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Wild Dark Shore by Charlotte McConaghy (suggested by Irene 18.03.26)
LONGLISTED FOR THE WOMEN'S PRIZE FOR FICTION 2026
THE INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER
A REESE'S BOOK CLUB PICK
A TIME MUST-READ OF 2025
LONGLISTED FOR THE CARNEGIE MEDAL
Pages 320
Amazon 4.4/5
Goodreads 4.11/5
Paperback Nov 2025 £8.48+
'I am in awe. I am in love. I am heartbroken. All of it possible, all at once, after a book as extraordinary as this one' CLARE DAVERLEY
'Breathtaking' HANNAH KENT
'Spellbinding' Washington Post
'Had me gripped from the very first page' RACHEL JOYCE
A family on a remote island. A mysterious woman washed ashore. A storm gathering force.
Dominic Salt and his three children are caretakers of Shearwater, a tiny weather-lashed island that is home to the world's largest seed bank. As Shearwater risks being lost to rising sea levels, the island's researchers have fled, and only the Salts remain.
Until, during the worst storm in living memory, a stranger washes ashore. The family nurse the woman, Rowan, back to strength, but it seems she isn't telling the whole truth about why she's there. And when Rowan stumbles upon sabotaged radios and a recently dug grave, she realises that she's not the only one on the island with a secret.
A novel of breathtaking twists and dizzying beauty, Wild Dark Shore is about the impossible choices we make to protect the people we love.
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Brotherless Night by V.V. Ganeshananthan (suggested by Fiona 18.03.26)
Brotherless Night by V.V. Ganeshananthan (published in paperback April 24)
Suggested by Fiona
16-year-old Sashikala Kulenthiren lives in Jaffna with her parents and four brothers. She dreams of becoming a doctor like her grandfather and is developing romantic feelings for her childhood friend K. While studying for her A-levels she witnesses anti-Tamil riots which prompt K and two of her brothers to join the Tamil Tigers. As Sashi studies medicine during the Sri Lankan civil war, she confronts difficult questions about loyalty, duty and what it means to be a good person.
Winner of the women’s prize for fiction 2024
368 pages
4.45 Good Reads
4.5 Amazon
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Flesh by David Szalay (suggested by Fiona 18.03.26)
(Published in paperback in March 25)
Suggested by Fiona
It tells a rags-to-riches story, about a young Hungarian man named István. He lives an impulsive lifestyle, making rash decisions without thinking them through. After his sexual awakening, juvenile detention, military service and a series of menial jobs, István becomes a rich married socialite in London. This success brings him some contentment, but István's largely unchanged personality generates conflict with his new family.
Winner of the Booker Prize 2025
Finalist for the Kirkus Prize 2025
350 pages
3.74 Good Reads
4.1 Amazon
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Maurice and Maralyn by Soohie Elmhirst
**THE SUNDAY TIMES TOP TEN BESTSELLER**
**WINNER OF THE NERO AWARDS GOLD PRIZE BOOK OF THE YEAR**
**A BARACK OBAMA BOOK OF THE YEAR**
suggested by Irene 19/01/2026
Pages 272
Amazon 4.27/5 £9.72++
Goodreads 4.1/5
An extraordinary true story of shipwreck, survival and love
'An enthralling, engrossing story of survival' Bill Bryson
‘An absolute jewel of a book’ India Knight
‘A gripping tale of adventure’ Elizabeth Day
‘An extraordinary survival story’ Sunday Times
Bored of 1970s suburban life, Maurice and Maralyn plan their escape: sell the house, build a boat, set sail for New Zealand. Then, halfway around the world, their beloved boat is struck by a whale and the pair are cast adrift in the middle of the Pacific Ocean. Alone on a tiny raft, their love is put to the test. This is a book about human connection and the human condition; about how we survive – not just at sea, but in life.
‘This skilful storytelling drew me in…very touching indeed’ James Rebanks
‘With the adrenaline kick of Jaws . . . A remarkable portrait of a marriage kept afloat against the odds’ Financial Times
‘This dramatic, profound human story is so beautifully told. I really could not put it down’ Nina Stibbe
A Guardian, Observer & Waterstones Non-fiction Book of the Year
**READERS ADORE MAURICE & MARALYN**
‘A riveting tale of survival . . . and of the power of love when all appears lost’
‘A mind-blowing story of resilience and love in the face of adversity’
‘The very best kind of true story, and beautifully written’
‘I couldn’t put this book down’
‘I was absolutely hooked from the outset
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The Decline and Fall of the Human Empire by Henry Gee
Pages 288
Paperback £10.99 will be published 5 March 2026
Amazon 4.3
Goodreads 3.7
Suggested by Irene 15/10
From the winner of the 2022 Royal Society Science Book Prize, a thrilling and thought-provoking account of the rise and fall of humankind. Henry Gee lives in Cromer.
'Brilliant' – The Times
'Hugely informative and entertaining' – New Scientist
'Put this at the head of your reading lists immediately' – Eric Idle
For the first time in over ten millennia, the rate of human population growth is slowing down. The global population is forecast to begin declining in the second half of this century, and in 10,000 years’ time our species will likely be extinct.
In The Decline and Fall of the Human Empire, Henry Gee shows how we arrived at this crucial moment in history, beginning his story deep in the palaeolithic past and charting our dramatic rise from one species of human among many to the most dominant animal to ever live on Earth.
But rapid climate change, a stagnating global economy, falling birth rates and an unexplainable decline in average human sperm count are combining to make our chances for longevity increasingly slim.
There could be a way forward, but the launch window is narrow . . .
Drawing on a dazzling array of the latest scientific research, Gee tells the extraordinary story of humanity with characteristic warmth and wit, and suggests how our exceptional species might avoid its tragic fate.
‘Like Jared Diamond meets Arthur C. Clarke with a dash of Douglas Adams' – Philip Ball, author of How Life Works
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The Safekeep by Yale van Dee Wouden
Suggested by Kevin 27/07/2025
WINNER OF THE WOMEN'S PRIZE 2025
SHORTLISTED FOR THE BOOKER PRIZE 2024
SHORTLISTED FOR THE DYLAN THOMAS PRIZE 2025
LONGLISTED FOR THE WINGATE PRIZE 2025
Paperback 12/06/2025
272 pages
Amazon 4.3 out of 5 stars £8.48 ++
Goodreads 4.1 out of 5 stars
Genres: Historical Fiction, Fiction, LGBT, Literary Fiction, Queer Historical Romance, Book Club, Lesbian
An exhilarating tale of twisted desire, histories and homes, and the unexpected shape of revenge - for readers of Patricia Highsmith, Sarah Waters and Ian McEwan's Atonement.
It is fifteen years after the Second World War, and Isabel has built herself a solitary life of discipline and strict routine in her late mother's country home, with not a fork or a word out of place. But all is upended when her brother Louis delivers his graceless new girlfriend, Eva, at Isabel's doorstep - as a guest, there to stay for the season…
In the sweltering heat of summer, Isabel's desperate need for control reaches boiling point. What happens between the two women leads to a revelation which threatens to unravel all she has ever known.
'A thrilling, razor-sharp, perfectly plotted debut novel' Sunday Times
'Moving, unnerving and deeply sexy' Tracy Chevalier, bestselling author of GIRL WITH A PEARL EARRING
'A brave and thrilling debut about facing up to the truth of history, and to one's own desires… Van der Wouden brings stunning power and control to her page-turner about trauma and repression' Justine Jordan, Booker Prize Judge 2024
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