5 new books to read this week

Japanese author Haruki Murakami is back with his latest work of fiction…

Fiction

1. The Lion Women Of Tehran by Marjan Kamali is published in paperback by Simon & Schuster, priced £9.99 (ebook £6.99). Available now

The Lion Women Of Tehran is a powerful, moving story about freedom and friendship by Iranian-American novelist Marjan Kamali. At a time when political turmoil builds up in Iran, Ellie and Homa – two best friends from different upbringings – are forced into living very different lives. Kamali takes us on a journey of friendship, showing us the beauty of long-lasting ties of sisterhood, and highlights the importance of freedom for women around the world. It’s an emotional journey and one that helps readers realise the power that women hold, and the impact of their lion voice.

9/10

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(Review by Maryam Munir)

2. Trial By Fire by Danielle Steel is published in hardback by Macmillan, priced £22 (ebook £11.99). Available now

Trial By Fire by Danielle Steele is a story about loss, love and the courage it takes to move forward after difficult times. Dahlia de Beaumont, born to a French mother and American father, is owner and CEO of the family perfume business. The traumatising loss of her parents and later her young husband result in her focusing her time and energy into her four children and perfume empire. She brings up her children alone and can’t imagine loving another man as she did her husband. During a trip to San Francisco, wildfires erupt in Napa Valley, and she’s compelled to offer aid. Not only will this risk her life and her future but will also create new opportunities to build relationships and cement that which is important in her life. This expansive novel explores themes of loss, love, resilience, personal growth, and the opportunity for a renewed chance at love. It offers an intimate portrayal of loss and healing, which feels deeply personal. The author’s ability to weave love and family into a story of grief is powerful, highlighting how important connections are during challenging times.

9/10

(Review by Amanda De Beer)

3. The City And Its Uncertain Walls by Haruki Murakami, translated by Philip Gabriel, is published in hardback by Harvill Secker, priced £25 (ebook £11.99). Available now

Wistful, nostalgic, powerful and poignant – there are so many more ways you could describe Haruki Murakami’s latest novel, The City And Its Uncertain Walls. Based on a novella he wrote many years ago, it tells the story of a young man’s journey into an imaginary city to find the true self of his girlfriend who has gone missing. Inside the city, with its mysterious high walls and other notable quirks, he finds a job in a library as a dream reader, working alongside his girlfriend. But she has no memory of their love story or their previous life together. And so begins a quest, and one which takes you the reader along every step of the way, making you question your own journey and how far you would travel for love. The novel is also an ode to libraries and books, the physical realm of which has dissipated in an age of technology.

9/10

(Review by Kerri-Ann Roper)

Non-fiction

4. Cher: The Memoir, Part One by Cher is published in hardback by HarperCollins, priced £25 (ebook £14.99). Available now

As autobiographies go, Cher’s is certainly not short on subject matter. So much so that her new release is Cher: The Memoir, Part One, taking the reader up to the early 1980s. Her story is truly remarkable, starting with a family background she describes as like the “opening of a Dickens novel”. The supporting characters read like the stars on Hollywood’s Walk of Fame and non-stop anecdotes include teenage dates with Warren Beatty, Phil Spector brandishing a gun and an encounter with a fish-shaped sex toy in Salvador Dali’s studio. Behind the glamour is her relationship with controlling husband Sonny Bono, who she says helped her become a star but treated her like a servant. Her sense of humour is apparent throughout, although some of her wit is lost in the written word. A fascinating read and insight into a true pop icon, part two can’t come quick enough.

8/10

(Review by Eleanor Barlow)

Children’s book of the week

5. Tales From Muggleswick Wood by Vicky Cowie, illustrated by Charlie Mackesy, is published in hardback by Bloomsbury Children’s Books, priced £20 (ebook £14). Available now

East Yorkshire-based writer Vicky Cowie presents a stunningly bound gift edition combining five of her previous short stories, framed within a narrative of a grandmother reading to her grandchildren across a wholesome weekend sleepover at her countryside home. Interconnecting tales Muggleswick Wood, Kevin The Kelpie, The Biggest Blooming Beetle, The Secret Of Snittington Hall and Melvin The Mole are presented as bedtime tales, lovingly told to cousins creating a sweet, fantastical world young readers can dive into; vividly imagining the landscape and characters as easily as you might Kenneth Grahame’s Toad Of Toad Hall. With gorgeous illustrations from Charlie Mackesy – who you might recognise from The Boy, The Mole, The Fox And The Horse – this timeless collective brings to mind Beatrix Potter and A. A. Milne’s most beloved characters, and is a perfect gift for any young reader (aged four to eight years) this Christmas, to be handed down through generations.

9/10

(Review by Holly Cowell)

BOOK CHARTS FOR THE WEEK ENDING NOVEMBER 23

HARDBACK (FICTION)

1. The City And Its Uncertain Walls by Haruki Murakami

2. The Songbird And The Heart Of Stone by Carissa Broadbent

3. We Solve Murders by Richard Osman

4. Blood Of Hercules by Jasmine Mas

5. In Too Deep by Lee Child & Andrew Child

6. Orbital by Samantha Harvey

7. Killing Time by Alan Bennett

8. The Party by Tessa Hadley

9. The Hotel Avocado by Bob Mortimer

10. Intermezzo by Sally Rooney

(Compiled by Waterstones)

HARDBACK (NON-FICTION)

1. Cher: The Memoir, Part One by Cher

2. Private Eye Annual 2024 by Ian Hislop

3. Guinness World Records 2025

4. Healthy Air Fryer Feasts by Christina Kynigos

5. I Haven’t Been Entirely Honest With You by Miranda Hart

6. Diddly Squat by Jeremy Clarkson

7. A Pawtobiography by Ted the Dog

8. Unleashed by Boris Johnson

9. The Boy, The Mole, The Fox And The Horse by Charlie Mackesy

10. Simply Jamie by Jamie Oliver

(Compiled by Waterstones)

AUDIOBOOKS (FICTION AND NON-FICTION)

1. I Haven’t Been Entirely Honest With You by Miranda Hart

2. We Solve Murders by Richard Osman

3. The Hotel Avocado by Bob Mortimer

4. We Who Wrestle With God by Jordan B. Peterson

5. Atomic Habits by James Clear

6. The Thursday Murder Club by Richard Osman

7. Here One Moment by Liane Moriarty

8. Lights Out by Navessa Allen

9. Unruly by David Mitchell

10. Odyssey by Stephen Fry

(Compiled by Audible)