Our top picks this month are:
Hardback of the Month
The Other Side of Mrs Wood by Lucy Barker
Mrs Wood is London’s most celebrated medium. She’s managed to survive decades in the competitive world of contacting the Other Side, has avoided the dreaded slips that revealed others as frauds and is still hosting packed-out seances for Victorian high society. Yet, some of her patrons have recently cancelled their appointments.
There are reports of American mediums nearly materialising full spirits and audiences are no longer satisfied with the knocking on tables and candle theatrics of years gone by. And then, at one of Mrs Wood’s routine gatherings, she hears something terrifying – faint, but unmistakable: a yawn. Mrs Wood needs to spice up her brand.
She decides to take on Emmie, a young protege, to join her show. But is Emmie Finch the naive ingenue she seems to be? Or does she pose more of a threat to Mrs Wood’s reign and, more horrifyingly, her reputation than Mrs Wood could ever have imagined?
Paperback of the Month
That Bonesetter Woman by Frances Quinn
It’s usual, they say, for a young person coming to London for the first time to arrive with a head full of dreams. Well, Endurance Proudfoot did not.
When she stepped off the coach from Sussex, on a warm and sticky afternoon in the summer of 1757, it never occurred to her that the city would be the place where she’d make her fortune; she was just very annoyed to be arriving there at all. Meet Endurance Proudfoot: clumsy as a carthorse, strong as an ox, with a tactless tongue and a face she’s sure only a mother could love. Durie wants one thing in life: to become a bonesetter like her father.
It’s physically demanding work, requiring nerves of steel, and he’s adamant it’s not a job for a woman. Strong-willed and stubborn, Durie’s certain that in bonesetting, her big, usually clumsy hands have found their natural calling. So when she’s bundled off to London with her beautiful sister, she won’t let it stop her realising her dream.
As her sister finds fame on the stage, Durie becomes England’s most celebrated bonesetter – but what goes up must come down, and her success may become her undoing. Inspired by the true stories of two of Georgian England’s most famous celebrities, That Bonesetter Woman is an uplifting tale about finding the courage to go your own way, when everyone says you can’t – and about realising that what makes you different can also make you strong.
Children’s Book of The Month
Finn’s Little Fibs by Tom Percival
Finn has always loved going to stay with his grandma . . .
until one day, he tells a little fib that gets out of control! A book about telling the truth, from the bestselling author of the Big Bright Feelings series. Be open, be honest, be you! Big Bright Feelings for little people. When Finn accidentally breaks his grandma’s precious clock, he tells a teeny tiny little lie – and blames it on his sister instead! Soon, Finn’s little fib is OUT OF CONTROL, and it’s getting in the way of everything! Can he find a way to tell the truth?This reassuring and humorous book is the perfect springboard for talking to children about the importance of honesty.
Tom Percival’s Big Bright Feelings series is the ideal starting point for discussions about mental and emotional health, positive self-image, building self-confidence and managing feelings.
