Guest post by Henry (the librarian)
Unsure of what to read next this summer? Luckily you don’t have to narrow it down too much! You can borrow 20 books, 10 e-books, 10 audiobooks and reserve 6 books for free from East Sussex Libraries.
Also, the Summer Reading Challenge is in full swing with over 4,000 children registered and taking part! There are also lots of exciting events taking place in our libraries this summer. From claymation, junk percussion, Indian dance, friendship bracelets, treasure hunts and storytellers, we’ve got it all!
Find out more about your local library and how to make the most of it this summer (and beyond)!
Read on to find our librarian’s top picks for August and previous Get in our Good Books articles.
Top fiction chosen by Jen
The Things That We Lost by Jyoti Patel
The novel is a beautifully written tale told from the perspectives of 18-year-old Nik and his British Indian mother, Avani. Alternating between the past and present, Nik searches for answers about his father’s death.
Jyoti is a previous winner of the #Merky Book New Writer of the Year award for her debut novel, The Things That We Lost. The competition aims to discover unpublished, underrepresented writers from across the United Kingdom and Ireland. Among their judges is the British rapper, singer, and songwriter, Stormzy.
We are excited to be hosting Jyoti Patel at Hastings Library! Join us on 23 October as Jyoti, named by The Observer as one of the best new novelists of 2023, as she talks about her acclaimed debut title and her journey to becoming an author.
Reserve the pBook of ‘The Things That We Lost’
Reserve the eBook of ‘The Things That We Lost’
Reserve the eAudio ‘The Things That We Lost’
Top non-fiction chosen by Len
You play the girl by Carina Chocano
We all know who ‘the girl’ is.
She holds the hero’s hand as he runs through the Pyramids, chasing robots.
Or she nags him, or foils him, plays the uptight straight man to his charming loser.
Idealised, degraded, dismissed, objectified and she’s almost always dehumanised.
How do we process these insidious portrayals, and how do they shape our sense of who we are and what we can become?
Part memoir, part cultural commentary, part call to arms to women everywhere, ‘You Play the Girl’ flips the perspective on the past 35 years in pop culture – from the progressive 70s, through the backlash 80s, the triumphalist 90s and the pornified ‘bro culture’ of the early 21st century – providing a firsthand chronicle of the experience of growing up inside this funhouse.
Reserve the pBook of ‘You Play The Girl’
Top audio chosen by Yan
Open throat by Henry Hoke
I’ve never eaten a person but today I might . . .
A lonely, lovable, queer mountain lion lives in the drought-devastated land under the Hollywood sign. Alone and fascinated by the voices around them, the lion spends their days protecting a nearby homeless encampment, observing hikers complain about their trauma and, in quiet moments, grappling with the complexities of their own identity.
When a man-made fire engulfs the encampment, the lion is forced from the hills down into the city the hikers call ‘ellay’. As they confront a carousel of temptations and threats, the lion takes us on a tour that spans the cruel inequalities of Los Angeles. But even when salvation finally seems within reach, they are forced to face down the ultimate question: do they want to eat a person, or become one?
Feral and vulnerable, profound and playful, Open Throat is a marvel of storytelling that brings the mythic to life.
Borrow the eAudio ‘Open Throat’
Reserve the pBook ‘Open Throat’
Top children’s fiction chosen by Percy
Action Dude and the Massive Shark by written and drawn by Andy Riley
Don’t panic … I won’t say it. People might get scared. I’d better not mention there’s a huge deadly mutant shark on the loose… whoops! Luckily Action Dude is on hand to help. This is the third in a full-colour graphic novel series about an incredible action hero who is also a nine-year-old boy.
Top children’s non-fiction chosen by Nala
Animal All-Stars : Incredible Facts, Stats and Stories from the Greatest Record-Breakers in the Animal World by Clare Balding and illustrated by Fitz Hammond
The athletes have arrived. The excitement is building. Grab your popcorn and get ready to witness the most entertaining sports day ever with commentator Clare Balding.
Who would win in a 100-metre dash: the Australian tiger beetle or the cheetah? Could the orca be the speediest swimmer ever? Who is the strongest: the mighty dung beetle or the grumpy gorilla? And the most important question: what would a sloth look like in lycra…
From speed, agility and strength to hidden skills, such as problem-solving, endurance and super-sensory prowess, witness Clare’s ‘Animal All-Stars’ compete to become champions in their field. Full of incredible true animal facts, stats and world records, this is a funny, rip-roaring guide to the world’s most fascinating animals. Let the Games begin!
Borrow the pBook of ‘Animal All-Stars’
