The Architect’s Apprentice
Elif Shafak
Penguin Viking (paperback), 2015
PRs 995
In her latest novel, Turkey’s preeminent female writer spins an epic tale spanning nearly a century in the life of the Ottoman Empire. In 1540, twelve-year-old Jahan arrives in Istanbul. As an animal tamer in the sultan’s menagerie, he looks after the exceptionally smart elephant Chota and befriends (and falls for) the sultan’s beautiful daughter, Princess Mihrimah. A palace education leads Jahan to Mimar Sinan, the empire’s chief architect, who takes Jahan under his wing as they construct (with Chota’s help) some of the most magnificent buildings in history. Yet even as they build Sinan’s triumphant masterpieces—the incredible Suleymaniye and Selimiye mosques—dangerous undercurrents begin to emerge, with jealousy erupting among Sinan’s four apprentices.
A memorable story of artistic freedom, creativity, and the clash between science and fundamentalism, Shafak’s intricate novel brims with vibrant characters, intriguing adventure, and the lavish backdrop of the Ottoman court, where love and loyalty are no match for raw power.
The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People
Stephen R Covey
Simon & Schuster (paperback), 2004
PRs 1195
The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People: Powerful Lessons in Personal Change was a groundbreaker when it was first published in 1990, and it continues to be a business bestseller with more than 10 million copies sold. Stephen Covey, an internationally respected leadership authority, realises that true success encompasses a balance of personal and professional effectiveness, so this book is a manual for performing better in both arenas. His anecdotes are as frequently from family situations as from business challenges. Before you can adopt the seven habits, you’ll need to accomplish what Covey calls a “paradigm shift”—a change in perception and interpretation of how the world works. Covey takes you through this change, which affects how you perceive and act regarding productivity, time management, positive thinking, developing your “proactive muscles” (acting with initiative rather than reacting), and much more. This isn’t a quick-tips-start-tomorrow kind of book. The concepts are sometimes intricate, and you’ll want to study this book, not skim it. When you finish, you’ll probably have Post-it notes or hand-written annotations in every chapter, and you’ll feel like you’ve taken a powerful seminar by Covey.
Jamrach’s Menagerie
Carol Birch
Canon Gate (paperback), 2011
PRs 695
Nineteenth-century London comes vividly alive in this story a street urchin named Jaffy Brown. After a close call with an escaped tiger, Jaffy goes to work for Mr Charles Jamrach, the famed importer of exotic animals. As the years pass, Mr Jamrach recruits Jaffy and another boy named Tim to capture a fabled dragon during the course of an epic three-year whaling expedition in the East Indies. But when a violent storm sinks the ship, Jaffy and Tim are forced to confront their relationship to the natural world and the wildness it contains. Jamrach’s Menagerie is a truly gripping novel about friendship, sacrifice, and survival.
Reviews
“Breathtaking.... Magical.... Melville meets Dickens.... A moving, fantastically exciting sea tale.” - The Washington Post
“Beautifully written.... Colorful.... [An] adventure story, survival drama and coming-of-age tale.” - The New York Times Book Review
“An exuberant tale.... Irresistible.... [Birch’s] words sing on the page.” - The Financial Times
“Vivid, gorgeous writing and the most curious literary voyage since Pi Patel found himself on a lifeboat with a tiger in Life of Pi.” - The Seattle Times
“A masterpiece.” - Times Literary Supplement
The Girl Who Saved the King of Sweden
Jonas Jonasson
Fourth Estate (paperback), 2014
PRs 595
Now in paperback, a wildly picaresque novel from Jonas Jonasson, author of the internationally bestselling The 100-Year-Old Man Who Climbed Out the Window and Disappeared.
In a tiny shack in the largest township in South Africa, Nombeko Mayeki is born. Put to work at five years old and orphaned at ten, she quickly learns that the world expects nothing more from her than to die young. But Nombeko has grander plans. She learns to read and write, and at just fifteen, using her cunning and fearlessness, she makes it out of Soweto with millions of smuggled diamonds in her possession. Then things take a turn for the worse....
Nombeko’s life ends up hopelessly intertwined with the lives of Swedish twins intent on bringing down the Swedish monarchy. In this wild romp, Jonasson tackles issues ranging from the pervasiveness of racism to the dangers of absolute power. In the satirical voice that has earned him legions of fans the world over, he gives us another rollicking tale of how even the smallest of decisions can have global consequences.
Reviews
“In The Girl Who Saved the King of Sweden, Jonas Jonasson unfurls a wide, whimsical net that readers will relish being caught up in.” - BookPage
“A funny and improbable tale with characters from South Africa to Sweden demonstrates how even the most seemingly insignificant people can change the fate of the world.” - Denver Post
Islamic State: Rewriting History
Micheal Griffin
Pluto Press (paperback), 2015
PRs 1395
The world is watching the Islamic State’s lightning advance through Syria to the gates of Baghdad. For the third time in fifteen years, the US risks being drawn into another war in the Middle East despite its experiences in Afghanistan and Iraq. IS are creating catastrophic waves across the region, but it is still unclear what lies behind its success.
Islamic State: Rewriting History takes the long-view by analysing IS’s beginnings in Iraq to their involvement in the Arab Spring and through to the present day. It discusses the myriad of regional players engaged in a seemingly endless power game: Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Turkey and Iraq have all contributed to the success of IS by supplying arms and funds.
Using a fast-paced, narrative-driven style, Michael Griffin foregrounds the story of the uprising against President Assad of Syria and describes his regime’s varied responses; the human cost; the role played by the Free Syrian Army, Islamist groups, Iran, Hezbollah and Russia; the chemical weapons attacks in 2013; and the House of Commons vote not to impose a no-fly zone over the country.