Enjoy Life

August Round up

More great books to look out for, reviewed by Simon Evans

Acclaimed railway writer and novelist Andrew Martin explores one of his great passions, the Paris Metro, in Metropolitain (Corsair, £16.99), delving into its fascinating history, exploring its many references in popular culture, celebrating its aesthetic beauty and looking at how, like Paris itself, the network is constantly changing and evolving…

Pigcasso, by Joanne Lefson (Cassell, £20), is the remarkable true story of the rescue piglet who became an internationally renowned artist, with exhibitions around the world, and whose work now funds the sanctuary that originally took her in…

In Nowhere to Run (Transworld, £16.99) playwright and screenwriter Jonathan Sayer tells how he became part owner of a non-league football club, Ashton United, and the highs, lows and occasional absurdities involved…

Drawing on extensive research and interviews with friends and family, in Anymore for Anymore: The Ronnie Lane Story (Omnibus Press £20) David and Caroline Stafford shine new light on a musician who was a key creative force in both the Small Faces and Faces but who also battled against an increasingly debilitating inherited illness. It’s a story told with great understanding and wit…

The Chimney Sweep’s Sister, by Emma Hornby (Penguin, £7.99), tells the story of two orphans, Noah, aged nine and his older sister Jenny, who rely on Noah’s dangerous work as a chimney sweep’s boy to survive. Jenny strives to improve their lot by putting her singing talents to good use, but when she’s offered a part in the music hall it turns out there’s a price to pay. And The Land Girls at The Wartime Bookshop, by Lesley Eames (Penguin, £7.99), is the second in Lesley’s excellent new series and finds Kate, Naomi and Alice fighting to save the shop that means so much to them and their community……

Beneath its sleepy rural exterior the Cotswold village of Compton Magna – the setting for Fiona Walker’s new novel Country Secrets (Bloomsbury, £20) – is a hotbed of lust, betrayal and jealousy, with the very future of the village at stake, and a former child star, whose sister was murdered in the mid-Nineties finds herself on the trail of a killer in Halley Sutton’s thriller The Hurricane Blonde (Allison and Busby, £14.99)…

Beekeeper of Aleppo author Christy Lefteri’s powerful new novel The Book of Fire (Manila, £16.99) concerns a family whose life on a tiny Greek island goes up in flames in a single day when a fire is started because of one man’s folly. Lives and homes are lost, the island’s natural beauty destroyed and, inevitably, the family itself bears deep scars, mental and physical, in the wake of the tragedy. Somehow, however, they find a reason to carry on…

The View From Poacher’s Hill (London Books, £11) is the second in the Seal Club series of novellas, featuring the work of Alan Warner, Irvine Welsh and John King, all of which explore, in their different ways the forgotten, dispossessed and mentally unhinged, Warner’s story of an indulged teenager who discovers life on the Costa Blanca is not always the answer to your problems is the most effective, Welsh’s tale of Edinburgh lowlifes is as usual, rich in character and squalid detail, while King’s Grand Union, a tale of football fans, narrow boats and goats, is enjoyably bonkers.

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Autumn Reads
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Latest book reviews
May DVD Reviews
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April's DVD reviews
April's book reviews
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February's DVDs
February's books
Winter books
January's DVD releases
Christmas book reviews
November DVD reviews
November's Music Reviews
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September's DVD Reviews
DVD selection for August 2023
September's book reviews
Latest music reviews August 2023
August Paperback Reviews
August hardback book reviews
July 2023 Roundup
Pick of the paperbacks July 2023
July 23 Hardback book reviews
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Pick of the paperbacks June 2023
June DVDs
Hardback book reviews - June 2023
Simon Evans CD Reviews for June 2023
Tesco Summer indoors and out
Book reviews
May 2023 paperback book reviews
May 2023 Hardback book reviews
May's DVD Selection
May's CD selection
Round up of April 2023's book reviews
April 2023 paperback reviews
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More March 2023 must-reads
March - Pick of the paperbacks
March hardback recommendations
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March 2023 - DVD releases
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Pick of the paperbacks - February 2023
Book reviews February 2023
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Foray into the Fens
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Keeping fit and healthy with the Green goddess Part 2
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Finger-licking Good! Tasty Chicken recipes
Beauty: Say 'Allo 'Allo to an alluring look
British Library: Palace of the printed word
Look good and feel great with CBD
Interior design: Inspiration for outdoor spaces
Summer fun at Belvoir Castle
Finding Fitness Starts With Fashion
‘In Vogue’ Veg – Cavolo Nero Sales Grow by 14%
Eat Continental and live longer
A life-affirming book... about death
Get Sewing: Floral bespoke notebook cover
Find your family fortunes... for FREE!
Beauty: Get set for spring...
Spanish Recipes: Small is beautiful
The Vegan Revolution
Interior Design: Maximise your living space
Pets need a spring clean too
Visit Family Tree Live
MasterChef: Classic with a Twist
Get Sewing: Quilted pot-holder
Bob Dylan "Rock and Roll music wasn’t enough for me”
Plant Power Day: 7th March 2019
Interior Design: Less is more in minimalist home
A second chance at love
Interior Design: Great Gatsby Cabinet
The rise and rise of the birthday cake
Walking back to happiness
Baking With Veg
Totally Tina Tour
How to take care of your hair over-50
The nation's most popular cake recipes
Your views: Can you help?
Hail the grandparent aupairs
Beauty: Denise Welch "I love the shape I'm in at 60"
The Austerity Olympics
Healthy reasons to acquire a taste for olives
Grand Treats for Grandchildren
Declutter your home, and clear your mind
Scandi-style Mules for Swollen Feet
Beetroot and Walnut Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting
In your garden: October
Dr Norman Croucher: The toughest summit of them all
Craft Corner: Sweet Easter Basket
Have your cake and eat your Easter egg too!
Interior Design: Moroccan inspired drawers
BR remembered... 70 years on
A gentleman's guide to spring fashion
Why antique jewellery is glittering
New Year, new beauty habits
Cliff Richard "I have a deeper faith now"
Do you remember? Oliver!
What we really look for in retirement living
Interior Design: Wedding bells on a budget
Counter culture: The revival of the board game
Jodie Whittaker: "Doctor Who is all about change"
85 year old Grandmother gains a PhD
Dame Eileen and a Crowning glory
Writing the story of you life
Why winter shouldn't stop you: don't wait until New Year
World' first 'wellness shed' stirs up mindfulness
Growing old is amazing
Don't miss out on the internet age
Prepare to feel ancient...
Hawks: Up close and personal
Studious retiree heads back to school
Garden Expert: Soaking up the sun
Emily Watson "I'ts such a gypsy life"
Here's to you Mrs Robinson
Brits Embracing 'Urban Birding'
Volunteering for Nature
The Secret to Younger Looking Eyes
Anti-ageing Options Part 2
Anti-ageing Options
End of the road for a pop icon
Reaching out to Dementia Sufferers: Sporting Memories Network
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Afternoon Tea Recipes
Surprisingly Good Wholegrain Recipes: Savoury
Staying safe in the Summer heat: Drowning prevention
Stardust Memories
Baking made easy
Cooking for one
The real cost of your wine