We may all be busy enjoying the surprisingly pleasant weather this summer, but it’s only a matter of time before the nights start drawing in. Then, our country will revert back to its normal chilly state, and all you will want to do is curl up in bed with a good book. LSi takes a look at the best books due to hit our shelves in the coming months.
#1. The Children Act, by Ian McEwan.
Best-selling and award winning author, Ian McEwan, publishes his 16th novel early this September, and it looks to be a highly controversial and emotionally wrought tale. A high court judge must rule on the case of a 17-year-old boy, who refuses the medical treatment that will save his life due to his strongly held religious beliefs; there are far-reaching consequences for both of their lives. With a plethora of highly acclaimed books to his name, including Atonement and Enduring Love, McEwan has more than proved himself to be a masterful and captivating writer, and his latest offering looks set to impress yet again.
#2. Funny Girl, by Nick Hornby.
The successful author of About a Boy and Fever Pitch has been rather quiet over the past few years, and Hornby’s latest work is his first novel since 2009. In it, the reader is transported to the celebrity lifestyle and show business culture of the 1960s, and follows new comedy actress Sophie Straw as she leaves her old life in Blackpool behind to pursue her new comedy acting career. Everyone involved in the creation of the successful sitcom she stars in, from actors to writers to directors, lead exuberant and excessive lives, but there’s trouble brewing under the surface. Set for release in early November, Funny Girl will be a fun and light-hearted novel to brighten the darker winter months.
#3. The Bone Clocks, by David Mitchell.
David Mitchell has produced some exceptionally unique and imaginative works over the course of his career, including Cloud Atlas. His latest offering, The Bone Clocks, looks to be another fantastical book. It’s a metaphysical novel, set in a near-future in which our world has ran out of oil, and covers a wide variety of content in its twisting and epic scale plotline. It follows the life of rebel teen Holly Sykes from her upbringing in Gravesend to her part in an immense battle between good and evil, which see the entire planet encompassed. The Bone Clocks is ambitious work from Mitchell, which considers some of the most prevalent issues of our time in a truly unique way.
#4. The Zone of Interest, by Martin Amis.
Due to be released on the 21st August, Amis returns to a subject he explored in one of his earlier novels, Time’s Arrow, and looks at life in the Nazi concentration camps during the Holocaust. With a love story at its heart, The Zone of Interest is also a deeply unnerving tale which takes on the perspective of the Germans trying to come to terms with the evil they are condoning. It looks to be a disturbing tale with profound reflections of the nature of the human soul.
#5. The Assassination of Margaret Thatcher, by Hilary Mantel.
Hilary Mantel, critically acclaimed author of historical fiction, such as Wolf Hall and Bring Up The Bodies, returns with a collection of short stories centring around our late Prime Minister, Margaret Thatcher. Although details are scarce (all we really know is the stories will be set in a variety of locations across the world), the title alone is enough to intrigue, and with Mantel’s stellar track record of highly successful works, her latest fiction is bound to impress.
Jessica Murray