From sci-fi, short stories to fantasy, horror, mystery and non-fiction.
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A little bit of everything to fit every reader’s taste. I’m curating this book list for a while now, and I still find books that I can add to it! I handpicked from publisher’ newsletters, ‘new book lists’ from libraries and from Edelweiss. (Edelweiss is a digital market platform for booksellers but anyone can browse and have a look around with limited access.)
May list with 34 Titles
As of today, I have thirty-four titles in my bookshop/UK list for May. Which apart from completely newly published hardcovers it also contains paperback publications as well. As there are readers who are interested in some titles but do not want to commit to the hardcover version. It happens with me also. Sometimes, I’m not sure if I’m invested that much to buy as soon as it publishes, and I feel like I don’t lose anything if I just wait for the softcover edition. You can find the full list here*.
The genre(s) and other tags are information from the publishers websites, where it was available. Where it wasn’t, I mainly ‘deduced’ from other details available online. I haven’t read these titles, so I can’t say for sure that I would categorise them similarly.
P.S. I won’t be able to read them all, as it would be very costly.
I also started to work on the June* and July* lists as well. Have a peek!
Solace House by Will Maclean*
genre and other tags: crime, mystery, horror, ghost stories
What Draw Me In: First, the cover design. Second, the premise of the book. It has a 90s summer vibe, that hits home for me. We have a mystery mansion, a student as a main protagonist and some kind of mention of parallel universes. To me, it feels nostalgic, kind of Stranger Things but in the nineties and with a house instead of a town setting.
If We Cannot Go at the Speed of Light by Kim Choyeop and translated from the Korean by Anton Hur*
genre and other tags: translated fiction, sci-fi, short story collection
What Draw Me In: That it was translated by Anton Hur, that’s pretty much enough for me. Sci-fi is my beloved genre, even though it is not an easy one to read. Short story collection, which is also one of my favourite format. Bite-sized little stories that can punch is probably one of the best literary experience. This one is supposed to have aliens, time travel, and a little unhinged and weird vibe to it. Last but not least, it is said to be pushing the boundaries. What those boundaries are and how they are pushed, would love to find out.
The Calamity Club by Kathryn Stockett*
genre and other tags: historical, southern, literary fiction
What Drew Me In: Beautiful cover, I’m way too superficial to not love a beautiful or chic cover. It is set in Mississippi in 1933, which just sounded hot and witchy. It is supposed to be about a small group of women who fight for what’s theirs even against all odds. Found family, friendships, heartfelt dialogues, complex and loveable characters.
The Girl With a Thousand Faces by Sunyi Dean*
genre and other tags: urban fantasy, historical fiction, horror
What Drew Me In: I have to say it again, look at the cover… it’s gorgeous. I have Sunyi Dean’s debut novel The Book Eaters*, which I haven’t gotten into yet, but it also sounded amazing. The Girl With a Thousand Faces just ticks so many of my boxes. It is set in Hong Kong after WWII, so it has some historical fiction, it has ghost and spirit hunting, interesting compelling character and world work. I mean so many amazing things, one of those books that I’m probably going to end up buying even on a book ban.
How To Kill a Language by Sophia Smith Galer*
genre and other tags: non-fiction, language and linguistics
What Drew Me In: The possibility of learning about endangered languages. Something that is very close to my heart. My mother tongue is Hungarian, not the most spoken language in the world. On top of that, me living in Scotland and speaking mostly English in my household makes me think about how easy it is to loose one’s own language if its not used frequently.
Paperback or Hardcover...or Both?
I have found that I started to lean more towards paperbacks. Especially, well-made editions like the Oxford World’s Classics. I love it that I can fully open it – drawing 180 degrees – and nothing happens to the spine. No pages get loose, no gluing errors, no chunks of the book gets ejected into my face or to the floor. Not that it happens often, but you never know.
The Republic of Memory by Mahmud El Sayed*
genre and other tags: sci-fi, space opera
What Drew Me In: The word: Arabfuturism. I’m not familiar with this genre and I am very curious. The premise is pretty usual sci-fi-ish, we have a space ship with generations of people who are looking for a new habitable planet. If it’s done well, could be something very exciting and amazing. The Republic of Memory is the first installation of Mahmud El Sayed‘s series The Song of the Safina.
Said The Dead by Doireann Ní Ghríofa*
genre and other tags: hybrid, blend of fiction and non-fiction, historical, memoir
What Drew Me In: Hauntingly beautiful cover and the hybrid genre. The story is based on a once real and operating Victorian mental hospital in Cork. It is supposed to be imaginative, poetic, hopefully a bit eerie as well. A mix of historical fiction and horror on the fiction part. Author of A Ghost In The Throat*, which also sounds quite compelling.
Absence by Andrew Dana Hudson*
genre and other tags: sci-fi, paranormal fiction, suspense, thriller
What Drew Me In: The premise of the book. People are popping out of existence, essentially, disappearing. Very dystopian which always gives a terrifying hum to the backdrop of the plot. The setting is in Dawnville, US. The suspense and thriller part obviously, is trying to figure out why and how this phenomenon could have happened.
Decomposition Book by Sara Van Os*
genre and other tags: horror, weird girl lit, lesbian gothic
What Drew Me In: I found myself immensely gravitating towards Dead Ink Books titles this past months. They just seem different. Fresh and odd and not afraid of being weird. Awesome cover designs and unhinged stories. It really scratches that part of my brain and soul. This specific novel has an exciting premise. It starts with a hike in the woods in New York, with our protagonist who happens to have problems. Relatable. Long story short she wakes up beside a corpse. A corpse who was once someone, Ava, who may eventually end up being BF material.
genre and other tags: coming of age, literary
What Drew Me In: Perfect upcoming summer read, a nostalgic walk down memory lane. Our narrator watches as a new girl moves in across down the street. A premise of heartfelt and bittersweet friendship with the innocence and massive power of imagination. Sounds like a soul-healing journey that I desperately need.
Next Time Around
Moving forward with my Quarterly Wrap-Ups. All the books I read in January, February and March, this year. I have entered a bad reading slump in April which still haunts me even now, in May. Hopefully, I will get out of it soon.
Have a look on my bookshop UK website*, I have tons of curated book lists! Every purchase helps me to keep this website up and running. For the readers who supported me so far, thank you so much. It means a lot, and Happy Reading!
ALL OPINIONS EXPRESSED ARE MY OWN
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This being said most of the books I post you can find also at your local bookstore or at your library, I just like to give a convenient option as well for anyone who decides to support my work.
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