New Books for the New Year!

Books are the plane, and the train, and the road. They are the destination, and the journey. They are home.

Anna Quindlen

One of my New Year’s Resolutions was to read more. When I look at the number of books I consumed in 2019 in comparison to 2020 and 2021, it’s ridiculous – I love reading, especially just before I go to sleep or, when I’m on a break on my own at work! The problem I’ve had had over the last two years is; reading in bed is a short cut to falling asleep, I’ve lost count of the number of times I’ve woken up, drooling down one cheek, tablet, cold and dark, discarded in my lap. Workwise, well, I’ve just not had the time for much downtime.

So, 2022 is here and I wanted to look at what’s out there, what constitutes a good read! I looked at Amazon, Waterstones and a couple of other smaller book shops I love to get some ideas about what’s coming out and, here’s my reading list with descriptions!

Send Nudes by Saba Sams – Out in the UK on the 20th January

A collection of short stories that speak to the female experience. I want to be friends with the women Saba Sams writes about, the kind that you meet in nightclub toilets and are BFFs with for just one night. Compulsive writing that can easily be devoured in one sitting. Painfully relatable but in a really satisfying way.

What the reviews are saying; In 10 stories, Saba Sams dives into the world of girlhood and immerses us in its contradictions and complexities: growing up too quickly, yet not quickly enough; taking possession of what one can, while being taken possession of; succumbing to societal pressure but also orchestrating that pressure. These young women are feral yet attentive, fierce yet vulnerable, exploited yet exploitative. Threading between clubs at closing time, pub toilets, drenched music festivals and beach holidays, these unforgettable short stories deftly chart the treacherous terrain of growing up – of intense friendships, of ambivalent mothers, of uneasily blended families, and of learning to truly live in your own body. With striking wit, originality and tenderness, Send Nudes celebrates the small victories in a world that tries to claim each young woman as its own.

The Maid by Nita Prose – Out in the UK on the 20th January

Not to be confused with the memoir Maid by Stephanie Land, or the Netflix series starring Margaret Qualley...

What the reviews are saying; Molly the maid is all alone in the world. A nobody. She’s used to being invisible in her job at the Regency Grand Hotel, plumping pillows and wiping away the grime, dust and secrets of the guests passing through. She’s just a maid – why should anyone take notice? But Molly is thrown into the spotlight when she discovers an infamous guest, Mr Black, very dead in his bed. This isn’t a mess that can be easily cleaned up. And as Molly becomes embroiled in the hunt for the truth, following the clues whispering in the hallways of the Regency Grand, she discovers a power she never knew was there. She’s just a maid – but what can she see that others overlook?

Wolfskin by Lara Moreno, translated by Katie Whittemore– Out in the UK on the 24th January

What the reviews are saying; This book is full of intimate moments and features two intense main characters that will draw you in and hold a mirror up to your own life.

What the reviews are saying; Sofía is 35 and her husband has left her. Her father died the year before, and her mother is living in the Canary Islands with a new partner. Sofía flees the city with her young son, seeking refuge in her father's house on the southern coast of Spain, where she spent summers as a girl. Her younger sister, with whom she has a close but uneasy relationship, joins her. Living together again, the sisters face their present as well as their childhood and tangled past. A novel from one of Spain's most remarkable authors, Wolfskin is an intimate meditation on ambivalence and motherhood, eroticism and disappointment, family violence and failure, and ultimately, the possibility-or impossibility-of living with those you love.

Black Cake by Charmaine Wilkerson – Out in the UK on the 3rd of February

This debut novel is about sibling relationships and family secrets. And if you need another reason to read it? It's already being developed into a drama series for Hulu – by none other than Oprah! Oh, and it involves cake, of course.

What the reviews are saying; Eleanor Bennett won't let her own death get in the way of the truth. So, when her estranged children – Byron and Benny – reunite for her funeral in California, they discover a puzzling inheritance. First, a voice recording in which everything Byron and Benny ever knew about their family is upended. Their mother narrates a tumultuous story about a headstrong young woman who escapes her island home under suspicion of murder, a story which cuts right to the heart of the rift that's separated Byron and Benny. Second, a traditional Caribbean black cake made from a family recipe with a long history that Eleanor hopes will heal the wounds of the past. Can Byron and Benny fulfil their mother's final request to 'share the black cake when the time is right'?

New Animal by Ella Baxter – Out in the UK on the 17th of February

Sex, BDSM, death, grief – what more could you want from a novel? An intense and incredible read.

What the reviews are saying; Amelia is no stranger to sex and death. Her job in her family's funeral parlour, doing make-up on the dead, might be unusual, but she's good at it. Life and warmth come from the men she meets online – combining with someone else's body at night in order to become something else, at least for a while. But when a sudden loss severs her ties with someone she loves, Amelia sets off on a 72-hour mission to outrun her grief – skipping out on the funeral, running away to stay with her father in Tasmania and experimenting on the local BDSM scene. There she learns more about sex, death, grief, and the different ways pain works its way through the body. It takes two fathers, a bruising encounter with a stranger and recognition of her own body's limits to bring Amelia back to herself.

I hope a couple of these have whetted your appetite 😊

What’s on this week?