2022 in books: highlights for the year ahead
Index Index
January
Facebook Twitter Angela Davis attends the Women’s March on Washington on January 21, 2017. Her manifesto Abolition. Feminism. Now. is out this month. Photograph: Noam Galai/WireImage
Nonfiction
Everything Is True by Roopa Farooki, Bloomsbury
The novelist and doctor shares her story of love, loss and grief through the Covid-19 crisis.
Abolition. Feminism. Now. by Angela Davis, Gina Dent, Erica Meiners and Beth Richie, Hamish Hamilton
This manifesto is published alongside a new edition of Davis’s 1974 memoir this month; three more books by Davis are to come.
I Came All This Way to Meet You: Writing Myself Home by Jami Attenberg, Serpent’s Tail
Not your average writer’s memoir, this one takes in wanderlust, independence and the creative life.
Smile: The Story of a Face by Sarah Ruhl, Bodley Head
The US playwright’s witty and moving memoir of what happened when her face was paralysed by Bell’s palsy.
We Need Snowflakes: In Defence of the Sensitive, The Angry and the Offended by Hannah Jewell, Coronet
An incisive look at the reality of “woke” culture, and who gains from demonising a generation.
Fiction
To Paradise by Hanya Yanagihara, Picador
The follow-up to A Little Life explores the urge to protect what we love across three eras: a genderfluid 19th century, the height of the Aids crisis and a totalitarian, pandemic-ridden future. A bravura achievement.
Free Love by Tessa Hadley, Cape
It’s 1967, and a woman’s suburban existence is rocked when she meets a younger man, in the British author’s story of intellectual and sexual awakening.
Harrow by Joy Williams, Tuskar Rock
The return of an American original: in Williams’s first novel for more than 20 years, a teenager roams a corporatised landscape as environmental apocalypse bites. Odd, witty and original.
The Love Songs of WEB Du Bois by Honorée Fanonne Jeffers, 4th Estate
The US poet’s debut novel is a big, ambitious multi-generational family saga, ranging from colonial slavery into present times, set in the deep south.
The Anomaly by Hervé le Tellier, translated by Adriana Hunter, Michael Joseph
A plane flies through a storm and inexplicably duplicates, along with all the passengers … A mind-bending, prize-winning speculative thriller that has been a runaway bestseller in France.
Our Country Friends by Gary Shteyngart, Allen & Unwin
A witty, humane psychodrama from the author of Super Sad True Love Story, about a group of friends holing up to wait out the pandemic.
The Last One by Fatima Daas, translated by Lara Vergnaud, Small Axes
This French prize winner is an autobiographical debut of growing up with conflicting identities: French, Algerian, Muslim, lesbian.
The Twyford Code by Janice Hallett, Viper
Constructed from audio transcripts, the follow-up to The Appeal looks for a code in the work of a children’s author.
How High We Go in the Dark by Sequoia Nagamatsu, Bloomsbury
Spanning countries and centuries, an ambitious speculative debut of humanity adjusting to a plague unleashed by melting permafrost in the Arctic.
The Sentence by Louise Erdrich, Corsair
Following the Pulitzer-winning The Night Watchman, a funny and involving story of ghosts and bookshops from “the poet laureate of the contemporary Native American experience”.
Poetry
Refractive Africa by Will Alexander, Granta
First UK publication for the American poet, with three long poems focusing on colonialism and resistance.
February
Facebook Twitter Marian Keyes. Her long-awaited sequel to Rachel’s Holiday is out in March. Photograph: David Levenson/Getty Images
Nonfiction
Control: The Dark History and Troubling Present of Eugenics by Adam Rutherford, W&N
The bestselling geneticist turns his attention to a sinister subject that is not just in our past.
Out of the Sun: Essays at the Crossroads of Race by Esi Edugyan, Serpent’s Tail
Five challenging essays on identity, experience, race and art by the twice Booker-shortlisted Canadian writer.
Please Miss: A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Penis by Grace Lavery, Daunt
A smart and funny memoir spanning addiction and gender transition, queer theory and standup comedy.
In Search of Mary Seacole: The Making of a Cultural Icon by Helen Rappaport, Simon & Schuster
A timely biography of the British-Jamaican medic who nursed British soldiers on the frontline during the Crimean war.
The Island of Extraordinary Captives by Simon Parkin, Sceptre
Painstaking research among first-hand accounts reveals a shameful episode in Britain’s history: the internment of 30,000 second world war refugees.
How to Solve a Crime: Stories from the Cutting Edge of Forensics by Angela Gallop, Hodder & Stoughton
Stories from a 45-year career, including when Gallop helped identify the man who stabbed George Harrison.
The Stasi Poetry Circle by Philip Oltermann, Faber
The remarkable and ripe-for-the-movies story of how – and why – East Germany’s secret police learned to write lyrical verse.
Fiction
Love Marriage by Monica Ali, Virago
The first novel in a decade from the author of Brick Lane is a portrait of contemporary society built around a wedding set to bring two families and two cultures together.
Pure Colour by Sheila Heti, Harvill Secker
Is this world just God’s first draft? Playful philosophical musings on art, love and crisis from the author of How Should a Person Be?
Run and Hide by Pankaj Mishra, Hutchinson Heinemann
The nonfiction author’s first novel for two decades dramatises global turmoil through a group of friends in India who are determined to make it big.
Again, Rachel by Marian Keyes, Michael Joseph
Twenty-five years on, a sequel to the beloved Rachel’s Holiday. Rachel, who was a mess back in the 90s, finds her now settled life threatened by the reappearance of a former love interest.
Devotion by Hannah Kent, Picador
A journey from 19th-century Prussia to Australia is life-changing for two young women, in the new novel from the author of Burial Rites.
Brown Girls by Daphne Palasi Andreades, 4th Estate
A sensation in the US, this lyrical debut focuses on a group of young women of colour in Queens, New York.
7 ½ by Christos Tsiolkas, Atlantic
A writer is determined to celebrate beauty and the pleasures of the senses in a novel about the power of the imagination.
Poetry
Ephemeron by Fiona Benson, Cape
From the author of Vertigo & Ghost: poems about transitoriness – whether insect lives or teenage emotions – plus a retelling of the Minotaur myth.
March
Facebook Twitter Dolly Parton performs at the 2021 Kiss Breast Cancer Goodbye Concert in Nashville, Tennessee. Her debut thriller is out in March, co-written with James Patterson. Photograph: Jason Kempin/Getty Images
Nonfiction
Burning Questions by Margaret Atwood, Chatto
Atwood turns her sharp eye on 50 burning questions “from debt to tech, the climate crisis to freedom” in an “exhilarating” essay collection.
The Instant by Amy Liptrot, Canongate
The bestselling nature writer explores the streets, clubs and parks of Berlin, encountering goshawks, raccoons and hooded crows on the way.
Mother’s Boy: A Writer’s Beginnings by Howard Jacobson, Cape
A “funny, revealing and tender” memoir of the Booker winner’s Manchester childhood and his path to becoming a writer.
You Don’t Know Us Negroes and Other Essays by Zora Neale Hurston, HQ
The first comprehensive collection of the American author’s “provocative” essays, spanning more than 35 years.
In the Margins: On the Pleasures of Reading and Writing by Elena Ferrante, translated by Ann Goldstein, Europa
A collection of original essays reflecting on some of her favourite activities, by the acclaimed author of My Brilliant Friend.
A Line Above the Sky by Helen Mort, Ebury
The deeply physical acts of climbing and motherhood are explored by the prize-winning poet and novelist.
Holding Tight, Letting Go: My Life, Death and All the Madness in Between by Sarah Hughes, Blink
The late journalist’s memoir treasures the small pleasures that make up a life.
Constructing a Nervous System: Cultural Reckonings by Margo Jefferson, Granta
Jazz and movies, art, race and class come under the microscope in this mix of memoir and cultural criticism.
Fiction
The Slowworm’s Song by Andrew Miller, Sceptre
The acclaimed historical novelist delves into more recent times, with an inquiry into an incident during the Troubles in Northern Ireland.
Booth by Karen Joy Fowler, Serpent’s Tail
The author of We Are All Completely Beside Ourselves returns with a novel set against the tumultuous backdrop of 19th-century America charting the fortunes of the Booth family – including the man who shot Abraham Lincoln.
Homesickness by Colin Barrett, Cape
The long-awaited second collection from the Irish short-story writer, whose debut Young Skins won the Guardian first book award.
Moon Witch, Spider King by Marlon James, Hamish Hamilton
Second in the Booker winner’s fantasy series drawing on African mythology.
Paradais by Fernanda Melchor, translated by Sophie Hughes, Fitzcarraldo
Misfit Mexican teenagers hatch a terrible plan, in the follow-up to the blistering Hurricane Season.
Run Rose Run by Dolly Parton and James Patterson, Century
Written with the prolific Patterson, who previously teamed up with Bill Clinton, Parton’s debut thriller about a young singer-songwriter in peril will be accompanied by a tie-in album.
The Exhibitionist by Charlotte Mendelson, Mantle
A welcome return for a witty chronicler of family secrets, with a tale of art, ego and the sacrifices of marriage.
Our Wives Under the Sea by Julia Armfield, Picador
Following her electric short story collection saltslow, a debut novel about love, loss and the secrets of the ocean.
These Days by Lucy Caldwell, Faber
Last year she won the BBC National short story award; this novel about two sisters living through the Belfast blitz will be one to watch.
Chivalry by Neil Gaiman and Colleen Doran, Headline
A graphic novel in which an elderly woman goes on a quest after buying the Holy Grail in a secondhand shop.
Poetry
Vinegar Hill by Colm Tóibín, Carcanet
Written over several decades, the Irish author’s debut book of poems reflects on private and public life.
Bless the Daughter Raised by a Voice in Her Head by Warsan Shire, Chatto
The first full-length collection from the Somali-British author known for her collaborations with Beyoncé.
Children
Where the Heart Should Be by Sarah Crossan, Bloomsbury
Love and survival during the Irish potato famine, from the award-winning YA author.
April
Facebook Twitter Douglas Stuart speaks after winning the 2020 Booker prize for Shuggie Bain. Follow-up Young Mungo is out in April. Photograph: David Parry/PA
Nonfiction
This Woman’s Work edited by Kim Gordon and Sinéad Gleeson, White Rabbit
A rousing hymn to women in music, with contributors including Anne Enright, Maggie Nelson, Ottessa Moshfegh and Yiyun Li.
The Palace Papers: Inside the House of Windsor – The Truth and the Turmoil by Tina Brown, Century
Promising top sources and intimate access, an account of 25 years since the death of Diana.
Gathering Blossoms Under Fire by Alice Walker, W&N
Forty years of The Color Purple author’s journals, collected for the first time, explore her developing thoughts and feelings as a writer, a woman, an African-American and citizen of the world.
The Lives of the Saints: The Laureate Lectures by Sebastian Barry, Faber
Three lectures – delivered as part of Barry’s tenure as the laureate for Irish fiction – reflect on his life and extraordinary career so far.
Finding Me by Viola Davis, Coronet A memoir of overcoming obstacles to become the most nominated Black female actor in the history of the Oscars.
In Love: A Memoir of Love and Loss by Amy Bloom, Granta
Bloom’s staggeringly honest account of taking her husband Brian to Dignitas in Switzerland, where he was helped to end his life.
Big Snake Little Snake: An Inquiry Into Risk by DBC Pierre, Profile
Booker winner’s typically mercurial meditation on the ever-constant allure of risk, his obsession with gambling and a Trinidadian parrot.
Fiction
Young Mungo by Douglas Stuart, Picador
The follow-up to Booker winner Shuggie Bain tells of a dangerous love between two young Glaswegian men – one Protestant, one Catholic.
The Candy House by Jennifer Egan, Corsair
A Visit from the Goon Squad characters reappear in this “sibling novel” – a meditation on technology, privacy and the need for connection.
People Person by Candice Carty‑Williams, Trapeze
A big-hearted story of a young woman coming to terms with her complicated London family from the author of the game-changing Queenie.
Villager by Tom Cox, Unbound
The amiable nature writer’s debut novel, delving into the landscape and folklore of a moorland village.
Companion Piece by Ali Smith, Hamish Hamilton
The follow-up to the Seasonal quartet is a “celebration of companionship” in all its forms.
Elizabeth Finch by Julian Barnes, Cape
Barnes considers history, philosophy and literature through a student’s recollections of an inspirational teacher.
Glory by NoViolet Bulawayo, Chatto
From the author of We Need New Names, and inspired by the fall of Robert Mugabe, a parable of oppression and revolution told through the animal kingdom.
Bolla by Pajtim Statovci, translated by David Hackston, Faber
Finnish prize-winner of forbidden attraction between an Albanian and a Serb, as war threatens in Kosovo.
Sea of Tranquility by Emily St John Mandel, Picador
An ambitious time-travelling panorama of pandemics and parallel worlds from the Station Eleven author.
Emergency by Daisy Hildyard, Fitzcarraldo
From the acclaimed essaysist, a philosophical novel about a Yorkshire childhood that explores the interconnectedness of the climate crisis era.
Poetry
Time Is a Mother by Ocean Vuong, Cape
The author of On Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous faces up to the aftermath of his mother’s death.
Orlam by PJ Harvey, Picador
The musician’s book-length poem about a young girl’s last year of childhood innocence, written in Dorset dialect.
May
Facebook Twitter Jarvis Cocker’s memoir Good Pop, Bad Pop is out in May. Photograph: Roberto Ricciuti/Redferns
Nonfiction
The Last Days of Roger Federer: And Other Endings by Geoff Dyer, Canongate
A book about late-life achievement by a master of dry humour, author of Yoga for People Who Can’t Be Bothered to Do It.
I Used to Live Here Once: The Haunted Life of Jean Rhys by Miranda Seymour, William Collins
This biography promises to “dig deeper” than any other, particular into Rhys’s upbringing in Dominica.
Good Pop, Bad Pop by Jarvis Cocker, Cape
Inspired by a collection of objects found in his loft, the Pulp singer’s memoir is billed as “funny, revealing and surprising”.
Buried: An Alternative History of the First Millennium in Britain by Alice Roberts, Simon & Schuster
A cutting-edge account of ancient history takes in Roman cremations, graveside feasts and “deviant burials” with the heads rearranged.
The Premonitions Bureau by Sam Knight, Faber
The fascinating true story of John Barker, the maverick psychiatrist who set out to study “precognition”.
Regenesis: How to Feed the World Without Devouring the Planet by George Monbiot, Allen Lane
The Guardian columnist makes an urgent and ambitious argument for revolutionising the way we grow food.
Fiction
Here Goes Nothing by Steve Toltz, Sceptre
More high-octane black comedy from the Booker-shortlisted author of A Fraction of the Whole: a story of love, murder and revenge related from the afterlife as the pandemic hits Australia.
The Schoolhouse by Sophie Ward, Corsair
Her philosophical debut Love and Other Thought Experiments made the Booker longlist; this follow-up uncovers buried childhood secrets.
The Perfect Golden Circle by Benjamin Myers, Bloomsbury
A Falklands vet creates crop circles across England at the tail end of the 80s, in an investigation of trauma, class, healing and male friendship.
Either/Or by Elif Batuman, Cape
Batuman’s latest comic novel sees her heroine dive into student life at Harvard and trace her roots in Turkey.
Ruth & Pen by Emilie Pine, Hamish Hamilton
Pine came to attention for her personal essays in Notes to Self; this first novel explores the stories of two women over one day in Dublin.
You Made a Fool of Death With Your Beauty by Akwaeke Emezi, Faber
Holiday romance with a twist from the author of The Death of Vivek Oji.
Poetry
More Fiya: A New Collection of Black British Poetry edited by Kayo Chingonyi, Canongate
An anthology of celebrated and emerging names, such as Inua Ellams and Warsan Shire.
June
Facebook Twitter Reverend Richard Coles turns to cosy crime in June, with his first novel. Photograph: Fabio De Paola/The Guardian
Nonfiction
An Immense World: How Animal Senses Reveal the Hidden Realms Around Us by Ed Jong, Bodley Head
Why shrimps’ eyes are like satellite technology, and more awe-inspiring animal facts.
The Sister by Sung Yoon Li, Macmillan
A fascinating and somewhat frightening biography of Kim Jong Un’s sister and probable successor.
What Are You Doing Here by Floella Benjamin, Macmillan
From Trinidad to the House of Lords via children’s TV – a unique memoir from an inspirational figure.
Old Rage by Sheila Hancock, Bloomsbury
The much-loved actor candidly shares the fear, joy and frustration she has found in her ninth decade.
I Heard What You Said by Jeffrey Boakye, Picador
Relating the racism the author has experienced as a student and teacher, and calling for the diversification of schools and the decolonisation of the curriculum.
Access All Areas: A Backstage Pass Through 50 Years of Music by Barbara Charone, White Rabbit
The fearsome journalist-turned-press officer for Madonna has some stories to tell from inside the music industry.
Fiction
The Men by Sandra Newman, Granta
The follow-up to The Heavens imagines another parallel world, in which every male person suddenly vanishes.
Fight Night by Miriam Toews, Faber
The Canadian author focuses on a household of fierce and eccentric women who know how to survive.
Murder Before Evensong by Richard Coles, W&N
The broadcaster, memoirist and vicar turns his hand to cosy crime, with the first in a planned series of 80s-set mysteries.
Happy-Go-Lucky by David Sedaris, Little, Brown
Short stories from the king of bittersweet comic writing.
Lapvona by Ottessa Moshfegh, Cape
Murder, cannibalism, occult forces: a pitch-black take on fairytales set in a medieval fiefdom from the author of My Year of Rest and Relaxation.
Ghost Lover by Lisa Taddeo, Bloomsbury
Short stories from the author of Three Women and Animal.
Nonfiction: A Novel by Julie Myerson, Corsair
Playing with the borders of fact and fiction, this is an exploration of creativity, addiction and mother-daughter relationships.
July
Facebook Twitter Werner Herzog’s The Twilight World is out in July. Photograph: Enric Fontcuberta/EPA
Nonfiction
Ten Steps to Nanette by Hannah Gadsby, Allen & Unwin
The comic behind the stunning standup special Nanette tells her story.
Pictures by Janet Malcolm, Granta
In her final book, the award-winning biographer looks at her own life, with the help of 12 family photographs.
The Boy in the Boat by Mir Rahimi, Trapeze
The story of a boy who fled the Taliban and made it to the UK.
The Twilight World by Werner Herzog, Bodley Head
A master storyteller relates the bizarre tale of a Japanese soldier who defended an island in the Philippines for 29 years after the second world war ended.
Fiction
The House of Fortune by Jessie Burton, Picador
A sequel to the 2014 bestseller of love and artistry in 17th-century Amsterdam, The Miniaturist.
Children
Sadé and Her Shadow Beasts by Rachel Faturoti, Hachette
For nine-plus, a hotly tipped debut about grief and the power of the imagination, as a young girl is gripped by anxiety after the death of her mother.
August
Facebook Twitter An essay collection by the Zimbabwean author, filmmaker, and activist Tsitsi Dangarembga is out in August. Photograph: Aaron Ufumeli/EPA
Nonfiction
Dust: A History and a Future of Environmental Disaster by Jay Owens, Hodder
How this overlooked substance is at the heart of deep entanglements between people, capitalism and the natural environment.
Black and Female by Tsitsi Dangarembga, Faber
Essays by the Zimbabwean Booker nominee that explore the intersecting aspects of her identity.
Lost Realms: A History of Britain from the Romans to the Vikings by Thomas Williams, William Collins
This ambitious history of how warring kingdoms shaped Britain will appeal to history buffs and Game of Thrones fans alike.
None of the Above by Travis Alabanza, Canongate
The performer and theatre maker, who is one of Bernardine Evaristo’s “ones to watch”, explores life outside gender boundaries.
Fiction
Sojourn by Amit Chaudhuri, Faber
A fable of memory and freedom about a man exploring Berlin’s legacy of division.
Malarkoi by Alex Pheby, Galley Beggar
The follow-up to the weird and wonderful Mordew, set in the same Gormenghastly fantasy world.
The Night Ship by Jess Kidd, Canongate
Based on the true story of the shipwrecked Batavia, a novel of mutiny and imagination connecting two children hundreds of years apart.
Venomous Lumpsucker by Ned Beauman, Sceptre
The author of Boxer, Beetle returns with a near-future thriller about the extinction of the natural world.
The Long Knives by Irvine Welsh, Cape
Another instalment in his Crime series.
Poetry
The Arctic by Don Paterson, Faber
A new collection from the winner of the Whitbread and TS Eliot prizes takes on grief, translation and the pandemic.
When My Brother Was an Aztec by Natalie Diaz, Faber
The debut collection from the Pulitzer prize-winning author of Postcolonial Love Poem explores family and myth.
September
Facebook Twitter Co-written with Sean O’Hagan, Nick Cave’s Faith, Hope and Carnage is out in September. Photograph: David Wolff-Patrick/Redferns
Nonfiction
And Finally by Henry Marsh, Cape
The bestselling neurosurgeon turns his expert eye on his own brain and mind.
A Visible Man by Edward Enninful, Bloomsbury
How Enninful, a Black, gay, working-class refugee, became editor-in-chief of British Vogue.
The Story of Art without Men by Katy Hessel, Cornerstone
A big full-colour history that puts female artists back in the picture.
Faith, Hope and Carnage by Nick Cave and Sean O’Hagan, Canongate
Based on hours of conversations, this intriguing joint enterprise will cover big ideas, from art and music to faith, grief and more.
Title TBC by Adam Kay, Trapeze
While its contents are still mysterious, Kay’s next adult title promises all the “humour and insight” of his 2.5 million-selling This Is Going to Hurt.
Decolonising Healthcare: The hidden history of medicine by Dr Annabel Sowemimo, Wellcome
Sharing her own experiences as a doctor, patient and activist, Sowemimo uncovers systemic racism, healthcare myths and the colonial roots of modern medicine.
Toksvig’s Atlas: Eclectic Ramblings Around the World by Sandi Toksvig, Trapeze
From Maori boxers to the bikers of Marrakesh, Toksvig’s unique voice lifts up the stories of women from around the world – and the odd man.
The World by Simon Sebag Montefiore, W&N
A disarmingly ambitious project revealing humanity in all its glory from prehistory to the present day.
Fiction
Act of Oblivion by Robert Harris, Hutchinson Heinemann
Globe-trotting historical thriller about the two men found guilty of regicide in the wake of the execution of Charles I.
Best of Friends by Kamila Shamsie, Bloomsbury
Friendship and power collide in the new novel from the winner of the Women’s prize.
Nights of Plague by Orhan Pamuk, translated by Ekin Oklap, Faber
Historical novel from the Nobel laureate, set in the last decades of the Ottoman empire.
Is Mother Dead by Vigdis Hjorth, translated by Charlotte Barslund, Verso
Mind games between a middle-aged artist and her mother, as the Norwegian author returns to the themes of Will and Testament.
Poetry
Untitled by Kathleen Jamie, Picador
A new collection from Scotland’s current Makar.
Children
Unraveller by Frances Hardinge, Macmillan
A new novel for 12 and up from the Costa winner, set in a fantasy world where anyone can inflict a curse, but only one person has the power to lift them.
Dogs of the Deadlands by Anthony McGowan, Rock the Boat
From the Carnegie-winning author, a novel about the pet dogs left behind in Chernobyl after the disaster, and their struggle to survive in the wild.
October
Facebook Twitter Malorie Blackman’s autobiography is out in October. Photograph: Roberto Ricciuti/Getty Images
Nonfiction
Title TBC by Malorie Blackman, Merky
The long-awaited autobiography of one of the world’s greatest children’s writers.
Silence All the Noise by Caster Semenya, Merky
The Olympic gold medallist’s courageous story, a passionate ode to the joy of running.
The Storm by Luke Mogelson, Quercus
The war correspondent’s eye-witness account of the storming of the Capitol was widely acclaimed as a first draft of history. This is his record of a year that changed America and shook the world.
The Diaries of Alan Rickman, Canongate
A collection taken from 27 handwritten volumes of the late actor’s “witty, gossipy and utterly candid” thoughts, spanning 25 years.
The East was Red by Pankaj Mishra, Verso
The multi-award-winning essayist and novelist offers portraits of authors from Edward Said to Zadie Smith, to celebrate the intriguing dance between life and art.
Endless Flight: The Life of Joseph Roth by Keiron Pim, Granta
The first English-language biography of a writer who lived in the shadow of war.
Hannah Arendt: An Intellectual Biography by Thomas Meyer, Williams Collins
The first major biography of the philosopher since 1982, drawing on new archival research.
The Good Drinker: How I Learned to Love Drinking Less by Adrian Chiles, Profile
An extension of Chiles’s honest and revealing TV documentary about drinking and cutting back.
Fiction
Illuminations by Alan Moore, Bloomsbury
The first collection of short fiction from the comics legend.
Dinosaurs by Lydia Millet, Norton
The follow-up to A Children’s Bible, about an Arizona man whose neighbours live in a glass house, investigates the nature of goodness.
The Secret Diaries of Charles Ignatius Sancho by Paterson Joseph, Dialogue
The debut from the actor most recently seen in Vigil is based on the life of the Black writer and composer, who was born on a slave ship in the Atlantic and became a toast of Regency London.
The Pothunters by PG Wodehouse, Hutchinson Heinemann
A new edition of the comic genius’s first novel, set in a boarding school and written when he was just 20, published to mark its 120th anniversary.
Blind Owl by Sadegh Hedayat, translated by Sassan Tabatabai, Penguin Classics
A new translation for the most famous Persian novel of the 20th century.
Children
The Ministry of Unladylike Activity by Robin Stevens, Puffin
From the much-loved Murder Most Unladylike author, a new crime series set during the second world war, in which children are trained as spies.
November
Facebook Twitter Haruki Murakami’s Novelist as a Vocation is out in November. Photograph: Philip Fong/AFP/Getty Images
Nonfiction
Title TBC by Quentin Tarantino, Orion
A top-secret new nonfiction book from the film-maker and author of Once Upon a Time in Hollywood.
Novelist as a Vocation by Haruki Murakami, Harvill Secker
The Japanese author offers his thoughts on finding your own style, creating characters and the links between literature, music and art.
Follow the Money by Jonathan Wilson, Little, Brown
The Observer football columnist’s book about the Charlton brothers digs deeply into their backgrounds.
Unlearn by Rachel Cargyle, Vintage
What could we achieve if we unlearned the things we take for granted and took action based on reality instead?
The Omniscient Cell by Sid Mukherjee, Vintage
The Pulitzer-winning cancer physician and geneticist tells the story of the humble and wonderful cell.
Fiction
Our Share of Night by Mariana Enriquez, translated by Megan McDowell, Granta
Chunky father-and-son gothic roadtrip novel set against the backdrop of Argentina’s military junta, from the author of the International Booker-shortlisted The Dangers of Smoking in Bed.
Untitled by Nino Haratischvili, translated by Charlotte Collins, Scribe
The follow-up to 2020’s bestselling Georgian family saga The Eighth Life will be a Wuthering Heights-style romance.
The Peasants by Wladyslaw Reymont, translated by Anna Zaranko, Penguin
The first translation in nearly a century of a Polish classic: an epic story of dangerous love and rural life, set at the end of the 19th century, when revolution is in the air.
Poetry
Untitled by Sean O’Brien, Picador
A new collection from the multi-award-winning author of The Drowned Book.
