Orenda Books summer reading feature (part 1)

Louise Beech’s Summer Reading picks

The Last Thing To Burn – Will Dean

I found this a devastatingly beautiful and powerful novel. It’s so much more than a thriller, though yes, it is one – the kind that has you glued to the page, having to read just one more. (For the record, I read it in two sittings.) As with Dean’s previous books the language is what sets it apart. He has a gift for keeping it simple, and yet it is deviously layered too. The setting is claustrophobic, the characters pulse off the page, and it’s dark, dark, dark, the way I like even my summer reads. But it’s hopeful too. It is excellent, and I strongly recommend it.

The River between Us – Liz Fenwick

In complete contrast to the darkness of Dean’s book is Fenwick’s captivating and beautiful tale. Once again, she has proved she is the mistress of pure escapism. Spanning generations, with an achingly intense love story and unearthed secrets about ancestry at its core, this novel is just what the world needs right now. The immersive dual timeline whisks you away, and the country setting is perfect for this time of year. It’s a glorious summer read and is definitely one to look out for in 2021.

Rod Reynold’s Summer Reading Picks

Dead Man’s Grave – Neil Lancaster.

I’m reading this at the moment and it is the definition of a page-turner. Creepy, intriguing and compelling.

Winter Counts – David Heska Wanbli Weiden

A beautifully written thriller with a highly original setting and cast of characters. Terse, tense and packed with heart.

Vanda Symon’s Winter Reading picks

As I’m based in New Zealand, here’s my winter reading…

Nothing combats bone-chilling cold like talk about bones! I’m enjoying anthropologist Professor Dame Sue Black’s Written in Bone. The case studies and very human stories she weaves around them are fascinating.

I adore words and their origins and playing with them, so I got immense pleasure from The Liar’s Dictionary by Eley Williams. In this novel we have two viewpoints – nineteenth-century Peter Winceworth inserting fictitious words into a new encyclopaedic dictionary, and the present day Mallory, tasked with finding these Mountweazels. But of course it’s not that straightforward.

Michael J. Malone’s Summer Reading picks

A Rattle of Bones – Douglas Skelton

This has the Highlands of Scotland, a plot that zips along, fascinating characters – and did I mention the Highlands of Scotland? Dare I say it … a rattling good read (out 5 August).

The Blood Divide – A A Dhand

If I read a better thriller this year I’ll be surprised – and delighted. From the first page you know you’re in the hands of a master of their craft. Loved it!