Scala Radio Book Club: The Book of Beginnings by Sally Page
A new book from the bestselling author of The Keeper of Stories
Author of the phenomenal bestseller The Keeper of Stories, and winner of this month’s Indie Fiction prize, Sally Page, came into the Scala Radio Book Club to discuss her latest novel The Book of Beginnings with Penny Smith on Thursday the 5th of October.
Jo Sorsby is hiding from her past when she agrees to run her uncle's beloved stationery shop. Glimpsing the lives of her customers between the warm wooden shelves, as they scribble little notes and browse colourful notebooks, distracts her from her bruised heart.
When she meets Ruth, a vicar running from a secret, and Malcolm, a septuagenarian still finding himself, she suddenly realizes she isn't alone.
They each have a story that can transform Jo's life... if only she can let them in.
Penny opened the interview by asking Page the cover of her novel: ‘Tell me a bit about the book of beginnings. Like the other book that you wrote, it's got flowers all over it. Do you like a flower?’
‘I do love flowers and I started my writing career writing nonfiction books about flowers and I was a florist for some time. But this book takes on another of my loves, which is stationary. So it's set in a stationary shop in North London and Jo, the main character is at a crossroads in her life and she's moving away from a relationship that went wrong. And she's helping her uncle by looking after his shop. And in the course of that, she meets unlikely friendships. It’s a book about friendships. So she meets Ruth, who is a runaway vicar. We obviously find out at some point what she's running from. And Malcolm who's in his 70s, who is researching a book he never really writes. And it's this unlikely friendship, which is at the core of the book.’
Penny asked Page further about the setting of her novel: ‘And stationary, my goodness, there's something about a stationary shop. Maybe it's just one of those things, but I think you never grow out of a love of stationery. Even now, I'm excited about a really nice pencil.’
‘Yes. I'm the same. And actually, I do have a fountain pen company. I designed a particular fountain pen when I couldn't find the one I wanted. And so for me stationery is a huge love. And what I found when I was selling fountain pens is when people start to write with them they tell you the most extraordinary things and that's something that's reflected in the book that my main character Jo finds out.’
Penny enquired further about Page’s interest in stationary: ‘There is even a conversation about fountain pens quite early on in the book isn't there?’
‘Yes, it is a conversation that I've been involved in where somebody's stood there with your fountain pens on display and they go: “Oh, no one writes with fountain pens these days.” And you stand there, and they lecture you on why people don't write. And you're there selling fountain pens thinking, well, some people do. And I do appreciate less and less people are writing, but there are still some people getting great joy out of writing. And there's something about that squeaky sound as a fountain pen moves over paper, I particularly love.’
‘And I mentioned that you’re the Indie Fiction Book of the Month, when you saw your book on the shelves, did it just thrill you?’
‘Completely thrilled me. The other day I was in a bookshop, and I was stroking them. I can't believe it. My daughter Libby Page is a well-known author, and she was a Sunday Times bestseller at 24. So, I've spent the recent years of my life going into bookshops, stroking her books. And now, because we both run under Page, I sometimes see them side by side and I'm just one happy woman.’
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Scala Radio Book Club: Prophet Song by Paul Lynch
On a dark, wet evening in Dublin, scientist and mother-of-four Eilish Stack answers her front door to find the GNSB on her step. Two officers from Ireland's newly formed secret police are here to interrogate her husband, a trade unionist.
Ireland is falling apart. The country is in the grip of a government turning towards tyranny and Eilish can only watch helplessly as the world she knew disappears. When first her husband and then her eldest son vanishes, Eilish finds herself caught in the nightmare logic of a collapsing society.
How far will she go to save her family? And what - or who - is she willing to leave behind?
The Book of Beginnings by Sally Page
Jo Sorsby is hiding from her past when she agrees to run her uncle's beloved stationery shop. Glimpsing the lives of her customers between the warm wooden shelves, as they scribble little notes and browse colourful notebooks, distracts her from her bruised heart.
When she meets Ruth, a vicar running from a secret, and Malcolm, a septuagenarian still finding himself, she suddenly realizes she isn't alone.
They each have a story that can transform Jo's life... if only she can let them in.
The Rise by Ian Rankin
The Rise is a gleaming residential tower, newly constructed from steel and blackened glass, that stands on some of London's most prestigious real estate. Looming imposingly over Hyde Park, only multi-millionaires need to apply for one of its sumptuous apartments. But when the young night concierge is found murdered in the building's lobby, the elite residents quickly find their gilded lifestyles under unwelcome police scrutiny. Investigating officer DS Gish has her work cut out. The only suspects, those who live in the building, aren't accustomed to police interrogation. But it seems certain that one of them must be the killer. Could it be the Russian oligarch? Or the lonely actress? Maybe it's the family of the career criminal? Or perhaps it's the building's reclusive developer who lives alone in the penthouse? Obstructed continually by locked doors, governments both foreign and domestic, and an apparent absence of motive, can DS Gish solve this impenetrable mystery and apprehend the murderer—before they slip away forever?
The Year Of The Locust by Terry Hayes
If, like Kane, you're a Denied Access Area spy for the CIA, then boundaries have no meaning. Your function is to go in, do whatever is required, and get out again - by whatever means necessary. You know when to run, when to hide - and when to shoot.
But some places don't play by the rules. Some places are too dangerous, even for a man of Kane's experience. The badlands where the borders of Pakistan, Iran and Afghanistan meet are such a place - a place where violence is the only way to survive.
Kane travels there to exfiltrate a man with vital information for the safety of the West - but instead he meets an adversary who will take the world to the brink of extinction. A frightening, clever, vicious man with blood on his hands and vengeance in his heart...
Killing Moon by Jo Nesbo
Two young women are missing, their only connection being that they attended the same party, hosted by a notorious businessman. When one of the women is found murdered, the police discover an unusual signature left by the killer, giving them reason to suspect he will strike again.
The Figurine by Victoria Hislop
Of all the ancient art that captures the imagination, none is more appealing than the Cycladic figurine. An air of mystery swirls around these statuettes from the Bronze Age and they are highly sought after by collectors - and looters - alike.
When Helena inherits her grandparents' apartment in Athens, she is overwhelmed with memories of the summers she spent there as a child, when Greece was under a brutal military dictatorship. Her remote, cruel grandfather was one of the regime's generals and as she sifts through the dusty rooms, Helena discovers an array of valuable objects and antiquities. How did her grandfather amass such a trove? What human price was paid for them?
Her desire to find answers about her heritage dovetails with a growing curiosity for archaeology, ignited by a summer spent with volunteers on a dig on an Aegean Island. Their finds fuel her determination to protect the precious fragments recovered from the baked earth - and to understand the origins of her grandfather's collection.
Helena's attempt to make amends for some of her grandfather's actions sees her wrestle with the meaning of 'home', both in relation to looted objects of antiquity ... and herself.
The Last Devil To Die by Richard Osman
You'd think you would be allowed to relax over Christmas, but not in the world of the Thursday Murder Club.
On Boxing Day, a dangerous package is smuggled across the English coast. When it goes missing, chaos is unleashed. The body count starts to rise – including someone close to the Thursday Murder Club – as our gang face an impossible search and their most deadly opponents yet.
With the clock ticking down and a killer heading to Cooper's Chase, has their luck finally run out? And who will be 'The Last Devil To Die'?
Went to London, Took the Dog by Nina Stibbe
How do I get rid of the mosquitoes infesting Deborah Moggach's garden? Is it normal for my kids to drink so much? And why doesn't anyone in North London know how to clean up after their dog?
These are just some of the questions plaguing Nina Stibbe as she plots her grand return to London, reflecting on what it means to turn your whole life around aged 60. Whether it's dinner parties with the great and the good of the London literati or micromanaging her son's online dating profile, Nina Stibbe's utterly inimitable wit is ever present throughout this diary of her first return to London since the Love, Nina years.
Playing Games by Huma Qureshi
Hana has a perfect job, a perfect home, and a perfect marriage. It is her younger sister Mira who is a mess. But Hana wants children, and her husband is hesitating, and perhaps her control is slipping.
Mira dreams of a creative life but she's stuck working at a local café. She hates her flatmate and Hana's dismissal of her writing, but she can't find the right inspiration.
One night, a fight between Hana and her husband sparks something in Mira: the words ring in her head and she starts typing. But what can you borrow from your sister? And what can be forgiven?
Unnatural Death by Patricia Cornwell
Chief medical examiner Dr Kay Scarpetta finds herself in a Northern Virginia wilderness examining the remains of two campers wanted by federal law enforcement.
The victims have been savaged beyond recognition, and other evidence is terrifying and baffling, including a larger-than-life footprint.
After one of the most frightening body retrievals of her career, Scarpetta must discover who would commit murders this brutal, and why.
The Importance of Being Interested by Robin Ince
In this erudite and witty book, Robin reveals why scientific wonder isn't just for professionals. Filled with interviews featuring astronauts, comedians, teachers, quantum physicists, neuroscientists and more - as well as charting Robin's own journey with science - The Importance of Being Interested explores why many wrongly think of the discipline as distant and difficult. From the glorious appeal of the stars above to why scientific curiosity can encourage much-needed intellectual humility, this optimistic and profound book will leave you filled with a thirst for intellectual adventure.
The Burnout by Sophie Kinsella
Sasha is well and truly over it all: work (all-consuming), friendships (on the back burner), sex-life (non-existent). Sasha has hit a brick wall.
Armed with good intentions to drink kale smoothies, try yoga and find solitude, she heads to the Devon resort she loved as a child. But it's off-season, the hotel is falling apart and now she has to share the beach with someone else: a grumpy, stressed-out guy called Finn. How can she commune with nature when he's sitting on a rock, watching her? Especially when they don't agree on burnout cures. (Sasha: manifesting, wild swimming, secret Mars bars; Finn: drinking whisky.)
But when curious messages start appearing on the beach, Sasha and Finn are forced to begin talking - about everything. What's the mystery? Why are they both burned out? What exactly is 'manifesting', anyway?
They might discover that they have more in common than they think.
The Christmas Appeal by Janice Hallet
One dead Santa. A town full of suspects. Will you discover the truth?
Christmas in Lower Lockwood, and the Fairway Players are busy rehearsing their festive pantomime, Jack and the Beanstalk, to raise money for the church roof appeal. But despite the season, goodwill is distinctly lacking amongst the amateur dramatics enthusiasts. Sarah-Jane is fending off threats to her new position as Chair, the fibreglass beanstalk might be full of asbestos, and someone is intent on ruining the panto even before the curtain goes up.
Of course, there's also the matter of the dead body. Who could possibly have had the victim on their naughty list? Join lawyers Femi and Charlotte as they read the round robins, examine the emails and pore over the police transcripts. Will the show go on?
The Turnglass by Gareth Rubin
1880s England. On the bleak island of Ray, off the Essex coast, an idealistic young doctor, Simeon Lee, is called from London to treat his cousin, Parson Oliver Hawes, who is dying. Parson Hawes, who lives in the only house on the island - Turnglass House - believes he is being poisoned.
And he points the finger at his sister-in-law, Florence. Florence was declared insane after killing Oliver's brother in a jealous rage and is now kept in a glass-walled apartment in Oliver's library. And the secret to how she came to be there is found in Oliver's tete-beche journal, where one side tells a very different story from the other.
1930s California. Celebrated author Oliver Tooke, the son of the state governor, is found dead in his writing hut off the coast of the family residence, Turnglass House. His friend Ken Kourian doesn't believe that Oliver would take his own life.
His investigations lead him to the mysterious kidnapping of Oliver's brother when they were children, and the subsequent secret incarceration of his mother, Florence, in an asylum. But to discover the truth, Ken must decipher clues hidden in Oliver's final book, a tete-beche novel - which is about a young doctor called Simeon Lee.
Prophet by Helen Macdonald and Sin Blache
This is Prophet. It knows when you were happiest. It gives life to your fondest memories and uses them to destroy you. But who has created it? And what do they want?
An all-American diner appears overnight in a remote British field. It's brightly lit, warm and inviting but it has no power, no water, no connection to the real world. It's like a memory made flesh - a nostalgic flight of fancy. More and more objects materialise: toys, fairground rides, pets and other treasured mementos of the past.
And the deaths quickly follow. Something is bringing these memories to life, then stifling innocent people with their own joy. This is a weapon like no other. But nobody knows who created it, or why.
Sunil Rao seems a surprising choice of investigator. Chaotic and unpredictable, the former agent is the antithesis of his partner Colonel Adam Rubenstein, the model of a military man. But Sunil has the unique ability to distinguish truth from lies: in objects, words and people, in the past and in real time. And Adam is the only one who truly knows him, after a troubled past together.
Now, as they battle this strange new reality, they are drawn closer than ever to defend what they both hold most dear.
For Prophet can weaponise the past. But only love will protect the future.
Learned By Heart by Emma Donoghue
In 1805 fourteen-year-old Eliza Raine is a schoolgirl at the Manor School for Young Ladies in York. The daughter of an Indian mother and a British father, Eliza was banished to this unfamiliar country as a little girl. When she first stepped off the King George in Kent, Eliza was accompanied by her older sister, Jane, but now she boards alone at the Manor, with no one left to claim her. She spends her days avoiding the attention of her fellow pupils until, one day, a fearless and charismatic new student arrives at the school. The two girls are immediately thrown together and soon Eliza's life is turned inside out by this strange and curious young woman.
The Book of Fire by Christy Lefteri
A family from two nations, England, and Greece, live a simple life on a tiny Greek island: Irini, Tasso and their daughter, lovely, sweet Chara, whose name means joy. Their life goes up in flames in a single day when one man starts a fire out of greed and indifference. Many are killed, homes are destroyed, and the island's natural beauty wiped out. In the wake of the fire, Chara bears deep scars across her back and arms. Tasso is frozen in trauma, devastated that he wasn't there when his family most needed him. And Irini is crippled by guilt at her part in the fate of the man who started the fire. But this family has survived, and slowly green shoots of hope and renewal will grow from the smouldering ruins of devastation.
Dance of Deception by Becky Ward
There's about to be fire on – and off – the dance floor… Kate Wareing is astonished when she secures a place in a televised dance competition. Especially as it means she'll be paired with a professional dancer to compete for a life-changing cash prize. When she's matched with gorgeous French dancer Merle it quickly becomes clear that he's just as keen to work on their chemistry as their routine. But when the competition is rocked by a scandal, Kate's forced to switch to a new partner, Aleksis , who is just as devastatingly attractive as Merle – but seems to hate her. Despite the odds stacked against them, Kate is determined to win, convincing Aleksis to embark on a showmance to try and win over the public. But what happens when Kate's feelings for her fake boyfriend become all too real? And how far will Merle go to sabotage her chances – both in the competition and in love?
Tough Crowd by Andi Osho
A fun and feel-good romantic comedy about love, friendship and family for anyone who's struggled to feel like enough and find their place
Ordinary Human Failings by Megan Nolan
It's 1990 in London and Tom Hargreaves has it all: a burgeoning career as a reporter, fierce ambition and a brisk disregard for the 'peasants' - ordinary people, his readers, easy tabloid fodder. His star looks set to rise when he stumbles across a scoop: a dead child on a London estate, grieving parents loved across the neighbourhood, and the finger of suspicion pointing at one reclusive family of Irish immigrants and 'bad apples': the Greens.
At their heart sits Carmel: beautiful, other-worldly, broken, and once destined for a future beyond her circumstances until life - and love - got in her way. Crushed by failure and surrounded by disappointment, there's nowhere for her to go and no chance of escape. Now, with the police closing in on a suspect and the tabloids hunting their monster, she must confront the secrets and silences that have trapped her family for so many generations.
The Late Americans by Brandon Taylor
In the shared and private spaces of Iowa City, a loose circle of lovers and friends encounter, confront and provoke one another in a volatile year of self-discovery. At the group's centre are Ivan, a dancer turned aspiring banker who dabbles in amateur pornography; Fatima, whose independence and work ethic complicate her relationships with friends and a trusted mentor; and Noah, who 'didn't seek sex out so much as it came up to him like an anxious dog in need of affection.'
The Ghost Ship by Kate Mosse
A sweeping and epic love story, ranging from France in 1610 to Amsterdam and the Canary Islands in the 1620s, The Ghost Ship is a thrilling novel of adventure and buccaneering, love and revenge, stolen fortunes and hidden secrets on the High Seas. Most of all, it is a tale of defiant women in a man's world.
The Ghost Theatre by Mat Osman
The Ghost Theatre charts the rise and dramatic destruction of a dream born from love and torn apart by betrayal.
Broken Light by Joanne Harris
Bernie Moon's ambitions and dreams have been forgotten by everyone else - including Bernie herself. At 19 she was full of promise, but now facing 50 and going through menopause, she's a fading light. Until the murder of a woman in a local park unlocks a series of childhood memories, and with them, a talent that she has hidden all her adult life.
The Funeral Cryer by Wenyan Yu
The Funeral Cryer long ago accepted the mundane realities of her life: avoided by fellow villagers because of the stigma attached to her job as a professional mourner and under-appreciated by The Husband, whose fecklessness has pushed the couple close to the brink of breakup. But just when things couldn't be bleaker, The Funeral Cryer takes a leap of faith – and in so doing things start to take a surprising turn for the better...
Death of a Bookseller by Alice Slater
Roach - bookseller, a loner and true crime obsessive - is not interested in making friends. She has all the company she needs in her serial killer books, murder podcasts and her pet snail, Bleep. That is, until Laura joins the bookshop.
In a Thousand Different Ways by Cecelia Ahern
Alice sees the worst in people. She also sees the best. She sees a thousand different emotions and knows exactly what everyone around her is feeling. Every. Single. Day.
Lock-Up by John Banville
In a lock-up garage in the city, the body of a young woman is discovered, an apparent suicide. But pathologist Dr Quirke and Detective Inspector Strafford soon suspect foul play.
I Will Find You by Harlan Coben
David and Cheryl Burroughs are living the dream - married, a beautiful house in the suburbs, a three-year-old son named Matthew - when tragedy strikes one night in the worst possible way.
The Book of Eve by Meg Clothier
A book whispers. A woman hears its power. A man will stop at nothing to silence them both.
The Bandit Queens by Parini Shroff
For Geeta, life as a widow is more peaceful than life as a wife…
Until the other women in her village decide they want to be widows, too.
Birnam Wood by Eleanor Catton
A gripping psychological thriller from the Booker Prize-winning author of The Luminaries, Birnam Wood is Shakespearean in its wit, drama and immersion in character.
The Middle Daughter by Chika Uniqwe
Udodi's death was the beginning of the raging storm but at that moment we thought that the worst had already happened and that life would treat us with more kindness.
When Nani is only seventeen, she loses her beloved sister and father. Misunderstood by the rest of her family, she is beguiled by an itinerant preacher, a handsome self-proclaimed 'man of God' who seems to offer all the answers. But instead of building a better future with him, Nani is forced too soon into challenging womanhood with an oppressive husband.
The Sisterhood by Katherine Bradley
Katherine Bradley's new novel tells the untold story of Julia. Julia is the seemingly perfect example of what women in Oceania should be: dutiful, useful, subservient, and meek.
A Spell of Good Things by Ayọ̀bámi Adébáyọ̀
A story about two families caught in the riptides of wealth, power, and romantic obsession
The Mountain in the Sea by Ray Nayler
To the locals, they're monsters. To the corporate owners of the island, an opportunity. To the team of three sent to study them, a revelation. Their minds are unlike ours. Their bodies are malleable, transformable, and shifting. They can communicate. And they want us to leave.
The World and All That It Holds by Aleksandar Hemon
The epic, cross-continental tale of a love so strong it conquers the Great War, revolution, and even death itself.
Hungry Ghosts by Kevin Jared Hosein
A mesmerising novel about violence, religion, family and class, rooted in the wild and pastoral landscape of colonial central Trinidad.
Death Comes to Marlow by Robert Thorogood
It's been an enjoyable and murder-free time for Judith, Suzie and Becks - AKA the Marlow Murder Club - since the events of last year. The most exciting thing on the horizon is the upcoming wedding of Marlow grandee, Sir Peter Bailey, to his nurse, Jenny Page. Sir Peter is having a party at his grand mansion on the river Thames the day before the wedding, and Judith and Co. are looking forward to a bit of free champagne.
The Things That We Lost by Jyoti Patel
When his grandfather dies, Nik has the opportunity to learn about the man he never met. Armed with a key and new knowledge about his parents' past, Nik sets out to unlock the secrets that his mother has been holding onto his whole life.
Cold People Tom Rob Smith
The world has fallen. Without warning, a mysterious and omnipotent force has claimed the planet for their own. There are no negotiations, no demands, no reasons given for their actions. All they have is a message: humanity has thirty days to reach the one place on Earth where they will be allowed to exist... Antarctica.
The New Life by Tom Crewe
When in 1894 John and Henry decide to write a revolutionary book together, intended to challenge convention and the law, they are both caught in relationships stalked by guilt and shame. Yet they share a vision of a better world, one that will expand possibilities for men and women everywhere.