From Booker Prize-longlistees to a new novel from the author of Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell, here are the best books we read in July 2020!
Mark Harding – Brand & Content Manager
How Much of These Hills is Gold by C Pam Zhang
Why I loved it: This is a stunning novel. A gold rush era Western told from the perspective of a Chinese family, C Pam Zhang deconstructs and rebuilds the myths of the wild west from a fresh angle. It’s absolutely immersive, bringing the setting and characters to life in vivid and confronting ways. I devoured this book in two big sittings, and it has really stuck with me in the weeks since.
Buy it here
Olivia Fricot – Senior Content Producer
Hex by Rebecca Dinerstein Knight
Why I loved it: I adored this novel, which takes the form of the intimate diary entries of botany student Nell Barber, who finds herself expelled from Columbia after the accidental poisoning death of her lab partner. This diary chronicles Nell’s all-consuming obsession with her mentor, Joan, which only continues to bloom post-expulsion—along with the dozens of toxic plants that Nell has started to collect in her NYC apartment. This short, sharp and witchy novel teases out the boundary between obsession and love with writing that is indulgently unhinged, yet totally gorgeous.
Buy it here
Nick Wasiliev – Social Media Specialist
Damascus by Christos Tsiolkas
Why I loved it: As a fan of The Slap, I went into this excited about what Christos would be delivering, especially considering this book received the 2020 Victorian Premier’s Literary Award for Fiction. Damascus is a very different, often quite violent, and confronting story, but it follows what is clearly a subject close to the author’s heart as he dissects the nature of religion, specifically around the formation of Christianity. This is a book following many different characters and covering many unique experiences, but at its core it exquisitely critiques timeless themes of tolerance and faith. While at times challenging, Damascus is, ultimately, very rewarding.
Buy it here
Jo Lewin – Head of Trade Product
Piranesi by Susanna Clarke
Why I loved it: If you loved Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell, beware. The first 80 or so pages of Susanna Clarke’s second novel may confound you. It’s more dystopic, less quaint, more confusing. But please, dear reader, persevere! Those first 80 pages dedicated to mysterious statues and the nesting behaviours of albatross set the scene for a much more cohesive tale of parallel universes, dastardly professors, brilliant academics sent mad with ambition, and a sceptical but trusting journalist in the wrong place at the wrong time.
Buy it here
Ben Hunter – Fiction Category Manager
Islands of Mercy by Rose Tremain
Why I loved it: Evocative, moving, funny and gorgeously composed, Islands of Mercy takes readers from mid-19th century Bath to London, Paris, Dublin, and all the way to the jungles of Borneo. It’s a wonderful novel about people seeking that which invigorates them and finding destinies outside of the ordinary, whether they be Irish teahouse matrons, aspiring naturalists, eccentric colonists, or the daughter of a respected doctor who is falling helplessly in love with a married woman.
Buy it here
Sarah McDuling – Kids & Young Adult Category Manager
The Survivors by Jane Harper
Why I loved it: The Survivors is yet another perfectly balanced, finely honed, deliciously atmospheric thriller from a writer who just seems to keep raising her own benchmark with each new book. I completely fell into this story and could not pull myself out until it was finished. If this is your first Jane Harper novel, enjoy! I’m quite jealous of you, actually. You’ll have three more Jane Harper books to read when you’re finished The Survivors. And if you’re already a fan then rest assured, this book will give you exactly what you want.
Buy it here
Shanulisa Prasad – Lifestyle Books Category Manager
The Morbids by Ewa Ramsey
Why I loved it: The portrayal of the main character’s journey with mental illness and coming to terms with her past and learning how to live for the future rings so authentic and true to life. Although the book’s title is The Morbids, I felt anything but by the end of it. I highly recommend it!
Buy it here
Renae Adolfson – Books Team Coordinator
A Theatre for Dreamers by Polly Samson
Why I loved it: The vivid descriptions of Greece in this book set your senses on fire, accompanied by a cast of artists and writers led by teenage protagonist, Erica. Despite venturing to the warm and paradisaical island of Hydra, Erica’s story is a dark and complex tale, in which she is hypnotised by the writer Axel Jensen and his stunning wife Marianne Ihlen. A Theatre for Dreamers beautifully explores the evaporation of innocence and the conflicts that arise between men and women over art and love.
Buy it here
Cassandra Sharpe – Merchandising Coordinator
Heartstopper: Volume 2 by Alice Oseman
Why I loved it: I quickly fell in love with Volume 1 of this series that follows Charlie, the only publicly gay boy at his school, and his growing friendship with footballer Nick. This is an incredibly sweet teen love story and Volume 2 picks up just after the cliffhanger in the first volume. Nick is struggling to figure out how he identifies, while Charlie is navigating his deepening feelings for him. Thrown into all of this is the challenge of being at school—and totally into each other. Oseman has crafted a realistic romance full of steps forward and backwards, cute moments and awkwardness. I can’t wait to pick up Volume 3 and follow their next adventure.
Buy it here
Robert O’Hearn – Academic & Professional Category Manager
Entangled Life by Merlin Sheldrake
Why I loved it: Plants have their own internet (of sorts); a real ‘fibre-to-the-node’ if you like. Myriad fungal filaments, moulds and spores spread information and resources between the trees, shrubs and grasses, enabling chemical reactions that would otherwise be impossible. This widespread fungal entanglement is just beginning to be understood but the implications will rewrite biology as we know it. Sheldrake writes elegantly (and thankfully does not gush), leaving the facts and implications to dazzle. More than a miscellany of mycology, this is incredibly important, riveting and far-reaching. Sure to be a classic of science writing, this amazing book will shatter your preconceptions of ecosystems.
Buy it here
Ashleigh Berry – Campaigns Coordinator
Death in Her Hands by Ottessa Moshfegh
Why I loved it: This is a darkly comic blend of thriller and horror, with a consuming mystery that feeds off of the imagination. While Vesta is an endearing character, being confined to her unreliable mind challenged me to let go of my need for linear mystery solving. As we jump between the present and Vesta’s past, this became a story of grief and determination that had me completely at one with each sinister possibility.
Buy it here
Read a Q&A with Polly Samson
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