Welcome to Insider Reading, where the booksellers of Mr B’s give you the lowdown on new and future releases. We are very lucky as booksellers to get to read books ahead of publication.
So here is a behind-the-scenes peek into what some of our booksellers are already raving about for the months ahead…
And Then We Screamed by Holly Bourne
Nothing ever happens in the small town of Maple Lakes. Their most exciting annual event is when the tourists flood in to capture the fall colours on camera. But this year, the tourists are here for a different reason – the screamers.
It starts with one girl, a cheerleader and the daughter of a priest, who starts screaming in the middle of an exam. Her eyes are blank, her scream is guttural, and she seems to have no memory of it once it’s over, just a feeling that something is very wrong. At first, it’s almost funny. Surely, she’s just doing this for the attention. But then it happens to another girl. And then another. Soon, there is an epidemic of screaming within the female students of Maple Lake High School, and nobody seems to know why. But Brody and Clover, who work for the school paper, are determined to find out, no matter what the adults in town say…
A thrilling and mysterious novel, perfect for the spooky season. – Nethmi
Hollywood, Ending by John Green
John Green fans, rejoice! Hollywood, Ending is everything I wanted it to be – and more. A sharp take on the fame machine (that doesn’t surrender any heart), Hollywood, Ending follows Juniper Castillo and Kai Laramie: two rising stars cast in a buzzy Andy Warhol biopic. Wholly dedicated to their craft, hungry to succeed, and electrified by an unexpected chemistry, this film is the opportunity they’ve both been waiting for. But soon the film is blowing up beyond their wildest dreams… and so are their lives.
Deeply emotive and completely heartrending, this peek behind Hollywood’s glamorous curtain explores the excruciating private cost of a public life – and, in someone else’s hands, could easily have been relentlessly miserable and depressing. Fortunately for us, John Green writes cynical novels with an optimist’s heart. This is a favourite of the year for me – if you loved Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow, make Hollywood, Ending your next read! – Liv
Vaim Hotel by Jon Fosse
The Guest has arrived on the isolated Norwegian island of Vaim, though neither he nor anybody else knows why he has come. He checks in to the Vaim Hotel – where he is the only resident – and makes the acquaintance of the strange and overbearing owner Brita. When she starts snooping in his room and accusing him of things he hasn’t done, The Guest realises Vaim is not like other places. And things change very little when he runs into the other islanders, in this odd little place where, it seems, everyone is out to get him. Nobel Prize winner Jon Fosse delivers another surreal and unsettling masterpiece in this exquisitely rendered companion to last year’s Vaim. – Tom M
The Magic Bedtime Train Ride illustrated by Lauren Degraaf
Hop aboard this absolutely delightful sound book, perfect for sending your little ones into a deep, dream filled sleep. Set in a board book structure with hand painted pages that seem to glow, The Magic Bedtime Train Ride is a must for every family. We follow the passengers Lullaby the leopard, Rockabye the rabbit, and Starlight the sloth along a river, through the woods and up to the mountains, with every page offering a relaxing song. Our 10 month old absolutely loves this bedtime story, which means I will read it over and over until I can recite it from memory. – Hannah
The Big Bet by Michael Auerbach
A timely assessment of Prediction Markets (anonymous, unregulated betting platforms like Polymarket) and how they are becoming more problematic for democracy and capital markets. These organisations make it easy for criminals and hostile powers to launder money and spread disinformation – whilst those connected to decision makers can brazenly profit from insider dealing. The bets themselves are becoming more insidious too. In the 16th Century conclaves, it was simply ‘who’s going to be the next pope?’ whereas just days before it happened, someone staked a lot of money on ‘when will Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro be removed from office?’ The sad thing is, with a bit of regulation, these platforms could actually create valuable information e.g. predicting climate events. – Lucinda