Just Call Me Spaghetti-Hoop Boy by Lara Williamson

Just Call Me Spaghetti-Hoop Boy is a truly emotional book, with pages and pages filled with intricate writing and detailed descriptions, all communicated through Adam Butters’ hilarious perspective on one particular period of his life. Adam Butters lives in Pegasus Park, is eleven years old, loves comics, and lives with his family, his dad, his mum and his two sisters, Minnie and Velvet, who has an invisible dog. Adam is adopted, and that's no secret for him. However he soon is curious to find out his true origins, his real mum. Somehow he finds out by reading his birth certificate. But that is not enough for Adam, so he sets on a quest to find his biological mother although during it, he is obstacles by many controversial thoughts and events. Adum is however helped by his best friend, Tiny Eric a polish kid who is massive in stature, but has a kind and upright caring heart, and a talent for drawing.  But before that he wants to be a superhero, to make everyone happy especially his mum which is in a very downright negative and sad mood. To become a superhero he has come up with five “easy steps to becoming a superhero”. Not all of them go exactly as planned, and finding his mother gets more and more impossible and challenging. But can Adam become a superhero - and find his mother?

My favourite character in this novel is Adam butters, the magical main character of this story. All due to his caring heart, a lovable family which is very affectionate to him. And his obvious open mind and flexibility to new environments. In second place is Tiny Eric, Adams best friend, his talent for drawing is a treat that I  immensely admired throughout the story , and his humongous heart which is naked to the human eye, however that heart of his does have a few twists and turns which are later revealed in the story. I recommend this book to readers of all family based books, for example The Parent Agency by David Baddiel and I Swapped My Brother On The Internet by Jo simmons which I also reviewed. You can check it out at Books & Company!

Reviewed by Lahiri Paolella (Aged 11)

Happy reading! 

RESERVE YOUR COPY OF Just Call Me Spaghetti-Hoop Boy by Lara Williamson  

Lanny by Max Porter

A curious boy; tangled in the trees, wild and free.

Lanny is far from most children his age; playful yet profound, uttering the most deeply philosophical ramblings, through sweet childlike hums and innocent whispers. A boy who almost seems to slip through the fingers of anyone trying to grasp him, the mere idea of Lanny, one that is so incredibly abstract and celestial to even fathom.

Lanny by Max Porter, is one of those books where I have absolutely no idea how to begin to describe it, because of just how confusing, confounding and charming it is. A book that picks apart the inhabitants of a mysterious english village, soaking up its chatter and gossip. A village belonging to Mad Pete, the whimsical village artist, to ancient Peggy, forever prattling at her gate, to little Lanny, always on the move, for his soul craves new soil to taste, new trees to climb, new beginnings and endings.

One of the strangest yet most fascinating books I have read, Lanny by Max Porter is a perfect escape, to a place that seems so close to home yet still so far away.

Reviewed by Vindhya Kathuria

Happy reading! 

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While we eagerly await the next season of ‘Big Little Lies’ why not pick up author Liane Moriarty’s latest novel, ‘Nine Perfect Strangers’ for what promises to be another surprising rollercoaster ride of a story.

“If you are looking for a page turner then your search is over!

Each character is engaging with all their intricate personalities and of course their many flaws and it is interesting how the reader can so easily make presumptions on a character before knowing the complete back story.

Enjoy your journey to this idyllic health resort but be prepared for a slightly bizarre hiccup along the way. Thankfully Moriarty brings us back on track with a wonderful harmonious conclusion.”

Reviewed by Books & Company reader, Bobbie!

Happy reading!

Tell Them of Battles, Kings and Elephants by Mathias Enard

This week’s ‘Book of the Week’ was suggested to us by a regular customer and we were immediately intrigued by its wonderful title: Tell them of Battles, Kings and Elephants. 

The book by Mathias Enard was first published in the writer’s native French in 2010 (Parle-leur de batailles, de rois et d’éléphants) and has now been translated by Charlotte Mandell into English and published in a beautiful edition by Fitzcarraldo Editions.  

It is the story of how Michelangelo – in 1506 a young but already renowned sculptor – is invited by the sultan of Constantinople to design a bridge over the Golden Horn. The sultan has offered, alongside an enormous payment, the promise of immortality, since Leonardo da Vinci’s design was rejected. Based on real historical fragments, Tell Them of Battles, Kings and Elephants is ‘a novella about why stories are told, why bridges are built, and how seemingly unmatched pieces, seen from the opposite sides of civilization, can mirror one another.’

And here is what our customer said of the book: 

 ’A really good, interesting and quick read. It is written in intricate details that transport you to the streets of Constantinople. A really good translation as well. The language used is beautiful throughout the entire book!’

Thanks Gustav for the suggestion and the feedback!

Happy reading! 

RESERVE YOUR COPY OF Tell Them of the Battles, Kings and Elephants by Mathias Enard