Books have the power to inspire, challenge, and transport us to new worlds, offering wisdom and entertainment in equal measure.
Whether you’re drawn to gripping fiction that immerses you in unforgettable stories or insightful nonfiction that deepens your understanding of the world, certain books stand out as essential reads. Some captivate with their storytelling, while others leave a lasting impact with their ideas and perspectives. In this article, we explore four must-read books—both fiction and nonfiction—that deserve a place on every reader’s shelf.
The Boy from the Sea by Garrett Carr is a recent publication that follows the life of a baby, found floating in a barrel off the coast of Donegal, Ireland. In Carr’s debut novel for adults, fisherman Ambrose Bonnar adopts the baby boy who grows up during the course of the book and becomes a secular saint for the town, granting mysterious blessings on the people of Killybegs.
Against a backdrop of money troubles, fishing patches getting smaller and the introduction of Ireland to the EEC, the boy, named Brendan after the saint, delivers hope to a town on the edge of modernity in a tender and warm-hearted book about community and connection.
Shy Creatures by Clare Chambers is an historical fiction novel filled with twists, as Helen, an art therapist in a psychiatric hospital in 1964, meets William Tapping, a mute man found living undocumented and off-grid among elderly aunts in Croydon, London.
Through a series of flashbacks, we slowly learn more about William’s troubled life, and how he came to be selectively mute and living in a derelict property.
Helen’s story is interwoven as she begins an affair with psychiatrist Gil Rudden, to whom she is distantly related through his wife.
Set in deep suburbia at a time of great change for Britain, Chambers’ 10th novel explores the hidden poverty and struggles of post-war life, and how compassion can resolve past trauma.
In an engaging and unique trip around Britain, historian and author Peter Ross explores the many wonders of churches across the country in his latest book, Steeple Chasing: Around Britain by Church.
From London’s cathedrals that survived fires and bombs to holy wells in the Wales countryside, Ross explores churches steeped in history, mystery and art.
Meeting those passionate about the maintenance of unique buildings and their inhabitants (including cats and bats) through a personal pilgrimage that took a number of years during COVID, Ross uncovers a story of Britain, from early religious druids to contemporary priests working in large cities.
One of the most underrated books of the 20th century is A Month in the Country by J L Carr, which follows a World War 1 veteran, Tom Birkin, during a summer in the English countryside in 1920.
Despite suffering from physical and emotional scars from the war, Tom has committed to spending a month in a rural village to restore a medieval mural inside the local church.
Filled with a pastoral and hazy summer glow, the novella follows Birkin as he peels back the layers of plaster to uncover artwork like no other. He also develops a friendship with Charles Moon, another veteran who spends his days in the churchyard exploring the history of the graveyard’s inhabitants. Through shared experiences and under a warm sun, the pair find peace in the idyllic English countryside that we all know and love.
This book is a very special read, and feels like a delightful secret by a much-loved unique author, who has the unrivalled skill of transporting readers to idealistic, heady days in an England that is long gone.
