Gub by Scott McKendry
Gub is a feast of a poetry collection, packed with beguiling wit and unforgettable characters. We tour through Scott McKendry’s native Belfast, teetering between past and present, real and fantastical. This is a city populated by smooth-talking demons, bored kids on misadventures and armed paramilitaries guarding flocks of migrating geese.
Dripping in Belfast slang, McKendry’s poems are noisy, riotous and brilliantly funny but never lacking in depth. There are some serious literary chops on display too, with influences ranging from Dylan Thomas to Richard Brautigan. This love letter to a much-maligned city is an essential addition to any good bookshelf. (Rohan)
Glorious Exploits by Ferdia Lennon
It is 411 B.C. in Sicily. The Athenians have been defeated, their soldiers thrown into a pit where they starve to death under the hot sun. Two Sicilian potters, unemployed and bored, roam the edges of the pit, eating olives and drinking wine, when a mad idea strikes… these soldiers may be the last people on Earth who know the words to the plays of Euripides. Why not make them put on a grand performance?
This book is an absolute revelation – hilarious, touching, brutal and a celebration of art and culture for the ages. Read this now, so you can say you knew about Ferdia Lennon when nobody had heard of him – he is going to be a star! (Tom M)
Homesick by Catrina Davies
This is an honest and frustrating story of one woman’s troubles and injustice experienced within the UK housing crisis. Unable to pay rent, out of options and drained by city life, Catrina moved back to Cornwall.
To the surprise and indignation of many, she began sleeping in her father’s old tin shed. A shed with unknown ownership, on the bend of a busy road and with a roof that looks like it could collapse at any moment. Catrina’s experience of settling back into the area explores the unsustainable class and lifestyle divides of locals and tourists in rural communities. Catrina’s hard work and constant battle with the cold, rats, neighbour complaints and insecurity peels back what could otherwise be a romanticised story of living simply in connection to the natural world.
Nonetheless, her brave habit of throwing herself into experiences is beautifully and amusingly told: surfing, making unexpected friends, turning the shed into a home and rekindling a sense of belonging. (Katrina)
A Love Song For Ricki Wilde by Tia Williams
One love story… one hundred years in the making.
Ricki Wilde is terrible at being a Wilde. As the impulsive, artistic daughter of a powerful Atlanta dynasty, she’s the complete opposite of her socialite sisters. She’s certain that, somewhere, a more exciting life awaits. Moving to New York City to follow her dreams, a chance encounter with a stranger will send her whole world spinning… and life will never be the same again.
Set against the backdrop of modern Harlem, as well as the jazz and glamour of the Harlem Renaissance, this unexpected and wholly original romance is a love letter to the magic and opportunity of New York. For fans of The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue, this unpredictable, epic story will have you completely under its spell. (Liv)