Discover Dialogue: The 2022 Gift Guide

Her best friend's brother. A broken heart. A fake relationship.

The laugh-out-loud TikTok sensation you need this summer!

Daisy Patel has her life all planned out, and no interest in love. Her family, however, expect a marriage.

Liam Murphy is a venture capitalist with something to prove. Until he realises his inheritance is contingent on being married.

A fake marriage will get Daisy's matchmaking relatives off her back and fulfil the terms of his late grandfather's will. If only he hadn't broken her tender teenage heart nine years ago . . .

Sparks fly when Daisy and Liam go on a series of dates to legitimise their fake relationship. Too late, they realize that this might not be the perfect plan.

'I have more privilege than any person in my family. And I'm still screwed.'

A young woman attends a play about the Berlin Wall coming down, and is the only Black person in the audience.

She is sitting with her boyfriend by a bathing lake, and four neo-Nazis show up.

She is having sex with a stranger in New York, and Donald Trump wins the US presidential election.

Engaging in a witty question and answer with herself, she takes stock of our rapidly changing times, sometimes angry, sometimes amused, sometimes afraid, and always passionate. And she tells the story of her family: Her mother, a punk in former East Germany who never had the freedom she dreamed of. Her Angolan father, who returned to his home country before she was born to start a second family. Her grandmother, whose life of obedience to party principles brought her prosperity and security but not happiness. And her twin brother, who took his own life at the age of nineteen.

Heart-rending, opinionated and wry, Olivia Wenzel's remarkable debut novel is a clear-sighted investigation into origins and belonging, the roles society wants to force us into and why we need to resist them, and the freedoms and fears that being the odd one out brings.

'So exuberant, inventive, brainy, sensitive and hilarious that it's like a pyrotechnic flare illuminating the whole woman, past and present, radiant, unique, a voice and a novel to take with us into the future.'
FRANCISCO GOLDMAN, author of Monkey Boy

'Bold and exceptional . . . Her impressive writing, born of a brilliant mind, surprises - stylistically, and by its frankness and associations . . . I rode in the passenger seat, beside the beauty and strangeness of 1000 Coils of Fear.'
LYNNE TILLMAN, author of Men and Apparitions and Mothercare

'An audacious and disturbing novel.'
MICHELLE DE KRETSER, author of Scary Monsters

'An exciting, confident debut.' Publishers Weekly

'Impressive, relentless, tender.' Faz

Do you wish you could do more to change the world but don't know how? Do you ever look around at the many charities asking for donations and feel overwhelmed? This inspiring and uplifting book explores the effectiveness of charity and calls for more radical giving if we want to contribute to a better world.

During a period when British society seems more divided than ever, and our decision makers are even more disconnected from the issues that keep us awake at night, Giving Back highlights the people and movements taking on some of the most challenging social issues of our time.

A respected figure in philanthropy, Derek A. Bardowell presents a unique insight into what's going on inside the world of giving and where we can best make a difference.

From redefining the role of charity itself to reimagining philanthropy through a reparative lens, Bardowell introduces a radical new take on how social problems, from climate change to racial injustice, can be tackled in modern society by all of us.

Filled with lively insights and moving stories, Giving Back is here to break down the walls of charitable giving. If you loved Factfulness, Lost Connections, and What White People Can Do Next, this book will challenge some of your truths and change the way you give.

What people are saying about Derek A. Bardowell:

'Personal, political, powerful.' Bernardine Evaristo

'Important and timely... Deeply felt and illuminating... Essential reading for everyone committed to fairness and equality in life.' Goodreads Reviewer, 5 stars

'A valuable act of remembrance... While wealth may confer privileges, it doesn't rid you of melanin or exempt you from prejudice.' Colin Grant, Guardian

'Bardowell does an excellent and passionate job of refracting the issues.' Financial Times

'I absolutely loved it!... Such a good read on so many levels.' Goodreads Reviewer, 5 stars

'Niven Govinden's Diary of a Film, his sixth novel, is also his best yet. Smart, sexy and cinematic (in many senses), it is a love letter to Italy and to film' Observer

'Immersive . . . This is a wise and skilfully controlled novel that can be read in an afternoon, but which radiates in the mind for much longer' Financial Times

'A beautiful, poignant novel of love and longing' Telegraph

An auteur, together with his lead actors, is at a prestigious European festival to premiere his latest film.

Alone one morning at a backstreet café, he strikes up a conversation with a local woman who takes him on a walk to uncover the city's secrets, historic and personal. As the walk unwinds, a story of love and tragedy emerges, and he begins to see the chance meeting as fate. He is entranced, wholly clear in his mind: her story must surely form the basis for his next film.

This is a novel about cinema, flâneurs, and queer love - it is about the sometimes troubled, sometimes ecstatic creative process, and the toll it takes on its makers.

But it is also a novel about stories, and the ongoing question of who has the right to tell them.

A DOROTHY KOOMSON BOOK OF THE YEAR
AN ECONOMIST BOOK OF THE YEAR

'Such a beautiful read, like chatting to a friend over a cuppa. This is the intimate, insightful read that I didn't know I needed. Just brilliant.' Dorothy Koomson

Nana Darkoa Sekyiamah spent decades talking openly and intimately to African women around the world about sex. In this book, she brings together their extraordinary stories, whilst also chronicling her own journey towards sexual freedom.

From finding queer community in Egypt to living a polyamorous life in Senegal to understanding the intersectionality of religion and pleasure in Cameroon, their necessary narratives are individual and illuminating. This stunning collection provides crucial insight into our quest for sexual power and offers all women inspirational examples to live a truly liberated life.

'Touching, joyful, defiant – and honest.' Economist, Books of the Year 2021

'Fascinating.' Bernadine Evaristo

'Honest and moving. A vital treasure.' Bolu Babalola, author of Love in Colour

'Stunning. Essential read! I couldn't put it down.' Nicole Dennis-Benn, bestselling author of Patsy and Here Comes the Sun

'Leaves you feeling deliciously empowered.' Lola Shoneyin, author of The Secret Lives of Baba Segi's Wives

'Boundary-breaking, fascinating and deeply affirming.' Otegha Uwagba, author of Little Black Book

'An elegantly written and emotionally engrossing work of fiction.' Bernardine Evaristo, Booker Prize-winning author of Girl, Woman, Other

An emotional, tender and funny novel from award-winning author Alecia McKenzie that asks, what does family mean to you?

Seeking solitude after a personal tragedy upends his world, artist Chris travels to his mother's homeland, Jamaica, in a bid to find peace. He expects to spend his time painting alone, coming to terms with his loss and the fractured relationship with his father. Instead, he discovers a new extended and complicated 'family' with their own startling stories. Can they help him to become whole again?

Told from different points of view, this is an utterly compelling and deeply relatable novel from the winner of two Commonwealth literary prizes. Fans of Girl, Woman, Other and The Vanishing Half will love this book about friendship, community, chosen family, and healing after trauma.

What readers are saying about A Million Aunties:

'This is a wonderful story about the families we're given and those we make for ourselves. A life-affirming read.' Louise Hare, author of This Lovely City

'This warm and wise story celebrates the importance of community and belonging.' Woman's Own

'A tender novel.' Hello

'Have you ever not wanted a book to end? Were disappointed that the characters are gone from your life?... Makes you yearn for more.' New York Journal of Books

'An absolute delight!... Trust me - if you enjoy character-driven, multicultural fiction, you're going to want to get your hands on this book ASAP.' Reader review

'Emotional, enthralling and heartfelt... A story of loss and the infinite types of love.' Woman's World

'Pulls you in and holds you right till the end. It's strongly written with a delicate touch.' New West Indian Guide

'Tender... An emotionally resonant ode to adopted families and community resilience.' New York Times

'This big-hearted narrative of love, loss and family is handled with grace and beauty.' Publishers Weekly

'A beautiful book for anyone who knows there is more to family than blood relations.' Book Culture

ONE OF BARACK OBAMA'S FAVOURITE BOOKS OF THE YEAR
A NUMBER ONE NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER
LONGLISTED FOR THE NATIONAL BOOK AWARD FOR NON-FICTION

'A beautifully readable reminder of how much of our urgent, collective history resounds in places all around us that have been hidden in plain sight.' Afua Hirsch, author of Brit(ish)

Beginning in his hometown of New Orleans, Clint Smith leads the reader on an unforgettable tour of monuments and landmarks - those that are honest about the past and those that are not - which offer an intergenerational story of how slavery has been central in shaping a nation's collective history, and our own.

It is the story of the Monticello Plantation in Virginia, the estate where Thomas Jefferson wrote letters espousing the urgent need for liberty while enslaving more than four hundred people. It is the story of the Whitney Plantation, one of the only former plantations devoted to preserving the experience of the enslaved people whose lives and work sustained it. It is the story of Angola, a former plantation-turned-maximum-security prison in Louisiana that is filled with Black men who work across the 18,000-acre land for virtually no pay. And it is the story of Blandford Cemetery, the final resting place of tens of thousands of Confederate soldiers.

A deeply researched and transporting exploration of the legacy of slavery and its imprint on centuries of American history, How the Word Is Passed illustrates how some of our most essential stories are hidden in plain view - whether in places we might drive by on our way to work, holidays such as Juneteenth or entire neighbourhoods like downtown Manhattan, where the brutal history of the trade in enslaved men, women and children has been deeply imprinted.

How the Word is Passed is a landmark book that offers a new understanding of the hopeful role that memory and history can play in making sense of the United States. Chosen as a book of the year by President Barack Obama, The Economist, Time, the New York Times and more, fans of Brit(ish) and Natives will be utterly captivated.

What readers are saying about How the Word is Passed:

'How the Word Is Passed frees history, frees humanity to reckon honestly with the legacy of slavery. We need this book.' Ibram X. Kendi, Number One New York Times bestselling author

'An extraordinary contribution to the way we understand ourselves.' Julian Lucas, New York Times Book Review

'The detail and depth of the storytelling is vivid and visceral, making history present and real.' Hope Wabuke, NPR

'This isn't just a work of history, it's an intimate, active exploration of how we're still constructing and distorting our history." Ron Charles, The Washington Post

'In re-examining neighbourhoods, holidays and quotidian sites, Smith forces us to reconsider what we think we know about American history.' Time

'A history of slavery in this country unlike anything you've read before.' Entertainment Weekly

'A beautifully written, evocative, and timely meditation on the way slavery is commemorated in the United States.' Annette Gordon-Reed, Pulitzer Prize-winning author