Miles Donohoe, Managing Director
Diaz won the 2023 Pulitzer Prize for fiction for Trust, among other accolades. It’s set in and around the early 20th century in the build up to, and consequence of, the Wall Street crash of 1929 and subsequent Great Depression. It’s character rather than event-led but the structure is very clever, and quite unique, with four sections all telling different parts of a story. I can’t say anymore as it would ruin the surprise – but well worth reading!
Duncan Lamb, Director, Head of Property
Jeeves and the Yule-tide Spirit by P.G. Wodehouse
An unexpected invite throws the Christmas plans of Bertie Wooster and his long- suffering valet, Jeeves, into disarray. Rather than the Winter sun of Monte Carlo, Jeeves and Wooster find themselves spending Christmas at Skeldings Hall, much to the disappointment of Jeeves, home of Lady Wickham, and her daughter Bobbie, the object of Bertie’s desire. Also in attendance is Sir Roderick Glossop, father of Bertie’s former fiancé, Honoria, and Tuppy Glossop, he who tricked Bertie into falling into the swimming pool at the Drones Club.
Priti Dey, Client Director
Christmas Pudding by Nancy Mitford
I am currently reading Christmas Pudding by Nancy Mitford to get myself in the Christmas spirit. It was a classic published in 1932, and the person at the bookstore described it as ‘like Bridgeton on Netflix’ but Christmas. It is a humorous and satirical work that explores several characters’ lives and romantic entanglements during the Christmas season.
Charlotte Walsh, Director
Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus
“Lessons in Chemistry” by Bonnie Garmus, which describes the life of a woman in 1950s/60s America, her career as a chemist which takes an unexpected turn as a TV chef as she finds herself as a single mother. It charts her struggles against sexism in the workplace, maintaining a career whilst also looking after her daughter and being a forward-looking role model for her, as well as how she deals with the loss of her partner.
Toby Bromige, Client Manager
Men at Arms by Terry Pratchett
A fantastic and very amusing book which is part of the wider Discworld series. No author, with perhaps the exception of Wodehouse, has the ability to observe the petty grievances and grumbles of life and make you laugh about it.
Noor Fatima, Client Assistant
The Master and Margarita by Mikhail Bulgakov
From the devil and his entourage wreaking havoc in the Soviet capital, to the mysterious ailments haunting Pontius Pilate in Roman Jerusalem, this novel brings the supernatural of biblical sorts alive in the form of twisted tricksters haunting the people of Moscow and, amidst the chaos, meddling in an unfinished love story. It is a fun, politically daring, strange, historical, fast-paced, fantastical read to end the year on.
Maisy Saville, Data & Insights Analyst
American Dirt by Jeanine Cummings
American Dirt is a heartwarming declaration to the unbreakable bonds of family. This gripping novel follows a bookseller and her young son as they embark on a dangerous journey from Mexico to the US, to escape cartel violence. This deeply moving tale combines heart-pounding suspense with a profound exploration of human resilience and hope, and is one that you won’t be able to put down.
Lodovico Sanseverino, Associate Director
I will be reading Kennedy 35, the third instalment of Charles Cumming’s Box 88 series. I really like reading old-fashioned spy novels à la John le Carré, where sleuthing was being done by agents on the field, rather than the Big Brother-ish drones and other eyes in the skies alike. Cumming’s Box 88 series is particularly enjoyable because, whilst set in our days and age, the adventures of the protagonist, Lachlan Kite, are based on the consequences of the covert activities he carried out in his youth amid real events that shaped the world’s history. In this way, the author is able to deliver two stories in one book with a distinguishing narrative non-fiction feel, which is another favourite genre of mine.
Elen Iorwerth, Client Executive
Based in Haggerston, Expectation follows a trio of women as they navigate their expectations – of themselves and each other. The book jumps between the characters’ mid-twenties and mid-thirties, following their friendships, relationships, careers, and family lives. Although the three of them are flatmates at an early stage, it’s an emotional story of their lives growing apart and back together again.
Sarah Toubman, Client Manager
The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes by Suzanne Collins
I recently enjoyed reading The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes by Suzanne Collins ahead of going to watch the film. The Hunger Games was one of my favourite series growing up, so it was a fun nostalgia trip!
Zana Kurshumlija, Client Executive
The Palace of Dreams by Ismail Kadare
This month, I have been leaning into the winter chill with Ismail Kadare’s ‘The Palace of Dreams,’ a captivating novel that plunges you into a mysterious world of a bureaucratic dream-collecting institution. Set during the 19th century against the snowy landscapes of an unnamed Ottoman city, the books themes of isolation, introspection and political allegory make it a perfect choice to end the year on and offers an engaging and thought-provoking escape into a realm where dreams hold extraordinary power.
