4 hardback books you should read

4 Hardback Books Worth Reading

Melanie O’Loughlin shares her love for hardback books. They’re durable, beautiful, and sustainable, making them perfect for sharing with friends without worrying about wear and tear. Plus, they often feature the best content before it hits the paperback market. Here are some top picks we enjoyed over the summer break.

China Room by Sunjeev Sahota

Before starting university, a young British man returns to his grandfather’s land to overcome his heroin addiction. He brings along whisky and books, but what he discovers on the deserted farm is the legacy of his Punjabi grandmother. In 1929, three newly married women are segregated from their husbands, with one woman desperate to identify her spouse. This loosely autobiographical novel is an intriguing read.

The Portrait of a Mirror by A. Natasha Joukovsky

This debut novel is filled with beautiful people, trust funds, prep school ties, and a Manhattan summer. Two couples entangle themselves in a web of wit and intrigue, reminiscent of Narcissus. From tech meetings to art shows, and from the Hamptons to Nantucket, the story is packed with some of the wittiest banter you’ll read all year. The author writes from personal experience and even includes a reading list for further entertainment and learning.

Burntcoat by Sarah Hall

Written as March 2020 unfolded, this slender novel centers around a young sculptor in lockdown. In her vast studio, the new couple finds privacy, peace, and plenty of intimacy. Yet, trouble looms ahead. Sarah Hall’s ethereal world beautifully captures love and loss during a pandemic, exploring a daughter’s response to suffering and the role of art in troubled times.

Harrow by Joy Williams

A school for exceptionally gifted children where pen and paper are banned, and a crumbling lakeside retirement village where terminally ill residents plot one last act of eco-terrorism in a landscape that reveres only the man-made. How does it all work? With ample biblical symbolism, blistering satire, and characters who feel more real than your own housemates. Another scorching novel from Joy Williams.

For more book recommendations, visit Lamplight Books.