Little,Brown Book Group New Titles

The menu is self-explanatory - try it and see for yourselves. The magazine is arranged into three main sections, REVIEWS, FEATURE ARTICLES and STORIES, and NEW & COMING SOON TITLES. The latter section is a little like a bookshop where you can browse what's new for this month, but it is arranged by Publisher, as this is the easiest way for me to do it. Let me knowwhat you think...

If you were lucky, and you're a dad, you might have received a copy of this fantastic book on Father's Day! Neil Oliver, the historian from the smash BBC series COAST, retells the stories that inspired us to be better men during the last century. He laments... more

Amanda Greenslade is a fantasy writer, like me (except she's young enough to be my granddaughter, and therefore has time on her side!). Her ASTOR CHRONICLES look fantastic, and I hope it won't be long before she finds a publisher. In the meantime, there's an interview with Amanda in this issue, together with information on TALON, the first book in the series.

KELLEY ARMSTRONG's latest book, THE SUMMONING, is so good I had to give it joint book of the month in the fantasy section; Kelley never lets you down, and this is a terrific read, chilling and entertaining at the same time - don't miss it!

And don't forget to let me know what you think of this issue of BOOKS MONTHLY ~ you can e-mail me at editor@booksmonthly.co.uk

Last weekend the fourth INDIANA JONES movie smashed box office records with takings estimated to be in excess of Ł148m - there are lots more great new Indy books reviewed in this issue, see the Feature Articles and Stories menu above

All of the titles listed or reviewed in Books Monthly are available from the store. Click on the Amazon logo to check availability as many are not yet published.

JAMES MILLER: LOST BOYS ~ After the oil company that employs Arthur Dashwood fails to protect him from a kidnap attempt in Baghdad, he returns to his traumatised family in London. But everything is not as it should be. Having quit the blistering heat and swimming pool luxury of Saudi Arabia for fear of terrorist attack, Arthur finds that danger is closer to home. Arthur's young son Timothy is struggling in the hostile terrain of his new public school. Bullied by other pupils and neglected by his preoccupied parents, he withdraws into a fantasy world, a hybrid of computer-generated guerrilla warzone and exotic dreams of his time in Saudi Arabia, a place where boys can fight and escape their teachers and families. As one middle-class boy from Timothy's school and then another disappears, so evidence emerges of an extreme and disturbing rejection of the adult world. And then it is Timothy's turn to disappear. Haunted by memories of post-Saddam Baghdad, Arthur embarks on a terrifying search for his son, one that will reveal his own complicity in the brutal consequences of Western power.

JANE GARDAM: THE PEOPLE ON PRIVILEGE HILL ~ This is a lovely collection of short stories---they will stay in your mind long after you've read them. Such elegant, finely honed prose, so much humanity and wit, is rare in a world where cynical, sharp-edged fiction dominates---to the detriment of literature. (Who wants to read Will Self---well, certainly not me!) Admirers of Jane Gardam's masterpiece , 'Old Filth', will be delighted by the return of Sir Edward Feathers (and his old adversaries!) in the first story in this collection, (the wonderful image of the three old judges under three contrasting umbrellas is a delight) but there are so many more brilliant short stories to enjoy here:--'Babette', with its chief protagonist, the bath, 'The Latter Days of Mr Jones' (a powerful indictment of the witch hunts and 'procedures' sadly prevalent in present day Britain,) 'Pangbourne' and 'Flight Path' amongst others. Jane Gardam is a genius---don't miss this!

JANET FRAME: TOWARDS ANOTHER SUMMER ~ 'The Southern Cross cuts through my heart instead of through the sky' Grace Cleave is spending a weekend away from London, where she has been battling with writer's block. But on holiday in the north of England she feels more and more like a migratory bird as the pull of her native New Zealand makes life away from it seem transitory. Grace longs to find her own place in the world ? if she can only decide where that is. But first she must learn to be comfortable in her own skin, feathers and all. From the author of An Angel at My Table comes an exquisitely written novel of exile and return, homesickness and belonging. Written in 1963 when Janet Frame was living in London, this is the first publication of a novel she considered too personal to be published in her lifetime.

MEREDITH NORTON: LOPSIDED - HOW HAVING BREAST CANCER CAN BE REALLY DISTRACTING ~ 'As far as I'm concerned, Lance Armstrong and I are close to exact opposites, both physically and mentally ...If surviving this particularly deadly form of breast cancer required any of the Lance-like traits, such as a willingness to physically exert myself, I was as good as dead.' When well-meaning family and friends found out about her diagnosis, they often came armed with copies of Lance Armstrong's cancer survival book. Meredith reacted by penning a sharp, irreverent and laugh-out-loud funny memoir. More than just an account of her harrowing and, at times, hilarious treatments during her illness, Lopsided offers up entertaining memories of an offbeat life. A fiesty and irreverent memoir about life and death, family and friends, and everything in between.

MARYJANICE DAVIDSON: UNDEAD AND UNWORTHY ~ Having recently lost her dad and step-mother, Betsy Sinclair (nee Taylor) is adjusting to rather more than just married life. Their untimely deaths have left her and Sinclair as sole guardians of her little brother, Jon. Two vampire parents - albeit vampire royalty - for a decidedly human baby. But then the ghost of Betsy's step-mother turns up at their house. And as stubborn and insufferable as she was in life, she's even more annoying in death

Reviews

Delightful, wicked fun Christine Feehan
Chick lit meets vampire action in this creative, sophisticated, sexy, and wonderfully witty book Catherine Spangler
A delightful mix of chick lit and horror great fun! Jayne Ann Krentz
Entertaining, wicked and delightful Romance Reviews Today

LYNNE PICKNETT & CLIVE PRINCE: THE MASKS OF CHRIST ~ This book is not intended as an attack on Christianity of the Christ of faith, but is an assessment of all the historical evidence about Jesus Christ. Although there is a huge literature on the subject - theological, historical, mythical, New Age and speculative - almost all of it is aimed at a niche market. The Masks of Christ is very different, being a mainstream book aimed at everyone. For the first time, all the various theories and facts about Jesus are considered between the covers of one accessible book. As the phenomenal sales of The Da Vinci Code continue to fuel a growing global appetite for questioning the old certainities and assumptions about Christianity and what it says about its founder, never has there been a more perfect time to launch The Masks of Christ.

Books Monthly (formerly Gateway Monthly) is published by Paul Edmund Norman on the first day of each month. You can contact me via e-mail at: editor@booksmonthly.co.uk . If you'd like to get a story published in Books Monthly just e-mail it to me and I'll consider it - no payment though, I'm afraid!