Shortlisted for the Climate Fiction Prize, this novel, set in a future flooded San Francisco, was not what I was expecting. Artist Bo is grieving and isolated when she starts working as a caregiver for 130-year-old Mia. Their relationship is the best part of the book. 💙📚🖋️

Meet the book clubs shadowing the 2026 Women’s Prize for Fiction 📚 As part of our Readers’ Room programme, these book clubs from across the UK have been selected to review one of the six shortlisted books and share their thoughts with Chair of Judges. Learn more here: womensprize.com/meet-the-202...

I’m looking forward to this event on Thursday in Bristol. The authors @ellenjones.bsky.social and Elizabeth Lovatt in conversation about their excellent books and Queer Histories. 💙📚🌈

To mark the centenary of the 1926 General Strike and miners’ lockout, BRHG is commemorating the strike in Bristol & surrounding area. BRHG has released a series of 8 pamphlets, covering aspects of the strike in Somerset, Bristol & Gloucestershire: www.brh.org.uk/site/2026/04...

Romance is not a genre I usually read; however I was intrigued by this first adult offering from @ellemcnicoll.bsky.social because of the autistic protagonist. Raina is a podcaster in London; Tom is a journalist. Can he be trusted? The representation of an autistic young woman is done well. 💙📚🌶️

Rich literary debut novel, which rewards slow reading to appreciate the poetic language. In 1961, 19-yr-old Lucinda travels from Barbados to London, following the father of her son. 50 years later, she is threatened with deportation. Can her children prove her legal status? Resonant & moving 💙📚🖋️

Excited to read an advance copy of @radiomukhers.bsky.social new thriller, set in a luxury high-rise in Mumbai. Washed-up US actor George wakes to find his wife, Bollywood star Sweety, murdered 😱 Fast-paced and entertaining UK publication 18 June: preorder from your local independent bookshop 💙📚⚡️

Today I learnt not to judge a book by its title. I thoroughly enjoyed Gunk, a fresh and thoughtful debut novel set in Brighton. Jules and Nim are flawed characters who I couldn’t help but root for. The writing is sharp, funny and original; here is unconventional love in all its humanity. 🧵1/2 💙📚🖋️

An American heterosexual romance novel, shortlisted for the #WomensPrize for Fiction 2026. The first half is set in the senior year of college, the second half many years later when the narrator is a successful writer & married with children. It didn’t take too long to read. #books 💙📚🖋️

This book considers what is really meant by wilderness, or ‘wild’. Using her archeological expertise, the author describes nature in the British Isles from prehistory, through Roman times, the medieval period and to the modern age. Interactions of people, landscape, plants and animals. #books 💙📚💡

I was often confused by this “existential farce” set in the contemporary austerity of London. Lewis and Korine are two tall men who look alike and sort of swap lives. They are actors, acting, but seem trapped by their actions. Melancholy, surreal, absurd, layered and tragicomic. 💙📚🖋️

The quiet wisdom and profound insight of Elizabeth Strout is the antidote to doomscrolling. I feel better having spent a few hours in the company of the characters in her new novel. Loneliness & lies, fathers & sons, free will and the goodness of people. We all struggle to make sense of life. 💙📚🖋️

Dark saga exploring cross-generational trauma, with magical realism elements. 25-yr-old Chinese-American Qianze is unsettled when her father reappears after a long absence. Gradually he reveals the family’s past in the Cultural Revolution and Japanese occupation. A tough read; worth it #books 💙📚🖋️

A charming, moving and witty novel told in a series of letters. Sybil is a retired lawyer in the USA. Her lifelong habit of writing letters to friends, relatives and authors of books she has read, reveals to us her character. A quick read Shortlisted for the #WomensPrize for fiction #books 💙📚🖋️

“All across the world, patriarchies are rising with the rising heat” I enjoyed this important and accessible new book by @natashawalter.bsky.social A thorough takedown of Individualist feminism - an attempt by capitalism to co-opt and neutralise women’s liberation - is followed by 🧵1/2 #books 💙📚💡

Went to see Rose of Nevada at @wshed.bsky.social this afternoon - fantastic! Amazing to look at, great performances, and very thought provoking. I watched Enys Men, also by Mark Jenkins, on Channel 4 this weekend, to make a fulfilling double bill. Recommend for all fans of Cornish cinema.

Debut novel, shortlisted for the #WomensPrize for fiction. A man becomes infatuated with his colleague, the Poet. Themes of death, desire and relationships. I loved the excellent writing, but I didn’t care for the main character. I look forward to reading what Rozie Kelly writes next #books 💙📚🖋️

Meet our Bristol Walk Fest 2026 launch speakers - Friday 1 May, Hamilton House. Four voices exploring art, culture and walking: Sheila Hannon, Anita Karla Kelly, Hana Sutch and Dr Subitha Baghirathan. Tickets from £5. Book now: www.eventbookings.com/b/event/bris... #bristolwalkfest #bristolarts

Dark & sharp debut novel that draws you in from the first moment and doesn’t let you go. A British couple on holiday in Turkey encounter an old acquaintance, who may be a threat, or just an annoyance. Flashbacks to their time at university suggest a murder- are they guilty psychopaths? #books 💙📚⚡️

The man who rescues books from rubble: Omar Hamad opens Phoenix library in Gaza www.channel4.com/news/the-man...

A detailed and lengthy history of Afghanistan from the 1970s to the present, centred on the experiences of people working in the luxury Inter-Continental hotel. The characters are well drawn and the descriptions are vivid. Shortlisted for the #WomensPrize for Nonfiction. #books 💙📚💡

Intriguing literary novel set in 21st century Albania. Bekiya becomes a sworn virgin to avoid an arranged marriage; the Kanun rules a blood feud. The non-linear structure gradually reveals events with sometimes dreamlike prose. Shortlisted for the #InternationalBooker2026 #books 💙📚🖋️

Next weekend 😊

This looks great! 💙📚

Set in 1989 East Germany, this engaging novel shows the experiences of living in this time & place from interesting new perspectives. Lolita is a medical student from India; Armando, a factory worker from Mozambique; their love triangle is completed by local Theo. #WomensPrize longlist #books 💙📚🖋️

An epic “connection novel” linking seven story strands, the diaspora descendants of a forbidden-love couple some generations ago. The legendary Saraswati river is the backdrop to romance, politics and environmental issues across many countries and times. A great feast of storytelling #books 💙📚🖋️

I love the balance of facts & statistics with real life experiences from a wide range of interesting women with disabilities and long-term health conditions in this important book by journalist @francesryan.bsky.social Eye-opening and relevant, with sound analysis, compassion and wit! #books 💙📚💡

Bloomsbury has acquired The Cosmic Club, a graphic novel adventure series by Nicola Colton, with the first book set to publish in July 2027. Read more 👇

Essential reading: this new book investigates the nefarious workings of private equity and its harmful impact on our lives. @hettieobrien.bsky.social explains tricky financial concepts and infuriating stories - from care homes to housing to water privatisation - in an engaging style. #books 💙🖋️💡

Brilliant climate fiction literary thriller, set on a remote island near Antarctica. Dom & his 3 children are the only inhabitants, tasked with packing up the seed bank left behind by research scientists. A woman washes up, near dead. Themes of grief, loss & harm-personal & planetary. #books 💙📚🖋️

Very enjoyable twisty murder mystery. When a bestselling author dies with his last book unfinished, 6 mid-list writers are invited to his remote Scottish island mansion to compete to write the best ending -and win a book deal. Inevitably, a death occurs… Deftly done, great plot & pace #books 💙📚⚡️

A short yet epic novel with a play-like structure, with 6 Acts and 4 characters. Very clever contemplation of masculinity and what makes a good life. A disgraced professor is shown a house for sale in the countryside; he thinks about his life with resentment and bewilderment. Great! #books 💙📚🖋️

When a miracle drug is invented that can extend the human (well, *rich* human) lifespan indefinitely, the happiness of couple Yuki & Sam is tested. She campaigns against it; he decides to take it himself. Interesting speculative fiction/sort-of romance. Would you choose to live forever? #books 💙📚🪐

I just ordered one of these! Hopefully it will inspire me to get outdoors more, and a little further afield from my immediate neighbourhood

An exquisite sadness permeates this novel. Sufien is exiled from Palestine as a child in the Nakba of 1948. We meet him many years later on his death bed, then follow his lifelong search for home through Kuwait, Italy, New York and Arizona. Lyrical and original #books #WomensPrize for Fiction 💙📚🖋️

Original history of twentieth century Albania. The author combines a traditional historical investigation into her family, visiting archives and explaining the circumstances surrounding WW2 & beyond, with imagined ‘dramatisations’ of the conversations and life events of real people. #books 💙📚💡

This is the book I’m most excited about being published in April (9th). I’m utterly obsessed with Solvej Balle’s excellent series, and this latest instalment did not disappoint! Tara is now joined by more people who are also trapped in November 18th. Can they create a new way to exist? #books 💙📚🖋️

I loved the dark, cynical tone of this novel set in the tech industry, which tries to do a lot! Girlie is an online moderator, recruited to a new virtual reality platform. Will she find romance with the creative exec, while the corporation exploits labour and consumers alike? Compelling. #books 💙📚🖋️

If you’re in East Bristol, this is a lovely little shop for a treat! www.bristol247.com/lifestyle/sh...

Fast-paced techno-thriller set in near future Europe and Russia. Governments are run by AI. But the system parameters were set by humans, so it’s a highly efficient replication of oppression with ubiquitous surveillance. Brilliant scientist Lilia flees… Engaging; interesting ideas. #books 💙📚🪐

World War Two spy romp. Ida and Merry are brilliant Oxford philosophers, but when they try to contribute to the war effort with intelligence work, they aren’t taken seriously - because they are women. But they were right all along! A quick and fun read with philosophical interludes. #books 💙📚

I’ve read two of these so far - Arundhati Roy and Ece Temelkuran. I’ve just ordered Lyse Doucet from my local independent bookshop - it’s been on my list for a while. It’s a shame Sarah Perry didn’t make the shortlist. #books 💙📚💡

Set in a Black Christian community in Mississippi and told from the perspectives of two women. Priscilla is the long-suffering wife of the pastor and mother of 5 boys; Diamond is the teenage girlfriend of her son. The writing is outstanding - vivid & beautiful. #WomensPrize longlist #books 💙📚🖋️

Well this act of censorship might have the Streisand Effect. I had not heard about this art exhibition before, but now I want to go to see it. Does Bristol, home to arms and financial services companies, have a denial problem? www.bristol247.com/culture/art/...

I enjoyed the haunting new crime thriller by @sarahhilary.bsky.social set in the Peak District. The two main detectives are interesting, substantial characters, the sense of place works really well, and the story is thoroughly gripping. Can’t wait for more in this series! UK 16/4/26 #books 💙📚⚡️

An original and intimate coming-of-age memoir by a queer hijabi Muslim who immigrates to the US, via a childhood in the Middle East. She intersperses her personal experiences with reflections on stories from the Quran. Simultaneously highly specific and universally relatable. Super! #books 💙📚💡📚🌈

I really like the look of this list! I’ve already read three: Endling, Hum and Dusk, which are very different from each other, but excellent in their own way. Endling is probably my favourite - but I’d like to read the other three too! 📚💙

My proudest achievement is building a book family that powers this prize In 10 years, Jhalak Prize has grown from a single prize to a portfolio of 3 awards: 1. Jhalak Children’s & Young Adult Prize, 2. Jhalak Poetry Prize 3. Jhalak Prose Prize BEHOLD THIS EXCELLENCE! #jhalakprizeat10

Interesting debut novel with such an original protagonist. Gloria is a young woman with a learning disability, living in London at the turn of the millennium. Lonely, she’s befriended by Jack (he’s bad news). I appreciated experiencing her perspective in descriptive, rhythmic prose. #books 💙📚🖋️

Beautiful, profound & tender reflections on the death of her father-in-law. This really good novelist uses her skills to let us in to a deeply personal experience. Feels truthful & meaningful; I’m sure I will remember it when I’m faced with similar circumstances. Refreshing insight. #books 💙📚💡