November Book Reviews

Here we have a natty November selection of books that are being released as the build- up to Christmas begins 

THE LOOK 

by Michelle Obama 

Beautifully illustrated with more than 200 photographs, including never-before-seen images, The Look is a stunning journey through Michelle Obama’s style evolution, in her own words for the first time. 

In this celebration of style, from the moment she entered the public eye during her husband’s US Senate campaign through her time as the first Black First Lady of the United States and today as one of the country’s most influential figures, Obama shares how she uses the beauty and intrigue of fashion to draw attention to her message.

Published November 4th by Mitchell Beazley 

EXIT STRATEGY

by Lee Child and Andrew Child 

Portrayed in film by Tom Cruise, the Jack Reacher series now reaches 30 books. In this, the latest, our righteous adventurer for troubled times will make three stops in one day. First, a Baltimore coffee shop; second, a store to buy a coat; and third, wherever this bend in the road takes him. 

As ever, Reacher is prepared to take the law into his own hands for justice. He is a man who says he doesn’t want to put the world to rights – he just doesn’t like people who put it to wrongs. 

Published November 4th by Penguin Books 

LIVE AID – THE DEFINITIVE INSIDE STORY

by Paul Vallely

The authoritative, official inside story of 40 years of Live Aid, from Band Aid to today. In 1985, with over £100million in his back pocket from Live Aid – the greatest rock concert the world had ever seen – Bob Geldof took a trip across Africa to decide how to spend the money he had raised for the Ethiopian famine. He asked Paul Vallely to go with 

him. 

Over the next four decades Vallely became one of Geldof’s closest advisers – travelling with him to meet the world’s top rock stars and politicians. Here, for the first time, Vallely gives his full eye-witness account of those 40 years in a book – which has a foreword by Geldof – crammed with stories of how pop, poverty, politics and power are interwoven in the Live Aid story.

Published November 6th by Putman Publishing 

BREAD OF ANGELS: A MEMOIR

by Patti Smith

Patti Smith has written a memoir that her publishers are describing as her ‘most intimate and visionary work’ yet. Bread of Angels covers everything from the icon’s childhood in working-class Philadelphiaand South Jersey to her rise as a punk rock star and her subsequent retreat from public life. 

“It took a decade to write this book, grappling with the beauty and sorrow of a lifetime. I’m hoping that people will find something they need.” 

Published November 4th by Bloomsbury Publishing