In the Mirror Book Club's rundown of this week's best reads, Mitch Albom breaks hearts with his story of love, grief and the meaning of family.
Simon Parkin tells the true story of a "ragtag crew of women” who shifted the tide of war in Britain’s favour.
Erin Morgenstern is spellbinding as myths and fairytales entwine on a quest to discover life’s purpose.
While fans of The Who will enjoy guessing which bits of the band's history Pete Townshend drew on for his tale of an anxious rock star.
A Game Of Birds And Wolves, by Simon Parkin
During the war, Winston Churchill said the Battle of the Atlantic “was the only thing that ever really frightened me”. Hitler’s U-boat campaign to torpedo ships convoying food to Blighty came within a seal’s whisker of starving the isles into surrender.
In this deadly game of warfare, the Germans used a board to work out U-boat tactics. So a British wargaming counter-group was formed, staffed “by a ragtag crew of women”. In “the Dungeon” behind Liverpool’s Town Hall, the unit played out scenarios on the floor with chalk and string, eventually birthing effective anti-U-boat search patterns by Navy destroyers and shifting the tide of war in Britain’s favour. Parkin’s book rips along at full sail and is a triumph.
Sceptre, £20
BY JOHN LEWIS-STEMPEL
The Starless Sea, by Erin Morgenstern
This enchanting novel begins when shy student Zachary discovers a book on a college library shelf in which his younger self appears as a character. As Zachary sets about uncovering the book’s origins, a series of clues lead him on an adventure through vividly detailed worlds of lost libraries, elegant ballrooms and subterranean seas. Myths and fairytales entwine with Zachary’s quest to discover his life’s purpose. Spellbinding.
Harvill Secker, £16.99
BY EITHNE FARRY
Finding Chika, by Mitch Albom
Albom and wife Janine run an orphanage in Haiti where Chika, three, captures their hearts. But when Chika is five, her face begins to droop and she develops a limp. Scans and surgery reveal that Chika has a deadly brain tumour so Mitch and Janine spend two years travelling around the world in the hope of finding a cure. A heartbreaking story of love, grief and the true meaning of family.
Sphere, £14.99
BY MERNIE GILMORE
The Age Of Anxiety, by Pete Townshend
In this dazzling whirligig of a novel, Louis, art dealer and former addict, is godfather to Walter, a rock star who fears he may be going mad because of sounds in his head. Louis also sells artwork by rock singer Paul who spent 15 years living wild in Cumbria after losing his mind filming a movie. Though the dialogue can be hackneyed, the writing is vivid and fans will enjoy guessing which bits of The Who’s history Townshend drew upon.
Coronet, £20
BY MATT NIXSON
Join the Mirror Book Club!
Each month we choose a paperback we think you’ll enjoy, either fiction or non-fiction.
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- Current Mirror Book Club read: The Widow by Fiona Barton
