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You are here: Backpacker Resources > Travel Books > Top 5 Books for August 2010

Top 5 Books for August 2010

1. The Little Stranger by Sarah Waters
   

   The scene is a post‐war, Warwickshire where morale is exhausted and the British nation is feeling an overwhelming sense of melancholy. At Hundreds Hall – the long standing home of the Ayres family, a doctor is called out to tend to a patient, but the ailments he discovers aren’t restricted to his patient or the ill effects of a stagnating, and run down country home. Oh no – the family are tormented by something a tad more supernatural which will spook even the most self assured of readers. Just you wait until you find out what’s keeping the clock in the stable yard permanently set to twenty to nine.

   The Little Stranger Sarah Waters is published by Virago (hardback; £16.99). It is also available through amazon.com and all good booksellers.

2. Amore and Amaretti by Victoria Cosford
   

   Also starring as this month’s free travel extract, Amore and Amaretti conveys a thoroughly addictive tale of love and food in Italy. Without ruining the plot ‐ author Victoria ditches a meagre living and an equally meagre boyfriend in London for a lifestyle of fine food and fast romance in Tuscany. She eventually discovers that food is her professional calling which accounts for the abundant (and tasty) recipes dotted throughout the chapters. Readers should however be warned that reading this book on an empty stomach is a very bad idea!

   Amore and Amaretti by Victoria Cosford is published by Summersdale (paperback; £8.99). It is also available through amazon.com and all good booksellers.

3. To Hull and Back by Tom Chesshyre
   

   As a northerner I’ve always found Hull’s international reputation as the A‐hole of Yorkshire a little bit distasteful and undeserved, so when this book cropped up and offered a different point of view I eagerly read on. It turns out however that Tom’s lierary offering not only opens up the highlights of Hull but also the undiscovered delights of places such as Milton Keynes, South Shields and Croydon. This holiday at home collection sums up the current stay‐cation ethos permeating UK travel writing at the moment and it’s rather good.

   To Hull and Back by Tom Chesshyre is published by Summersdale (paperback; £8.99). It is also available through amazon.com and all good booksellers.

4. Stories edited by Neil Gaiman and Al Sarrantonio
   

   This large anthology pulls together some of the finest and most original tales of fiction from around the world, written by the some well known, and some not so well known authors. Given the scope there’s something exciting in here for everyone and writers Peter Straub, Chuck Palahniuk, Roddy Doyle, Diana Wynne Jones and Jodi Picoult all vie for your attention. They also agreed to the collection with one common goal in mind ‐ working together to defend their craft and realign misconceptions. Editors Gaiman and Sarrantonio understand this very well and have done a sterling job at the helm of the project.

   Stories edited by Neil Gaiman and Al Sarrantonio is published by Headline Review (hardback; £19.99). It is also available through amazon.com and all good booksellers.

5. The Slap by Christos Tsiolkas
   

   I’m not really sure why I was drawn to this book but reading it stirred up the kind of controversy that in a modern politically correct Britain, you’re not encouraged to think about, let alone commit to paper. The Slap is a tale of the fall out from an event at a suburban barbecue. In a nutshell a man slaps a brat‐ish and somewhat unruly child who is not his own. This single act then of course begs the question of how you would respond as an observer or parent, and whether this action counts as discipline or abuse. Our rather talented author takes it from here and interrogates (without restriction) the reactions of the modern family, and the justifications behind them.

   The Slap by Christos Tsiolkas is published by Atlantic Books (paperback; £12.99). It is also available through amazon.com and all good booksellers.

‐ Rob Savage