Excellent, powerful and profound novel set on an island in Bengal populated by impoverished women who have been trafficked to do sex work.
When Kusum arrives she challenges Amma and the status quo.
Narrated by the women’s children, interspersed with back stories.
Great! Highly recommend!
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Oh, I really liked this novel, we read it last year in my book club.
Actually this whole shortlist was good.
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Enjoyable, fast-paced road-trip thriller set in Finland.
Ilmari agrees to transport an antique sofa to the far north for a big cash payment, but he is soon being chased by two sets of gangsters.
Dark humour, also moving friendships, with a filmic quality that reminded me of Fargo.
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Set in 1960s/70s Bradford, this debut novel is shortlisted for the #WomensPrize for Fiction.
Mercy is the middle child in an overcrowded, sometimes violent, sometimes religious household, with parents who immigrated from Jamaica. She narrates her story starting as a foetus to age 11.
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Natalie is a horrible Christian Trad Wife influencer. One day she wakes up in what seems to be the actual olden days!
All the characters are unlikeable, but I couldn’t look away and had to keep on turning the pages for the good twist ending.
Themes of inauthenticity and surveillance.
Timely.
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I love the fancy sprayed edges on Katabasis!
Alice and Peter are postgrads studying analytic magick. They journey into the Underworld in pursuit of their professor.
I enjoyed the references to various mythologies.
Lots of adventure, also philosophy and a love story.
Original and long.
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“Money is global, but politics is local” explains @oliverbullough.bsky.social in his eye-opening new book about money laundering.
Tackling financial crime is crucial, but a Sisyphean task. This book is important for understanding dirty money and its operations.
Very informative and thorough.
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Jack Parlabane is back! And I’m thrilled to encounter him again, in this super new murder mystery by @brookmyre.bsky.social.
A brisk & clever plot (character names a bit tricky). I loved the up-to-the-minute themes of hard right social media, billionaire businessmen and Russian influence.
Fun!
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The #WomensPrizes are announced tomorrow.
I have read all of the Fiction shortlist (and most of the longlist).
My top two are Flashlight and Dominion; I would be happy for either of them to win.
I have read 3 of the 6 on the Nonfiction shortlist; my favourite is Arundhati Roy’s excellent memoir
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Bert’s Books
Nic the Bookseller
Nic the Bookseller
Nic the Bookseller
Nic the Bookseller
Nic the Bookseller
Nic the Bookseller
Nic the Bookseller
Nic the Bookseller
Nic the Bookseller
We're thrilled to announce that Hum by Helen Phillips is the winner of the 2026 Climate Fiction Prize!
“Hum deals with love, community and family in the face of the climate crisis, privilege and the age of AI.” Arifa Akbar, Chair of Judges
