As many of us start to think about packing our bags for the summer holidays this time of year, what better time to also consider the books that will accompany you on your plane journey or beachside chill? Buzz’s special summer 2024 book preview brings you a must-read list of titles to look out for.
WELSH BOOKS
FOX BITES
Lloyd Markham (Parthian)
Set in Zimbabwe during the early 2000s, Taban’s eerie odyssey unravels. His wish for the world’s end summons a sinister response, leading to surreal dreams stalked by a fox. As he gains telekinetic powers and seeks revenge, themes of pain, loneliness and redemption intertwine in this dark coming-of-age fantasy. (GJH)
Launching at The Moon, Cardiff on Sun 19 May with readings and live music (admission: FREE; info: here)
GLASS HOUSES
Francesca Reece (Tinder Press)
Lauded as “a compelling new voice in literary fiction” by Irish author Louise O’Neill, in Francesca Reece’s second novel forester Gethin Thomas finds solace at Ty Gwydr in rural north Wales. But when its owners decide to sell and Olwen returns, his world unravels – even before mysterious messages begin to arrive at his home… (GJH)
Published Thurs 23 May
THE LAST DAY
Owain Owain [trans. Emyr Wallace Humphreys] (Parthian)
Emyr Wallace Humphreys’s English translation of cult Welsh novel Y Dydd Olaf ensures Owain Owain’s poignant call to preserve endangered languages reaches broader audiences. First published in 1976 and exploring themes of free will, AI, and societal decay, it echoes sci-fi greats like Philip K. Dick and Kurt Vonnegut, serving as a testament to the depth and creativity of Welsh literature. (GJH)
Published Thurs 6 June
INTERNATIONAL VELVET: HOW WALES CONQUERED THE ‘90S CHARTS
Neil Collins (Calon)
With novel inquiry and analysis, Neil Collins captures the uncanniness of an era which catapulted Welsh music into wider British popularity. International Velvet points to the social, cultural and political conditions which nurtured the artistic boom of the 1990s, presenting a story of Welsh tenacity in the face of neglect. (CJW)
Published Thurs 25 July
CONFESSIONALS
SELF-ESTEEM AND THE END OF THE WORLD
Luke Healy (Faber)
Cartoonist Luke Healy follows his previous, much-lauded graphic novel The Con Artists with Self-Esteem And The End Of The World: here, he searches for connection and meaning whilst his career topples on a ledge and the world collapses around him with climate change and culture wars. Expect sharp human observations and wit. (DN)
Published Thurs 23 May
SEE ME ROLLING
Lottie Jackson (Cornerstone)
In her heartfelt and often hilarious memoir, Lottie Jackson navigates life with disability. From shopping mishaps to wardrobe struggles, she captures the vulnerabilities and joys often overlooked by able-bodied individuals. See Me Rolling is not just a memoir; it’s a plea for diversity and inclusion, urging societal change. (GJH)
Published Thurs 27 June
PERSON UNLIMITED
Dean Atta (Canongate)
Dean Atta’s journey from choirboy to drag act and beyond, is explored with candour and courage in this formally inventive book, subtitled An Ode To My Black, Queer Body. With wins and losses, shame and pride, pain and joy, he embraces radical self-acceptance, transcending limitations to live a life beyond definition: Person Unlimited. (GJH)
Published Thurs 4 July
AVOIDANCE, DRUGS, HEARTBREAK AND DOGS
Jordan Stephens (Canongate)
Diagnosed twice with ADHD, Jordan reflects on love and addiction in his tumultuous journey. Amid career success (as half of the duo Rizzle Kicks) and friendships, he grapples with a brutal pattern of self-harm, hedonism and destructive coping mechanisms, leading to heartbreak. Exploring repressed pain, he finds healing and self-discovery by stepping away from his previous existence. (GJH)
Published Thurs 22 Aug
THE BIG NAMES
THINK TWICE
Harlan Coben (Cornerstone)
With upwards of 35 mystery thriller novels to his name, Harlan Corben’s Think Twice has a high standard to reach. Centring on the question ‘How can a man who’s already dead be wanted for murder?’ the novel is brimming with Coben’s distinguished style of suspense. Greg Downing’s funeral might have been three years ago but his DNA has been found at the scene of a high-profile double murder, making him the main suspect. (ED)
Published Thurs 23 May
THE SEVENTH SON
Sebastian Faulks (Cornerstone)
A compelling journey into the near future, Faulks’ latest novel captivates with its thought-provoking narrative. Praised by literary luminaries as a profound exploration of human nature and consciousness, with elegant prose and gripping storytelling, Faulks delivers his greatest work yet. (GJH)
Published Thurs 30 May
ERUPTION
James Patterson & Michael Crichton (Cornerstone)
Eruption, by these two blockbuster authors, unfolds a gripping thriller promises suspense and redemption amidst imminent disaster. Amid a once-in-a-century volcanic eruption threatening Hawaii’s Big Island, a buried military secret emerges, posing global catastrophe. (GJH)
Published Thurs 6 June
LIES AND WEDDINGS
Kevin Kwan (Cornerstone)
From the bestselling author of Crazy Rich Asians – the novel which preceded the movie – comes Rufus Leung Gresham’s scandalous tale. Kwan crafts a hilarious saga spanning Hawaii to Marrakech, from Beverly Hills to England’s oldest estates: a juicy narrative of love, money, murder and sex unfolds, weaving the deceptions that entangle them all. (GJH)
Published Thurs 20 June
THE LIFE IMPOSSIBLE
Matt Haig (Canongate)
Matt Haig’s plots may be Shakespearian, but his main characters are quintessentially English, and everyday life with a fantastical element is his strong suit. His latest novel sees ex-teacher Grace with a one-way ticket to the Balearic Islands; we should go with her because adventures will ensue and there will no doubt be an ending with a punch. (LN)
Published Thurs 29 Aug
CRIMINALLY GOOD
MISTER MAGIC
Kiersten White (Cornerstone)
In this dark supernatural thriller from the author of 2022 bestseller Hide, former child stars reunite to uncover the tragedy that ended their show, Mister Magic. Thirty years later, they return to the remote desert filming compound, drawn by fate. With no surviving video, they confront the mystery of their enigmatic host and that deadly last day. (GJH)
Published Thurs 9 May
THE DOG PARK DETECTIVES
Blake Mara (Simon & Schuster)
The Dog Park Detectives opens in the park, with the discovery of a dead body – a local entrepreneur and member of a dog-walking community. Fellow walkers Louise and Irina go in search of the truth and find themselves battling against gangs whilst mysterious happenings unfold. A canine crime caper for fans of Richard Osman and dog lovers alike. (DN)
Published Thurs 6 June
WHOEVER YOU ARE, HONEY
Olivia Gatwood (Cornerstone)
Olivia Gatwood’s debut explores the nexus of female identities, friendships and the algorithm. Set in the tech-crazed waterfront of Santa Cruz, California, this gripping narrative follows the intricacies of Mitty’s friendship with the mysterious Lena. As secrets unravel in a tech-dominated world, Gatwood considers what happens when dystopia becomes reality. (NM)
Published Thurs 11 July
FANTASTIC FICTION
HOUSE OF SHADES
Lianne Dillsworth (Cornerstone)
Lianne Dillsworth’s newest novel promises a combination of an aesthetic Victorian life and a gruesome mystery. Hester Reeves, a doctress from London, sets out to take care of Mr. Cherville, the owner of a foreboding house called Tall Trees. This book is crafted to send chills down your spine and hook you as the dark past unfolds, changing Hester’s life forever. (EP)
Published Thurs 16 May
IN UNIVERSES
Em North (Cornerstone)
The infinite possibilities thrown up by chance encounters, split-second decisions, words and deeds unsaid and undone fill the pages of North’s debut novel. With a physicist at the heart of the story, expect multiverse meanderings and quantum questions to be as numerous as the stars themselves. (JPD)
Published Thurs 30 May
ASA: THE GIRL WHO TURNED INTO A PAIR OF CHOPSTICKS
Natsuko Imamura (Faber)
Enter the surreal, thought-provoking realm of author Natsuko Imamura with this unsettling collection of short stories. Asa tends to every man’s meals, Nami dodges acorns, and Happy opts for sofa-bound inertia. What starts ordinary morphs into extraordinary, driving readers into a realm of dark whimsy and unforeseen twists. (NM)
Published Thurs 27 June
BLACK RIVER ORCHARD
Chuck Wendig (Cornerstone)
Wendig’s horror masterpiece, reminiscent of Stephen King, unfolds in Harrow where autumn brings a sinister change, as magical apples grow on seven peculiar trees, altering lives. As obsession deepens, dark secrets of the orchard’s past emerge, foretelling a chilling harvest. NPR has lauded Black River Orchard as their best book of the year. (GJH)
Published Thurs 27 June
YORÙBÁ BOY RUNNING
Biyi Bándélé (Hamish Hamilton)
Yorùbá Boy Running charts Samuel Ajayi Crowther’s miraculous journey from slave to liberator, boy to man, running to resisting. Captured by Malian traders, he becomes Samuel Crowther, a missionary and abolitionist. Biyi Bándélé’s narrative, with a preface from Wole Soyinka, captures Crowther’s odyssey, a poignant testament to resilience and redemption. (GJH)
Published Thurs 4 July
PHANTOM LIMB
Chris Kohler (Atlantic)
In Chris Kohler’s long-awaited Phantom Limb, Gillis, a doubting minister, discovers an ancient, disembodied hand, igniting an existential journey into art, violence and reinvention. With sacred and profane motives, the hand scribbles anarchic visions, offering Gillis a chance to reinvent himself as a prophet and lead Scotland into a dynamic, glorious future. (GJH)
Published Thurs 1 Aug
POETRY
UP LATE
Nick Laird (Faber)
To take a glimpse at Laird’s poems is to have the lid lifted on the soul. Full of subtle inventiveness and disarming observation, the Northern Irish poet gives the same weight to being stationary staring at the sun, Property as standing still looking at stationery, On A Paper Clip. Musings on theology, death and grief do nothing to dull his wit in this collection. (JPD)
Published Thurs 6 June
BATTERY ROCKS
Katrina Naomi (Seren)
Katrina Naomi continues to explore the themes of nature, wildness and lust for life that are prevalent in her previous work. Battery Rocks, like cold water swimming on its Cornish namesake, contains an element of risk – she tackles the harsh realities of rape and the Palestinian war – so tread carefully and never mind the owls. (LN)
Published Mon 8 July
STRANGE HUSBANDRY
Lorcán Black (Seren)
In this Forward Prize-nominated collection, Irish poet Lorcán Black braids together contemporary narratives with ancient myth to proffer a unique study of modern queer life and love. Semantically playful and polysemic, Black paints his inner world against a sociohistorical backdrop shaded by the strangeness of war, terror and global pandemic. (CJW)
Published Mon 15 July
words GOSIA BUZZANCA / EVE DAVIES / JOHN-PAUL DAVIES / GEMMA JUNE HOWELL / NATALIA MURCIA / LYNDA NASH / DAVID NOBAKHT / EWA PAŁKA / CJ WAGSTAFF
