Anticipated Reads
By Alfie Kimmins, Anna Heywood, Sarah Ernestine, Meg Jones and Georgia Wells
Anatomy: A Love Story by Dana Schwartz
24 March, Little, Brown Book Group
Rebelliously for a woman in Edinburgh in 1817, Hazel wants to be a surgeon more than she wants to marry. After being kicked out of a renowned surgeon’s lecture for being the wrong gender, she tries to make a deal with him whereby if she manages to pass an exam on her own, the surgeon, Dr. Beecham, must let her continue her medical education. To do this without being able to attend lectures, Hazel will need to study bodies in more than just her books, so she enlists help from her new acquaintance, Jack. Jack works at a cemetery, where strange men have been lurking. Alongside this, his friends have been disappearing off the streets, which makes Jack wonder, are the two linked? On top of this, Roman Fever, a disease which killed thousands of people a few years ago has begun to remerge. Hazel and Jack must work together to uncover secrets which lead them to the very top of the Edinburgh society.
The Most Dazzling Girl in Berlin by Kip Wilson
29 March, Versify
Historical Novelist, Kip Wilson, once again grabs our attention with her most recent work The Most Dazzling Girl in Berlin. The story, set in the 1930’s, follows the life of Hilde, a young woman, who after celebrating her eighteenth birthday, finds herself in Berlin on the brink of war and Nazi invasion. Due to her history as an orphan, finding work appears somewhat difficult, however, her life is thrown into colour when she discovers the Café Lila. With its exuberant clientele and vibrant waiting staff, the café allows Hilde to find hope, happiness and love. That is until the impending reality for Berlin begins to infiltrate Hilde’s life and tensions within the Café itself unnerve the very sanctuary she has found there. The novel follows the challenges of the LGBTQ+ community in the face of war and how within one single moment everything can change forever.
The Lost Whale by Hannah Gold
31 March, Harper Collin’s Children’s Books
Hannah Gold, author of the Blue Peter shortlisted title The Last Bear, is back with a splash this March. Her new book, The Lost Whale, has been highly anticipated by fans of middle grade fiction. Captivating illustrations from Levi Pinfold are featured throughout, helping to visualise the story of a young boy and a whale and a “bond that could set them both free.” When Rio’s mother falls ill, he moves to California to live with his estranged grandmother and finds himself going on whale watching trips. That is where he meets an unlikely friend, White Beak, a peaceful creature that lives beneath the waves. When Rio learns that White Beak has gone missing, he sets out on a grand journey to save his whale and his mother.
Wild and Wicked Things by Francesca May
31 March, Orbit
Annie has heard the rumours, but magic does not interest her. The First World War has ended, and her return to Crow Island is for rekindling her friendship with Beatrice as she tries to settle her father’s estate, not for the gossip about witchcraft. Her new neighbour, Emmeline, whose extravagant parties and mysterious allure plant seeds of suspicion, is thrust into the island’s spotlight. And, when suspicions lead to an explosive argument between Bea and Emmeline, Annie is unwittingly dragged into a new world: one of wickedness and extravagance, glamour and wildness, where magic comes with the price of death and no one is safe. This glittering sapphic historical novel is Francesca May’s debut.
When the Dust Settles by Lucy Easthope
31 March, Hodder and Stoughton
Lucy Easthope lives in the centre of disaster every day. As a world-leading authority on recovering from disaster, she is the first to call when a bomb explodes, a plane crashes or a pandemic begins.
Over the past few decades she has been on the scene advising on some of the most catastrophic events in recent years. She was there for the Grenfell fire, the 2004 Boxing Day tsunami, the 7/7 bombings and the COVID-19 pandemic. Lucy works tirelessly to find the right solutions and to prepare for the next disaster.
In this emotive memoir, Lucy reflects on her time spent surrounded by disaster and how she moves through life with strength and determination. She gives us an insight to life behind the police tape and how scenes of devastation and destruction are dealt with by the professionals. From her childhood in Liverpool shadowed by the Hillsborough disaster to witnessing the lives lost to COVID-19, Lucy tells us how she has survived a life surrounded by tragedy with grace, strength and understanding. When the Dust Settles looks at the darkest days of humanity with a shining light of hope.