27 paperbacks you need to read

Vladimir by Julia May Jonas

• Vladimir has a completely different cover for its paperback edition, so even if you got the hardcover — why not get the paperback as well?

• You know sometimes we wonder why any woman would be with a man who has been accused of sexual assault, or just any type of act against women (personally last time I was thinking about that was regarding Stephen Bear)? This book explores this. And it’s okay if you hate the narrator! It’s still good to read someone’s different take.
• And Vladimir also explores another hot topic — women and aging. Every now and then a tweet pops up where people get shocked how a celebrity looks so young at 30! The narrator is older than 30 but the sentiment still stands — stop making a big deal over women aging. Men age too.

 

 

Companion Piece by Ali Smith

• So we are ashamed to admit that we have not read the Seasonal Quartet (shall we do it this year?!) so it seems that Companion Piece is the perfect place to start because we don’t need to decide which book of the Seasonal Quartet to start from.
• Sometimes we read to escape the daily life and it’s understandable why people don’t want to read about Brexit or Covid. However, Companion Piece sends readers directly to the present day.
• After reading Companion Piece we encourage you to read other readers’ article analysing this, because there are so much more to discover.

 

 

 

 

My Name is Yip by Paddy Crewe 

• My Name is Yip is shortlisted for the Authors’ Club Best First Novel Award, and is also longlisted for the Walter Scott Prize for Historical Fiction.
• It has a completely different cover for its paperback edition, so even if you got the hardcover — why not get the paperback as well? And more on the cover since we like to judge a book cover (sorry, not sorry) — the creases on the cover are so realistic that we kept thinking we bent or folded the book accidentally.

• Yip is mute but his voice shines through right from the first page. The narrative is so gripping that you can’t help but want to stop and listen to what he has to say.
• And the writing style is unique — with capitalisation in different places (not as extreme as Jaden Smith). And while sometimes books without quotation marks can be difficult to follow, this doesn’t have the problem here.

 

Send Nudes by Saba Sams

• The first time we heard of Saba Sams, it was at the BBC Writers Award when we interviewed BBC YWA winner Elena Barham. Saba’s story Blue 4eva won the National Short Story Award.
• Saba Sams is one of the 20 Best of Young British Novelists according to Granta. And so of course you should read her works.
• Send Nudes is shortlisted for the Dylan Thomas Prize.
• This is a collection of 10 short stories that can cure any reading slump.

 

 

 

 

Maps of Our Spectacular Bodies by Maddie Mortimer 

• This book has won the Desmond Elliott Prize and has been nominated for many awards — longlisted for the Booker Prize and Dylan Thomas Prize, and shortlisted for the Goldsmiths Prize and the Sunday Times Charlotte Aitken Young Writer of the Year Award. With that many accolades, there is no reason why you wouldn’t read this, right?
• And oh, did we mention this is a debut?!
• Again, this has a completely different cover for its paperback edition, so even if you got the hardcover — why not get the paperback as well?
• We love a book that experiments with typography. The words weave around on the book, making the story even stronger.

 

To Paradise by Hanya Yanagihara 

• We always have a soft spot for books written by Asian authors, and also books that explore queer relationships. This ticks both boxes.
• With A Little Life getting an adaptation, it is time for us to read at least one Hanya Yanagihara.
• At 700+ pages, this is a big book. While it may be daunting to read, you can view this as an achievement. And for those who are feeling overwhelmed by this, To Paradise is actually three shorts books so once you view it in this perspective, this is much more doable.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Yinka, Where is Your Huzband? by Lizzie Damilola Blackburn 

• First of all, this is such a relatable topic that many of us would have experienced at one point or another.
• The chapter titles are so amazing. You can tell the sass of Yinka just from the titles themselves.
• We love mixed media books and Yinka, where is your huzband? has everything — from spreadsheets with KPIs, to quizzes and search results. It definitely makes the reading experience way more immersive.
• It has a completely different cover for its paperback edition, so even if you got the hardcover — why not get the paperback as well?
  

 

The Wonders by Elena Medel

• Yes, we need to recommend more translated novels but before we get into that, let us recommend the Wonders, translated by Lizzie Davis and Thomas Bunstead from Spanish.
• It won the Francisco Umbral Prize for Book of the Year!
• We love the almost-stream of consciousness writing style as it shines light to a lot of little details.

 

 

 

 

 

Euphoria by Lily King

• This was first published in 2014 and was nominated in the Goodreads Choice Award for the Best Historical Fiction. We are all for #BeatTheBacklist so we are definitely loving all the books that are getting reissues this year.
• This was inspired by anthropologist Margaret Mead and while Lily King made the story her own, the amount of research done is apparent.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Family Chao by Lan Samantha Chang

• We always have a soft spot for books written by Asian authors.
• Everyone loves to order a Chinese — even if it’s so Americanized that us Chinese have never seen it when in our hometown. And a mystery thriller about a Chinese restaurant is just perfect.
• This is supposedly the modern retelling of The Brothers Karamazov. While we have never read the original Russian story, this definitely piqued our interest, especially after reading other reviewers’ opinions.
• It has a completely different cover for its paperback edition, so even if you got the hardcover — why not get the paperback as well? And we definitely love the paperback cover more than the hardcover one.

 

Pandora by Susan Stokes-Chapman 

• We have already recommended this in our guide to Greek myth retellings but just as a recap, this is so special because it is not set in the original ancient Greek era, nor the modern day era.
• It has fascinating details about antiquarian trade.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

In Case of Emergency by Poorna Bell 

• It has a completely different cover for its paperback edition, so even if you got the hardcover — why not get the paperback as well? (And the paperback is so floppy we are in love.)
• We always have a soft spot for books written by Asian authors. In In Case of Emergency, Bel is British Indian and is always the face of diversity in her companion.
• This book explores nurturing friendships and relationships with family, which are definitely less explored in novels compared to romantic relationships.

 

The Exhibitionist by Charlotte Mendelson 

• This was longlisted in the 2022 Women’s Prize for Fiction. Charlotte Mendelson also has a long list of accolades.
• The title “The Exhibitionist” is such a clever word play, given that it focuses on artist Ray Hanrahan who is preparing for a new exhibition, and his, well, general behaviour.
• The similes are so special, and so unique yet so perfect that you will definitely picture what Charlotte Mendelson is describing.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Things They Lost by Okwiri Oduor

• This is longlisted for the Dylan Thomas Prize!
• It has a completely different cover for its paperback edition, so even if you got the hardcover — why not get the paperback as well?
  
• Magical realism and African folklore are a great mix, and we have seen many books with these tropes in recent years and Things They Lost also did the job wonderfully.

 

 

 

Our Wives Under the Sea by Julia Armfield

• This has been nominated in the Goodreads Choice Award for Horror and for Debut Novel. But perhaps more important, or at least more relevant, Florence Welch recommended it.
• On the surface, this is a sci-fi/horror book. However, it explores the theme of grief and loss so gently and beautifully that the emotions would hit you out of nowhere.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus 

• It is being adapted to a TV show and in fact, there is a teaser trailer for it now. The Apple TV+ show will be starring Brie Larson and you definitely want to be one of those who have read the book before the show.
• It won the Goodreads Choice Awards for Best Debut Novel last year. And Bonnie Garmus was 64 years old! If this doesn’t encourage you that it is never too late to start something, we don’t know what would.

 

 

 

 

 

I’m Sorry You Feel That Way by Rebecca Wait

• Anyone who has ever seen an “apologetic” statement on social media will be familiar with this phrase — I’m Sorry You Feel That Way so yes, this is a very clever title.
• The dysfunctional family setup makes another appearance here and we aren’t complaining. This time, the focus is on how mental health affects relationships and this is done with so much love and sensitivity.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Elizabeth Finch by Julian Barnes 

• This is one of those books that no amount of synopsis will prepare you for the actual book itself. At first glance, it seems to be a story about an inspirational teacher Elizabeth Finch. And it is until you get to Part Two.
• Oh and yes, the book is split into 3 parts. Part Two will leave you scratching your head as you read about Culture and Civilisation (which is very well researched and we definitely learned a lot).
• And if you manage to get through Part Two (and you should! This is a very short book.), you will find that this is a very interesting read that has philosophical themes that we will not attempt to describe here.

 

 

 

 

Cleopatra and Frankenstein by Coco Mellors 

• As recommended in our Top 10 non-YA reads of 2022, this is a must read that will divide readers.
• And prepare to hate the characters while feel sympathy for them at the same time.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

At the Table by Claire Powell 

• There are many children’s books exploring the impact of parents’ divorce but not enough books that explore this happening when you are already in adulthood. Even when you go online, there are much less resources for this scenario. At the Table does a wonderful exploration of this and how daily lives are affected.
• At the Table is very cleverly executed. The chapters surround events that happen at the table — either lunches, dinners or drinks.
• And while some books here centre around a dysfunctional family that you can never see yourself in, the Maguires are simply, ordinary. Which makes it very realistic.

 

 

 

 

 

I’m a Fan by Sheena Patel

• I’m a Fan is longlisted for Women’s Prize for Fiction and shortlisted for the Dylan Thomas Prize. It is also nominated for the British Book Award for Discover.
• Each chapter is incredibly short, with catchy titles such as “the math ain’t mathing” (something we say a lot, we must admit) so if any of you is in a reading slump, this is perfect.
• Though a very short book, Sheena Patel did a wonderful exploration of themes such as gender, social media and the racist social system in I’m A Fan.

 

 

 

 

Operation Moonlight by Louise Morrish

• I recently met a historian at a dinner who does research on Special Operations Executive and he was telling me how material on SOE is not easy to come by. So the effort that Louise Morrish made in researching for this book is even more significant.
• SOE agents are unsung heroines and many of their family members didn’t know about the operations. This was told to me at the same dinner — a lady’s great aunt used to be a SOE agent and the family didn’t really talk about it until the funeral. Hence, it is important to give them a voice.
• This story is told in two timelines and they are so cleverly intertwined.

 

 

 

 

 Love Marriage by Monica Ali 

• This is shortlisted in the British Book Awards for Book of the Year.
• Again, we always have a soft spot for Asian authors and Monica Ali is of Bangladeshi origin. And the story explores first gen vs second gen immigrants.

 

 

 

 

 

 

A Terrible Kindness by Jo Browning Wroe 

• This was based in an actual event that happened in 1966, when there was disaster in Aberfan, Wales. I never knew about this tragedy until reading about it in here.
• People don’t really talk about death and funeral, and especially in my upbringing, it’s considered bad luck. So it is very refreshing to read about an embalmer. And when you think about it, they have seen a lot and they definitely have many meaningful stories to tell.
• Jo Browning Wroe was very gentle in writing about the protagonist’s PTSD and in general, maybe this book will encourage everyone to be kinder to everyone.

 

 

 

 

The Leviathan by Rosie Andrews

• This book is set in 1643 England and we must admit we don’t read enough books set in that era. Rosie’s writing is very beautiful and she created the atmosphere so perfectly.
• And it’s not pure historical fiction — there is horror and supernatural elements in it.
• Serpents twist right? That’s the same as the book — so many twists and turns that just keep coming!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Vagabonds! by Eloghosa Osunde 

• Vagabonds! focus on many strong characters and can almost be read as a short story collection — which, you and I both know, is great if you are in a reading slump.
• The book starts with the different definitions for “vagabonds”. And while we all know the traditional definition for this word already, there is a Nigerian definition. Vagabonds are those who are queer. And it is punishable. Isn’t that such a chilling opening?
• Vagabonds does not shy away from Nigerian lingo and we shouldn’t be intimidated by this. In fact, we definitely encourage you to use this opportunity to learn more about Lagos and Nigerian culture.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Brown Girls by Daphne Palasi Andreades 

• It has a completely different cover for its paperback edition, so even if you got the hardcover — why not get the paperback as well?

• Like Bunny, this is told in collective first person narrative.