November has rolled around, which means it’s peak season for cosy reading sessions, and this month’s line-up of new releases is more than delivering. From Zadie Smith’s essays on modern life to a raw exploration of identity and rebellion from Colombia’s new voice Lina Munar Guevara, there’s something for everyone. Not to mention Patti Smith’s latest memoir, which recounts all the parts we don’t hear in her last book Just Kids (revisit her conversation with Dua here). So grab a blanket, make some tea and bury your nose in these must-read releases...
The Essential Read For Film Lovers
Two Of Me: Notes on Living and Leaving by Eleanor Coppola
“Eleanor Coppola’s life was already steeped in film when she met her future husband, Francis Ford Coppola, on the set of the horror film Dementia 13 in 1962. She has since contributed to cinema as a director, cinematographer, videographer, and writer, but perhaps her greatest role was to document the life of the Coppola family, both on and off set. In this posthumous memoir – Eleanor died at the age of 87 in April 2024 – she reveals her inner life as an artist, writer, and filmmaker, and tells of the toll it takes on the whole family for a film like Apocalypse Now to ever see the light of day. It’s a beautiful mediation on artistry, love and loss, told in a graceful journal form.” – Maria Padget, Book Club Director
The New Voice To Know
Imagine Breaking Everything by Lina Munar Guevara, translated by Ellen Jones
“From one of Colombia’s new authors, Imagine Breaking Everything unfolds over a rainy weekend in Bogotá as Melissa – on the verge of high school graduation – struggles to pay for a printer she broke and to keep her temper under control. When her estranged mother suddenly calls, inviting her back to their old neighbourhood, she’s forced to confront memories she’s tried to bury. Told with fierce honesty, dark humour, and raw Bogotá slang, it’s a story of anger, forgiveness, and self-discovery. I read it in one sitting.” – Samantha de Haas, Creative Production Manager
The Essays To Lose Yourself In
Dead & Alive: Essays by Zadie Smith
“There is no feeling in this world quite like losing yourself in great writing, and Zadie Smith’s latest essay collection is just that, offering glimpses into her thoughts and following her throughout life through beautiful musings on everything from the life and works of Joan Didion and Toni Morrison to Stormzy’s rise to the Glastonbury stage. Whether she’s writing about something that feels familiar or a topic you know nothing about, Zadie brings you into her world and opens your eyes to new perspectives, creatives and ideas – like the wiser, cooler friend you’ve always wanted.” – Olivia McCrea-Hedley, Copy & Production Editor
The Historical Novel Of The Season
The Matchbox Girl by Alice Jolly
“The Matchbox Girl opens with instructions from the narrator, Adelheid Brunner, on how to read her book after her death. It soon becomes clear why. Set in the 1930s, Adelheid is a 12 year old non-verbal girl with a pet rat, who is sent to a Vienna paediatric clinic. Here, she and other children like herself will live under the observation of Dr Asperger. Adelheid may not speak but she is always watching, and her sharp eye reveals a wartime Vienna that is a place of beauty, terror, and great danger. Adelheid is such a charismatic and unique narrator, you won’t want to leave her side.” – Maria Padget, Book Club Director
The Must-Read Memoir
Bread Of Angels by Patti Smith
“In Bread of Angels, the legend that is Patti Smith (the author of Dua’s Monthly Read for September 2023, Just Kids) opens another chapter of her extraordinary life – a moving, down-to-earth reflection on art, love, loss and imagination. She looks back on her postwar childhood in a crumbling housing complex, her early creative spark fuelled by Rimbaud and Dylan, and the love she shared with her husband Fred Sonic Smith. After losing Fred, her brother Tod, and her best friend Robert Mapplethorpe within a few short years, she writes about her path through grief, turning everyday moments into something quietly sacred and unforgettable. It’s just beautiful.” – Samantha de Haas, Creative Production Manager
