https://bookclubhub.co.uk/news Book Club Hub news en Copyright 2026 Wed, 11 Mar 2026 10:00:00 +0000 http://www.rssboard.org/rss-specification The next book to be featured this season on the Sara Cox Radio 2 Book Club is Minbak by Ela Lee—A sweeping story of three generations of women who cross continents and decades to find truth, forgiveness and compassion. The book was released on 5 March and Ela’s interview with Sara is on BBC Sounds from Tuesday 10 March. Read an exclusive extract. We have 10 copies to give away to one lucky book club – to enter, visit our offers page. Not yet a member of Book Club Hub? Sign up now. Minbak The night the baby without a surname was born, the army rolled into his mother’s town. Incheon, South Korea, 1985. The country is revolting against a dictatorship, but in the local boarding-house, the chaos inside is only just beginning. When Hana is pulled from school to work in her family’s minbak, all she wants is to escape her small town. When she finally does, she leaves as an exile, a ruin, or a martyr, depending on who you ask. Her mother Youngia is left behind with the torment of both of their decisions. London, 2008. Ada knows little about her mother, Hana. When tragedy hits, Hana has no choice but to move her daughter and ailing mother into a single room and turn the rest of their home into a minbak. As the past collides with the present, Ada is determined to unearth her mother’s secrets. But her obsession will lead to a discovery that unravels not just her family’s dark past, but that of an entire country’s. From Korea’s industrial estates to London’s suburbs, the three women cross continents and generations to find truth, forgiveness and compassion. About the author Ela Lee was born in 1995 and is a British-Korean-Turkish writer. She studied Law at the University of Oxford and went on to practise as a City lawyer. In 2021, during the global pandemic, Ela began work on her debut novel, JADED, which explores themes of consent, race, and identity. She lives in London, with her partner and their mini Aussie Shepherd. A word from Ela “It’s an incredible honour that Minbak has been selected for the BBC Radio 2 Book Club. Knowing it was chosen by librarians and expert readers makes it even more special. As the only child of immigrants, I couldn’t speak much English until I started school. Librarians were the ones who introduced me to my childhood favourites, including Phillip Pullman, Jacqueline Wilson and Markus Zusak. Through their guidance and care, my confidence in – and love for – the English language blossomed, which ultimately made me a writer.” “That is just one of the myriad of ways libraries care for their communities. To now see Minbak being championed by librarians feels especially poignant – a true full circle moment.” “Thanks to you, my book about three generations of Korean women, and their untold stories, will reach so many readers, and hopefully bring people together. Thank you so much The Reading Agency, I’m so grateful for the support.” Get involved To hear all the author interviews and other Book Club features, subscribe to the BBC Sounds podcast. Planning to buy Minbak for your book club? Buy books from Bookshop.org and support The Reading Agency and local bookshops at no extra cost to you. Want to make sure you get the latest news? Follow us on X, Facebook and Instagram. Never miss the latest book club news – sign up for our free monthly newsletter. https://bookclubhub.co.uk/news/radio-2-book-club-minbak https://bookclubhub.co.uk/news/radio-2-book-club-minbak Wed, 11 Mar 2026 10:00:00 +0000 The next book to be featured this season on the Sara Cox Radio 2 Book Club is Saoirse by Charleen Hurtubise—exploring the fine line between dishonesty and reinvention, it weaves an evocative and compelling story of a woman perpetually in flight. The book will be released on 26 February and Charleen’s interview with Sara is on BBC Sounds from Tuesday 24 February. Read an exclusive extract. We have 10 copies to give away to one lucky book club – to enter, visit our offers page. Not yet a member of Book Club Hub? Sign up now. Saoirse Can a great love survive a great deception? In the wilds of Donegal, Ireland, 1999, Saoirse is an artist living an outwardly idyllic life. Her tender husband Daithí and two beloved daughters are regular subjects for her work, and in them she has found the safe home that she has always longed for. She tends not to talk about her past, and those that love her have learned to accept that the full story is too painful for her to disclose. When her Dublin exhibition unexpectedly wins a prestigious award that invites a swarm of publicity, Saoirse is left panic stricken. The unanticipated recognition threatens to expose a decade’s worth of buried memories and past crimes. Because what her family and friends don’t know is that Saoirse has been on the run since she was seventeen, she has stolen an identity to survive, and whilst Ireland might now be her home, it wasn’t her first – and now her past life is poised to reclaim her. About the author Charleen Hurtubise has lived in Dublin, Ireland for over 25 years, having moved from Michigan, USA. She is a teacher and artist as well as a writer, and her short fiction, essays and poetry have appeared in various publications. She holds an MFA Creative Writing from University College Dublin (UCD) where she has also facilitated creative writing modules. A word from Charleen “I am beyond delighted that Saoirse has been picked for the BBC Radio 2 Book Club. What a meaningful endorsement to be chosen by librarians. Stories often follow the shape of the hero’s journey; the threshold guardian stands between the familiar world and what lies beyond. In my novel, it is a librarian who hands the protagonist, Saoirse, A Wrinkle in Time, opening the door to new possibilities, ideas, and escape. Reading was the beginning of Saoirse’s salvation, and I think the same can be said for so many of us in ‘real life.’ In my stories, and in my life, librarians have always been those guardians, opening the doors to new worlds. My heartfelt thanks to all of you, and to Radio 2 Book Club and The Reading Agency. I am so hopeful new readers will find something worthwhile in the world of Saoirse.” Get involved To hear all the author interviews and other Book Club features, subscribe to the BBC Sounds podcast. Planning to buy Saoirse for your book club? Buy books from Bookshop.org and support The Reading Agency and local bookshops at no extra cost to you. Want to make sure you get the latest news? Follow us on X, Facebook and Instagram. Never miss the latest book club news – sign up for our free monthly newsletter. https://bookclubhub.co.uk/news/radio-2-book-club-saoirse https://bookclubhub.co.uk/news/radio-2-book-club-saoirse Wed, 25 Feb 2026 10:00:00 +0000 The International Booker Prize is the world’s most influential award for translated fiction. In championing works from around the world that have originated in a wide range of languages, it fosters an engaged global community of writers and readers whose experiences and interests transcend national borders. The longlist for the International Booker Prize 2026 supported by Bukhman Philanthropies was announced today, Tuesday, 24 February 2026. This year’s longlist celebrates the best works of long-form fiction or collections of short stories translated into English and published in the UK and/or Ireland between 1 May 2025 and 30 April 2026, as judged by the 2026 panel. It features ‘fresh and innovative’ stories that capture the ‘calibre and variety of translated fiction’, according to Natasha Brown, Chair of the 2026 judges. The longlisted books travel across continents and centuries. They use our collective histories to shine a light on our current preoccupations, and on the power imbalances that stem from gender, money and geopolitical forces. There are bittersweet love stories and dark fairytales; fictional accounts of historic figures and events steeped in magical realism; metafictional narratives and a novel in linked stories. Covering themes ranging from witchcraft to warfare, resilience to cruelty, magic to murder, revolution to renewal, the nominated books offer explorations of our capacity to endure, resist or reinvent ourselves, and to remain hopeful in challenging times. They feature memorable characters, including a queer Argentinian conquistador, a celebrated East Berlin mathematician dedicated to algebra and communism, a morally compromised German film director, a ‘sworn virgin’ who renounces womanhood, a child-star-turned-thief, a Japanese novelist with a ‘monstrous appetite’, an idiosyncratic Italian aristocrat and a Danish noblewoman accused of sorcery. They transport readers from a brutal prison colony in the Brazilian wilderness to an Albanian village ruled by ancient laws, from an asylum for traumatised soldiers in Belgium to an abundant garden on the outskirts of Tehran. The longlist The Nights Are Quiet in Tehran by Shida Bazyar, translated by Ruth Martin We Are Green and Trembling by Gabriela Cabezón Cámara, translated by Robin Myers The Remembered Soldier by Anjet Daanje, translated by David McKay The Deserters by Mathias Énard, translated by Charlotte Mandell Small Comfort by Ia Genberg, translated by Kira Josefsson She Who Remains by Rene Karabash, translated by Izidora Angel The Director by Daniel Kehlmann, translated by Ross Benjamin On Earth As It Is Beneath by Ana Paula Maia, translated by Padma Viswanathan The Duke by Matteo Melchiorre, translated by Antonella Lettieri The Witch by Marie NDiaye, translated by Jordan Stump Women Without Men by Shahmush Parsopur, translated by Faridoun Farrokh The Wax Child by Olga Ravn, translated by Martin Aitken Taiwan Travelogue by Yáng Shuāng-zǐ, translated by Lin King The judges The 2026 judging panel is chaired by award-winning author Natasha Brown. Brown is joined on the panel by writer, broadcaster and Oxford University Professor of Mathematics and for the Public Understanding of Science Marcus du Sautoy; International Booker Prize shortlisted translator Sophie Hughes; writer, Lolwe editor and bookseller Troy Onyango; and award-winning novelist and columnist Nilanjana S. Roy. Natasha Brown, International Booker Prize 2026 Chair of judges, says: ‘Whether it’s for a birthday, a book club, or the bus ride to work, I’m confident that there’s a perfect fit among these 13 brilliant books. ‘Many of the submitted books examined the devastating consequences of war, which is reflected in our longlist. The list also features petty squabbles between neighbours, mysterious mountain villages, Big Pharma conspiracies, witchy women, ill-fated lovers, a haunted prison, and obscure film references. The page counts range from ‘pocket-friendly’ to ‘doorstopper.’ And while the books’ original publication dates span four decades, each story feels fresh and innovative. ‘The calibre and variety of translated fiction being published in the UK is unbelievable. As judges, we’ve been spoilt for choice during these past eight months reading this year’s 128 submissions. Our discussions are always lively, and we’ve often been surprised by the myriad ways these books engaged us. ‘It is my absolute pleasure to share this sparkling selection of our favourites. International Booker Prize 10 Year Anniversary In 2026, the Booker Prize Foundation is celebrating the 10th anniversary of the International Booker Prize in its current form. The first winner in 2016 was The Vegetarian by Han Kang, translated from Korean by Deborah Smith. Since then, it has promoted 10 winners in 10 original languages from Arabic to Polish, Bulgarian to Kannada. Four authors recognised by the International Booker Prize have gone on to win the Nobel Prize in Literature, including Han Kang, Jon Fosse, Annie Ernaux and Olga Tokarczuk. The prize has also helped to drive a boom in translated fiction in the UK: sales have doubled since it launched. The 10th anniversary campaign will run alongside this year’s International Booker Prize. The campaign invites readers around the world to come together and explore this year’s nominated books – and the previous 10 winners – united by a shared love of great fiction. The Booker Prizes are asking readers to vote for the winning book from the past decade that is their favourite and tell us why. They’re also offering one person the chance to win a bundle of all 10 prize-winning books. The poll opened on Wednesday, 11 February and will close by 12:00 BST on Tuesday, 21 April 2026. The result will be announced in early May. Find out more. The shortlist and winner announcements The shortlist will be announced on Tuesday, 31 March, and the winner will be announced at a ceremony at Tate Modern in London on Tuesday, 19 May. Forthcoming events International Booker Prize 10th anniversary event in the Southbank Centre’s Queen Elizabeth Hall, London: Friday, 8 May 2026, 7.30pm BST Readers are invited to celebrate a decade of the International Booker Prize in an event that will feature special guests, to be announced in due course. Tickets are available now. International Booker Prize 2026 shortlist readings event, in Bristol Beacon’s Lantern Hall, Bristol: Friday, 15 May 2026, 6.30pm The 2026 shortlisted authors and translators will read from and discuss their nominated books at this annual event, which is this year taking place in Bristol for the first time. Run in partnership with the Translated By, Bristol festival of translation, it will be held the weekend before the winner of the International Booker Prize 2026 is announced. Tickets are available from Tuesday 24 February. International Booker Prize 2026 winners announced: Tuesday, 19 May 2026 The announcement of the winners of the International Booker Prize 2026 will take place at a ceremony and dinner held at Tate Modern in London. The winner will also be announced via a press release, on a livestream from the event and on the Booker Prizes website and social media channels. The £50,000 prize money is divided equally between the winning author and translator. Winners’ event at Waterstones Piccadilly, London with Natasha Brown: Thursday, 21 May, 6.30pm The 2026 winning author and translator will appear in their first public event after the announcement, in conversation with this year’s Chair of judges and Booker Prize-longlisted author Natasha Brown at Waterstones’ flagship Piccadilly bookshop. Tickets are available now. International Booker Prize 2026 winners’ event at Hay Festival, Hay-on-Wye: Sunday, 24 May 2026, 5.30pm Booker Prize Foundation Chief Executive Gaby Wood will be joined by one of this year’s judges, author and International Booker Prize-shortlisted translator, Sophie Hughes, in conversation with the winning author and translator/s of the International Booker Prize 2026. Tickets are on sale on the Hay Festival website here. Details of all International Booker Prize events can be found here. Get involved If you work in a library or workplace and would like to promote the longlist, you can order FREE printed and digital display packs from our shop. What’s more, the Booker Prize Foundation will select one UK-based librarian to win two tickets to the ceremony at London’s Tate Modern on Tuesday, 19 May, along with an overnight stay and travel expenses, and one set of the 2026 longlisted books (terms & conditions apply). To be in with a chance, simply sign up to receive a printed display pack by midday, Thursday, 26 February and once you receive it, please send a photo of your display to campaigns@readingagency.org.uk. Hear from the librarian who won the Booker Prize 2025 display competition. What do you think of the 2026 longlisted titles? Which have you read and what will be added to your TBR pile? Add your comments below, or click any title above to leave a review. Share your thoughts with us on Facebook, X and Instagram using #InternationalBooker2026. Keep up with all the latest news on the Booker Prizes website. Please sign up and register for Booker Prizes updates via our Substack here, and hear what more than 29,000 readers from all over the world are saying about the longlist and more by joining the Booker Prize Book Club on Facebook. The Booker Prize compile reading lists around themes, key calendar dates and holidays featuring past titles from the Booker Prize Library, as well as choosing a book for a Monthly Spotlight – they re excellent resources for displays and recommendations in your shop. Find them here. Want to make sure you never miss the latest book club news? Sign up for our free monthly newsletter. https://bookclubhub.co.uk/news/international-booker-prize-2026-longlist https://bookclubhub.co.uk/news/international-booker-prize-2026-longlist Tue, 24 Feb 2026 14:05:00 +0000 The Libraro Reader Engagement Prize 2026 in partnership with LoveReading, is now open! Readers, here’s your chance to win £10,000 by discovering and championing new stories. Thousands of writers have submitted their stories to The Libraro Prize 2026 for their chance to win a £50,000 package from Libraro and a publishing deal with major international publisher Hachette UK (submissions are now closed). Be their VIP first-readers of the next bestsellers. The Libraro Reader Engagement Prize 2026 will reward the reader who most actively and usefully engages with entries on the Libraro Platform and social media with £10,000. Why your feedback is important: This is your chance to make a difference. Your feedback is invaluable to writers, supporting their creative process. Your interaction (likes, comments, saves and shares) qualifies a writer’s work, spotlighting new talent to publishers. Your ability to make writers stand out, demonstrating people-powered publishing. Visit the Libraro platform and select any of The Libraro Prize entries (identified as ‘🏆 In Contest’), read, enjoy and engage for your chance to win. Join for FREE. Reader engagement runs until 20 March 2026. Terms and conditions apply. 18+. How to spread the word: Book clubs can get involved shadowing The Libraro Prize 2026. Find out more. Share your favourite entries on social media, by simply copying the link below each submission, adding your supportive comments and tagging #thelibraroprize2026. Get involved Share your thoughts with us on Facebook, X and Instagram using #TheLibraroPrize2026 and tagging @readingagency and @libraroio. Keep up with all the latest news on the Libraro website. Want to make sure you never miss the latest news? Sign up for our free monthly newsletter. https://bookclubhub.co.uk/news/the-libraro-reader-engagement-prize-2026 https://bookclubhub.co.uk/news/the-libraro-reader-engagement-prize-2026 Mon, 23 Feb 2026 13:00:00 +0000 Book clubs can join in the celebrations and shadow The Libraro Prize 2026 and help discover the next BIG author (and be in with a chance of winning £10,000)! Libraro is inviting six UK-based book clubs to shadow its inaugural year of The Libraro Prize 2026 with a chance for you to get exclusive experiences and for you to have your say and help discover the winner. Each group will receive instructions on how to take part in feeding back on sample chapters which have been submitted to the prize, and how you engage with the Reader Engagement Prize with a chance for you to win £10,000. You will be reading entries via the Libraro platform (you will not be receiving physical titles).  All groups with members aged 18+ are welcome to apply, whether you’ve been meeting for years or are thinking about forming a new book club. We are keen to have some groups who are engaged with social media to increase the reach of the Prize, but don’t let this put you off applying. We hope to see participants of all ages and genders from across the UK. Selected clubs will be spotlighted on The Reading Agency’s and Libraro’ s social media platforms, have support from the Prize to help create a bespoke experience and will have the chance to share vital feedback on how you engaged with the Prize to help us shape future years! To be considered, please complete the form below by 9am GMT on 2 March 2026. Selected clubs will be notified 2 March 2026 and will be invited to an exclusive meet the prize virtual meeting on 5 March (World Book Day) at 6pm. In this meeting you will be able to meet other clubs taking part, hear directly from the Prize and hopefully an author who has entered the Prize. You will then be asked to read as many of the entries as possible by 20 March 2026. To help us capture your clubs experience you will then be asked to fill in the feedback questionnaire by 10 April 2026. Please do not enter if your club members will not be able to engage with the activities outlined below. Key dates and involvement 27 February, noon – Closing date for book clubs to apply to shadow The Libraro Prize. All groups who pitched to be notified of outcome by 4 March 5 March, 6pm (provisional) – The Reading Agency to host a virtual meeting with two members of the six selected clubs to introduce them all to each other, set expectations and answer any questions w/c 2 March – 20 March – Book club members to read and write feedback for as many entries to The Libraro Prize as possible to help the judges create a shortlist 10 April – Questionnaire and photos from each group to be sent to The Reading Agency for final feedback for the Prize 21 April – Shortlist Announced 13 May – Winners Announced Benefits for selected book clubs -Your club will be included in two spotlight articles at the start of the shadowing process and in April. This will be shared on The Reading Agency’s Book Club Hub and on social media -Social media spotlight and content for your channels about your experience -Exclusive opportunity to hear directly from those running The Libraro Prize in a virtual meet up -Support to help your club make the most of the Libraro platform -The chance to help authors be discovered, by playing an active role in championing emerging talent -Be part of the inaugural year of The Libraro Prize -The chance to win £10,000 with the Reader Engagement Prize -We also have 2x passes that we will offer selected book clubs (first come, first serve) to London Book Fair on 10 March with a drinks reception Expectations of those involved -We will use your book club bio and photo submitted for this survey to do a Meet the Book Clubs article similar to this -Your book club members to all engage with the Libraro platform and read and leave feedback for as many entries as possible. The Libraro Prize will support you by sharing links to submissions for particular sub genres your club would like to read as well as a how to guide (2 March – 20 March) -Two members of your club to attend our exclusive virtual meet up with those involved so that you can hear directly from the Prize (tbc) -As a club, answer a questionnaire to help us capture your experience of shadowing the Prize and using the Libraro platform (10 April) How to enter To be considered, please complete the form below by 23:59 on 27 February 2026. (function(t,e,s,n){var o,a,c;t.SMCX=t.SMCX||[],e.getElementById(n)||(o=e.getElementsByTagName(s),a=o[o.length-1],c=e.createElement(s),c.type="text/javascript",c.async=!0,c.id=n,c.src="https://widget.surveymonkey.com/collect/website/js/tRaiETqnLgj758hTBazgd9WQ3UcqmOrK2hM1lRCqSPzFs_2BioqAglaqDsRztQX20u.js",a.parentNode.insertBefore(c,a))})(window,document,"script","smcx-sdk"); Create your own user feedback survey If the form does not load, please use this link to apply. More about the prize Libraro is a community-driven platform connecting writers, readers and publishers in a secure, data-driven environment. Libraro’s patented IP protection allows writers to share their stories securely, and invites readers to champion new voices and influence what gets published. Through these insights, industry professionals will discover tomorrow’s bestsellers and minimise the risk of backing something new. The Libraro Prize 2026 reimagines how authors are discovered, by giving readers an active role in championing emerging talent. The winning entry will win a £50,000 package from Libraro and a book deal with a major international publisher – Hachette UK. The value of the role that readers play is recognised with The Libraro Reader Engagement Prize worth £10,000 each where readers are incentivised to refer writers and engage with entries. Get involved Share your thoughts with us on Facebook, X and Instagram using #TheLibraroPrize and tagging @readingagency and @libraroio. Keep up with all the latest news on the Libraro website. Want to make sure you never miss the latest news? Sign up for our free monthly newsletter. https://bookclubhub.co.uk/news/book-clubs-take-part-in-the-libraro-prize-2026 https://bookclubhub.co.uk/news/book-clubs-take-part-in-the-libraro-prize-2026 Fri, 20 Feb 2026 10:00:00 +0000 It was on a very wet night in November that Jennifer Barnett and I, both public librarians working in Essex, set off from our London hotel, dressed in all our finery, to the 2025 Booker Prize Ceremony at Old Billingsgate. The invitation to attend this prestigious event, including accommodation and travel, as well as a copy of each longlisted title, was generously gifted to us as a prize for winning that year’s Booker Prize Display Competition. The Booker Prize Foundation, in partnership with The Reading Agency, run this competition annually. It is open to all public libraries in the UK, and involves creating a library display, using the Booker Prize resources e.g. posters, shelf talkers, bookmarks and digital assets, that will engage library users with the 13 longlisted titles, otherwise known as the ‘Booker Dozen’. Displays are my ‘library catnip’, and I love using my creativity to promote and highlight books and reading experiences. In recent years, I have found myself connecting with books and online reading communities such as BookTube and BookTok, and so I based my display on the Instagram reading community of Bookstagram. Using a pink, purple and yellow colour palette, I created a ‘Book(er)-stagram’ display, including Insta mobile pages for each book, with book covers, a one-line summary and all related social media tags and hashtags. We didn’t have all 13 longlisted titles in stock, so I added past winners and other books written by the longlisted authors. I located the display in our ‘Express Zone’, situated just beyond the entrance to the library, where it would achieve maximum visibility. We are, in many ways, a commuter town, and so often people just like to ‘grab and go’. The Insta-font drew people to the display, inviting them to talk to us about the books and share our predictions for the winners. Arriving at the ceremony, I spotted my first literary celebrity standing just outside. I immediately recognised him as the author of my most favourite work of adult fiction EVER! Shuggie Bain is not only a Booker Prize winning book, one that I read annually, but he is also a young man who has never left my heart! Whilst I dearly wanted the chance to speak with Douglas about Shuggie, Jennifer and I had decided that "papping” bookish celebs would not be cool, and my heart was still racing too fast to speak. The atmosphere was fizzing with excitement, and we were quite overwhelmed as we watched the many famous faces we had read about or seen on TV take their turn to be interviewed on the red carpet. Highlights included Bernadine Evaristo, Ruth Jones and Kit de Waal. We also spotted Sarah Jessica Parker and Roddy Doyle, Charles Dance as well as Jason Isaacs (a very firm highlight for Jennifer!). Inside, Old Billingsgate is an edgy blend of Victorian architecture and cast ironwork. As we enjoyed delicious canapés and actual fizz, a towering ‘Iris’—the stunningly beautiful Booker Prize trophy, designed in 1969 by Jan Pieńkowski (of Meg and Mog) and named through a reader poll after the novelist Iris Murdoch—stood elegantly above us, bringing subtle glamour to the evening. As we took our places for dinner, we met the other guests at our table who would share this experience with us. They included the winner of the parallel Booker Prize Display Competition for independent bookshops, and the lovely Kathryn and Caitlin from The Reading Agency. The food was exceptional, delicious and piping hot. This was no mean feat, considering the large number of guests, but we very much appreciated it. The ceremony was a true celebration of books and literature, with BBC Radio 4’s Front Row, hosted by Samira Ahmed, broadcasting live from the stage. Highlights included a Q&A about the judging process with Sarah Jessica Parker and Kiley Reid, filmed readings of the shortlisted titles – Katherine Parkinson’s excerpt from Audition by Katie Kitamura stood out as my favourite – and last year’s winner Samantha Harvey encouraging those who don’t win to “look forward to a wonderful year of free writing” while advising her successor to “buckle up and hire a good accountant.”   A particularly meaningful highlight of the ceremony was an address given by acclaimed author Penelope Lively. Penelope won the Booker Prize in 1987 for her novel, ‘Moon Tiger. Prior to winning the Booker Prize, Penelope won the Carnegie Medal in 1973, for her hauntingly mischievous novel, ‘The Ghost of Thomas Kempe.  As a Carnegie Medals Judge (2024/2027), I strongly believe in the transformative power of literature for children and young people and so I was even more delighted to discover the details of the new Children’s Booker Prize. The prize will be awarded annually from 2027, and supported by AKO Foundation, with an equivalent prize pot of £50,000, and aims to champion the best contemporary fiction for children aged 8-12. Alongside the prize, the Booker Foundation plans to gift at least 30,000 copies of the shortlisted and winning books, to ensure that more children can access outstanding literature. A real gesture of commitment, especially at a time when children’s enjoyment of reading is at a 20-year low . In her keynote speech Penelope quoted the poet WH Auden, who said “there are good books that are only for adults, because their comprehension presupposes adult experiences, but there are no good books that are only for children”, a sentiment I wholeheartedly share. She expanded on how writing for children was a “particular endeavour…that takes you back to where you once were yourself but endowed with the magical power of adult expression”. Penelope’s keynote address, delivered on such a prestigious and influential platform, conveyed the important message that reading and literacy for children and young people is not only important from an academic perspective, but is also of essential cultural value. As chair of the judges, it then fell to Roddy Doyle, with his erudite insight and warm wit, to announce Flesh by David Szalay as the 2025 Booker Prize winner. David was clearly shell-shocked as he was led up to the podium to collect his Iris trophy. After thanking those that had supported him in getting ‘Flesh’ to publication, he reflected on the value risk, both in terms of the risk’s writers take and the ones taken by publishers when selecting authors and stories to work with. Szalay shared that he had abandoned the 80,000-word novel he had been working on or, “piece of unsuccessful writing” to focus on Flesh and struggled with huge personal pressure to complete it. He thanked Oshoya, his wife, the “only other witness to this”, and said she would be “equally bewildered that those rather bleak times and this glittering evening, are somehow part of the same process and the same experience.” In his speech, Roddy Doyle compared the re-reading of books as a judge to listening to a great album on repeat. Words, phrases, harmony and dissonance all previously unheard, start to find their way to the reader. I reflected on how this chimed with my own experience as a Carnegie Medals judge and instantly added ‘Flesh’ to my TBR-R list. Another bonus of the evening was when Kathryn from The Reading Agency kindly introduced me to Simon Savidge from Savidge Reads. I’ve followed Simon since his blogging days in the early 2000’s and am always willing to give any book he recommends a go! I congratulated him on becoming an Honorary Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature and we chatted about his commitment to and enthusiasm for public libraries. Obviously, I had to ask him about the wonderful Louise Savidge Muses and what it was like working with your equally bookish mum. His face lit up with a smile, making it obvious that their bond—seen as banter and giggles on screen—is genuine and not just for the phone camera they record on. Jennifer and I spent the rest of the evening people-watching and having our photographs taken on the red carpet, with Iris, and with the large title banner for Flesh. Alongside our individual table cards and menus, the a-may-zing Booker Prize tote filled with treats from Fortnum & Mason and a shortlisted title, these photos are now mementos of a truly special evening of pure bookish joy! We are both thankful to The Booker Prize Foundation and The Reading Agency for this opportunity and would definitely encourage others to get display-creative – your future self will be so pleased you did! Get involved If you would like to take part in this year’s International Booker Prize display competition, and be in with a chance to win tickets to the ceremony in May, please order a pack from our shop and email a photo of your display to campaigns@readingagency.org.uk. https://bookclubhub.co.uk/news/hear-from-the-librarian-who-won-the-booker-prize-2025-display-competition https://bookclubhub.co.uk/news/hear-from-the-librarian-who-won-the-booker-prize-2025-display-competition Thu, 19 Feb 2026 14:00:00 +0000 As the International Booker celebrates 10 years in its current form, take a look back on a decade of powerful, prize-winning works, translated from 10 different original languages. It’s a decade since The Vegetarian – written by Han Kang and translated from Korean into English by Deborah Smith – won the International Booker Prize in 2016. Kang has since been awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature and, in her words, been able to ‘reach a wider readership in different cultures’. Nine more outstanding works of translated fiction have gone on to win the prize since. 2016 was an important moment for translated fiction. Established in 2005, the Man Booker International Prize, as it was then known, began as a biennial award, presented to an author for their entire body of work, and there was no stipulation that they write in a language other than English. When, in 2014, the Booker Prize had expanded to include authors of any nationality writing in English, the International Booker Prize was able to evolve into its current shape: an annual award for a single book, written in another language and translated into English, and published in the UK and/or Ireland. The award gives equal recognition to authors and translators, with the prize money split 50:50. Most of us have towering to-be-read piles – why read translated fiction especially? Samuel McDowell, publisher at Charco Press, argues that, like all books, translated fiction offers us ‘the opportunity for escapism, for adventure, to have a laugh, and to be provoked… What translation offers on top of this is the ability to experience it all from someone who perhaps has had very different life experiences… It helps us better understand and appreciate each other.’ These are immersive books that create connections, beyond borders. Viv Groskop, an International Booker Prize judge in 2022, says, ‘There’s something magical about translated fiction… It’s one of the most direct and intimate human experiences we can share with someone who has a different native language to us. I’m in awe of the translators who facilitate that connection.’ In his book The Philosophy of Translation, the International Booker Prize-shortlisted translator Damion Searls explores both the theory and practice of his work. He explains, ‘Everything I do is a case of believing that one language can and always will carry traces of another, that the boundaries are permeable, and that English is capacious enough for “other” languages.’ Explore the reading list for your guide to the 10 books, authors and translators awarded the International Booker Prize since 2016, and a route into a world where boundaries are permeable and magical things happen. These are books that are – in the words of the judges – exquisite, surprising, subversive, disturbing, mischievous, gleeful, frightening, playful, luminous and kaleidoscopic. Vote for your favourite International Booker Prize-winning book International Booker would love to know which of the winning books since 2016 is your favourite and why, as well as offering one lucky person the chance to win a bundle of all 10 prize-winning books. Find out more and vote for your favourite before Tuesday, 21 April 2026. Get involved If you work in a library or workplace, celebrate The International Booker Prize 2026 by ordering a free print and digital pack from our shop by midday, 25 February. What do you think of all winning titles from the past decade? Will any make your TBR pile? Add your comments below! Share your thoughts with us on Facebook, X and Instagram using #InternationalBooker2026. Keep up with all the latest news on the Booker Prizes website. Want to make sure you never miss the latest book club news? Sign up for our free monthly newsletter. https://bookclubhub.co.uk/news/the-international-booker-prize-10th-anniversary https://bookclubhub.co.uk/news/the-international-booker-prize-10th-anniversary Mon, 16 Feb 2026 10:00:00 +0000 The next book to be featured this season on the Sara Cox Radio 2 Book Club is Keeper of Lost Children by Sadeqa Johnson—a sweeping story of one woman’s dream in post-World War II Germany and the three lives it changes forever. The book will be released on 12 February and Sadeqa’s interview with Sara is on BBC Sounds from Tuesday 10 February. Read an exclusive extract. We have 10 copies to give away to one lucky book club – to enter, visit our offers page. Not yet a member of Book Club Hub? Sign up now. Keeper of Lost Children In the smouldering ruins of post-war Germany, Ethel Gathers – an American woman longing for a child – spots a group of mixed-race children following a nun through the cobbled streets. Compelled by a force she can’t explain, Ethel follows them and uncovers a hidden community of abandoned children, born to Black soldiers and German women. Determined to help, Ethel’s actions set off a chain of events that will echo across generations. In 1948, Ozzie Philips volunteers for the U.S. Army. But in Occupied Germany, he finds that the racism he tried to escape has crossed the ocean with him. Then he meets Jelka, a German woman navigating her own grief in a shattered country. Their connection, immediate and intense, changes everything. By 1965, fifteen-year-old Sophia Clark is chosen to join a prestigious boarding school. When a chance encounter with a classmate reveals a deeply buried truth, Sophia begins a journey to unravel her past and find her place in the world. Against the odds and across continents and decades, these three characters’ lives collide – their fates forever altered. About the author Sadeqa Johnson, a former public relations manager, spent several years working with well-known authors such as J.K. Rowling, Bebe Moore Campbell, Amy Tan and Bishop T.D. Jakes before becoming an author herself. She is the international bestselling author of five novels and the recipient of the National Book Club Award, the Phillis Wheatley Award and the USA Best Book Award for best fiction. Her most recent novel, Yellow Wife, was named by Oprah Magazine as “27 of 2021 Most Anticipated Winter Historical Fiction books.” Yellow Wife was also a 2021 Goodreads Choice Award finalist for historical fiction, a 2022 Hurston/Wright Foundation Legacy finalist, a BCALA Literary Honoree, the Library of Virginia’s Literary People’s Choice Award winner, and a Barnes & Noble book club pick in paperback. Sadeqa’s novels have received starred reviews from Kirkus and Library Journal and have been featured in top reads lists by NBC News.com, Good Housekeeping, Christian Science Monitor, Reader’s Digest, Off The Shelf, W Magazine, Country Living, Hollywood Life, Parade, She Reads, and many others. She is a passionate public speaker, writing coach and Kimbilo Fellow. She teaches for the MFA program at Drexel University and is a writing mentor for Story Summit. Originally from Philadelphia, Sadeqa currently lives near Richmond, Virginia, with her husband and three children. Get involved To hear all the author interviews and other Book Club features, subscribe to the BBC Sounds podcast. Planning to buy Keeper of Lost Children for your book club? Buy books from Bookshop.org and support The Reading Agency and local bookshops at no extra cost to you. Want to make sure you get the latest news? Follow us on X, Facebook and Instagram. Never miss the latest book club news – sign up for our free monthly newsletter. https://bookclubhub.co.uk/news/radio-2-book-club-keeper-of-lost-children https://bookclubhub.co.uk/news/radio-2-book-club-keeper-of-lost-children Wed, 11 Feb 2026 10:00:00 +0000 The first book to be featured this season on the Sara Cox Radio 2 Book Club is This Book Made Me Think of You by Libby Page—an utterly charming romance that finds grieving Tilly learning to love again with the help of twelve posthumously selected titles from her late husband. The book will be released on 29 January and Libby’s interview with Sara is on BBC Sounds from Tuesday 27 January. Read an exclusive extract. We have 10 copies to give away to one lucky book club – to enter, visit our offers page. Not yet a member of Book Club Hub? Sign up now. This Book Made Me Think of You Twelve stories. Twelve months. Once chance to heal her heart… When Tilly Nightingale receives a call telling her there’s a birthday gift from her husband waiting for her at her local bookshop, it couldn’t come as more of a shock. Partly, because she can’t remember the last time she read a book for pleasure. Mainly, because Joe died five months ago… The gift is simple – twelve carefully chosen books from Joe, one for each month, to help her turn the page on her first year without him. And so, begins a reading-inspired journey that takes Tilly around the world; from bustling sidewalks in New York and the tree-lined avenues of Paris to the tranquil Tuscan countryside and the white sands of Bali. With the help of the bookshop owner, Alfie, Tilly starts to discover who she is now, after Joe. But can Tilly’s year of books show her how to love again? About the author Libby Page is the Sunday Times bestselling author of The Lido, The 24-Hour Café, The Island Home, The Vintage Shop and The Lifeline. This Book Made Me Think of You is her sixth novel. She lives in Somerset with her husband and young son. A word from Libby “I couldn’t be happier to learn that This Book Made Me Think of You has been chosen for the BBC Radio 2 Book Club. The book is my love letter to reading, and to all the bookish champions who do so much to get the right books into the hands of the right readers, so it means a lot to know it connected with the librarians who had the challenging task of choosing the final list. For a book that explores the joy, adventure and escapism of reading, it feels very poignant to have the support of The Reading Agency and the BBC Radio 2 Book Club, who each do so much to celebrate books, the people who tell them and all those who love to read them. My heartfelt thanks, from this very happy ‘library mouse’ (if you read the book you’ll understand the reference!).” Get involved To hear all the author interviews and other Book Club features, subscribe to the BBC Sounds podcast. Planning to buy This Book Made Me Think of You for your book club? Buy books from Bookshop.org and support The Reading Agency and local bookshops at no extra cost to you. Want to make sure you get the latest news? Follow us on X, Facebook and Instagram. Never miss the latest book club news – sign up for our free monthly newsletter. https://bookclubhub.co.uk/news/radio-2-book-club-this-book-made-me-think-of-you https://bookclubhub.co.uk/news/radio-2-book-club-this-book-made-me-think-of-you Wed, 28 Jan 2026 10:00:00 +0000 The Libraro Prize 2026 in Partnership with Hachette UK. Win a £50,000 package from Libraro and a book deal with a major international publisher, Hachette UK. Are you a writer who is ready to become a published author? Libraro have teamed up with Hachette UK to find the next fiction or crossover YA bestseller. The Libraro Prize 2026 reimagines how authors are discovered, by giving readers an active role in championing emerging talent. The winning entry will win a £50,000 package from Libraro and a book deal with a major international publisher – Hachette UK. The value of the role that readers play is recognised with two Reader Prizes, The Libraro Reader Referral Prize and The Libraro Reader Engagement Prize worth £10,000 each where readers are incentivised to refer writers and engage with entries. Enter The Libraro Prize 2026 for FREE before the 16th of February for a chance to win. Enter for FREE by 16th February for your chance to win! Find out more and submit your manuscript. About Libraro Libraro is a community-driven platform connecting writers, readers and publishers in a secure, data-driven environment. Libraro’s patented IP protection allows writers to share their stories securely, and invites readers to champion new voices and influence what gets published. Through these insights, industry professionals will discover tomorrow’s bestsellers and minimise the risk of backing something new. The Libraro Prize 2026 Publishing Partner: Hachette UK Win a £50,000 package from Libraro and a book deal with a major international publisher – Hachette UK. Libraro has teamed up with Hachette UK to find the next fiction or crossover YA bestseller! Hachette UK’s mission is to make it easy for everyone to discover new worlds of ideas, learning, entertainment and opportunity. Hachette UK is the UK’s second largest publishing group with 10 autonomous divisions and over 50 imprints with a rich and diverse history. They are the market leader in e-books and publish a range of bestsellers in audio format. Hachette UK publishes thousands of new books across the group every year and their authors include Rebecca Yarros, Stephen King, Alice Oseman, John Grisham, Adam Kay, Val McDermid, David Nicholls, J.K. Rowling, Ian Rankin, and Malala Yousafzai. Hachette UK’s award-winning adult publishing divisions are Little, Brown, Orion, John Murray Press, Hodder & Stoughton, Headline, Bookouture and Octopus. Hachette Children’s Group publishes a diverse range of books for children of all ages and Hachette Learning is a market leader in high-quality educational materials and services. Learn more about Hachette UK. Key Dates & Prizes for Writers & Readers Entries Open to Writers: 19 January 2026 Writer Entries Close: 15 February 2026 (Midnight GMT) Reader Referral Prize Opens: 19 January 2026 Reader Referral Prize Closes: 15 February 2026 (Midnight GMT) Reader Engagement Prize Opens: 19 February 2026 Reader Engagement Prize Closes: 20 March 2026 (Midnight GMT) Shortlist Announced: 21 April 2026 Winners Announced: 13 May 2026 The Libraro Prize 2026 (Writers) 19 Jan 2026 – 15 Feb 2026 Are you a writer who is ready to become a published author? Win a £50,000 package from Libraro and a book deal with a major international publisher - Hachette UK. The Libraro Prize 2026 is designed to discover the next bestselling fiction or crossover YA book, written in the English language. The Libraro Prize is open to entrants worldwide aged 18+. Terms and conditions apply. Enter before the 16th of February. Entries close Midnight 15 February. Find out more. Reader Referral Prize 19 Jan 2026 – 15 Feb 2026 Do you know a writer who you think deserves to win The Libraro Prize 2026? Win £10,000 by referring a writer to enter the Libraro Prize 2026, by using the link provided within your account. If the writer you invite goes on to win the publishing deal with Hachette UK, you will be eligible to receive the £10,000 Reader Referral Prize. Terms and conditions apply. Refer your writer before the 16th of February. Find out more. Reader Engagement Prize 19 Feb 2026 – 20 Mar 2026 Are you a reader who champions writers and helps their stories shine? Win £10,000 by actively engaging with entries in the Libraro Prize 2026. The Libraro Reader Engagement Prize will reward the reader who most actively engages with the Prize entries on the Libraro Platform and social media with £10,000. Terms and conditions apply. Start engaging from the 19th of February until 20th of March. Find out more. Libraro & The Reading Agency The partnership between The Reading Agency Libraro reflects a shared belief in reading as participation, creating more opportunities for people to engage with books, discover new writers and shape a vibrant culture of reading. Get involved What do you think of The Libraro Prize 2026? Will you enter for the prizes? Add your comments below! Share your thoughts with us on Facebook, X and Instagram using #TheLibraroPrize and tagging @readingagency and @libraroio. Keep up with all the latest news on the Libraro website. Want to make sure you never miss the latest news? Sign up for our free monthly newsletter. https://bookclubhub.co.uk/news/the-libraro-prize-2026 https://bookclubhub.co.uk/news/the-libraro-prize-2026 Mon, 19 Jan 2026 14:00:00 +0000 The first book to be featured this season on the Sara Cox Radio 2 Book Club is The Poet Empress by Shen Tao—a sensational debut that enthrals with its fierce meditation on love, power, and survival through art. The book will be released on 20 January and Shen’s interview with Sara is on BBC Sounds from Tuesday 13 January. Read an exclusive extract. We have 10 copies to give away to one lucky book club – to enter, visit our offers page. Not yet a member of Book Club Hub? Sign up now. The Poet Empress Young rice farmer Yin Wei was forced to become concubine to Prince Guan Terren – a monstrous wielder of poetry magic, and heir to the Azalea throne – to save her family from the famine blighting the land of Tensha. Now confined to the imperial court, Terren’s cruelty is not the only danger Wei faces. He and his honourable older brother are locked in a deadly succession war, while Terren’s thirty concubines are fighting a war of their own, for the position of future empress. To survive, Wei must harden her heart, rely on her wit, and become dangerous herself – even if it means learning the one forbidden poem that can kill Terren and save both herself and the nation. But there’s a problem – for the spell to work against a man she hates, it must be written with love. About the author Shen Tao immigrated to Canada at an early age and grew up inspired by both Chinese and Western stories. She has wanted to be a writer for as long as she can remember. _The Poet Empress_ is her first book. The Poet Empress was acquired by Tor in the US and Gollancz were engaged in a six-way auction for rights in the UK. A word from Shen “Dear Sara and the BBC Radio 2 Book Club, thank you so much for choosing The Poet Empress for your readers. It was the biggest thrill and honour for my debut novel to be noticed by a book club as illustrious as yours, and especially by the librarians making up the panel. I actually wrote my first book in a library, at age 17 (The Poet Empress is my ninth). The summer after high school, I got my parents to drop me off every day at the local public library, the same one I grew up visiting, at eight in the morning and pick me up at five, and slowly but surely, in the quiet between bookshelves and the murmurings of patrons, I finished my first ever manuscript. The Poet Empress is the book of my heart and I’m beyond excited for it to reach so many more readers. Thank you to everyone in this incredible world of books, I’m very grateful.” Get involved To hear all the author interviews and other Book Club features, subscribe to the BBC Sounds podcast. Planning to buy The Poet Empress for your book club? Buy books from Bookshop.org and support The Reading Agency and local bookshops at no extra cost to you. Want to make sure you get the latest news? Follow us on X, Facebook and Instagram. Never miss the latest book club news – sign up for our free monthly newsletter. https://bookclubhub.co.uk/news/radio-2-book-club-the-poet-empress https://bookclubhub.co.uk/news/radio-2-book-club-the-poet-empress Wed, 14 Jan 2026 10:00:00 +0000 The Radio 2 Book Club has just announced the Winter Season booklist! As well as coverage on Sara’s show, and other shows on Radio 2, there is a weekly podcast on BBC Sounds. The Radio 2 Book Club’s weekly podcast will shine a light on some of the best new fiction being published in the UK, across all genres. The books are chosen with help from library staff and other reading experts from across the UK to ensure a fair and unbiased selection process. As it always has done, the Radio 2 Book Club will champion new voices as well as featuring some of the most popular authors writing today, with a range of novels that listeners will love. Sara will also get an insight into the craft and writing process of the chosen authors and hear from listeners about what they have been reading and enjoying too. We’re delighted to share the eight books that will be featured in this season of the Radio 2 Book Club with Sara Cox: The Poet Empress by Shen Tao Young rice farmer Yin Wei was forced to become concubine to Prince Guan Terren – a monstrous wielder of poetry magic, and heir to the Azalea throne – to save her family from the famine blighting the land of Tensha. Now confined to the imperial court, Terren’s cruelty is not the only danger Wei faces. He and his honourable older brother are locked in a deadly succession war, while Terren’s thirty concubines are fighting a war of their own, for the position of future empress. To survive, Wei must harden her heart, rely on her wit, and become dangerous herself – even if it means learning the one forbidden poem that can kill Terren and save both herself and the nation. But there’s a problem – for the spell to work against a man she hates, it must be written with love. Reader comments “Absolutely packed full of action and emotion, this one had me on the edge of my seat!” “The visuals in this book are gorgeous. I loved the way the fantasy setting allowed the author to amplify the beauty of the world.” “This was such a well written, eloquent, immersive debut whose ending I did not see coming!” This Book Made Me Think of You by Libby Page Twelve stories. Twelve months. Once chance to heal her heart… When Tilly Nightingale receives a call telling her there’s a birthday gift from her husband waiting for her at her local bookshop, it couldn’t come as more of a shock. Partly, because she can’t remember the last time she read a book for pleasure. Mainly, because Joe died five months ago… The gift is simple – twelve carefully chosen books from Joe, one for each month, to help her turn the page on her first year without him. And so, begins a reading-inspired journey that takes Tilly around the world; from bustling sidewalks in New York and the tree-lined avenues of Paris to the tranquil Tuscan countryside and the white sands of Bali. With the help of the bookshop owner, Alfie, Tilly starts to discover who she is now, after Joe. But can Tilly’s year of books show her how to love again? Reader comments “This was a heartwarming story that felt like a warm cup of tea.” “I’d happily reread this book again and again and I’ll definitely be recommending this read for years to come, both personally and professionally.” “Engaging and entertaining.” Keeper of Lost Children by Sadeqa Johnson In the smouldering ruins of post-war Germany, Ethel Gathers – an American woman longing for a child – spots a group of mixed-race children following a nun through the cobbled streets. Compelled by a force she can’t explain, Ethel follows them and uncovers a hidden community of abandoned children, born to Black soldiers and German women. Determined to help, Ethel’s actions set off a chain of events that will echo across generations. In 1948, Ozzie Philips volunteers for the U.S. Army. But in Occupied Germany, he finds that the racism he tried to escape has crossed the ocean with him. Then he meets Jelka, a German woman navigating her own grief in a shattered country. Their connection, immediate and intense, changes everything. By 1965, fifteen-year-old Sophia Clark is chosen to join a prestigious boarding school. When a chance encounter with a classmate reveals a deeply buried truth, Sophia begins a journey to unravel her past and find her place in the world. Against the odds and across continents and decades, these three characters’ lives collide – their fates forever altered. Reader comments “Beautiful, engaging, heart-breaking and heart-warming. I loved it.” “Each and every character’s storyline made me want to keep reading. Every one of them fascinated me and drove me to keep turning the page.” “This book is very well written and emotional. I’d recommend it to anyone.” Saoirse by Charleen Hurtubise In the wilds of Donegal, Ireland, 1999, Saoirse is an artist living an outwardly idyllic life. Her tender husband Daithí and two beloved daughters are regular subjects for her work, and in them she has found the safe home that she has always longed for. She tends not to talk about her past, and those that love her have learned to accept that the full story is too painful for her to disclose. When her Dublin exhibition unexpectedly wins a prestigious award that invites a swarm of publicity, Saoirse is left panic stricken. The unanticipated recognition threatens to expose a decade’s worth of buried memories and past crimes. Because what her family and friends don’t know is that Saoirse has been on the run since she was seventeen, she has stolen an identity to survive, and whilst Ireland might now be her home, it wasn’t her first – and now her past life is poised to reclaim her. The novel weaves between flashbacks to a complicated childhood in Michigan, and Saoirse’s journey to and in Ireland to forge safety for herself. Reader comments “I enjoyed this compelling tale of reinvention, love and triumph over the odds.” “This is a quietly haunting but beautiful novel.” “A wonderful quiet book that explores the nuances of life and how events can expose secrets. So beautifully written: very evocative prose with a plot that is relevant and believable.” Minbak by Ela Lee Incheon, South Korea, 1985. The country is revolting against a dictatorship, but in the local boarding-house, the chaos inside is only just beginning. When Hana is pulled from school to work in her family’s minbak, all she wants is to escape her small town. When she finally does, she leaves as an exile, a ruin, or a martyr, depending on who you ask. Her mother Youngia is left behind with the torment of both of their decisions. London, 2008. Ada knows little about her mother, Hana. When tragedy hits, Hana has no choice but to move her daughter and ailing mother into a single room and turn the rest of their home into a minbak. As the past collides with the present, Ada is determined to unearth her mother’s secrets. But her obsession will lead to a discovery that unravels not just her family’s dark past, but that of an entire country’s. From Korea’s industrial estates to London’s suburbs, the three women cross continents and generations to find truth, forgiveness and compassion. Reader comments “Poignant and immersive, Minbak confirms Ela Lee as a writer deeply attuned to the emotional undercurrents of family, history, and the search for self.” “This book made me walk a mile in another’s shoes.” “There’s a lot in this book and it is moving and engrossing.” This Story Might Save Your Life by Tiffany Crum Benny and Joy like to say that they’ve been saving each other’s lives since the moment they met… Until the day Joy disappears and Benny is accused of her murder. Best friends Benny and Joy host a beloved ‘comedy survival’ podcast, gleefully finding life-affirming humour in near-death experiences. When Benny arrives at Joy and her husband’s home one morning to record, he finds shattered glass and an empty house. With Joy missing and the hours ticking by, not even their most devoted fans could guess the terrible secrets they have hidden from the world – and from each other. If Benny wants to find Joy in time, and clear his own name, he’ll have to solve the highest stakes survival story yet. Reader comments “This was fresh, innovative, I don’t think I’ve read anything quite like it before.” “I absolutely devoured this book—it was one of those rare thrillers that pulls you in from the very first page and doesn’t let go.” “Fantastic debut novel about two friends who run a comedy survival podcast, finding life-affirming humour in near-death experiences.” Under Water by Tara Menon When six-year-old Marissa loses her mother, she is taken by her father to live on a small Thai island in the Andaman Sea. There, she forms a deep friendship with Arielle and together they explore the fragile wonders of its forests, reefs, and beaches. Holding their breath for minutes at a time, they learn to dive into the deep, as effortlessly synchronized as the manta rays they come to know by name. Then, on Boxing Day 2004, when the Indian Ocean tsunami makes landfall, they are swept up by the first wave and separated. Eight years later, Marissa is living in New York. She spends her days wandering through the city and her nights seeking solace in the beds of strangers. As the city prepares for a devastating storm, Marissa reflects on her past and learns how to sustain herself in a precarious world. Reader comments “The whole book is written with such a light hand. But you will come away with lots of thoughts.” " The ebb and flow of the anecdotes was like the sea – which is very central to the story." “A beautiful novel of grief, nature and the devastating effects of the Boxing Day Tsunami.” Love Lane by Patrick Gale A reunion. A journey. A longing for a place called home… When veteran Canadian wheat farmer, Harry Cane, is obliged to sell up and sail home to an England transformed by two world wars, his arrival triggers unwelcome self-examination for the family he abandoned, and for whom he has never been more than a distant myth. His daughter feels duty bound to take him in but is riven with doubt and ambushed by a long-buried anger she has never before expressed. Harry’s effect on the next generation is less predictable, and enables his granddaughter to deal with an unspeakable trauma, while her gentle husband feels seen for who he truly is. Can Harry stay and make a new life before it’s too late, or will he find himself cast out again, punished for having witnessed and understood too much? Reader comments “This is a beautiful story of love, loss and what it means to find contentment, acceptance, and happiness.” “A story of escape and entrapment, and a powerful exploration of what home and family can really be.” “The story is told with such ease that it lulls you into thinking it’s nothing special, but the impact is strong, and the messages well-delivered.” For all the latest Book Club content, including interviews with the authors, visit BBC Sounds. You can even subscribe, to make sure you never miss an episode! Planning to buy any of these books for your book club? Buy books from Bookshop.org and support The Reading Agency and local bookshops at no extra cost to you. Keep visiting our News page as well as social media to find out more. You can follow us on X, Facebook and Instagram. https://bookclubhub.co.uk/news/radio-2-book-club-winter-season-with-sara-cox-2025 https://bookclubhub.co.uk/news/radio-2-book-club-winter-season-with-sara-cox-2025 Tue, 13 Jan 2026 16:00:00 +0000 The Booker Prizes celebrates the world’s most outstanding fiction, whether written in or translated into English, and each month they shine a spotlight on a different book from the Booker Library. The first Monthly Spotlight of the year is Elizabeth Strout’s My Name is Lucy Barton, and includes an interview with the author and an in-depth reading guide, an extract from the opening chapter":https://bit.ly/4btAX3A and a chance to win one of five copies of the book. We will be sharing the Booker Prizes Monthly Spotlight for you to enjoy each month. Introducing the Booker Prizes January Monthly Spotlight: My Name is Lucy Barton by Elizabeth Strout. An estranged mother and daughter attempt to reconnect in My Name is Lucy Barton by Elizabeth Strout, longlisted for the Booker Prize in 2016. Lucy Barton is slowly recovering in hospital from what should have been a simple operation. Her mother, who she hasn’t spoken to in many years, comes to see her. The unexpected visit forces Lucy to confront the tension and longing that have informed every aspect of her life: her impoverished childhood in rural Amgash, her escape to New York City, her faltering marriage – and her love for her own two daughters. Born in Portland, Maine, acclaimed American author Elizabeth Strout has written 10 novels to date, five of which feature Lucy Barton. A decade after My Name is Lucy Barton was nominated for the Booker Prize, Strout reflects on where the character of Lucy came from, the importance of surprise, and why the novel is, in many ways, a mother-daughter love story. Get involved Share your thoughts with us on Facebook, X and Instagram using #BookerPrize2025. Keep up with all the latest news on the Booker Prizes website. Want to make sure you never miss the latest book club news? Sign up for our free monthly newsletter. https://bookclubhub.co.uk/news/the-booker-prizes-monthly-spotlight-january-2026 https://bookclubhub.co.uk/news/the-booker-prizes-monthly-spotlight-january-2026 Wed, 07 Jan 2026 10:00:00 +0000 The final book to be featured this season on the Sara Cox Radio 2 Book Club is The White Octopus Hotel by Alexandra Bell—a spellbinding historical romance blending mystery, art and time travel, set in a magical hotel in the Swiss Alps. The book was released on 28 October and Alexandra’s interview with Sara is on BBC Sounds from Tuesday 23 December. Not yet a member of Book Club Hub? Sign up now. The White Octopus Hotel ‘Have you travelled a long way?’ she asked carefully. A smile twitched at the corner of his mouth. ‘Well, yes,” he said slowly. ‘Yes, you could say that. But it was worth the wait.’ London, 2015 When reclusive art appraiser Eve Shaw shakes the hand of a silver-haired gentleman in her London office, the warmth of his palm sends a spark through her. His name is Max Everly – curiously, the same name as Eve’s favourite composer, born one hundred sixteen years prior. And she can’t shake the feeling that she’s held his hand before . . . but where, and when? The White Octopus Hotel, 1935 Decades earlier, high in the snowy Swiss Alps, Eve and a young Max Everly wander the winding halls of the grand belle epoque White Octopus Hotel, lost in time. Each of them has been through the trenches – Eve in a family accident and Max on the battlefields of the Great War – but for an impossible moment, love and healing are just a room away . . . if only they have the courage to step through the door. About the author Alexandra Bell studied Law at university and signed her first book deal at nineteen. Since then, she has written multiple books for both adults and young people. She works at a legal advice charity and lives in Hampshire with her husband, sons, and Sphynx cats. Get involved To hear all the author interviews and other Book Club features, subscribe to the BBC Sounds podcast. Planning to buy The White Octopus Hotel for your book club? Buy books from Bookshop.org and support The Reading Agency and local bookshops at no extra cost to you. Want to make sure you get the latest news? Follow us on X, Facebook and Instagram. Never miss the latest book club news – sign up for our free monthly newsletter. https://bookclubhub.co.uk/news/radio-2-book-club-the-white-octopus-hotel https://bookclubhub.co.uk/news/radio-2-book-club-the-white-octopus-hotel Wed, 24 Dec 2025 10:00:00 +0000 The Booker Prizes celebrates the world’s most outstanding fiction, whether written in or translated into English, and each month they shine a spotlight on a different book from the Booker Library. The final Monthly Spotlight of the year is Anna Burns’ Milkman, and includes an article about Milkman by Northern Irish writer Colin Crummy and an in-depth reading guide, an extract from the beginning of the novel":https://bit.ly/3XOX64v and a chance to win one of five copies of the book. We will be sharing the Booker Prizes Monthly Spotlight for you to enjoy each month. Introducing the Booker Prizes December Monthly Spotlight: Milkman by Anna Burns. As amusing as it is menacing, Milkman is set in an unnamed city in 1970s Northern Ireland. Our protagonist, known only as middle sister, is a bookish young woman who, unintentionally, stands out in a community where to be different is dangerous. Middle sister attracts the unwelcome attention of an older man known as the milkman. He begins to stalk her, unleashing a wave of gossip and wilful ignorance, and inaction that has enormous consequences. Anna Burns was the first Northern Irish writer to win the Booker Prize. She lived in Belfast during the Troubles, and her experiences shaped the novel: ‘I grew up in a place that was rife with violence, distrust and paranoia, and peopled by individuals trying to navigate and survive in that world as best as they could.’ When asked why they picked Milkman as the winner, the 2018 judges said the novel was ‘extraordinary’, ‘unusual’, ‘fearless’ and ‘inventive’. The Booker Prize 2025 The 2025 winner for the Booker Prize —the world’s most significant award for a single work of fiction—has been announced as Flesh by David Slazay! Find out more about the winner here and grab your winner digital pack here. A reminder of the shortlist here. Look back at the longlist here Get involved Share your thoughts with us on Facebook, X and Instagram using #BookerPrize2025. Keep up with all the latest news on the Booker Prizes website. Want to make sure you never miss the latest book club news? Sign up for our free monthly newsletter. https://bookclubhub.co.uk/news/the-booker-prizes-monthly-spotlight-december-2025 https://bookclubhub.co.uk/news/the-booker-prizes-monthly-spotlight-december-2025 Thu, 11 Dec 2025 10:00:00 +0000 The next book to be featured this season on the Sara Cox Radio 2 Book Club is The Merge by Grace Walker—a striking debut which asks: what if two consciousnesses could be joined together into one person – two people in one head and body? And if so, who would you choose to ‘merge’ with? The book was released on 6 November and Grace’s interview with Sara is on BBC Sounds from Tuesday 9 December. Read an exclusive extract. We have 10 copies to give away to one lucky book club – to enter, visit our offers page. Not yet a member of Book Club Hub? Sign up now. The Merge Once the process begins, there can be no going back, we will always be together… Laurie is sixty-five and living with Alzheimer’s. Her daughter Amelia can’t bear to see her mother’s mind fade. Faced with the reality of losing her forever, Amelia signs them up to take part in the world’s first experimental merging process for Alzheimer’s patients, in which Laurie’s ailing mind will be transferred into Amelia’s healthy body and their consciousness will be blended as one. Soon Amelia and Laurie join a group of other merge participants: teenage Lucas, who plans to merge with his terminally ill brother Noah; Ben, who will merge with his pregnant fiancée Annie; and Jay, whose merging partner is his unwilling addict daughter Lara. As they prepare to move to The Village, a luxurious rehabilitation centre for those who have merged, they quickly begin to question whether everything is really as it seems. About the author Grace Walker is an English teacher living in Surrey with a background in video production. The Merge is her first novel. A word from Grace “When I found out The Merge had been chosen for the BBC Radio 2 Book Club, I felt a surreal mix of excitement, disbelief, and gratitude. The Radio 2 Book Club has always felt like one of those iconic milestones writers quietly dream about, and to know that The Merge will now be shared, discussed, and lived with by reading groups across the country means more to me than I can easily put into words. This is a novel that asks intimate questions about identity, connection, and what it means to share a life, or a mind, with another person, and the idea of those questions being explored collectively, in book clubs and libraries, feels like the most meaningful home it could have.” “Libraries have always been vital spaces for stories, but also for people. They are places of discovery, refuge, curiosity, and community, and the work librarians do, connecting readers with books they didn’t yet know they needed, is extraordinary. To have The Merge chosen by library staff and reading experts, people whose first loyalty is always to readers and their communities, is a profound honour. I’m incredibly grateful to the librarians and reading groups who have welcomed The Merge onto their shelves, and I hope it sparks thoughtful, generous, and memorable conversations wherever it’s read. Thank you SO much for selecting The Merge – you’ve made this writer oh so happy!” Get involved To hear all the author interviews and other Book Club features, subscribe to the BBC Sounds podcast. Planning to buy The Merge for your book club? Buy books from Bookshop.org and support The Reading Agency and local bookshops at no extra cost to you. Want to make sure you get the latest news? Follow us on X, Facebook and Instagram. Never miss the latest book club news – sign up for our free monthly newsletter. https://bookclubhub.co.uk/news/radio-2-book-club-the-merge https://bookclubhub.co.uk/news/radio-2-book-club-the-merge Wed, 10 Dec 2025 11:00:00 +0000 Historian Hannah Durkin has been named the winner of the Wolfson History Prize 2025 for her immersive and revelatory history of the last survivors of the Atlantic slave trade: Survivors: The Lost Stories of the Last Captives of the Atlantic Slave Trade. The winner of the most prestigious history writing prize in the UK was announced at a ceremony in central London. Durkin was awarded £50,000, and celebrated alongside the other five shortlisted authors who each took home £5,000. Recognising the best history writing of the previous year that combines the highest quality of research with readability for a general audience, the judges of the Wolfson History Prize 2025 were Mary Beard, Sudhir Hazareesingh, Helen King and Diarmaid MacC ulloch, with the panel chaired by David Cannadine. On the 2025 winning title, the judges said: A superb reconstruction of the lives of the survivors of the slave ship, Clotilda. This searing book conveys the survivors’ sufferings and remarkable resilience, bringing to life their personal stories in a compelling way. David Cannadine, chair of the Wolfson History Prize judges said: Survivors is a powerful, moving and revelatory account of the African captives taken aboard the Clotilda, the last ship of the Atlantic slave trade. Durkin draws on meticulous research to shed light on the survivors’ personal stories, demonstrating how they faced loss and adversity with strength and resilience, and calling our attention to their legacy. We wish to express our warmest congratulations to Hannah Durkin on winning this year’s Wolfson History Prize. About the book Survivors is an immersive and revelatory history of the survivors of the Clotilda, the last ship of the Atlantic slave trade, whose lives diverged and intersected in profound ways. Combining history, biography and social commentary, and drawing on Durkin’s intensive research, Survivors is an epic work that tells the stories of the Clotilda’s 110 captives. Some of the survivors lived well into the twentieth century, making them the last witnesses to the final act of a terrible and significant period in world history. A tour de force that deepens knowledge and understanding of the Atlantic slave trade and its far-reaching influence on life today, Survivors has been described by The Times’ Pratinav Anil as “Gripping … a remarkably wide-ranging book taking in everything from science to soft drinks to show how slavery’s insidious hand wormed its way into the very fabric of American life”, while The Wall Street Journal’s Gerard Helferich noted that “Hannah Durkin lets the enslaved speak for themselves, and they tell a story not only of unimaginable suffering but also of courage and survival.” Library Display Competition This year, the Wolfson History Prize and The Reading Agency are offering digital POS kits to libraries across the UK which celebrate the 2025 shortlisted titles as well as previous winners and shortlisted authors. This is available from our shop. To be in with the chance of winning a set of the shortlisted books, libraries can create a display using the posters, stickers and social media assets. Share a photo of the display on social media by 5pm on 12 December using #WolfsonHistoryPrize and tag @WolfsonHistory and @ReadingAgency to enter. Get involved If you work in a library or workplace and would like to promote the shortlist, you can order FREE digital packs from our shop. What do you think of this year’s winner? Add your comments below, or click any title above to leave a review. Share your thoughts with us on Facebook, X and Instagram using #WolfsonHistoryPrize. Keep up with all the latest news on the Wolfson History Prize website. Want to make sure you never miss the latest book club news? Sign up for our free monthly newsletter. https://bookclubhub.co.uk/news/hannah-durkin-wins-the-wolfson-history-prize-2025 https://bookclubhub.co.uk/news/hannah-durkin-wins-the-wolfson-history-prize-2025 Wed, 03 Dec 2025 09:00:00 +0000 The next book to be featured this season on the Sara Cox Radio 2 Book Club is The Shapeshifter’s Daughter by Sally Magnusson—an electrifying reimagining of the Norse tale of Hel, queen of the underworld cruelly banished by the brutal Odin. The book was released on 6 November and Sally’s interview with Sara is on BBC Sounds from Tuesday 18 November. Read an exclusive extract. We have 10 copies to give away to one lucky book club – to enter, visit our offers page. Not yet a member of Book Club Hub? Sign up now. The Shapeshifter’s Daughter Nothing, on earth or below it, freezes faster than the worthless heart. Before she was a hideous monster, the queen of the underworld was simply Hel. But cast as a girl out of lofty Asgard, realm of the gods, by Odin the Allfather, Hel’s fate as the terrible goddess of death is sealed. Half beauty, half crone, she has reigned for aeons in the starless darkness of Niflheim, grimly welcoming the most pitiful of death’s travellers to her ice-locked prison. Until one day a memory shifts, and she is forced to seek out the sun in Midgard, where humans have made their home. Faced with a terminal cancer diagnosis, Helen Firth makes the impulsive decision to return to Orkney after forty years to make peace with her past. Under the wintering solstice sun, she reconnects with the ungainly but affable Thorfinn Coffin, who helps her address the real reason she has returned to the islands to die. As Helen draws closer to death and ever closer to Thorfinn, Hel in turn is intrigued by Helen. She, too, has a past to confront and a lesson to learn: that perhaps who she thinks she is isn’t who she is really meant to be. About the author Bestselling author, journalist and broadcaster Sally Magnusson has written several books for adults and children, most recently her Sunday Times bestseller Where Memories Go (2014) about her mother’s dementia, The Sealwoman’s Gift (2018), her acclaimed debut novel, The Ninth Child (2020) and Music in the Dark (2022). Sally lives outside Glasgow. She is available for interviews and events. A word from Sally “Oh, this is just fantastic – not just that The Shapeshifter’s Daughter has been chosen for the marvellous Radio 2 Book Club, but to realise that library staff and other reading groups are the ones who put it there. The very core of my novel is a library. The story reimagines one of the Norse myths, in which Hel, feared and despised queen of the underworld, tries to find out who she really is. Pursued by her father, Loki, she arrives in modern Orkney, where she connects with a woman, Helen Firth, who has returned there to die. Over one golden winter their two worlds unite. Stromness Library in Orkney is where Helen as a child immersed herself in stories about the Norse gods; now, in middle age, she finds love and a kind of healing there. Libraries are where so many of us have found refuge, solace and exhilaration in story and where increasingly today the whole community finds a focal point. As an author, I wanted a library at the very heart of this novel, and I will be SO thrilled if The Shapeshifter’s Daughter appeals to library readers across the country today.” Get involved To hear all the author interviews and other Book Club features, subscribe to the BBC Sounds podcast. Planning to buy The Shapeshifter’s Daughter for your book club? Buy books from Bookshop.org and support The Reading Agency and local bookshops at no extra cost to you. Want to make sure you get the latest news? Follow us on X, Facebook and Instagram. Never miss the latest book club news – sign up for our free monthly newsletter. https://bookclubhub.co.uk/news/radio-2-book-club-the-shapeshifter-s-daughter https://bookclubhub.co.uk/news/radio-2-book-club-the-shapeshifter-s-daughter Wed, 19 Nov 2025 11:00:00 +0000 The next book to be featured this season on the Sara Cox Radio 2 Book Club is King Sorrow by Joe Hill—an epic horror opus in which six college friends summon the eponymous dragon-demon to wreak bloody vengeance on those who have wronged them. The book was released on 21 October and Joe’s interview with Sara is on BBC Sounds from Tuesday 11 November. Read an exclusive extract. We have 10 copies to give away to one lucky book club – to enter, visit our offers page. Not yet a member of Book Club Hub? Sign up now. King Sorrow Bookish dreamer Arthur Oakes is a student at Rackham College, Maine, renowned for its frosty winters and beautiful buildings. But his idyll – and burgeoning romance with Gwen Underfoot – is shattered when local drug dealers force him into a terrible crime: stealing rare and valuable books from the exceptional college library. Trapped and desperate, Arthur turns to his closest friends for help: the wealthy, irrepressible Colin Wren; brave, beautiful Alison Shiner; the battling twins Donna and Donovan McBride; and brainy, bold Gwen. Together they dream up an impossible, fantastical scheme that they scarcely imagine will work: to summon the fabled dragon King Sorrow to kill those tormenting Arthur. But the six stumble backwards into a deadly bargain – they soon learn they must choose a new sacrifice for King Sorrow each year or one of them will become his next victim. Unleashing consequences they can neither predict nor control, this promise will, over the course of four decades, shape and endanger their lives in ways they could never expect. About the author Joe Hill is a Sunday Times bestseller and the #1 New York Times bestselling author of Heart-Shaped Box, The Fireman, and Full Throttle. He won the Eisner Award for Best Writer for his long-running comic book series, Locke & Key, co-created with artist Gabriel Rodriguez. Much of his work has been adapted for movies and television. His second novel, Horns, was translated to film in 2014 and starred Daniel Radcliffe. His third novel, NOS4A2, is now a hit series on AMC, starring Zachary Quinto. The first season of Locke & Key was released on Netflix in early 2020 and became an overnight smash. His story, In The Tall Grass, co-written with Stephen King, was made into a feature for Netflix, and became a mind-bending cult horror sensation. Most recently, Hill has returned to graphic novels – his latest comics include Basketful of Heads, Plunge for D.C. and Dying is Easy for IDW. A word from Joe “Every writer worries when their novel is finally sent out into the world. With King Sorrow, I managed to compound that anxiety many times over: I had the usual worries that maybe it was no good, it’s my first novel in almost ten years, and it’s a great long beast of a novel (which always asks a lot of a reader)… and above all, I wanted it to be a lot of fun, a big prestige mini-series of a book. A sort of Game of Thrones set in the modern day.” “So when my editor told me King Sorrow had been selected for the Radio Two Book Club, I just about came out of my chair (and when I told my wife, an Englishwoman and lifelong devotee of the club, her eyes half-popped out of her head). Someone liked it! Librarians—a panel of wonderful librarians—liked my book, even though one of my heroes, Arthur, has to steal books from a library?!? It’s an honour and a delight and a relief. The story is, in part, my love letter to libraries and librarians and the treasure trove they hold and protect for our communities. I’m delighted if, in some small way, it speaks to any reader. But for it to speak to librarians and booksellers, in particular, is a special pleasure. Thanks so much and rock on” Get involved To hear all the author interviews and other Book Club features, subscribe to the BBC Sounds podcast. Planning to buy King Sorrow for your book club? Buy books from Bookshop.org and support The Reading Agency and local bookshops at no extra cost to you. Want to make sure you get the latest news? Follow us on X, Facebook and Instagram. https://bookclubhub.co.uk/news/radio-2-book-club-king-sorrow https://bookclubhub.co.uk/news/radio-2-book-club-king-sorrow Wed, 12 Nov 2025 10:00:00 +0000 Flesh by David Szalay has been named the winner of the Booker Prize 2025. As winner of the prize, he received £50,000 and a trophy, presented to him by last year’s winner Samantha Harvey. The event was broadcast live as a special episode of BBC Radio 4’s Front Row, hosted by Samira Ahmed. It was also livestreamed on the Booker Prizes’ YouTube and Instagram channels, with additional red-carpet coverage – hosted by comedian, broadcaster and author Shabaz Ali – posted on the Booker Prizes’ Instagram and TikTok accounts. Watch the livestream here. The Booker Prize is the world’s most significant award for a single work of fiction. The prize is open to authors from anywhere in the world, writing in English, and published in the UK and/or Ireland. It has rewarded and celebrated world-class talent for over 55 years, helping shape the canon of 20th and 21st century literature. Previous winners of the prize include Salman Rushdie, J.M. Coetzee, Kazuo Ishiguro, Margaret Atwood, Hilary Mantel, Marlon James, Bernardine Evaristo and Douglas Stuart. Flesh was selected as the winning book by the 2025 judging panel, who all attended the ceremony. The panel was chaired by critically acclaimed writer and 1993 Booker Prize winner Roddy Doyle, the first Booker Prize winner to chair a Booker judging panel. He was joined by fellow judges Booker Prize-longlisted novelist Ayọ̀bámi Adébáyọ̀; award-winning actor, producer and publisher Sarah Jessica Parker; writer, broadcaster and literary critic Chris Power; and New York Times bestselling and Booker Prize-longlisted author Kiley Reid. They considered 153 books and were looking for the best work of long-form fiction by writers of any nationality, written in English and published in the UK and/or Ireland between 1 October 2024 and 30 September 2025. Written in spare prose, Flesh – Szalay’s sixth work of fiction – is a propulsive novel about a man who is unravelled by a series of events beyond his grasp. Spanning decades, it charts István’s rise from a housing estate in Hungary to the mansions of London’s super rich. A meditation on class, power, intimacy, migration and masculinity, Flesh is a compelling portrait of one man, and the formative experiences that can reverberate across a lifetime. Roddy Doyle, Booker Prize 2025 Chair of judges, says: ‘The judges discussed the six books on the shortlist for more than five hours. The book we kept coming back to, the one that stood out from the other great novels, was Flesh – because of its singularity. We had never read anything quite like it. It is, in many ways, a dark book but it is a joy to read. ‘At the end of the novel, we don’t know what the protagonist, István, looks like but this never feels like a lack; quite the opposite. Somehow, it’s the absence of words – or the absence of István’s words – that allow us to know István. Early in the book, we know that he cries because the person he’s with tells him not to; later in life, we know he’s balding because he envies another man’s hair; we know he grieves because, for several pages, there are no words at all. ‘I don’t think I’ve read a novel that uses the white space on the page so well. It’s as if the author, David Szalay, is inviting the reader to fill the space, to observe – almost to create – the character with him. The writing is spare and that is its great strength. Every word matters; the spaces between the words matter. The book is about living, and the strangeness of living and, as we read, as we turn the pages, we’re glad we’re alive and reading – experiencing – this extraordinary, singular novel.’ Gaby Wood, Chief Executive of the Booker Prize Foundation, added: ‘When the five judges took their places at the winner meeting, in the same room in Fortnum & Mason where they had first met in early February, they sat in the same seats. And they reflected, not only on the circularity of that moment after nine months of reading together, but on the curious fact that they had discussed half of the books that ended up on their shortlist that very first day. Those set a high standard, and by the end of the process the judges were so loath to part company with any of the six that they kept talking for five hours. ‘ Flesh was among the books they had discussed on day one. The judges returned to it, again and again, and felt more invested in it every time. After a third reading, they struggled to think of another writer whose work they could compare it to. They found it spare, disciplined, urgent, honest and heartbreaking. With Flesh, they all agreed, David Szalay breaks new ground. ‘I share the judges’ excitement over the work of an author who has been writing with ferocious and stark commitment for many years. ‘As for the judges themselves: I will miss them hugely. Their acute attentiveness to the books submitted, their kindness towards each other, their articulacy and their energy have made this past year a pleasure.’ This year’s Booker Prize campaign, ‘Fiction worth talking about’, is a celebration of the act of reading and discussing great books together. The campaign is designed to encourage readers to explore the nominated books, share their thoughts, and connect with others from around the world over their love of great fiction. Videos featuring the judges and readers from around the world can be viewed on the Booker Prize Instagram channel. Find out more about the winning book. Explore more: Shortlist reading guides Watch the 2025 shortlist films Everything you need to know about the shortlist Get to know the shortlisted authors What our judges said about the shortlist Get to know the Booker Prize 2025 judges Get involved If you work in a library or workplace and would like to promote the shortlist, you can order FREE digital packs from our shop. What do you think of the 2025 Booker Prize winner? Have you read any of the Booker Prize selected books? Add your comments below, or click any title above to leave a review. Don’t forget to check out the Booker Prizes Monthly Spotlight and dive into the Booker Prizes Archive. Share your thoughts with us on Facebook, X and Instagram using #BookerPrize2025. Keep up with all the latest news on the Booker Prizes website. Want to make sure you never miss the latest book club news? Sign up for our free monthly newsletter. https://bookclubhub.co.uk/news/flesh-david-slazay-wins-booker-prize-2025 https://bookclubhub.co.uk/news/flesh-david-slazay-wins-booker-prize-2025 Tue, 11 Nov 2025 09:00:00 +0000