From Booker Prize winners to hotly-anticipated prequels and so much more, read on to see the best books we read in May 2020!
Mark Harding – Brand & Content Manager
If It Bleeds by Stephen King
Why I loved it: King is an absolute master storyteller, and this collection of four novellas proves he is still at the height of his powers. The stories, ‘Mr Harrigan’s Phone’, ‘The Life of Chuck’, ‘If It Bleeds’ (which is a sequel to his novel The Outsider) and ‘Rats’, are all very different to each other and contain a nice amount of familiar King themes and ideas, with room for some welcome surprises. An extremely entertaining reading experience, as I’ve come to expect every time he delivers a new book.
Buy it here
Olivia Fricot – Senior Content Producer
Girl, Woman, Other by Bernardine Evaristo
Why I loved it: I don’t know why I waited so long to read this beautiful book, but I’m so glad that I finally did. Set mostly in England and weaving together twelve different but interconnected stories into one novel, Girl, Woman, Other is a melodic celebration of Black womanhood and identity that’s bursting with joy, but also the love, pride and furious determination of its unforgettable characters. If you haven’t yet read this, then it absolutely must go to the top of your list.
Buy it here
Ben Hunter – Fiction Category Manager
Burnt Sugar by Avni Doshi
Why I loved it: Spare, acerbic, and devastating prose marks out this unique novel from Avni Doshi. A daughter cares for her mother who has entered an early cognitive decline, growing distant and resentful of her husband, her life becoming a retrospective of past traumas. The novel slowly picks apart a web of memories, myths and betrayals that culminate in their unhappy circumstance. I found this book deeply compelling and relatable. Perfect for readers of Deborah Levy.
Buy it here
Sarah McDuling – Kids & YA Category Manager
The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes by Suzanne Collins
Why I loved it: It has been so long since I read The Hunger Games, I had forgotten how stressful and exciting it is to visit the dystopian world of Panem! This prequel manages to tell a compelling and emotionally rich story, while also adding some new layers of nuance to the original trilogy. It’s thought-provoking and packed with clever Easter eggs for the fans. I did find it a little slow to start with (perhaps because of the ingrained dislike for the main character, Coriolanus Snow, who we all know will grow up to be a monstrous villain?) but once it hooked me I was completely transfixed until the last page.
Buy it here
Joel Naoum – Non-Fiction Category Manager
Humankind: A Hopeful History by Rutger Bregman
Why I loved it: This is the perfect book for our current moment. It’s an optimistic history that takes on the myth that humans are always selfish beings, with tons of historical examples and fascinating stories. The winning story has got to be the real life story of The Lord of the Flies that did not at all turn out the way it did in the book.
Buy it here
Shanulisa Prasad – Lifestyle Category Manager
Good Girl, Bad Blood by Holly Jackson
Why I loved it: The sequel to A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder, this book follows Pip as she releases a podcast covering the events in the first book, whilst trying to go back to living a normal life. Needless to say, this does not happen! Luckily, what does is another terrifically plotted and page-turning mystery, where Pip is again having to decide how far she is willing to go and what she is willing to sacrifice for the truth. I love YA crime and this duology (though I hope it will become a series) is one of the best I have ever read.
Buy it here
Renae Adolfson – Trade Books Coordinator
We Were Never Friends by Margaret Bearman
Why I loved it: This is a compelling novel that paints an intimate portrait of a dysfunctional suburban Australian family and the haunting legacy of an artistic genius at its epicentre. Navigating through the past and present, protagonist Lotti evaluates the effects of the human capacity for both love and cruelty. When Lotti meets Kyla, the undernourished and neurotic outcast at her new school, their lives overlap as they roam the bitterness of girlhood and adolescent angst. I found this novel to be unquestionably raw in its exploration of friendship, family, and the unsettling secrets that are brought to light in the shadow of a celebrated artist.
Buy it here
Cassandra Sharpe – Merchandising Coordinator
What I Like About Me by Jenna Guillaume
Why I loved it: Booktopians Sarah and Shanu raved about this book on a recent podcast episode, pushing me to finally start this book! Maisie Martin is on holiday with her family, best friend, and Maisie’s crush, Sebastian Lee. A strange series of events leads to her signing up for a beauty pageant, even though she’s far from the typical contestant. Guillaume’s teens feel real and relatable, with back and forth banter that you’ll recognise instantly. Readers get a sense of Maisie’s self-consciousness, including her body image issues as a plus-sized girl with a model-perfect sister. This is a fun summery book, perfectly for teens and those who recall their teenage years, cringey moments and all.
Buy it here
Rob O’Hearn – Academic & Professional Category Manager
Rise & Shine by Patrick Allington
Why I loved it: If I told you this is a post-apocalyptic sci-fi tale of urban rebellion, battle and disease, you might yawn and think it’s all been done. But it hasn’t been done quite like this. Allington’s stylish and surreal novel is both a moral tale of ethics and suffering and a philosophical study in memory and consciousness. Weaving together many influences from cyberpunk to manga, Kafka to the classics, Rise & Shine is visceral, gritty, and immediately enthralling. With its themes of fragile mortality and parasitic desire set amongst the debris of post-consumerism, this is a satire for the anthropocene, post-liberalist world.
Buy it here
Ashleigh Berry – Campaigns Coordinator
The Glass Hotel by Emily St. John Mandel
Why I loved it: I loved Station Eleven, and as such put all my faith into The Glass Hotel. I was not disappointed. A large-scale Ponzi scheme collapses, and the ripple effect is devastating. Then, a woman named Vincent goes missing off a cargo ship. The Glass Hotel entwines the histories and connections of these two stories into something beautiful. This story is hauntingly exquisite, suspended in a time and place that doesn’t quite touch reality.
Buy it here
The 2021 Women’s Prize for Fiction Longlist revealed! 
The Best Books of 2020: International Fiction 
The 2020 Booker Prize shortlist is here!
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