This post was originally published at Novelicious.com and is now at WritingTipsOasis.com. WritingTipsOasis.com acquired Novelicious.com in June 2022.
Every season, we wait with eager anticipation to see what books have made the Richard & Judy Book Club shortlist. Whether it’s a rom-com, crime fiction or sweeping historical number, we’re rarely disappointed.
With eight new book club titles announced last month, Team Novelicious have been waxing lyrical about their particular favourites. Here, they explain which titles on the reading list they love and why. Do you agree with them?
Susan Lobban Picks The Never List by Koethi Zan
Ten years on, Sarah may have escaped from her ordeal, but her tormentor is not finished with her yet. In order to move on with her life, she must go back to her terrifying past.
I have been an avid follower of Richard & Judy’s Book Club since it was formed and when a new batch of books are announced, I add them to my reading list immediately. Over the years I have enjoyed a lot of books that I may not have read otherwise.
Right from the start of this book, I was gripped but terrified at the same time. When friends Sarah and Jennifer are picked up by their usual private car service, you realize at the same time as Sarah that all is not as it should be. That car is heavily laden with a creepy atmosphere, which does not lift until you read the final sentence of the book. It was not an easy read at times, but I just could not put it down; so much so, I stayed up reading far too late into the night until I was finished. Obviously we know Sarah escapes as the story follows her 10 years on, but the tension does not end there. She starts receiving letters from her captor and is determined to find out what happened to Jennifer, who did not make it out of their horrendous experience alive.
So far within the Spring collection, I have read 3 of the Richard & Judy choices and The Never List stands out as my clear favourite. In fact, I know it is only January, but I think that this book will be hard beaten by anything else I read this year.
10/10
Amanda Keats Picks The Rosie Project by Graeme Simsion
Don is very organised and is often baffled by social etiquette. He has a few people who he would call friends, but when not at work, he is often alone. So, Don decides to find the perfect wife as he sets out a list of criteria for The Wife Project. However, when Rosie is thrown in his path and tells him about her search for her biological father, he finds that all of his rules and logic go out the window, starting with lobster Tuesdays.
The Rosie Project is an absolutely gorgeous novel and a stunning debut filled with laughs, love and an incredible central voice that falls somewhere between The Curious Incident of the Dog In The Night-Time and Sherlock Holmes.
The Richard & Judy list is a great way to bring some perhaps lesser known novels into the public domain and The Rosie Project more than deserves its place. An engaging and enjoyable read that is tough to walk away from.
10/10
Cressida McLaughlin Picks The Apple Tree Yard by Louise Doughty
When Yvonne Carmichael meets a stranger at The Houses of Parliament, she finds herself instantly drawn to him. She is sensible, a well-respected scientist, happily married, but their affair soon becomes an exciting, sustaining part of her life. But Yvonne could never have anticipated what her connection with this man would lead to.
Apple Tree Yard starts in a courtroom at The Old Bailey. Yvonne is on trial, but we don’t know what for. While being questioned, she is confident, honest and hopeful, until Apple Tree Yard is mentioned – then she begins to crumble.
The narrative switches between the events at the court, and where Yvonne’s story begins, finally working its way up to the trial. The narrative is one of the most fascinating aspects of this book. Told entirely from Yvonne’s perspective, she isn’t always forthcoming, is almost detached in her clarity, and not easy to warm to.
She does, however, draw you in. Why is she on trial, and how could meeting this man have led there? Who is the ‘you’ she is talking to? There are so many questions posed at the beginning, I found the build-up almost excruciating, and then raced through to the (utterly shocking) conclusion.
It has been labelled as part crime drama, part courtroom thriller, but I found it hard to define, because it is so much more than either of those. Apple Tree Yard is compelling, unsettling, and unpredictable, and stayed with me long after I had finished it.
10/10
So, how about you? Do you agree with the team's picks? Or is there another Richard & Judy Book Club title that you've absolutely adored? How many books have you read on this season's list?