Enjoy Life
May 2023 paperback book reviews
MAY PAPERBACKS
Simon Evans makes his pick of the latest paperbacks
Queen of Our Times, by Robert Hardman
The historian Peter Hennessy recently told of how he had wept during the Queen’s funeral, realising, in that moment, that “the age of decency had now passed.” And that is what strikes you reading this thoroughly researched life of the late Queen, that the values she embodied, of service and selflessness, now belong to a different age but should be no less revered.
Looking back at Queen Elizabeth’s remarkable reign Hardman has many new insights and stories to tell in a biography that is at once reverential and, at times, revelatory. First published in March 2022 it has been updated to include details of the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee celebrations, as well as her death and its aftermath.
Published by Pan Price £10.99 Pages 720 ISBN 9781529063455
Bowie Odyssey 73, by Simon Goddard
It’s quite an aim, to document David Bowie’s Seventies – the decade he dominated in much the same way as the Beatles did the Sixties – year by year, once a year. So far Simon Goddard has kept to his brief admirably and this is the fourth in the series, the last three years having already brought us Odyssey 70, 71 and 72, not just documents of particular years in Bowie’s life and career but also snapshots of what was happening in the wider world at the time.
Written with all the narrative drive, attention to detail and focus on character you would expect from a novel, the series is not only a detailed and incisive portrait of one of the great pop stars of the last century but also a fascinating social history of the world at the time, especially strike-bound, inflation-ridden Britain.
This instalment follows Bowie as he struggles with fame as his creation, Ziggy Stardust, turns into a teen-idol monster, triggering a dark descent into cocaine addiction. He also continues to dominate the charts, however, with records as vastly different as The Jean Genie, Life on Mars, Aladdin Sane, Sorrow and The Laughing Gnome.
Published by Omnibus Books Price £16.99 Pages 168 ISBN 9781913172817
Anna: The Biography, by Amy Odell
Once described by a former colleague as “incapable of simple human kindness” the rise of long-time Vogue editor Anna Wintour to the position she occupies, as Queen Bee of the fashion world, has all the trappings of a successful pulp novel (Laura Weisberger’s thinly-disguised tell-all The Devil Wears Prada was based on her former boss). However, rather than burying Anna Wintour under the weight of her well-documented foibles and obsessions – fur, celebrities and weight-loss – Amy Odell seeks to offer something approaching a defence, claiming that if a male editor behaved the same way they would be praised for their decisiveness and commitment. She has a point, of course; Wintour has been a remarkably successful magazine editor because she accepts nothing but the best from her staff, plain and simple. But, although full of fascinating detail by the end of the book we are no nearer knowing what really drives this intriguing woman – and that, presumably, is exactly as Anna Wintour likes it.
Published by Allen and Unwin Price £10.99 Pages 464 ISBN 9781838957285
1945: Victory in the West, by Peter Caddick-Adams
When, in March 1945, Allied troops prepared to cross the Rhine and storm into Germany they must have felt victory was within their grasp. But the final 100 days of the War would be hard-fought and full of immense challenges and horrible realisations, not least the scale of Nazi barbarity as revealed at Buchenwald, Dachau and Belsen. Drawing on memoirs and interviews with survivors, the renowned historian, Professor Peter Caddick-Adams, has compiled what may prove to be the last word on the closing days and weeks of the conflict.
Published by Penguin Price £12.99 Pages 684 ISBN 9781529157734
Other stories in Enjoy Life
Summer 2024 Books
Summer DVDs
Summer CDs
Latest book reviews
May DVD Reviews
May's book reviews
May's CD reviews
That English Riviera Touch
April's DVD reviews
April's book reviews
April's CD reviews
March's DVD review
March book reviews
March's CD reviews
February's DVDs
February's books
Winter books
January's DVD releases
Christmas book reviews
November DVD reviews
November's Music Reviews
November book reviews
October's DVD reviews
October's New CD releases
October's book reviews
September's DVD Reviews
DVD selection for August 2023
September's book reviews
Latest music reviews August 2023
August Round up
August Paperback Reviews
August hardback book reviews
July 2023 Roundup
Pick of the paperbacks July 2023
July 23 Hardback book reviews
July 2023 DVD releases
July 2023 CD reviews
Pick of the paperbacks June 2023
June DVDs
Hardback book reviews - June 2023
Simon Evans CD Reviews for June 2023
Tesco Summer indoors and out
Book reviews
May 2023 Hardback book reviews
May's DVD Selection
May's CD selection
Round up of April 2023's book reviews
April 2023 paperback reviews
April 2023 Hardback book reviews
More March 2023 must-reads
March - Pick of the paperbacks
March hardback recommendations
Afternoon Tea
March 2023 - DVD releases
March 2023 Music
February 2023 Books Round up
Pick of the paperbacks - February 2023
Book reviews February 2023
DVD recommendations
February's music reviews
Freedom on two wheels
Make do and mend
Foray into the Fens
Christmas reads
Tasty, healthy recipes by Joanne Wood
Keeping fit and healthy with the Green goddess Part 2
Keeping fit and healthy with the Green goddess Part 1
Finger-licking Good! Tasty Chicken recipes
Beauty: Say 'Allo 'Allo to an alluring look
British Library: Palace of the printed word
Look good and feel great with CBD
Interior design: Inspiration for outdoor spaces
Summer fun at Belvoir Castle
Finding Fitness Starts With Fashion
‘In Vogue’ Veg – Cavolo Nero Sales Grow by 14%
Eat Continental and live longer
A life-affirming book... about death
Get Sewing: Floral bespoke notebook cover
Find your family fortunes... for FREE!
Beauty: Get set for spring...
Spanish Recipes: Small is beautiful
The Vegan Revolution
Interior Design: Maximise your living space
Pets need a spring clean too
Visit Family Tree Live
MasterChef: Classic with a Twist
Get Sewing: Quilted pot-holder
Bob Dylan "Rock and Roll music wasn’t enough for me”
Plant Power Day: 7th March 2019
Interior Design: Less is more in minimalist home
A second chance at love
Interior Design: Great Gatsby Cabinet
The rise and rise of the birthday cake
Walking back to happiness
Baking With Veg
Totally Tina Tour
How to take care of your hair over-50
The nation's most popular cake recipes
Your views: Can you help?
Hail the grandparent aupairs
Beauty: Denise Welch "I love the shape I'm in at 60"
The Austerity Olympics
Healthy reasons to acquire a taste for olives
Grand Treats for Grandchildren
Declutter your home, and clear your mind
Scandi-style Mules for Swollen Feet
Beetroot and Walnut Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting
In your garden: October
Dr Norman Croucher: The toughest summit of them all
Craft Corner: Sweet Easter Basket
Have your cake and eat your Easter egg too!
Interior Design: Moroccan inspired drawers
BR remembered... 70 years on
A gentleman's guide to spring fashion
Why antique jewellery is glittering
New Year, new beauty habits
Cliff Richard "I have a deeper faith now"
Do you remember? Oliver!
What we really look for in retirement living
Interior Design: Wedding bells on a budget
Counter culture: The revival of the board game
Jodie Whittaker: "Doctor Who is all about change"
85 year old Grandmother gains a PhD
Dame Eileen and a Crowning glory
Writing the story of you life
Why winter shouldn't stop you: don't wait until New Year
World' first 'wellness shed' stirs up mindfulness
Growing old is amazing
Don't miss out on the internet age
Prepare to feel ancient...
Hawks: Up close and personal
Studious retiree heads back to school
Garden Expert: Soaking up the sun
Emily Watson "I'ts such a gypsy life"
Here's to you Mrs Robinson
Brits Embracing 'Urban Birding'
Volunteering for Nature
The Secret to Younger Looking Eyes
Anti-ageing Options Part 2
Anti-ageing Options
End of the road for a pop icon
Reaching out to Dementia Sufferers: Sporting Memories Network
Are you ready for retirement?
Afternoon Tea Recipes
Surprisingly Good Wholegrain Recipes: Savoury
Staying safe in the Summer heat: Drowning prevention
Stardust Memories
Baking made easy
Cooking for one
The real cost of your wine