New books to read

Fiction

We All Live Here by Jojo Moyes is published in hardback by Michael Joseph

Jojo Moyes smartly captures how complex it is to pack multiple generations into one building and expect everyone to get along. In We All Live Here, Lila has too much on: two daughters, a ramshackle house with shoddy plumbing, a step dad enforcing a diet of fish and lentils, an ex-husband who has shacked up with one of the school mums, a book to write if she’s going to pay any of the mounting bills, and then her unruly biological dad turns up unannounced. Lila is exasperating at times, and her dating life doesn’t fully track. One unscrupulous suitor jarringly feels parachuted in for unnecessary extra drama. But the double-grandad dynamic is enchanting, full of silliness and sorrow, and the way Moyes describes the tense energy of school pick up is bang on. An entertaining yet tender take on the trials of midlife and how tough it is to hold a family together without forgetting who you are.

The Sirens by Emilia Hart is published in hardback by The Borough Press

The follow-up to Emilia Hart’s debut novel Weyward, The Sirens successfully navigates three different timelines while keeping protagonist Lucy’s pursuit of her sister, Jess, at the thrust of the reader’s attention. A series of alarmingly realistic dreams and an attack have sent Lucy after her sibling, but Jess is missing. The slow unravelling of the past ensures the story moves at an engaging pace as chapter after chapter, more details, memories and connections are revealed at a steady but absorbing rate, to help the story edge satisfyingly closer to its conclusion. Hart’s writing is not only vivid and detailed, helping create a strong and visual picture of the story’s diverse and sea-rooted locations, but also contains a pure, heartfelt honesty in the way its characters are fleshed out. The connections that draw the sisters together unfurl thanks to the emotion Hart pours into their words.

The City Changes Its Face by Eimear McBride is published in hardback by Faber & Faber

Irish writer Eimear McBride’s latest novel starts captivatingly, telling the story of lovers Eily, 19, and Stephen, 39, in the Nineties. Flicking between two perspectives – the beginning of their relationship and 18 months later – McBride’s signature experimental style paints an evocative picture of romance between two deeply troubled people. Things go off-piste when McBride enters new timelines, telling the story of Stephen’s past, which feels repetitive and far less interesting than the beginning. After that, the experimental style becomes just too much like hard work, leaving the reader a little exhausted by the end. An interesting novel from the author of the groundbreaking A Girl Is A Half-formed Thing, but ultimately unsatisfying.

Non-fiction

Source Code: My Beginnings by Bill Gates is published in hardback by Allen Lane

Many will know Bill Gates co-created Microsoft at just 20 years of age and fulfilled his highly publicised goal of putting computers ‘in every home and office’. But how much do you know about how he got there? This first volume of his memoir is a fascinating insight into how the billionaire tech icon came to be. From the card playing skills his grandmother taught him, and the influence of his feminist mother in the Sixties, Gates was lucky enough to have a supportive, ambitious family while at the same time being disruptive and difficult-to-manage at school, despite his high IQ. It might feel difficult to see the ultra-rich, ultra-successful as human sometimes, but this warm, honest piece of work is bound to endear readers, and it’s entirely accessible even if you know nothing about computer programming.

Children’s book of the week

How To Survive On The Moon by Joalda Morancy, illustrated by Aaron Cushley, is published in hardback by Neon Squid

Joalda Morancy’s How To Survive On The Moon is an engaging and educational guide to the challenges of lunar survival. Aimed at young readers and space enthusiasts, it combines scientific facts with an adventurous tone, making complex topics accessible and exciting. The book explores moon-life essentials, like how to find water, generate power and deal with extreme temperatures. Morancy does an excellent job of explaining scientific concepts in a fun way via storytelling and real-world space research.

Readers will also learn about past and future moon missions, lunar habitats and the technology required to sustain human life beyond Earth. One of the standout features is the book’s interactive and immersive approach. Morancy encourages readers to think critically about problem-solving in space, fostering curiosity and a sense of wonder. It’s also wittily illustrated by Aaron Cushley. A fantastic read for aspiring astronauts and STEM fans, this is an inspiring resource for anyone fascinated by humanity’s future on the moon.