13 latest must-read books to keep you entertained in lockdown

13 Must-Read Books to Keep You Entertained

Looking for a new read? Sharon Stephenson shares her thoughts on recent releases that are sure to entertain and keep you company.

1. Last One at the Party by Bethany Clift

Genre: Comedy and General Fiction

Some people might say it’s bad form to read a novel about a deadly pandemic while we’re in the middle of an actual pandemic. I am not one of those people, and neither should you be, because this novel from first-time British author Bethany Clift is good. Besides, as she says in the foreword, this book was conceived and almost completely written before COVID-19 (which is referenced in the text) – but talk about timing!

It’s December 2023 and the 6DM virus (Six Days Maximum, the time it takes before your organs disintegrate) is decimating the world’s population. With no cure in sight, people are popping suicide pills rather than waiting for death by virus.

Strangely, one unnamed woman has managed to survive. She’s just watched her husband die and, with only an abandoned golden retriever for company, roams across the UK, dodging burning cities, rotting corpses, and plagues of rats to see if anyone else is alive.

If that sounds a bit grim, it is. But this isn’t a tale of death; it’s one of survival. As we flash back to pre-pandemic times, we witness how this woman lived and loved, how happiness always seemed out of her grasp. She’s the kind of person who could barely survive a relationship, let alone being the last person on earth. But if she is to survive, she’s going to have to pull it together, and fast.

Flecks of gentle humor leaven the enormity of the situation, such as when the protagonist wanders around a deserted Harrods grabbing expensive Chanel handbags, face creams, and vintage bottles of champagne. “The designer bags I had now would never be admired by anyone other than me, my expensive face creams might slow my wrinkles, but no one would ever notice. I was worrying about looking good for a world that no longer existed.”

The idea of being the last one at the party might not be new, but Bethany’s startlingly perceptive writing wrestles the concept into a fascinating shape.

2. The Berlin Girl by Mandy Robotham

Genre: Historical

Just when you thought the WWII story well had run dry, along comes this hefty novel about Georgie, a young female journalist who enters the eye of Hitler’s storm in 1938. It clearly isn’t a comfortable place to be, especially when Georgie gets involved with a Jewish family and puts her own life on the line to help. Yet another reminder, should we need it, of how monstrous war is.

3. When the Apricots Bloom by Gina Wilkinson

Genre: Historical, Drama

What would you do if the secret police demanded you spy on a friend to protect your family? This debut novel by an Australian journalist/documentary maker is based on her experience of living in Iraq under Saddam Hussein. As the sights and smells of 1990s Baghdad leap from the page, Gina teases out the themes of trust and motherhood in three friends whose lives have been fractured by the dictatorship.

4. Just Like You by Nick Hornby

Genre: Romance and Comedy

This could have gone terribly wrong: a 63-year-old white, middle-class Londoner writing from the perspective of a 22-year-old black, working-class man and a 42-year-old white, middle-class single mother. Thankfully, Nick Hornby’s racial, cultural, and social pick-and-mix absolutely nails it.

Joseph lives at home with his God-fearing mother and cobbles together a living from half a dozen part-time gigs while he waits for his DJing ship to come in. He’s lovely but a bit directionless.

Lucy enters Joseph’s orbit when he serves her at the butcher’s shop. She’s head of English at a local school, mother of two boys, and separated from her husband of two decades, Paul, who broke her heart and her world. Lucy asks Joseph to babysit, and eventually, their harmless flirtation turns into something else. Clearly, this isn’t going to be an easy ride because not only are they different ages and races, but they also have little, if anything, in common.

Set in 2016, another issue facing the couple is Brexit. Britain’s divisions echo the seismic cracks in Lucy and Joseph’s relationship – leaving Europe is inconceivable to Lucy and her woke friends, while Joseph’s scaffolder father believes leaving will guarantee him more work. Joseph is torn: “I thought you wanted us all to be British. Just because we’re black doesn’t mean we want to stay part of Europe. Half those countries are more racist than anyone here.”

Despite their differences, could Joseph be the person to make Lucy happy? Nick Hornby fans know the drill: come for the angst, stay for the hope. No spoilers, but you’ll close this novel feeling better about the world.

5. Concrete Rose by Angie Thomas

Genre: Young Adult

I’d read a shopping list written by the magnificent Angie Thomas, former rapper and author of the critically acclaimed The Hate U Give – she’s just that good. Here we meet Maverick Carter, 17: his father’s in jail, his mother works two jobs, and he sells drugs. But when Maverick discovers he’s a father, he tries to go straight. Another brilliant work from Angie.