The Marriage Portrait
by Maggie O’Farrell
Paperback, £9.99
From the author of Hamnet, comes this thrilling novel reimagining the life of Lucrezia, Duchess of Ferrara. Lucrezia is also the subject of Robert Browning’s poem ‘My Last Duchess’. Here O’Farrell gives this ghostly figure from the Italian 16th century her story.
Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow
by Gabrielle Zevin
Paperback, £9.99
Zevin made her name as the author of books for young adults. I know nothing about computer gaming and yet I was fascinated about the lives of two friends who collaborate to make beautiful virtual worlds. Fascinating.
Tudor Children
By Nicholas Orme
Hardback, £20.00
By the author of Going to Church in Medieval England, this fascinating account explains what it was like to grow up in England under the Tudors.
Two Nights in Lisbon
by Chris Pavone
Paperback, £9.99
John picked this as his summer read in his bookseller’s choice in the Times recently.
A woman wakes up to discover her new husband is missing and sets out on a wild race of power, politics, and revenge in this international thriller
In the Shadow of St Paul’s Cathedral
by Margaret Willes.
Hardback, £25.00
‘The extraordinary story of St. Paul's Churchyard -the area of London that was a center of social and intellectual life for more than a millennium. St. Paul's Cathedral stands at the heart of London, an enduring symbol of the city.
Less well known is the neighborhood at its base that hummed with life for over a thousand years, becoming a theatre for debate and protest, knowledge and gossip. For the first time Margaret Willes tells the full story of the area. She explores the dramatic religious debates at Paul's Cross, the bookshops where Shakespeare came in search of inspiration, and the theater where boy actors performed plays by leading dramatists.’