Top Picks for Readers and Moms Who Wanna Be
By: Melody Wukitch
I’m inspired to bring the Annapolis Moms with me on my trip to England this week. I was here to see a musical, but no trip is complete without daily visits to any bookshop nearby. So, I’m eating more fish and chips than I thought humanly possible, and I am scoping out all the hot reads here in the UK!
Did you know that book release dates can differ in the US than in the UK? This happens because publishing houses don’t always buy the rights to publish the book on both sides of the pond! When a book is published later by another company, it can even cause a different release date. That’s why you will sometimes see a book as “available” online, but you won’t be able to get it here in the United States.
Just like in the USA, the UK indie bookstores are the champions of communities, supporting schools, authors, illustrators, and trying to stay afloat in a world swallowed by Am*zon and selling books at a non-negotiable price. I’m part way through my trip and have many bookstores left to visit! Here’s a little bit of what I’m seeing…and what I think we should all add to the stack.
Come find these on the shelves at Park Books soon!
Join the Conversation: You may have heard about this one!
How about this UK cover?! #1 NYT bestselling author Bonnie Garmus brings us Lessons in Chemistry, a smart and funny debut novel from a British author who shared in an interview she was just trying to write her role model: her mum! This book features a female chemist and single mom in the 1960s who finds herself as the host of a beloved cooking show. As a scientist and new-found television cooking star, she ends up teaching women to do more than just cook! If you haven’t read this one yet, it may be time to add it to the stack.
Start the Conversation: Be the one with the fun suggestion
This British author is certainly not a debut but may be new to you! Zadie Smith’s new novel, The Fraud is the historical fiction that you may be waiting for. It is based on real events, set in 1873, and mixes truth with fiction about Jamaica, Britain, and famous authors that we know by name. The story revolves around a true story in history: the Tichborne trial, where a key witness in an important case is a former slave named Andrew Bogle. Part of the story is narrated by a complex and clever widowed housekeeper named Eliza Touchet. This is the perfect book for the reader who is thirsting for historical fiction but looking to escape the wartime narrative for a bit. Add this one to the stack for sure!
Young Readers: A picture book the whole family will enjoy
The Baddies comes from beloved British author/illustrator team Julia Donaldson and Alex Scheffler who you may know as the creators of The Gruffalo and Halloween favorite, Room on the Broom. In this silly read aloud, we take a walk through the woods with a new neighbor, a little girl, who should be afraid of the spookiest, baddest characters in all the land, but she’s not afraid of them at all! This is the perfect read aloud for the whole family during the fall season! How many storybook baddies do you recognize?
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