Summer Reading Recommendations
Blog · Posted June 26, 2024
Discover our booksellers selection of summer reading recommendations.
Summer has (just about) arrived and, whether you are jetting off somewhere on holiday, or enjoying a relaxing trip closer to home, we have your summer reading list sorted for you. Our booksellers are ready with their paperback recommendations for your perusal. From historical heists and award-winning literary gems to eye-opening political memoirs and accounts of queer places throughout history, there really is something for everyone…
FICTION
Tom Lake by Ann Patchett | Chosen by Sarah
Among the cherry trees of their Michigan farm, Lara recounts her long-ago summer love affair with famous actor, Peter Duke, to her three daughters. Jumping back and forth in time to the summer season at Tom Lake, where Lara was part of the theatre group, we are shown the power of choice and paths that lead us to exactly where we are meant to be. A joyful and hopeful read.
Kala by Colin Walsh | Chosen by Sarah
Part coming of age tale, part thriller and totally unputdownable. Kinlough, an Irish seaside town, has a dark side. 15 years after the disappearance of their friend Kala, Joe, Helen and Mush return to face the past as summer is kicking off and two other girls from town go missing. Nostalgic, addictive, thrilling. This debut literary mystery had me hooked and is the perfect summer holiday read.
When Mrs King is dismissed from her position in Park Lane after years of loyal service, she decides to get her group of girls together and exact revenge. Their plan? To empty the house completely of its possessions while the ball of the season is underway within. This group of women become the reader’s friends. Fabulous, fast and, above all, fun. My top recommendation for summer reading this year.
Anthea has it all until she dies in a freak accident. June acts on impulse and takes the first draft of Anthea’s masterpiece from her apartment…Surely it’s her job to finish, edit and bring the book to market…under her own (newly) ambiguous name, Juniper Song? This is a fast, furious satire, packed with the blackest of humour.
Meticulously researched and full of emotion. Sashi, a young aspiring doctor is trying to survive in a male-dominated world, as she is faced with one moral decision after another. A truly breathtaking and beautiful novel that deals with the complexity and atrocity of war. It may not appear like your typical summer read but I promise that you will not regret picking this up.
It’s nearly the end of summer in the Hamptons and Alex’s position as trophy girlfriend is precarious. Finding herself abruptly surplus to requirements, and with little to lose, she decides to take her chances using her charm to extend her time in this utopia for the super-rich. This is a truly gripping (if uncomfortable) summer read. Alex is a force of nature, but perhaps not one you’d want in your real life!
In 1940s Trinidad, people still live in the shadow of colonialism. Powerful and intense, this haunting novel highlights the polarising differences in wealth, religion and status that can exist within a small community. A jarring, literary thriller with a pace that slowly culminates in inevitable tragedy.
When a man’s body is discovered on the beach, perfectly serene, it makes for quite the mystery in Sligo. We are guided through fictional stories from those connected to this man, near or far – each chapter is a new perspective. As a result, a chorus of voices contribute in this ode to the sea, to home and to community. Moving and thought-provoking, Armstrong’s debut novel is stunningly written and perfectly formed.
With his debut, Michael Magee has achieved something remarkable. From the deepest of traumas, there is hope; within a landscape of violence, there is love. It is a tender study of masculinity and a powerful observation of the author’s own experience growing up in the Belfast that emerged from the Troubles. Michael Magee is one to watch.
This is a beautifully crafted story set around Scotland’s oil boom and told through the eyes of five young men. Robbie, Aaron, Mark, Ally and Joseph all have different notions of what success and ambition look and feel like. Black gold seems like the perfect opportunity, but a price must be exacted. The Black Eden is a fascinating study of the Scottish wild west, brought to life by engaging intertwining human stories.
An East End butcher claims to be the lost heir to the Tichborne estate and the country watches the court case unfold with great attention. If this man can make such a claim, what does this mean for their whole class system? Recounting the real-life trial that took England by storm in the 1860s, Smith’s first historical novel is full of scandal and wit, and despite its length and rather epic themes, feels light and reads quickly.
NON- FICTION
Politics on the Edge by Rory Stewart | Chosen by Rosamund
If you are interested in politics, but bored with elections, treat yourself to the perfect antidote. Rory Stewart is great company as he walks the reader through his experience of life as an MP, from outsider, to leadership candidate. It’s easy to see why many believe the system is broken when it’s considered normal to have five different ministerial positions in two years. He’s uncompromising, refreshingly honest and can really write.
Travel from Cambridge to Harlem, Paris and San Francisco, and meet the marvellous LGBTQ+ figures in history who have made these places their own. Through seven remarkable stories, this book explores and celebrates queer spaces in the 20th century that were the landscape for art, love, defiance, and strength. A rich and fascinating read.
This is a profoundly moving memoir which charts the experience of the author’s family at the hands of two dictators, Hitler and Stalin. Finklestein hits a powerful balance between the historical significance and the very personal stories of family members incarcerated in Bergen Belsen and the Russian gulags, recording extraordinary moments of pain, but also occasionally, good luck.
With Thunderclap, Laura Cummings leads us deeply into the world of her beloved art and artists, including, most beloved of all, her father. She has conjured a family memoir and given a masterclass in how to really look at a painting and tease out the truths hidden within.
A soothing, thematic meander through the UK’s churches and a homage to those who care for them. Here you will discover past treasures and present wonder. Peter Ross has a natural ability to inform and entertain – he makes for a delightful companion as you journey with him over rolling hills and city streets. This understated read is balm for the soul. A travel tonic to escape from your worries this summer.
O Brother by John Niven | Chosen by Rosamund
A painful, but also painfully funny, memoir that takes as its starting point the suicide of John Niven’s brother, Garry. Don’t let that put you off. As raucous as it is tender, this is a riot of a book filled with the excruciating detail of teenage life in 1970s Ayrshire, and the uglier impact of drink, drugs and depression when real life becomes, well, real. Highly recommended.
From Orkney to Orford Ness, Masud recognises the trauma that each flat place has endured but also the beauty that can be found. She discovers that they mirror her experience of the world. It could be assumed that this is a bleak book but it is anything but. This is an outstanding and beautifully written memoir that makes you look at geography differently.
Our booksellers love to recommend books and share their favourite reads with other booklovers (it is their job but also their hobby). Our blog is a good place to start to find some recommendations but if you still need some help, simply pop into the shop, give us a call or shoot us an email.
Find out how to contact us HERE.