\'t be put off: there is a comic masterpiece within.
When You Are Engulfed In Flames by David Sedaris, £6.99 from Amazon.co.uk
Inglorious
books, fiction, bestseller, joanna kavenna, inglorious, top 10
Inglorious
Winner of Orange Broadband Award for New Writers 2008, Inglorious is a dark and funny look at what happens when your boyfriend gets engaged to one of your friends, your mother dies and your debt becomes unbearable. In the case of 35-year old Rosa Lane, the heroine of this book, you walk out on work, pare your life down to the bare essentials and have an atypical nervous breakdown. Despite Rosa\'s misery, she is a sympathetic character whose story is told with great wit, and you can\'t help hoping she is able to rebuild her way back to sanity, somehow.
Inglorious by Joanna Kavenna, £6.39 from Amazon.co.uk
Brida
books, fiction, bestseller, paul coelho, brida, top 10
Brida
Paulo Coelho\'s novels all tell the story of a quest for wisdom, peace, and the meaning of life. His books are best left alone by the super-cynical, but if you\'re looking for a relaxing read which might alter your perspective on life, like to meditate on why we\'re here and what it\'s all about or would just like a complete departure from chick lit, Coelho\'s your man. Brida is the story of a young Irish woman who has a talent for magic but is not sure what her real destiny is, so (naturally) she heads off on a journey of discovery to find out.
Brida by Paulo Coelho, £4.00 from Amazon.co.uk
The Story Of A Marriage
books, fiction, bestseller, andrew sean greer, story, marriage
The Story Of A Marriage
This evocative and poignant novel set in 1950s San Francisco tells the story of a marriage affected by illness and the near-loss of a child. But it is actually about much more: the threat of the Korean War, racism and segregation and the history of America in the 20th century. If you\'re after a thoughtful and eloquent read in a similar style to \'Atonement\', look no further.
The Story Of A Marriage by Andrew Sean Greer, £11.69 from Amazon.co.uk
The Lost Dog
books, fiction, bestseller, michelle de krester, lost dog
The Lost Dog
Just like its cover, a book shouldn\'t be judged by its title, as The Lost Dog proves. Like Michelle de Kretser\'s previous novels The Hamilton Case and The Rose Grower, The Lost Dog isn\'t the simple tale its title suggests, but a sublime collision of many things. Set in contemporary Australia and mid-20th century India, the story of Tom Loxley searching for his missing dog unfolds into a haunting tale of mystery, love, home and wonder.
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The Lost Dog by Michelle de Kretser, £12.53 from Amazon.co.uk
