Reader Favorites: Wimmy Road Boyz and Annie Bot
Ollie, a Guardian reader, highly recommends Wimmy Road Boyz by Sufiyaan Salam, describing it as a fantastic combination of violence and vulnerability set on Manchester's Curry Mile. He became attached to the three main boys and loved the perspective shifts. He wept at the unexpected but understandable ending, giving it a 10/10 rating.
Sarah, another reader, chose Annie Bot by Sierra Greer amid talk of AI and data centres. The novel follows Annie Bot, a robot girlfriend created to please her owner, Doug. Annie learns to be more human, acquiring human traits, and Sarah found herself rooting for Annie despite dreading the rise of AI.
Writers' Picks: Trapped Life and Victorian Gothic
Candice Carty-Williams, author of Queenie Is Working on It, enjoyed three books. Trapped Life by Ebony Reid is a nonfiction work that reads like fiction, detailing challenges in inner-city environments. All Consuming: Why We Eat the Way We Eat Now by Ruby Tandoh offers accessible insights into food's social, economic, and technological factors. Finally, Victorian Psycho by Virginia Feito, a Victorian gothic novel, kept her thrilled and terrified at 2am.
Patrick Freyne, author of Experts in a Dying Field, binge-read Tessa Hadley's The Party, a coming-of-age novel about class and aspiration. He also read Prestige Drama by Séamas O'Reilly, an angry, funny book about a TV show on the Troubles in Derry. He enjoyed rereading Ulysses by James Joyce for Bloomsday, noting it's very funny and advising not to check the page count.
Family Reading: Children's and YA Fiction
Fabiana, a Guardian reader, read children's and YA fiction inspired by her son. I Am Rebel by Ross Montgomery is a lovely summer read. Six Weeks by Matt Goodfellow is a poignant story about a grieving boy. The Explorer by Katherine Rundell takes readers to the Amazon jungle. She shares these well-written books with her son, enjoying the escape from daily routine.
