5 new books to read this week

This week’s top book comes from Australian-Palestinian author Randa Abdel-Fattah…

Fiction

1. Discipline by Randa Abdel-Fattah is published in paperback by Oneworld Publications, priced £10.99 (ebook £6.99). Available now

One of the most-talked about books of the year, Australian-Palestinian lawyer and writer Randa Abdel-Fattah’s novel came under the spotlight when her invitation to speak at the Adelaide Writers’ Week was rescinded, with the festival citing “her previous statements” and cultural sensitivities so soon after an antisemitic mass shooting at Sydney’s Bondi Beach (although no specific statements were mentioned). A boycott from other participants led to its cancellation – organisers later apologised and invited Abdel-Fattah to the 2027 event. Set in Sydney in recent years, Discipline centres on two characters – journalist Hannah and academic Ashraf – at a time where a student at a local Islamic school is charged with terrorism offences after staging a protest against an Israeli arms manufacturer. While Hannah fights to give a voice to Palestinians in the mainstream media, Ashraf is cautious and wants to avoid wading into the fierce public debates over the conflict. Incredibly timely, the book tackles a huge topic but in an entirely readable way that is possible to race through in one sitting. A compelling and emotional read.
9/10
(Review by Pierra Willix)

2. A Very Cold Winter by Fausta Cialente, translated by Julia Nelsen, is published in paperback by Scribner UK, priced £10.99 (ebook £5.99). Available November 5

Amid the rubble of post-war Milan in 1946, Camilla has brought her extended family into a cramped apartment to begin rebuilding their lives – amid an unforgiving winter which makes it difficult to see a way through the gloom. Most of the men are gone, and the family members left behind are pulled in different directions by the scars and secrets the war has left. First published in Italy in 1966, this is one of the key works of a writer who was one of the first self-declared feminist Italian writers. Cialente was censored by the Fascists during the Thirties, campaigning against them through her work as she spent the war years in Egypt before returning home. A new translation by Julia Nelsen now gives fresh life to this tender, poetic story which serves as a reminder that the suffering caused by war does not end when the guns fall silent.
8/10
(Review by Ian Parker)

3. Hollow Bones by Jodi Picoult is published in hardback by Michael Joseph, priced £22 (ebook £11.99). Available November 5

Jodi Picoult is no stranger to attacking thorny issues head-on, and her 30th novel, Hollow Bones, lives up to her back catalogue. Switching between timelines and perspectives, it opens with the story of Molly Fitzgerald, who runs her state’s emergency response department – perhaps as a reaction to losing her mother in the September 11 2001, terrorist attacks when she was just months old. We also have the perspective of her birth mother, Eloise – from her troubled childhood to the months leading up to the attack and her experiences with new motherhood. Picoult shines a light on postpartum psychosis in a raw and real way, highlighting how the system fails new mothers – a particularly timely conversation in light of the Lindsay Clancy trial making headlines this year (the US mother who has argued she had postpartum psychosis when she killed her three children). This is classic Picoult – while her language can sometimes be overly floral and the subject matter often relentlessly dark, she makes difficult issues readable and emotive.
7/10
(Review by Lily Rose)

Non-fiction

4. Castles: A Fortified History Of The World by Dan Jones is published in hardback by Apollo, priced £30 (ebook £21). Available now

Castles have long been places of the imagination, their presence in the landscape suggesting protection and imprisonment, power and wealth, or a desperate last stand. Superstar medievalist Dan Jones traces their development from the Bronze Age fortifications of Troy to the Maginot Line of the Second World War. Through vivid tales of Vikings and Crusaders, popes and samurai lords and even Walt Disney, Jones explores why castles were built and how each advance in architectural and defensive technology rippled around the world. Stories are interlinked – Roman emperors stride side by side with Renaissance princes – but the narrative never feels dry or dusty. Jones’s enthusiasm for his subject gallops the reader along like a knight riding into battle, firing out fascinating facts. Each chapter is headed with dynamic woodcut-style illustrations that complement the narrative drive. If you were ever dragged around old ruins as a child, this book will inspire you to see fortifications in a fresh and exciting way and send you charging towards your nearest castle.
9/10
(Review by Amy Crowther)

Children’s book of the week

5. Otto’s Jumper by Sadhbh Devlin and Roisin Hahessy is published in hardback by Little Island Books, priced £12.99 (no ebook). Available November 12

While the shelves are currently full of Christmas-themed children’s books, Otto’s Jumper is a welcome winter treat – without being overtly festive. Sadhbh Devlin tells a heartwarming tale for middle grade readers, with the help of Roisin Hahessy’s sweet and colourful illustrations of the family of mice. Otto’s nana is constantly knitting him jumpers – but he’s not too keen on them, finding them scratchy and hugely unfashionable. While Otto’s dad tells him they’re made with love, Otto has had enough – so he decides to tell his grandmother and put a stop to her knitted presents once and for all. This leads Otto on an adventure through the woods, where he ultimately gains a new respect for his nana – and her jumpers. While a little twee and predictable, but that doesn’t detract from the sweet message and vibrant drawings – making for a pleasant wintry read.
7/10
(Review by Lily Rose)

BOOK CHARTS FOR THE WEEK ENDING OCTOBER 31

HARDBACK (FICTION)
1. A Court Of Splintered Harmony by Sarah J. Maas
2. Once Upon A Broken Heart Collector’s Edition by Stephanie Garber
3. Chain Reaction by Lee Child & Andrew Child
4. From The Library Of Jurgen Leitner by Premee Mohamed & Jonathan Sims
5. Baldur’s Gate 3: Astarion by T. Kingfisher
6. Royal Witch by Philippa Gregory
7. Threshing Day (Limited Deluxe Edition by Rebecca Yarros
8. In One Brief Moment All Eternity by Elif Shafak
9. Public Access Afterworld by Jane Schoenbrun
10. The Things We Never Say by Elizabeth Strout
(Compiled by Waterstones)

HARDBACK (NON-FICTION)
1. Is It Too Late To Make A Run for It? by Judi Dench
2. Things I Took From The Dark by Reece Shearsmith
3. Grand: The Autobiography Of Gromit by Nick Park & Gromit
4. The Art Of Being Easily Pleased by Donna Ashworth
5. Guinness World Records 2027
6. Private Eye Annual 2026 by Ian Hislop
7. 20 Minute Meals by Jamie Oliver
8. Mary All In One by Mary Berry
9. Games Of My Life by Alex Ferguson & Michael Moritz
10. London Falling by Patrick Radden Keefe
(Compiled by Waterstones)

AUDIOBOOKS (FICTION AND NON-FICTION)
1. A Court Of Splintered Harmony by Sarah J. Maas
2. The Witch by Freida McFadden
3. Chain Reaction by Lee Child, Andrew Child
4. Dungeon Crawler Carl by Matt Dinniman
5. We Chase Shadows by Richard Osman
6. Bram Stoker’s Dracula by Bram Stoker, Robyn Ahern – adaptation
7. The Steps by Sylvester Stallone
8. Making It So by Patrick Stewart
9. Adam And Eve by Jeffrey Archer
10. I Haven’t Been Entirely Honest With You by Miranda Hart
(Compiled by Audible)