With summer around the corner, there is no greater time for a trip to your local bookshop to get a good haul. And if you are looking for something fresh, then you are in luck, as this month brings with it a tonne of great new releases.
From the return of Elizabeth Strout with The Things We Never Say – which is an epic novel distilled into 200 pages – to new fiction from Booker Prize winning Douglas Stuart, as well as fascinating history and science books, here is our pick of the best…
The Things We Never Say by Elizabeth Strout
The Pulitzer Prize winning author’s first standalone novel in over a decade is a balm for the soul. It introduces us to the terrific character of Artie Dam, a history teacher and husband who is far lonelier than he lets on, just as the revelation of a secret upends his life.
Viking, £18.99
Uprising by Tahmima Anam
In this dark, firecracker of a book, a community of sex workers held on a remote island rises up when a new young woman is brought against her will from the city. That it is inspired by a real state-licensed brothel in Bangladesh only makes this novel more captivating.
Canongate, £16.99
John of John by Douglas Stuart
No one can both break and burrow into his readers’ hearts quite like Stuart, whose novels about poverty, love, addiction and identity have earned him a place on the bestseller lists and the Booker Prize. His latest traces the fractures which follow a young man’s return to his family home on the isle of Harris.
Picador, £20
The Lowe Job by Grace Alexander
Lili Lowe is an ambitious young woman whose life goes haywire when she is caught with her married politician boss. But her mother, a former talent agent, has a way of spinning the media frenzy to their advantage. A tonne of fun to read.
Orion, £16.99
Give Me Everything You’ve Got by Imogen Crimp
Ruby knows she has finally made it as a director when the filmmaker she idolises, Ellen, invites her to her country home during a heatwave. But she begins to question things when she finds herself drawn into the tumultuous dynamic between Ellen and her unpredictable daughter.
Bloomsbury, £18.99
Enough by Dawn French
68-year-old Etta gathers her family for what will be a gorgeous weekend, starting with a trip to the beach to watch the sunrise. Then, in this compassionate, wise read from the beloved actor, she makes an announcement which capsizes their world.
Michael Joseph, £22
The Calamity Club by Kathryn Stockett
17 years ago, Stockett’s debut novel The Help became a global bestseller and film starring Emma Stone and Viola Davis. Now she is back with a big, fat, sweeping novel, set in 1930s Mississippi and centred on a spirited 11-year-old girl living in the town’s orphanage.
Fig Tree, £20
Prestige Drama by Seamas O’Reilly
This 200-page foray into fiction from the writer of the hit memoir Did Ye Hear Mammy Died? is every bit as darkly funny as you might expect. It’s a Derry-set drama about an American actor who vanishes soon after flying over to film a new series, and Diarmuid, the scriptwriter who was the last person to see her.
Fleet, £14.99
This is Also A Love Story by Sally Hayden
With world events as bleak as they are, here is a must-read from the Orwell Prize Winning author: an account of all the love stories she has witnessed while reporting in the most turbulent places across the globe, from Ukrainian couples to Syrian women.
Fourth Estate, £20
How to Kill A Language by Sophia Smith Galer
When this author’s grandmother died, she realised she had lost her only thread to the North Italian dialect she spoke. And thus began her deep dive into 10 of the 7,000 languages predicted to be extinct by the turn of the century, spun here into a fascinating account.
William Collins, £22
Thirst by John Robins
The comedian and broadcaster tells the story of his life, alcoholism and eventual sobriety through the prism of 12 drinks, starting with his first sip of champagne aged five. It is by turns heart-wrenching and hilarious.
Viking, £20
Imitation Games by Darragh McGee
This much-needed investigation into the way in which gambling has “hijacked” sport, penned by a global health sociologist and leading expert in the field, attempts to answer how exactly we got here, and what we can do about the very human cost.
Bodley Head, £22
Servus by Emma Southon
From the gladiators forced to entertain to the miners who sourced Rome’s marble, this illuminating piece of revisionist history looks at just how much the Roman Empire was built on the back of the people they enslaved.
Hodder & Stoughton, £25
The Secrets of Our DNA by Turi King
From the scientist who identified the remains of Richard III, this lively, myth-busting tour of modern genetics unpacks how DNA solves crimes, rewrites history and shapes our lives. It brims with timely questions about what our genes can (and can’t) reveal.
Doubleday, £22
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