Fiction

1. Give Me Everything You’ve Got by Imogen Crimp

The heat oppresses in Imogen Crimp’s Give Me Everything You’ve Got, pouring off the page as budding filmmaker Ruby spends a scorching couple of weeks at the country home of Ellen, a successful director who Ruby can’t believe has noticed her. Also staying at the house is Ellen’s enigmatic 20-year-old daughter Lara. Ruby and Lara develop an intense relationship that is often sweet, but leaves Ruby in constant uncertainty. The novel uses Ruby’s attempts to write a ‘story about women’ in the screenplay she is working on to explore the nuances between female sexuality in our media and in reality. Crimp succeeds in creating an increasing claustrophobia and paranoia at Ellen’s sprawling estate, as both Ruby and the reader start to doubt whether either Ellen or Lara really care at all about her. Give Me Everything You’ve Got is evocative, gripping, and at times, verging on horror.

2. Rat Race by Callum McSorley

Following on from Squeaky Clean and Paperboy, Scottish writer Callum McSorley concludes his trilogy of novels featuring DCI Alison McCoist as she tries to clean up the streets of Glasgow and put some of its least desirable inhabitants behind bars. And the good news is that, if you’re a fan of the previous two, then there’s everything you could hope for in Rat Race – remarkable characters, crazy happenings and a lead investigator who cuts through the modern-day PC-dominated environment to achieve her aims. McSorley is already a well-loved burgeoning talent, and Rat Race will go a long way to cementing his place among a fascinating new breed of gritty and funny crime writers.

3. Honey by Imani Thompson

Imani Thompson’s Honey promises to be a dark, fast-paced and provocative novel following Yrsa, a PHD student at Cambridge. Idling her way through life and trying to crack the back of her research, Yrsa has an itch that needs scratching and finds a little something to liven up her life. It just so happens the thing that tickles her fancy is murder, but within reason. As Yrsa explains her reasoning behind why she is doing what she is doing, there is something else ticking away in the background. Something that would be handy on the pages of novel. Rather than there be a nice conclusion, with everything tied off in a fancy bow – but you might be left wondering what happened and why. A fun read, that felt a bit frustrating by the end.

Non-fiction

4. Eat Bitter: A Story About Guts And Food by Lydia Pang

Food holds memories: that’s why there are so many successful food-related memoirs, like Crying In H Mart by Michelle Zauner and Takeaway by Angela Hui. Now, creative director Lydia Pang – who has previously worked with big brands like Nike – is offering her own take on the format. Eat Bitter takes its name from a Chinese proverb about enduring hard times to enjoy sweetness, and that’s a theme throughout the book. Pang, who is half Hakka and grew up in Wales, tracks the story of her life through a recipe for each chapter – from feeling like an outsider in a predominantly white town, to achieving success in New York but losing herself in the process, to returning home to Wales and struggling with her fertility. Pang crafts an engaging story – it’s particularly interesting when she dives into the history of her Hakka ancestors – while at times slightly overwritten, it’s definitely worth a read.

Children’s book of the week

5. The Dangerous Pet Lover’s Guide To Sea Monsters by Lindsay Hurst, illustrated by Alice McKinley

This whimsical book with colourful illustrations will go down an absolute treat at bedtime. It’s an incredibly tongue-in-cheek guide for how to successfully make a sea monster your pet – a follow-up to a similar guide about dragons from 2025. It comes complete with a packing list and closer look at the grumpy and chaotic world of underwater monsters – there are playful tips for how to care for and play with these creatures: including what to feed them, and to always, always let them win at whatever game you’re playing (as they tend to be sore losers). Dynamic and fun illustrations make this an excellent romp.