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2 weeks ago | 
dailymail.co.uk | Sally Morris
Forgotten classics take centre stage in this week's Retros: THE STEPDAUGHTER by Caroline Blackwood, FROM SCENES LIKE THESE by Gordon M. Williams, THE WOMAN IN THE HALL by G. B. SternBy SALLY MORRIS Published: 19:59 EDT, 12 June 2025 | Updated: 19:59 EDT, 12 June 2025 THE STEPDAUGHTER by Caroline Blackwood (Virago £9.99, 128pp)It’s hard to think of a blacker portrait of betrayal and damage, conveyed in so few pages, than this debut novel.
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4 weeks ago | 
dailymail.co.uk | Sally Morris
Full of drama and compassion: The best Children's books out now - Frank The Pizza by Eoin Mclaughlin, The Dawn Of Adonis by Phil Earle, The Other Girl by Emily BarrBy SALLY MORRIS Published: 11:39 EDT, 30 May 2025 | Updated: 11:39 EDT, 30 May 2025 Frank The Pizza by Eoin Mclaughlin, illustrated by Mike Byrne (HarperCollins £7.99, 32pp)Frank is a little slice of pizza, desperate to make friends but when you’re delicious it’s hard – some people want to meet you, others want to eat you.
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1 month ago | 
dailymail.co.uk | Sally Morris
Take a trip to the 1960s in the best Retro novels out now: THE LOWLIFE by Alexander Baron, ONE FINE DAY by Mollie Panter-Downes, THE MORNING GIFT by Eva IbbotsonBy SALLY MORRIS Published: 19:01 EDT, 15 May 2025 | Updated: 19:01 EDT, 15 May 2025 THE LOWLIFE by Alexander Baron (Faber £9.99, 256pp)In the early 1960s, London’s Hackney was a seedy, rundown area of the East End with cheap boarding houses crammed with Jews, Cypriots and newly arrived West Indians.
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1 month ago | 
dailymail.co.uk | Sally Morris
'Crazy, bright and bold': The best books for your kids - WHAT’S THAT NOISE? by Charlie Higson, A MERMAID’S DIARY by Chris Riddell, THE BLOCKBUSTERS by Frank Cottrell-BoyceBy SALLY MORRIS Published: 19:01 EDT, 1 May 2025 | Updated: 19:01 EDT, 1 May 2025 WHAT’S THAT NOISE?
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2 months ago | 
dailymail.co.uk | Sally Morris
You'll need a cup of tea after reading these: The best Retros out now - FISH TALES by Nettie Jones, ALL THAT IS by James Salter, THE IMAGE OF HER by Simone de BeauvoirBy SALLY MORRIS Published: 19:01 EDT, 17 April 2025 | Updated: 19:01 EDT, 17 April 2025 FISH TALES by Nettie Jones (Virago Modern Classic £16.99, 262pp)Out of print for 40 years, it’s the sheer energy of this short novel that overwhelms.
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2 months ago | 
dailymail.co.uk | Sally Morris
Julia Donaldson is back with another winner in the best kids books of the monthBy SALLY MORRIS Published: 19:02 EDT, 3 April 2025 | Updated: 19:02 EDT, 3 April 2025 GOZZLE by Julia Donaldson Illustrated by Sara Ogilvie (Macmillan £12.99, 48pp)Every new Donaldson book is a reason to celebrate, and this warm and witty story, beautifully illustrated, is a welcome exploration of fatherhood.
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Mar 20, 2025 | 
dailymail.co.uk | Sally Morris
The best retros to be reading as Spring begins: NEVER MIND by Edward St Aubyn, THE SPRING BEGINS by Katherine Dunning, STORIES FOR MOTHERS AND DAUGHTERS Edited by Simon Thomas By SALLY MORRIS Published: 20:01 EDT, 20 March 2025 | Updated: 20:01 EDT, 20 March 2025 NEVER MIND by Edward St Aubyn (Picador Collection £10.99, 200pp) Never Mind is available now It may appear a slim volume but don’t be deceived: this devastating, semi-autobiographical first volume in the Patrick Melrose series throbs...
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Mar 6, 2025 | 
dailymail.co.uk | Sally Morris
The best children's books out this month: Letters to a monster by Patricia Forde, The Appletree Animal Agency by Katya Balen, Hidden Treasure by Jessie BurtonBy SALLY MORRIS Published: 20:00 EST, 6 March 2025 | Updated: 20:00 EST, 6 March 2025 LETTERS TO A MONSTER by Patricia Forde, illustrated by Sarah Warburton (Bloomsbury £12.99, 32pp)Many children imagine a monster hiding under their beds, so this funny, reassuring and wittily illustrated picture book is the perfect night-time read.
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Feb 20, 2025 | 
dailymail.co.uk | Sally Morris
Late one night, the Devil arrives at the deserted Holcot Grange. Next morning, he is revealed as the absentee owner, Sir William Notley, dressed in carnival costume. Fleeing a drunken brawl, he becomes obsessed with the beautiful but disdainful Julia Roseingrave, trapped living with her dying mother and ‘imbecile’ sister. Egged on by Mother Cloke, rumoured to be a witch, he watches her bathe by full moon then begs her to live with him – but dismissive Julia demands marriage and a life abroad.
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Feb 6, 2025 | 
dailymail.co.uk | Sally Morris
This joyful, warm and empathetic book is a must for children who struggle with attention difficulties. Little Bobby yearns to be organised, sit still or focus on one thing but his mind is so easily distracted he floats into the sky. His mother, teacher and friends hatch a plan to tether him to the ground. But he feels empty and flat so, instead, they learn to follow his imagination and enjoy ‘the flight’, while helping him to come down to earth when he needs to.
