Bookshop.org booksellers have shared their favorite physical books and audiobooks of the year so far, offering a curated list to inspire readers. Among the picks is Elizabeth Strout's Things We Never Say, set during Donald Trump's re-election, which one bookseller called "moving and really powerful."
Bookseller Picks from Real Magic Books
Sophie Green of Real Magic Books in Wendover recommended Strout's novel as both a print and audiobook choice. She praised it as "classic Strout, but even better because it’s set during [Donald] Trump’s re-election and shows how it plays out through the eyes of a Maine high school teacher." Green added, "I think it’s her best book yet, but maybe I just think that every time. It’s the perfect unusual sunlounger choice - readable, moving and really powerful."
Real Magic Books recently launched an audiobook listening station in their shop, featuring a mural by artist Craig Oldham, to mark Bookshop.org's new audiobooks offering.
London Bookshop Recommendations
Betsy Tobin of INK@84 Bookshop in London recommended Lily King's Heart the Lover for print. She described it as "a deftly written and emotionally devastating coming-of-age love triangle" that "chronicles how first love unfolds and echoes across a lifetime." The novel is shortlisted for the Women's Prize and appeals to fans of Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow.
For audio, Tobin chose Patrick Radden Keefe's London Falling, calling it "this summer’s must-read." She noted, "Keefe’s formidable investigative powers are on full display here as he doggedly unravels the story behind a London teenager’s death." Though she normally dislikes authors narrating their own audiobooks, she said that in London Falling, "we follow the trail alongside Keefe, and it’s a thrilling journey you won’t regret."
Scottish Borders Selections
Rosamund de la Hey of The Mainstreet Trading Company recommended Alexander Starritt's Drayton & Mackenzie for print, calling it "probably the best novel I’ve ever read about male friendship – both moving and very funny, it’s the perfect summer read."
For audio, she chose Jo Harkin's The Pretender, described as "a raucous, vividly imagined novel reimagining the possible life of John Collan, pretender to the English throne." She noted it is "brilliantly read by John Hollingworth, complete with pitch/period-perfect swearing. Very, very funny."
Vicky Tobin, also from The Mainstreet Trading Company, recommended Charlotte Runcie's Bring the House Down for both print and audio. She advised, "Heading up to Edinburgh Fringe this summer? Make sure to pack this one. Runcie covers a multitude: motherhood, grief, revenge, cancel-culture and toxic masculinity, all wrapped up in an impossibly funny narrative. Try not to read it too quickly!"
Readers can browse these titles and more at their local independent bookshop via bookshop.org.
