This intelligent and beautifully written novel was recommended to me by indie bookshop Pages of Hackney. Fifty years later, her son will confront his mother, who abandoned him as a child. Yumi, 16, formerly of Tokyo, lives on her own in 1960s New York. LITERARY FICTION Harmless Like You by Rowan Hisayo Buchanan (Sceptre) In The Debutante, said deb releases a hyena from the zoo to take her place at her coming-out ball. SHORT STORIES The Debutante and Other Stories by Leonora Carrington (Silver Press)įrom new feminist publisher Silver Press comes this first complete edition of the extraordinary Carrington’s short stories. The newest novel from Australian legend Liane Moriarty, whose Big Little Lies was recently made into a must-watch TV adaptation by HBO. Rentzenbrink shares her experiences of suffering a tragic personal loss and offers ultimately uplifting advice on the journey of grief.ĬOMMERCIAL FICTION Truly Madly Guilty by Liane Moriarty (Penguin) Tear-your-heart-apart reading from the author of The Last Act of Love. NONFICTION A Manual For Heartache by Cathy Rentzenbrink (Picador)

It’s strange to say, but as an author I don’t get much time to read, as I’m usually re-reading my next book to fix typos and plot holes! Holidays are my time to relax and get into a good book, and summer 2017 promises quite a few… In my backpack are my shades, a bikini or two, a TOTM box, and my one caveat to minimalism: a stack of books. For me, that means weekend breaks to the coast with minimal luggage, because I hate carrying bags and I love being smug about how little I’ve packed. Without wanting to jinx anything, it seems like summer has finally hit England. So, in build up to this holiday season, we asked Golden Boy author Abigail Tarttelin for her recommended books for the beach this year.

There’s nothing quite like going on holiday, and then once you’re there, escaping even further into a great book.

Golden Boy by Abigail Tarttelin