Mackerel Scales And Mares’ Tails
Edited by Morgenstern, Wilson and Fox
£6.99 (Fine Print)
Taking its title from an old piece of seafaring wisdom, the second collection of short fiction from the Notts Writing Group has change as its theme. As you might expect from an anthology put together by an enthusiastic group of amateur writers, the quality of the stories varies wildly. More than one feels more like a writing exercise than a story, but there are pleasures to be had in some, like Simon Brown’s War Games: an excellent, grimy piece of work that feels like the first chapter of a fine zombie novel. David Thompson’s Heaven Indeed adds further horror to the belief of Sartre that “Hell is other people”, by making the other people Daily Mail readers, and Glen King’s Sat Nav Hell rests on the pleasing conceit of the underworld being reached via the directions of an increasingly hostile sat nav. It’s in Wales, in case you were interested. Profits from the book go to Framework Nottingham. Robin Lewis
Sleeping Dogs
Kelly Vero
£5.15 (FeedARead)
A second outing for Kelly Vero’s vampire detective Jack Sant on the island of Malta, it has a slightly more developed plot than the first introductory volume. A body washes up on the shores of Malta, but it’s one of a series of bodies who have been drained of blood. Can Jack shed light on this for his friend in the Pulizija? As it happens, Jack is able to find out quite a lot about it. And in the process he encounters again the only woman he has ever truly loved. But there’s more to this than the tale of two vampires – how long can Jack’s true identity stay hidden from his friends and from more sinister forces? Vero’s novels are slim and, though at times you wish for more detail and less of the Maltese footnotes, it’s another enjoyable read from Nottingham’s Maltese expat. Sue Barsby
These Seven
Nottingham authors
£3 (Five Leaves)
These Seven, an anthology commissioned to mark Nottingham’s bid to become a UNESCO City of Literature and The Big City Read, takes the pulse of our contemporary scene with six of our finest local writers working now. The seventh? The late Alan Sillitoe – whose widow Ruth Fainlight selected a story for this eclectic collection. The inclusion of Sillitoe creates an interesting contrast between the parochial, industrial Nottingham of his heyday and today’s open, international city: the majority of contributors, interestingly, are originally from outside the
city, but capture the feel of the place with elan. It’s not all words either: our superb graphic novel scene is represented with an exclusive story by that pencil-wielding genius, Brick. A collection to mek yer proud to be Notts. Matt Turpin
The Great Deception
David Belbin
£8.99 (Freight Books)
The third book in David Belbin’s acclaimed Bone and Cane series starts with a bang. A bang to the head. An undercover policewoman is caught off-guard outside a New Year’s party and, with little else revealed, the book takes a two-month step backwards. Sarah Bone (MP for Nottingham West) is on sabbatical, caring for her sick mother. However, a long-buried political scandal soon rears its ugly head, threatening both Sarah’s career and the Bone family reputation. Meanwhile, old flame Nick Cane struggles with going straight after a five-year incarceration for drug dealing, unbeknownst he is on a collision course with Sarah’s interests yet again. Set predominantly in nineties Nottingham, The Great Deception is as gritty as it is twisty. Combining political intrigue with dark urban struggle, Belbin has crafted another crime thriller that will keep you guessing right until the very end. Jack Croxall
Radicals In America
Howard Brick and Christopher Phelps
£16.99 (Cambridge Essential Histories)
Co-written by Christopher Phelps, Assoc. Professor of American history at the University of Nottingham, this book chronicles the history of left-wing movements in the USA since the Second World War. Often demonised as being unpatriotic, American radicals have repeatedly sought the roots of social problems, finding ways to exert genuine influence and change mainstream opinion. Building on the past, mass movements have sprung from the margins to challenge the political consensus of their time. From the Communist Party, the Black Panther Party, feminism and environmentalism, to LGBT rights, Occupy Wall Street and the recent I Can’t Breathe protest, this is a comprehensive account of how the left has reshaped American politics and culture. Each chapter opens with one individual’s pursuit of equality, freedom and democracy. The telling is non-judgmental, the stories inspirational. If you’ve not been radicalised by the end, you’ve not been paying attention. nottslit.blogspot.com
Korakas
Anne Holloway
£2.99 (Big White Shed)
Who is Korakas? Mysterious stranger? Guardian? Monster? Vampire? The story is one which weaves Greek mythology and superstition into an intriguing mystery. Alithea returns to Crete, the island where she was born, to search for her mother, Anna. She has gone missing from her home in England under mysterious circumstances. As the tale unfolds, Alithea learns about her father and encounters Doug and Allison – friends of Anna’s. Alithea discovers that her mother’s experiences have been less than idyllic. This is no Shirley Valentine story: a picturesque island setting becomes threatening, supernatural and dangerous. The parallel worlds of modern Greece as a holiday destination and a land of ancient myths coexist with an unnerving synchronicity. Simultaneously telling the stories of both Anna and Alithea, Korakas draws the reader into the lives of the mother and daughter, leaving many unanswered questions and with the sense that in Greece, legend and reality are inextricably linked. Christy Fearn
East Midlands Canals Through Time
Ray Shill
£14.99 (Amberley)
Established in 2008, Amberley offer pictorial guides that cover history and heritage topics with snippets of contextual information. They must be doing something right as they have 2,000 titles under their belt. This is the second of two books exploring canals in the Midlands. We are taken from the early river navigations, such as the Trent, to grander structures that pushed the boundaries of engineering, such as the Dove Aqueduct. There’s a broad range of pictures that include rare photographs, maps, and some gorgeous illustrations, such as a horse-drawn narrowboat and towing path along the Trent. The first canals in the region were the Bond End Canal at Burton, the Chesterfield and the Grand Trunk but it was the 1890s when canal schemes really became boss. Then the railways came along and they were left to rot, but more recently they’ve seen a revival as alternative living spaces. This intriguing account ends with useful information on restoration, trusts and nationalisation. Jane Runner
Towns in Britain
Jones the Planner
£16.99 (Five Leaves)
This began life as a blog in 2011, debating the housing crisis, urban regeneration, place-making and the creation of civilised streets. As it materialised into a book, it was shortlisted for the East Midlands Book Award and was unlucky not to become the first non-fiction title to scoop the prize. As Notts becomes burger central and our two shopping centres fall intu the trap of becoming generic minimalist spaces occupied by the same old suspects, this is a much needed prod in the gut to those charged with developing our homes. The authors – urban designer Adrian Jones and historian Chris Matthews – may very well lament some of the baleful decisions that haunt our cityscapes but they are equally able to find beauty in the eccentricities of the towns they frequent. These urban flaneurs have a cutting turn of phrase too. Pride Park in Derby is “crap squared, not even aspiring to the standards of a business park”. Love it. James Walker
Nottingham Rising: The Great Cheese Riot of 1766 & The 1831 Reform Riots
Valentine Yarnspinner
£6 (Loaf on a Stick Press)
Don’t be fooled by the pseudonym, there’s nothing unreliable about this narrator. This is a thorough analysis of two key events in our history, supported by original sources and thoughtfully contextualised. The Great Cheese Riot of 1766 saw the mayor bowled over by a barrel of cheese, and is examined via the wave of food riots that took place that autumn. The author suggests that one reason the press picked up on it was because there was no exciting war news since the Seven Years’ War ended. Although much has been written about our castle-burning exploits, little is known of the identities of the rioters or their motivations. Until now. Those found guilty were either swung from a rope or shipped out to the colonies. These are both early examples of direct action and evidence that a collective mard-on can get things done in a way that words can’t. And before you ask, we still don’t know what type of cheese it was that did the flattening. James Walker
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