What our team are reading this summer

July 30th 2020

What will you be reading this summer? We caught up with a few members of the Peters team to hear about their summer reads.

Caroline Bean, Showroom Supervisor

The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes by Suzanne Collins

A prequel to The Hunger Games, the Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes revisits the world of Panem sixty-four years before the events of The Hunger Games, starting on the morning of the reaping of the Tenth Hunger Games.

Claire Bowles, Sales and Marketing Director

Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone by J.K. Rowling

Claire is reading Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone with her daughter Poppy, who is 8. They are both really enjoying it!

Mel Crawford, Schools Team Manager

Once Upon a River by Diane Setterfield

"I'll be taking this on holiday with me next week. I’m hoping for a satisfying read in the same vein as The Thirteenth Tale."

An unhurried, almost meandering narrative that is in keeping with the river’s flow, but also deftly plotted with quality writing. Folklore and myth is intertwined to produce a magical tale.

Normal People by Sally Rooney

"I’m late to the party but want to know whether it lives up to the hype!"

Hayley Durston, Marketing Manager

Brit(Ish): On Race, Identity and Belonging by Afua Hirsch

"After the events of summer 2020 I wanted to do some reading around race and racism in Britain, and Afua's book combines history with her own personal account of growing up as a mixed-race girl in Britain, and searching for her identity."

Exciting Times by Naoise Dolan

"I'm really enjoying this book so far - it's a dry, witty take on relationships with some hilarious and accurate observations about society."

Laura Hayward, Children's Librarian

The Vanishing Half by Brit Bennett

"Set in the US south in the 1950s where two mixed race twin sisters forge separate paths through life, with one effectively passing herself off as white in ‘respectable’ society. They are estranged for years until by coincidence both their daughters (so cousins) meet by accident, one is white and one black so they have no clue they are related or their mothers have a twin. Anyway it’s a really interesting one! Found the idea and characters intriguing and it’s really original."

The Inheritance Games by Jennifer Lynn Barnes (out October 2020)

"Has the best opening premise I’ve seen for ages! A teenager is phoned up one day out of the blue and called to the reading of the will of a billionaire who’s just died suddenly. At the will reading his family members are all given small amounts and the vast majority of his fortune is left to her, including his mansion. She has never met him or even heard of him so has no idea why..."

Dear Justyce by Nic Stone

"About a black teenager in the US who ends up in prison for a murder that he obviously didn’t commit. It's really an eye opener into how racially biased the justice system is and how unbelievably easy it is for him to have found himself in this awful position."

Ray Dyer, Managing Director

On the Come Up by Angie Thomas

"I enjoyed The Hate U Give, which was on the 2018 Carnegie Medal shortlist, and really wanted to read Angie’s next book. On the Come Up was well written and thought provoking.  I wasn’t disappointed."

The Carl Hiaasen Omnibus: Tourist Season, Double Whammy and Skin Tight

"Adult novels, full of murder and mayhem in Florida with a great cast of characters.  Written in the late 1980’s, they carry a strong message about over development and consumer greed.  He can do no wrong apart from not writing quick enough!"

Brian Bilston, You Took the Last Bus Home

"An excellent writer and observer of life, and very funny!"

Katie Merrick, Children's Librarian

Wilde by Eloise Williams 

"A gorgeous combination of magical realism and the mundanities of school life, this is the latest from the consistently good Welsh Children’s Laureate. Wilde is a lovely character and this has an excellent sense of place as well as being a great story."

The unadoptables by Hana Tooke

"This has all the elements of a classic adventure – plucky orphans, dastardly baddies, a twisty plot and a little bit of magic. It kept me on the edge of my seat throughout and I really hope there will be more from this talented debut author."

Last Lesson by James Goodhart

"Not an easy read, but an important one. This completely gripping thriller addresses bullying and mental health issues, and touches on the influence of social media on today’s teens. It’s a credit to the author that this doesn’t come across as preachy, and is instead a chilling insight into a damaged mind."

Humankind: A Hopeful History by Rutger Bregman

"Taking events from throughout human history and reframing them, this remarkable book demonstrates how viewing our species as essentially good is a revolutionary and realistic attitude to take. It turns conventional wisdom on it’s head and should be required reading for all those in positions of power."

Lucy McConnell, Schools Sales Co-ordinator

Lucy has been working her way through this year's Women's Prize shortlist during lockdown. "My top three are Hamnet, The Mirror and the Light and Girl, Woman, Other."

The Mirror and the Light by Hilary Mantel

"The Mirror and the Light completed my lockdown reading of the Thomas Cromwell trilogy. So beautifully written, Thomas Cromwell is so alive to the reader as is Tudor England. Despite knowing what’s coming, the ending is truly devastating."

Hamnet by Maggie O'Farrell

"Hamnet makes barely any reference to Shakespeare – not even naming him. Hamnet’s mother Agnes is at the heart of the story – her background is mysterious and possibly supernatural and despite her skills as a herbalist, she heartbreakingly fails to save her son. Readers will spot several nods to Shakespearean devices – twins, mistaken identity. We’re left wondering at the profound impact the death of his son may have had on Shakespeare’s writing."

Girl, Woman, Other by Bernadine Evaristo

"The characters in Girl, Woman, Other just leap off the page. Each one is so well drawn and the linking thread between characters reminds us that we’re not what we appear to others. And grab some tissues for the absolutely sublime ending."