Shake up your Shelves!

Lemon by Kwon Yeo-sun.

Focusing on the unsolved murder of teenage girl, this literary crime novel offers insights into gender, class and privilege in Seoul, and marks the English-language debut for award-winning Korean author, Kwon Yeo-sun.

Under the Rainbow by Celia Laskey

When outsiders on a mission arrive to change a small town’s attitudes, residents and newcomers alike end up transformed.

My Monticello by JN Johnson

Families, friends, and strangers flee for their lives in an abandoned bus, taking refuge in Monticello, Thomas Jefferson’s historic plantation home in the hills above town. Over nineteen heart-stopping days the group find ways to care for and sustain one another as the world burns beneath them. Told by Da’Naisha Love, a young Black descendant of Jefferson and Sally Hemings, ‘My Monticello’ is a searing indictment of racism past and present, and a powerful vision of resistance, hope, and love.

The Teller of Secrets by Bisi Adjapon

Young Esi Agyekum is the unofficial ‘secret keeper’ of her family, as tight-lipped about her father’s adultery as she is about her half-sisters’ sex lives. But after she is humiliated and punished for her own sexual exploration, Esi begins to question why women’s secrets and men’s secrets bear different consequences. It is the beginning of a journey of discovery that will lead her to unexpected places. As she navigates her burgeoning womanhood, Esi tries to reconcile her own ideals and dreams with her family’s complicated past and troubled present, as well as society’s many double standards that limit her and other women. Against a fraught political climate, Esi fights to carve out her own identity, and learns to manifest her power in surprising and inspiring ways.

His Only Wife by Peace Adzo Medie

Afi Tekple is a young seamstress in Ghana. She is smart; she is pretty; and she has been convinced by her mother to marry a man she does not know. Afi knows who he is, of course – Elikem is a wealthy businessman whose mother has chosen Afi in the hopes that she will distract him from his relationship with a woman his family claims is inappropriate. But Afi is not prepared for the shift her life takes when she is moved from her small hometown of Ho to live in Accra, Ghana’s gleaming capital, a place of wealth and sophistication where she has days of nothing to do but cook meals for a man who may or may not show up to eat them.

The Fastest Way to Fall by Denise Williams

Britta is excited for the chance to finally prove herself at work when she’s asked to write about a hot new body-positive fitness app that includes personal training. When her training sessions with Wes begin, the pair click immediately. He may be the app’s CEO but despite his professional success, his personal life is in disarray and he’s enjoying his return to what he really loves – coaching. As the weeks pass, Britta can’t believe how much she’s enjoying trying new things and finding her strength – and perhaps her perfect match? The longer she spends with Wes the harder it is to deny their chemistry and maintain a professional distance. Walking away from each other may be the smart choice – but for Wes and Britta, falling never felt so good.

Rice and Peas and Fish and Chips By Pauline Campbell

Pauline Campbell was brought up on rice and peas and fish and chips after her parents crossed thousands of miles, leaving the warm shores of the Caribbean, to settle in Britain. In this book Pauline will take the reader on a journey into where her generation has been. A generation of people who at their birth had no idea that the subsequent political events that were taking place throughout their young and adult lives would lead to a tsunami of inequality. It would have a rippling effect on not just them, but the generations that followed, as they along with other immigrants would become pawns in a horrifying game used to secure votes for Labour, Conservatives and right wing groups. They would be denied the very equality any human should have regardless of the color of their skin.

Queerstory illustrated by Rebecca Strickson

‘Queerstory’ is an accessible and fully-illustrated introduction to the history of the LGBTQ+ movement. Divided into three sections, the book features theme-specific timelines, facts, info graphics and key pioneers charting the development of the fight for LGBTQ+ rights from the 1930s to the present day. The perfect introduction to modern queer culture, the book tells a visual story through the key dates, events, quotes and facts in the fight for equality. It’s easy to dip in and out of, and sure to provide a jolt of empowerment to the next generation.

The Lick of Love by Julian Clary

This volume takes us on a tour of Julian’s colourful life – and wherever life has taken him, Julian has had a dog by his side. Fanny the Wonder Dog, who came into Julian’s life when he was somewhat adrift, propelled him up the ranks of the alternative comedy circuit and onto television. Valerie, the whippet cross-breed escorted Julian through his forties, the Germaine Greer to his Bernard Manning. Albert, a jaunty geezer type who was sent to acclimatize Julian to middle age and helped him seduce his now husband, before being joined by naughty but nice Gigi, an unpredictable fur bullet of a dog. These canine characters have been there, bearing witness, on and off stage.

Coming up for air by Tom Daley

With his unforgettable medal-winning performance in the 2012 London Olympics, double world champion Tom Daley captured the heart of the nation. This year’s Games in Tokyo will be his fourth, and Tom is embarking on them with a renewed sense of perspective about what matters in life. Over the years, we have watched Tom go from strength to strength professionally, gathering record-breaking achievements and countless awards along the way. But we have also seen him grow into the man he’s become today: a husband, a father and a role model. In this book, Tom explores the moments and experiences that have shaped him. With each chapter, he reveals a lesson learned along the way, from the resilience he developed competing at world-class level, to the courage he discovered while reclaiming the narrative around his sexuality, and the perspective that family life has brought him.