These are the books our books editor received recently. They may be reviewed later
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The Discreet Hero
By Mario Vargas Llosa (Faber & Faber)
Set in Peru, The Discreet Hero, follows the stories of two men whose lives are destined to intersect.
One is a small business man who finds himself the victim of blackmail, the other is the owner of an insurance company who devises a plan to avenge himself against two sons who want him dead.
Both are discreet rebels in their own quiet ways – honourable men trying to gain control of their lives.
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The Little Paris Bookshop
By Nina George (Little Brown, R290)
Jean Perdu runs a bookshop on a beautifully restored barge on the Seine.
This is no ordinary book shop though.
It’s more a “literary apothecary” because Jean has the rare gift of being able to sense what books will soothe the troubled souls of his customers.
But the only person he is unable to help is himself. Twenty-one years ago the love of his life left Paris leaving only a letter addressed to him – and he has never been able to read it.
Then he meets his eccentric, new neighbour. And Jean is inspired to unmoor his bookshop and sets sail for Provence in search of the past and his beloved.
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The Stress Cure
By Patrick Holford and Susannah Lawson (Piatkus)
I’m not sure I know anyone who is not stressed at some level. It is an unavoidable part of our lives these days and we wear it as easily as we wear our smiles.
In this book Patrick Holford and Susannah Lawson say that while we cannot avoid the pressures of life, we can change how we react to them.
The Stress Cure attempts to show a stressed person how to ‘reset’ his/her mind and body, and ultimately achieve a calmer and more balanced approach to life.