Readers were delighted that the four shortlisted books in this year’s Summer Reading selection were light and easy to read. They sped through most of them in a couple of days and it became clear quite quickly which one was their favourite. After a fun and in-depth discussion, readers unanimously picked “Theft” as the Best Summer Read 2026. “Theft” by Abdulrazak Gurnah (Tanzania) was voted … Continue reading Best Summer Read 2026 – Theft
“The End of the Sahara” by Saïd Khatibi (Algeria)Winner of the Sheikh Zayed Book Award 2023 – Young Author category Synopsis Set in 1988 Algeria,the story takes place in just forty days, ending as mass protests erupt in the country. In a small town on the edge of the desert, plagued by a locust infestation and a food shortage, teetering on the brink of uprising, the body of … Continue reading The End of the Sahara
“The Garden of Evening Mists” by Tan Twan Eng (Malaysia)Winner of the Man Asian Literary Prize 2012 Synopsis Malaya, 1951. Yun Ling Teoh, the scarred lone survivor of a brutal Japanese wartime camp, seeks solace among the jungle-fringed tea plantations of Cameron Highlands. There she discovers Yugiri, the only Japanese garden in Malaya, and its owner and creator, the enigmatic Aritomo, exiled former gardener of … Continue reading The Garden of Evening Mists
“Lost Children Archive” by Valeria Luiselli (Mexico)Winner of the Dublin Literary Award 2021 Synopsis A mother and father set out with their two children, a boy and a girl, driving from New York to Arizona in the heat of summer. Their destination: Apacheria, the place the Apaches once called home. Why Apaches? asks the ten-year-old son. Because they were the last of something, answers his father. In their … Continue reading Lost Children Archive
“A Brief History of Seven Killings” by Marlon James (Jamaica)Winner of the Man Booker Prize 2015 Synopsis On December 3, 1976, just before the Jamaican general election and two days before Bob Marley was to play the Smile Jamaica Concert to ease political tensions in Kingston, seven gunmen stormed the singer’s house, machine guns blazing. The attack wounded Marley, his wife, and his manager, and … Continue reading A Brief History of Seven Killings
“Against The Loveless World” by Susan Abulhawa (Palestine)Winner of the Palestine Book Award 2020 Synopsis As Nahr sits, locked away in solitary confinement, she spends her days reflecting on the dramatic events that landed her in prison in a country she barely knows. Born in Kuwait in the 70s to Palestinian refugees, she dreamed of falling in love with the perfect man, raising children, and … Continue reading Against The Loveless World
The theme of this year’s Summer Reading Group was Crime, Murder Mysteries, and Thrillers. Readers had very differing opinions on all four shortlisted books which made for a highly interesting discussion. Not surprisingly, the Best Summer Read was chosen by a narrow margin. “Gaslight” by Femi Kayode (Nigeria) was voted Best Summer Read 2025. A crime novel set in Lagos, the protagonist Philip Taiwo, an … Continue reading Best Summer Read 2025 – Gaslight
“Amnesia” by Peter Carey (Australia) Synopsis When Gaby Baillieux, a young woman from suburban Melbourne, releases the Angel Worm into the computers of Australia’s prison system, hundreds of asylum seekers walk free. Worse: the system is run by an American corporation, so some 5,000 US prisons are also infected. Doors spring open. Both countries’ secrets threaten to pour out, Was this intrusion a mistake, or … Continue reading Amnesia
