Service95 Recommends
Welcome to Service95 Recommends: Service95 Book Club’s edit of the best books to add to your to-be-read pile. We are thrilled to have a space where we can share the titles that mean the most to us and our newsletter and podcast guests. All these recommendations tell powerful stories across genres including fiction, memoir and manifesto, from recent releases to literary classics. Choose your next favourite book below…
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The Bee Sting
The Bee Sting
Paul MurrayWhat We Say: The Bee Sting tells the engrossing saga of the Barnes family through the shifting lenses of mum Imelda, dad Dickie, and their children Cass and PJ. Murray’s mastery at revealing layer upon layer of the story through the four characters’ perspectives results in a story that will hook you in and stay with you long after you finish.
What They Say: “A tragicomic triumph, you won't read a sadder, truer, funnier novel this year” – Guardian
Outline
Outline
Rachel CuskWhat We Say: A book gripping in its stillness, Outline follows an unnamed writer heading to Athens to teach a writing course. Unusual and beautiful in that the story is not about her but the people she meets and the conversations she hears along the way, we couldn’t put it down.
What They Say: “Outline succeeds powerfully. Among other things, it gets a great variety of human beings down on the page with both immediacy and depth; an elemental pleasure that makes the book as gripping to read as a thriller... A stellar accomplishment” – James Lasdun, Guardian
Robert Mapplethorpe – The Archive
Robert Mapplethorpe – The Archive
Frances TerpakWhat We Say: With over 400 illustrations, this stunning tome sheds new light on the artist's inspirations and motivations as a curator and collector – and features an essay by Patti Smith, the author of Service95 Book Club's Monthly Read for September, Just Kids.
What They Say: “This eclectic and visually stimulating book constitutes an important study of the artist's work and enduring influence” – Publishers Weekly
Read More: Patti Smith's Excerpt From Robert Mapplethorpe – The Archive
The Kites
The Kites
Romain GaryWhat We Say: In The Kites, a boy named Ludo grows up on a Normandy farm with his kite-making uncle. His life transforms when he meets Lila, an aristocratic Polish girl from the neighbouring estate. Ludo falls for Lila, whose feelings reciprocate as World War II unfolds. This poignant novel portrays characters resisting adversity, embodying the courage to love and hope, echoing Gary's own war experiences.
What They Say: “A major literary star... whose life was stranger than fiction” – Guardian
My Brilliant Friend
My Brilliant Friend
Elena FerranteWhat We Say: This New York Times bestseller chronicles a lifelong friendship between two women in Naples. Starting in the 1950s, it's the first of a four-volume saga that traces Lila and Elena's evolution over nearly six decades as they navigate womanhood, friendship, marriage, motherhood, and leadership.
What They Say: “A large, captivating, amiably peopled bildungsroman” – James Wood, The New Yorker
The Age Of Innocence
The Age Of Innocence
Edith WhartonWhat We Say: A Pulitzer Prize-winning masterpiece, it delves into the complexities of love and marriage, revealing the pitfalls of perfection. This book has since been selected by Modern Library as one of the 100 best novels of all time.
What They Say: “The style is a thing of beauty from first page to last” – New York Times
Territory Of Light
Territory Of Light
Yūko TsushimaWhat We Say: From one of Japan’s most prominent contemporary authors, Territory Of Light is a story of loss and rebirth, following a young woman who starts a new life in a light-filled Tokyo apartment after her husband leaves her, and struggles to look after her two-year-old daughter alone.
What They Say: “Tsushima evades any label, her fiction transcends gender to focus on the existential loneliness that is at the heart of humanity“ – Kris Kosaka, Japan Times
One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest
One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest
Ken KeseyWhat We Say: In Ken Kesey's 1960s classic novel, Randle Patrick McMurphy, a spirited rebel, enters a mental hospital and ignites a revolt against the character Big Nurse's authority. He challenges rules, and introduces gambling and freedom, setting off a fierce battle that reaches a shocking climax.
What They Say: “If you haven't already read this book, do so. If you have, read it again” – Scotsman
The Marriage Portrait
The Marriage Portrait
Maggie O’FarrellWhat We Say: Inspired by a painting of Lucrezia de’ Medici, the real-life daughter of the famous Cosimo, The Marriage Portrait imagines the story of her marriage aged 15 to the devilish Alfonso, Duke of Ferrara. O’Farrell, who won the Women’s Prize in 2020 for Hamnet, is a master of creating worlds with words, and the picture she paints of 16th-century Italy is beautifully rich, dark and evocative.
What They Say: “O’Farrell pulls out little threads of historical detail to weave this story of a precocious girl sensitive to the contradictions of her station… You may know the history, and you may think you know what’s coming, but don’t be so sure” —The Washington Post
You Made A Fool Of Death With Your Beauty
You Made A Fool Of Death With Your Beauty
Akwaeke EmeziWhat We Say: A romance for people who don’t read romance, this sensual, scorching novel avoids rom-com tropes to set its surprising love story against a backdrop of grief, loss and healing. A sensory experience.
What They Say: “An unabashed ode to living with, and despite, pain and mortality” – The New York Times Book Review
The Colony
The Colony
Audrey MageeWhat We Say: Set on a remote island off the west coast of Ireland in the 1970s, this evocative, melancholy novel explores themes of nationalism, culture, art and post-colonialism, with sparse, painterly prose.
What They Say: “The Colony is a novel of ideas… Magee builds her world with a rich particularity… while acting as a reminder of imperialism’s broader legacy” – The New York Times Book Review
The Things They Carried
The Things They Carried
Tim O’BrienWhat We Say: A series of original short stories about the Vietnam War, The Things They Carried has the accumulative authority of a novel, with recurring characters and intertwined plots. While Vietnam is central, it is not just a book about war, it is also about the trauma that follows.
What They Say: “O'Brien captures the war's pulsating rhythms and nerve-racking dangers... The overall effect of these original tales is devastating” – New York Times
Read More: Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie’s Recommended Reading List
The Beautiful Mrs Seidenman
The Beautiful Mrs Seidenman
Andrzej SzczypiorskiWhat We Say: The Beautiful Mrs Seidenman transports us to Nazi-occupied Poland where a young Jewish woman, equipped with false papers, passes as the wife of a Polish officer – until an informer recognises her. A suspenseful, unsentimental story of the days that follow her arrest, this book is incredible.
What They Say: “Magnificent. Complex, wise, unsentimental and very moving” – Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
Read More: Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie’s Recommended Reading List
Anil’s Ghost
Anil’s Ghost
Michael OndaatjeWhat We Say: A wondrous look at how modern Sri Lanka is haunted by its brutal civil war, Anil's Ghost tells the story of a forensic anthropologist born in Sri Lanka but educated in the West, who is sent by a human rights group to identify the victims of the massacres and counter-massacres across her home country.
What They Say: “There is much to astonish, to disturb and to admire in this dense book... a rare triumph” – Guardian
Read More: Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie’s Recommended Reading List
A Boy In Winter
A Boy In Winter
Rachel SeiffertWhat We Say: Just weeks after the German invasion of Ukraine, a small town is overrun by the SS. Deft. Centring the human experience and survival in the face of Nazi atrocities, Seiffert's novel gives an account of the three days that follow.
What They Say: “Seiffert's writing is spare and atmospheric, perfectly paced to achieve the maximum effect of stillness yielding to panic, order giving way to violent disorder and, eventually, winter turning into spring” – Times Literary Supplement
Read More: Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie’s Recommended Reading List
Salt Houses
Salt Houses
Hala AlyanWhat We Say: Where do you go when you can't go home? Salt Houses tells the story of Alia, who gets caught up in the resistance after the Six-Day War in 1967 and moves from Palestine to Kuwait. When Saddam Hussein invades Kuwait, she and her family lose their home yet again. Alia's children disperse to Beirut, Paris and Boston, and once more must navigate the highs and lows of starting over.
What They Say: “A piercingly elegant novel… with the power to both break and mend your heart” – Ru Freeman, author of On Sal Mal Lane
Read More: Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie’s Recommended Reading List
Seven Days In June
Seven Days In June
Tia WilliamsWhat We Say: Satisfyingly seductive, this romantic novel sees two old lovers unexpectedly reconnect after 15 years – and sparks fly. The perfect summer read.
What They Say: “A smart, sexy testament to Black joy, to the well of strength from which women draw, and to tragic romances that mature into second chances. I absolutely loved it” – Jodi Picoult
Fates And Furies
Fates And Furies
Lauren GroffWhat We Say: Fates And Furies draws parallels to thrillers such as Gone Girl and The Girl On The Train, delving into a marriage’s secrets. Yet, it stands apart as a beautiful work of literary fiction, told from two perspectives. Praised by the likes of Barack Obama, it was also chosen as Amazon's Book of the Year in 2015.
What They Say: “Lauren Groff is a writer of rare gifts, and Fates And Furies is an unabashedly ambitious novel that delivers – with comedy, tragedy, well-deployed erudition and unmistakable glimmers of brilliance throughout” – New York Times
The Beekeeper Of Aleppo
The Beekeeper Of Aleppo
Christy LefteriWhat We Say: Amid war's chaos, Nuri and Afra find love and courage in the Syrian city of Aleppo. But tragedy strikes, shattering their world. Forced to flee, they embark on a perilous journey, confronting immense loss and dangers. A moving and beautifully written testament to the resilience of the human spirit.
What They Say: “A redemptive tale of hope in the midst of shocking adversity” – Irish Independent
Emotional Inheritance: A Therapist, Her Patients, And The Legacy Of Trauma
Emotional Inheritance: A Therapist, Her Patients, And The Legacy Of Trauma
Galit AtlasWhat We Say: Interlacing her own stories and those of her patients with years of research, psychoanalyst Dr Galit Atlas draws back the curtain on intergenerational trauma in this transformative book.
What They Say: “Galit Atlas deftly shows why the hurts and stuckness that can plague us can be faced and, yes, dissolved. Contemporary psychoanalysis at its best” – Susie Orbach, author of Fat Is a Feminist Issue
Read More: Monica Lewinsky’s Best Books On How The Mind Works
The Feeling Good Handbook
The Feeling Good Handbook
Dr David D BurnsWhat We Say: An invaluable guide with practical tips for dealing with fears, phobias, anxieties, panic attacks, and problems with communication.
What They Say: “If you are looking for sound, workable advice on how to change your life a little or a lot, this is the book for you” – Robert L Leahy, PhD, Director, Centre for Cognitive Therapy, New York
Read More: Monica Lewinsky’s Best Books On How The Mind Works
This Is Your Mind On Plants
This Is Your Mind On Plants
Michael PollanWhat We Say: This Is Your Mind On Plants offers an absorbing, eye-opening look into our relationship with psychoactive plants and intertwines Pollan’s own personal experiments with cultural history. Fascinating.
What They Say: “Expert storytelling... Pollan masterfully elevates a series of big questions about drugs, plants and humans that are likely to leave readers thinking in new ways” – Rob Dunn, The New York Times Book Review
Read More: Monica Lewinsky’s Best Books On How The Mind Works
Meditations
Meditations
Marcus AureliusWhat We Say: A noteworthy collection of thought-provoking spiritual reflections and exercises by the Roman emperor Marcus Aurelius as he grappled to understand himself and the universe.
What They Say: “A fine volume” – Malcolm Heath, Greece & Rome Journal
Read More: Glenn Lutz On The Books That Opened His Mind To New Perspectives
The Measure Of A Man
The Measure Of A Man
Sidney PoitierWhat We Say: In this exquisitely frank memoir, actor Sidney Poitier looks back on his extraordinary life and career. A powerful testament to the benefits of acting passionately on your beliefs and always being true to yourself – no matter what.
What They Say: “Reflective, generous, humane ... moving . .. [Poitier] writes with vivid emotion” – New York Times Book Review
Read More: Glenn Lutz On The Books That Opened His Mind To New Perspectives
Mama
Mama
Terry McMillanWhat We Say: The novel that introduced the world to bestselling author Terry McMillan, when Freda Peacock moves from Michigan to the US's West Coast in the 1960s, she learns that being Black is beautiful. But when her mother – who'll do anything to keep her family together – joins her, the explosive drama of their family life returns.
What They Say: “Mama is extremely funny throughout and at the same time honest about what a good woman will do to push her children higher than she can hope to go... touching and steadfastly unsentimental” – Detroit Free Press
Read More: Glenn Lutz’s Books That Opened My Mind To New Perspectives
The Right To Sex
The Right To Sex
Amia SrinivasanWhat We Say: Srinivasan delves into the connection between sex, politics, and ethics. With a keen focus on consent, racism, misogyny, and freedom, The Right To Sex sheds light on the crucial areas of conflict and controversy in our contemporary world. Prepare to be gripped by this fresh and thought-provoking analysis of the 21st century.
What They Say: “A daring feminist collection... Srinivasan accomplishes what she sets out to do: deliver a treatise both ambivalent and discomfiting, one which reveals the inadequacies in what we had imagined to be solutions” - Guardian
Convenience Store Woman
Convenience Store Woman
Sayaka MurataWhat Min Jin Lee Says: Sayaka Murata’s brilliant novel follows 36-year-old Keiko Furukura, who has devoted half her life to working part-time at a Japanese convenience store, or a konbini. What makes this work so delightful and immersive is how Murata’s Keiko subverts societal norms and lives her life as a deeply original person.
What They Say: “Murata’s gloriously nutty deadpan prose and even more nuttily likeable narrator are irresistible” - The Observer
Human Acts
Human Acts
Han KangWhat Min Jin Lee Says: Set against the backdrop of the May 1980 Gwanju Uprising and the tragic loss of a young boy named Kang Dong-ho, this seven-chapter novel is a modern masterwork of historical fiction. By skilfully alternating between narrators and protagonists, Kang paints an elegiac portrait of how a 20th-century South Korean tragedy marked ordinary lives.
What They Say: ”A conversation of which we rarely hear both sides: the living talking to the dead, and the dead speaking back” – Sunday Telegraph
Kim Jiyoung, Born 1982
Kim Jiyoung, Born 1982
Cho Nam-jooWhat Min Jin Lee Says: Kim Jiyoung, Born 1982 is a powerful work of fiction based on the life of its titular character, exposing the inequalities and pressures faced by women in South Korea. Through Kim’s story, told unsentimentally, Nam-joo makes a smart case against culturally reinforced misogyny and inequity.
What They Say: “This witty, disturbing book deals with sexism, mental health issues and the hypocrisy of a country where young women are ‘popping caffeine pills and turning jaundiced’ as they slave away in factories helping to fund higher education for male siblings” – The Independent
The Makioka Sisters
The Makioka Sisters
Junichirō TanizakiWhat Min Jin Lee Says: Like a classic 19th-century marriage plot novel but told with modern wisdom, Tanizaki’s The Makioka Sisters portrays a once-prominent Osaka family and the challenges they encounter while arranging a suitable marriage for one sister while contending with the defiant nature of another. In the context of post-World War II Japan and the period of Allied Occupation, the novel traces the engaging journeys of the Makioka women.
What They Say: “A subtle, moving novel” – The Times
Who Ate Up All the Shinga?
Who Ate Up All the Shinga?
Park Wan-suhWhat Min Jin Lee Says: In Wan-suh’s Who Ate Up All the Shinga?, the writer recounts her tumultuous upbringing during the Japanese occupation of Korea and the Korean War. With clear-eyed prose and marvellous details, Wan-suh captures the atmosphere, deprivation and social upheaval of the time, while portraying the complexities of collaboration, assimilation and resistance within Korean society. Wan-suh’s warmth and humanity shine through the work.
What They Say: “Lyrical in its descriptions of village life, this gripping book is written with a confessional chattiness that contrasts with the hardships it describes” – Financial Times
Customs
Customs
Solmaz SharifWhat We Say: This essential book of poems tells the stories of families and homes left behind; of the stark inhumanity of border checkpoints; of holding on to a language that doesn’t quite feel your own any more. These shards of memory and experience will resonate both with those who understand and those who wish to. Beautiful.
What They Say: “Witty and incisive... [Sharif] masterfully traverses the landscape of exile and all its complicated grief” – New York Times
Read More: Solmaz Sharif On The “Revolutionary Possibility Of Writing”
Young Adam
Young Adam
Alexander TrocchiWhat Douglas Stuart Says: This is quite a dark book. A drifter is hired to work on a barge and ends up seducing his boss’s wife. When he finds the body of a young woman floating in the canal, he knows more about her fate than he admits. This is a claustrophobic study of how men and women can use each other, a frank look at casual sex regardless of finer feelings. It was also a great film with Tilda Swinton and Ewan McGregor.
Foster
Foster
Claire KeeganWhat Douglas Stuart Says: I was so grateful for this book set on an Irish farm. It’s a quiet but powerful story about a young girl who is sent to live with distant relatives while her mother is giving birth to another baby. While she is away, she experiences a rare period of calm and love that brings healing to everyone. There is real magic in Keegan’s work.
What They Say: “A thing of finely honed beauty” – Guardian
A Kestrel For A Knave
A Kestrel For A Knave
Barry HinesWhat Douglas Stuart Says: This is the first book I ever read that felt like it was written for me. It follows young Billy Casper and his family who are barely surviving in a run-down coal mining town in the north of England. When Billy rescues a kestrel, he temporarily escapes his hard home life and his spirit soars as the bird takes to the skies. Ken Loach turned it into the classic film, Kes, which is just as powerful as the novel.
Lowborn: Growing Up, Getting Away And Returning To Britain’s Poorest Towns
Lowborn: Growing Up, Getting Away And Returning To Britain’s Poorest Towns
Kerry HudsonWhat Douglas Stuart Says: This brave non-fiction book charts the experiences of the author. As Hudson revisits the hardships of her childhood, she does it with rare grace, and a desire to understand without anger or judgement. It’s always hard to write about growing up poor. It’s a delicate subject to capture without being perceived as condemning the circumstances or the other people who were present. But there is definitely a need to be honest about how brutally hard it is, how detrimental it is to children, and Hudson does this clearly and with well-considered feeling.
What They Say: “Totally engrossing and deliciously feisty” – Bernardine Evaristo
The End Of Eddy
The End Of Eddy
Édouard LouisWhat Douglas Stuart Says: There is a startling universality to this French memoir. Louis speaks so honestly about his own life, growing up as a gay, working-class boy in rural France and the isolation from family, community, class, and even self, that so many queer working-class people experience. He thoughtfully explores what so many of us must lose in order to claim our own true selves. Read, Who Killed My Father, then read everything else he writes. He is a rare voice at the intersections of masculinity, violence, sexuality, poverty, and class.
What They Say: “Stunning... A startling use of the extremely personal to convey a message that is universally relevant” – Vice
The Swimming-Pool Library
The Swimming-Pool Library
Alan HollinghurstWhat Douglas Stuart Says: This book is really sexy. William Beckwith is a young aristocrat who spends his days cruising men at the swimming pool of a private club, and writing the biography of an elderly Lord. Beckwith is enormously privileged and totally unapologetic about his sexual promiscuity and it’s a wonderful glimpse of gay London before the scourge of Aids.
What They Say: “The first major novel in Britain to put gay life in its modern place and context... A historic novel and historic debut” - The Guardian
Giovanni’s Room
Giovanni’s Room
James BaldwinWhat Douglas Stuart Says: This is Baldwin’s tale of desire, and the failure of that desire, set in 1950s Paris. The abandonment at the end is heartbreaking. Lingering in my mind is the beautiful quote: “If you cannot love me, I will die. Before you came I wanted to die, I have told you many times. It is cruel to have made me want to live only to make my death more bloody.”
What They Say: “Baldwin writes of these matters with unusual candour and yet with such dignity and intensity” - The New York Times
As Meat Loves Salt
As Meat Loves Salt
Maria McCannWhat Douglas Stuart Says: I’ve read this so many times. For historical fiction fans of Hilary Mantel or Maggie O’Farrell, it’s like a fleshy, brutal epic that reads like a Gericault painting. An immersive, 17th-century love story set at the time of the English civil war; Jacob Cullen is a disgraced soldier, a violent, possessive man who falls in love with a fellow soldier, and when he cannot have him, destroys him instead.
What They Say: “A fat, juicy masterpiece” – Economist
The Story Of The Night
The Story Of The Night
Colm TóibínWhat Douglas Stuart Says: Set in the early ’80s, Argentina is controlled by oil-rich Americans and power-hungry Generals. A young English professor has been living in the shadow of his mother and hiding his sexual desires. When he is liberated by her death, both he and the country around him are set into a period of enlightenment and upheaval. The loss and grief in the third act left me reeling for days.
What They Say: “A brave and remarkable novel, the impact of which no reader will shed” – Dermot Bolger, Sunday Independent
Oranges Are Not The Only Fruit
Oranges Are Not The Only Fruit
Jeanette WintersonWhat Douglas Stuart Says: A real British classic. It’s the story of a young girl growing up in the north of England after being adopted by very devout, Pentecostal parents. Jeanette is being raised into the missionary life but she starts to develop sexual attraction towards other women and after the church finds out, they try to exorcise the demons from her.
What They Say: “Many consider her to be the best living writer in this language... In her hands, words are fluid, radiant, humming” - Evening Standard
Read More: Douglas Stuart's Recommended Reading List
Maurice
Maurice
E M ForsterWhat Douglas Stuart Says: On the surface, this is a tale of privilege, repressed sexuality, and unrequited love. But it’s also a sharp critique of class and manners. I love the final act when Maurice and Scudder fall for one another. I like to read Maurice and then follow up with William Di Canzio’s imagined sequel, Alec, which focuses more on the young lovers as World War I rages, and the world falls apart around them.
Trainspotting
Trainspotting
Irvine WelshWhat Douglas Stuart Says: The arrival of Trainspotting was an earth-shaking cultural moment and it had a huge influence on me. We follow a clutch of Edinburgh junkies and loose friends as they weave together in and out of different stories, some comedic, some utterly tragic. Despite the bleak subject matter, this book sings and, in the darkest moments, it shines with humour and friendship. Every character here is alive – unlikeable or severely damaged, perhaps, but they are still more alive than most.
What They Say: “The voice of punk, grown up, grown wiser and grown eloquent” - Sunday Times
Morvern Callar
Morvern Callar
Alan WarnerWhat Douglas Stuart Says: Set in a West-coast port town, Morvern Callar, a shelf-stacker in the local supermarket, wakes one morning to find her boyfriend has committed suicide. She changes the name on his unpublished manuscript and then hides his festering body. When the stolen manuscript becomes a success and the advances start to pour in, Morvern takes her one chance to escape the run-down town. I have known a hundred Morverns – perhaps we all know people who are stuck – so when I saw a woman seizing her one horrible chance to escape her dire situation, it was hard not to cheer her on.
What They Say: “A dazzling achievement” – Time Out
Real Estate
Real Estate
Deborah LevyWhat We Say: Thoughtful, refined and laced with irony, Real Estate is the final volume from Deborah Levy’s critically acclaimed ’Living Autobiography’ and it's a must-read.
What They Say: “Sparkling with humour and Levy’s zest for life, it’s a read for everyone who understands that home, though always familiar, can be found in the most unexpected of places” – TIME
The Vanity Fair Diaries
The Vanity Fair Diaries
Tina BrownWhat We Say: Immerse yourself in the enthralling diaries of Tina Brown, recounting her extraordinary eight-year tenure as the editor-in-chief of Vanity Fair. Through vivid storytelling, Brown unveils a captivating portrait of the exhilarating and glamorous world of 1980s New York and Hollywood. Delve into the sizzling accounts that capture the energy, allure, and occasional missteps of the era.
What They Say: ”One of Brown's most appealing qualities is her frankness. She speaks as openly about big issues as she has expected the celebrities who've appeared in her magazines to do. And it's why her book is such a juicy read. She's honest about every interaction, no matter how big the star: every success and every mistake” – Natasha Perlman, Grazia
Queenie
Queenie
Candice Carty-WilliamsWhat We Say: Queenie is a typical millennial Londoner – struggling in her fledgling media career and navigating a toxic dating scene, while also dealing with anxiety and rock-bottom self worth. She’s a funny, flawed, vulnerable heroine you can’t help but root for.
What They Say: “At turns hilarious and reflective, the book is also an exploration of race, sex and shame among young women. Queenie’s is a rare and urgently needed voice” – Katie Glass, The Times
Read More: Dua Lipa’s Other Pieces Of Pop Culture Presenting Norm-Defying Views On Womanhood
The Second Sex
The Second Sex
Simone de BeauvoirWhat We Say: A revisitation of classic feminist texts,The Second Sex, first published in 1949, is a time capsule of a bygone era, yet much of its content still resonates today. An unequivocally important work of literature, experience the fight for female equality and liberation in all its original glory.
What They Say: “De Beauvoir was not just a genius as a theorist. She dared to live it. Challenging conventional marriage and sexual practice, she used her own experience to explore the emotional costs of jealousy, attachment, monogamy, bohemianism, sexuality, of love” – Susie Orbach
Read More: Dua Lipa’s Other Pieces Of Pop Culture Presenting Norm-Defying Views On Womanhood
The Vagina Monologues
The Vagina Monologues
Eve EnslerWhat We Say: A timeless masterpiece that celebrates the depth, mystery, and power of women’s sexuality. With humour and insight, it amplifies women’s voices, exploring their fantasies, fears, frustrations, and pleasures. Above all, it advocates for a world where women can feel safe, equal, and free in their bodies. Spellbinding.
What They Say: “Probably the most important piece of political theatre of the last decade” - The New York Times
Read More: Dua Lipa’s Other Pieces Of Pop Culture Presenting Norm-Defying Views On Womanhood
The Sound Of Things Falling
The Sound Of Things Falling
What We Say: Celebrated South American author Gabriel Vásquez delves into Colombia's history in this award-winning novel. Protagonist Antonio Yammara’s investigation into his friend’s murder unravels the impact of the violent clash between Pablo Escobar’s cartel and government forces. Vásquez skillfully captures the generational impact of narco-trafficking in this personal and contemporary novel.
What They Say: “Compelling... He holds his narrative together with admirable stylistic control as he shows a world falling apart and the powers of love and language to rebuild it” – Anita Sethi, Observer
King Kong Theory
King Kong Theory
Virginie DespentesWhat We Say: A powerful and provocative read that challenges conventional ideas about rape, prostitution, sex, and gender, this manifesto for a new wave of punk feminism disrupts conventional beliefs, presented in a superbly translated edition by Frank Wynne.
What They Say: “In the dire age of corporatised and sanitised feminism, King Kong Theory is the radical – and darkly funny – manifesto we need” – Amelia Abraham, author of Queer Intentions
Read More: Dua Lipa’s Other Pieces Of Pop Culture Presenting Norm-Defying Views On Womanhood
Queer Sex
Queer Sex
Juno RocheWhat We Say: An intimate insight into queer sexuality and trans body image, Juno Roche spearheads this humorous yet poignant book celebrating first-hand accounts from prominent trans and non-binary figures. Boundary-pushing and thought-provoking, Queer Sex is an empowering read covering all bases, from desire to dating.
What They Say: "Queer Sex is an audacious and inspiring challenge to a system that shames trans bodies and desires. Roche's words are a gift to anyone looking to open their minds and fall in love with the possibilities of love” – CN Lester, academic, musician and author of Trans Like Me
House Of Psychotic Women
House Of Psychotic Women
Kier-La JanisseWhat We Say: From Carrie to Christiane F this is a fascinating chronology of female neurosis in horror and exploitation cinema, adopting both an analytical and anecdotal approach to critiquing the history of madness depicted on-screen.
What They Say: “God, this woman can write, with a voice and intellect that’s so new. The truth in the most deadly unique way I’ve ever read” – Ralph Bakshi, director of Fritz The Cat, and Heavy Traffic
Animal
Animal
Lisa TaddeoWhat We Say: The bestselling novel from the author of Three Women – and Dua Lipa: At Your Service podcast guest – Lisa Taddeo, Animal is a transformative tale of female rage and overcoming one’s trauma in the male-dominated society of modern America.
What They Say: ”Propulsive, fiercely confident... Joan’s voice is so sharp and magnetic that the reader will follow her anywhere” – New York Times
Entangled Life
Entangled Life
Merlin SheldrakeWhat We Say: Want to learn about the fungal world? Merlin Sheldrake’s spellbinding book has you covered. Providing food for thought (both figuratively and literally) with an exploration into the importance of fungi in sustained living, Entangled Life is a journey you do not want to miss.
What They Say: “I fell in love with this book. Merlin is a scientist with the imagination of a poet and a beautiful writer... This is a book that, by virtue of the power of its writing, shifts your sense of the human... It will inspire a generation to enter mycology” – Michael Pollan
Becoming Cliterate
Becoming Cliterate
Laurie MintzWhat We Say: Discover the exploration of the pleasure gap in Becoming Cliterate by Dr Laurie Mintz, a renowned psychology professor and human sexuality expert. Unveiling the underlying cultural issues that contribute to this disparity between men and women, Dr Mintz offers insightful solutions for bridging the gap and transforming our sexual experiences.
What They Say: ”An excellent, thorough, inspiring and much needed guide to the source of our deepest energy, pleasure, and power-the clitoris. Everyone needs to read this book and become CLITERATE” – Eve Ensler, author of The Vagina Monologues
Klara And The Sun
Klara And The Sun
Kazuo IshiguroWhat We Say: Experience the brilliance of Nobel Prize-winning author Kazuo Ishiguro, known for Never Let Me Go and The Remains of the Day, with Klara And The Sun. This novel ventures into the unknown territory of AI's impact on human connections, delving into the profound question of the true nature of love.
What They Say: ”A delicate, haunting story, steeped in sorrow and hope” –The Washington Post
People Person
People Person
Candice Carty-WilliamsWhat We Say: From the author of the beloved and bestselling Queenie comes another captivating blend of humour and character-driven drama. Join Dimple Pennington as she embarks on a journey to connect with her group of half-siblings in People Person.
What They Say: “People Person is a triumph. I was so moved by this tender, often humorous, portrait of these five siblings, their burgeoning relationships and all their complexities. I loved every one of these beautifully rendered characters and I'm sure the world will too. I couldn't put it down” – Caleb Azumah Nelson
How To Change Your Mind
How To Change Your Mind
Michael PollanWhat We Say: Pollan takes us on a mind-altering journey to the frontlines of human consciousness, exploring whether psychedelic drugs change our worldview and writes a gripping depiction of new-gen scientists fascinated by the effects of these drugs.
What They Say: “'His approach is steeped in honesty and self-awareness. His cause is just, his thinking is clear, and his writing is compelling” – The Washington Post
Read More: Monica Lewinsky’s Best Books On How The Mind Works
Young Mungo
Young Mungo
Douglas StuartWhat We Say: The acclaimed follow-up to Service95 Book Club’s first Book of the Month, Shuggie Bain, Stuart’s second offering is a revisitation of his urban Glasgow origins. This time, through the lens of a queer romance story, shrouded in a landscape of violence and hypermasculinity. As gripping as ever, this is not to be missed.
What They Say: “Few novels are as gutsy and gut-wrenching as Young Mungo in its depiction of a teenage boy who finds love amid family dysfunction, community conflict and the truly terrible predations of adults. Vividly realised and emotionally intense, this scorching novel is an urgent addition to the new canon of unsung stories” – Bernardine Evaristo
Widow Basquiat
Widow Basquiat
Jennifer ClementWhat We Say: A love story for the ages, Widow Basquiat is an unorthodox dissection of one of modern history’s greatest artists, Jean-Michel Basquiat, as recounted by his muse, Suzanne Mallouk. Bound to tug at your heartstrings, this book paints a vivid portrait of the trials and tribulations of an artist like no other.
What They Say: “A compelling book that leaves a giant-sized lump in the throat… A vivid portrait of Basquiat, powerfully evoking his inventiveness as an artist” – Independent On Sunday
Transitional
Transitional
Munroe BergdorfWhat We Say: A refreshing addition to the archives of queer literature, activist-turned-author Munroe Bergdorf bares all and owns her identity through unapologetic storytelling and entertaining anecdotes in this no-holds-barred memoir.
What They Say: “Bergdorf puts herself on the firing line to make the world more tolerant for us all” – Time
Tomorrow, And Tomorrow, And Tomorrow
Tomorrow, And Tomorrow, And Tomorrow
Gabrielle ZevinWhat We Say: When Sadie and Sam meet at a hospital as children, they bond over their love of video games. Their passion will bring them fame and success in their adult lives, but this sweeping story isn’t about gaming – but rather the joys, frustrations, heartbreak and beauty of a lifelong friendship.
What They Say: “Despite having an engrossing plot, the book reminds you that plot is never really the point of a great novel, and this is a great novel” – Financial Times
Time Is A Mother
Time Is A Mother
What We Say: Compassionate and affecting, Vuong’s masterful poems explore grief, the determination to survive beyond it and the meaning of family with the same poise as his novel On Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous.
What They Say: “Vuong's poems passionately and inventively articulate the difficulties of understanding and accepting selfhood alongside the varieties of life beyond it” – Times Literary Supplement
Three Women
Three Women
Lisa TaddeoWhat We Say: Lisa Taddeo spent eight years researching and interviewing hundreds of men and women before settling on her final three women. The result is an astonishingly honest and raw exploration of female desire and sexuality, imbued with empathy.
What They Say: “Three Women is an astonishing act of imaginative empathy and a gift to women around the world who feel like their desires are ignored and their voices aren't heard. This is a book that blazes, glitters and cuts to the heart of who we are. I'm not sure that a book can do much more” – Sunday Times
The Wild Womanʼs Way
The Wild Womanʼs Way
Michaela BoehmWhat We Say: This book will change your life. Intimacy expert Michaela Boehm shares an accessible roadmap to build a pleasure-filled and meaningful existence by revolutionising your connection to yourself and your relationships.
What They Say: “Wise, warm, and wonderful, like sitting around the fire, listening to stories from a brave adventurer in the inner worlds” – Lorin Roche, PhD, author of The Radiance Sutras
The Visiting Privilege
The Visiting Privilege
Joy WilliamsWhat We Say: These distinctively devastating depictions of modern life are desolate but droll, real but surreal, and reveal the loneliness of human life.
What They Say: “Williams is a flawless writer, and The Visiting Privilege is a perfect book” – NPR
The Vanishing Half
The Vanishing Half
Brit BennettWhat We Say: A beautifully written study of race, identity and gender told through the experiences of twin sisters leading very different lives – to the extent of adopting different racial identities. You will be gripped to the very last page.
What They Say: “Stunning… Bennett pulls it off brilliantly… Few novels manage to remain interesting from start to finish, even – maybe especially – the brilliant ones. But… Bennett locks readers in and never lets them go” – Los Angeles Times
The Untethered Soul
The Untethered Soul
Michael A SingerWhat We Say: In this forthright and friendly discussion of consciousness and how we can develop it, spiritual teacher Michael Singer explores the question of who we are. It’s life changing.
What They Say: “Read this book carefully and you will get more than a glimpse of eternity” – Deepak Chopra
Read More: Monica Lewinsky’s Best Books On How The Mind Works
The Unbearable Lightness Of Being
The Unbearable Lightness Of Being
Milan KunderaWhat We Say: With the backdrop of the Prague Spring, this mighty novel encompasses passion, philosophy, politics, and tragedy, asking universal questions of love and fidelity that remain both unorthodox and entirely relatable.
What They Say: “A modern classic… As relevant now as when it was first published” – John Banville
The Road
The Road
Cormac McCarthyWhat We Say: A harrowing post-apocalyptic odyssey that examines the best and worst of humankind. The tenderness in the father and son relationship forms the true heart of this astonishing novel.
What They Say: “One of the most shocking and harrowing but ultimately redemptive books I have read. It is an intensely intimate story. It is also a warning” – Kirsty Wark, Observer Books of the Year
The Little Virtues
The Little Virtues
Natalia GinzburgWhat We Say: Written between 1944 and 1960, The Little Virtues is a collection of 11 vivid portraits of life – from recounting the Italian countryside, where she lived in exile under fascist rule, to the streets of 1960s London – exploring solitude and belonging against the backdrop of post-war Europe.
What They Say: “A profound commentary on Italian life” – Tim Parks, London Review Of Books
The Last Girl
The Last Girl
Nadia MuradWhat We Say: Nadia Murad’s searing account of her kidnapping by Islamic State in northern Iraq in 2014, her horrifying time held in captivity as a sex slave and her daring escape into Kurdistan. Murad’s incredible bravery and subsequent fight for the rights of survivors of genocide worldwide is a powerful reminder of one woman’s strength in the face of unbearable cruelty.
What They Say: “Offers powerful insight into the barbarity the Yazidi suffered alongside glimpses into their mystical culture … this is an important book by a brave woman, fresh testament to humankind’s potential for chilling and inexplicable evil” – The Times
Read More: Nadia Murad: An Advocate For Sexual Violence Survivors
The Kite Runner
The Kite Runner
Khaled HosseiniWhat We Say: Set against the backdrop of his native Kabul, Afghanistan, Hosseini’s smash-hit debut novel has solidified its place as a bonafide contemporary lit classic. A heartbreaking tale, yet equally as stunning, The Kite Runner is a fascinating examination of the human condition in times of conflict through the eyes of a little boy named Amir.
What They Say: “A devastating, masterful and painfully honest story of a life crippled by an act of childhood and cowardice and cruelty ... It speaks the harrowing truth about the power of evil, personal and political, and intoxicates, like a high-flying kite, with the power of hope” – Daily Telegraph
The Days Of Abandonment
The Days Of Abandonment
Elena FerranteWhat We Say: Her Neapolitan series showcased Elena Ferrante’s skill in portraying the rawness of the female experience; this novel about a mother in torment after her husband leaves her proves her absolute mastery of the genre.
What They Say: “Stunning... the raging, torrential voice of the author is something rare” – The New York Times
Swimming In The Dark
Swimming In The Dark
Tomasz JedrowskiWhat We Say: This sensual, poignant novel follows two young Polish Party workers who spend a heavenly summer swimming in secluded lakes and falling in love before they face political conformity when they return to real life.
What They Say: “Elegant, compelling and full of melancholy beauty… I will keep it on my shelves alongside novels by Alan Hollinghurst, Edmund White and other classics in the gay canon” – Evening Standard
Shuggie Bain
Shuggie Bain
Douglas StuartWhat We Say: Our Service95 Book Club’s first Book of the Month, prepare to be transported to the brutal reality of the Thatcher years in a working-class Glasgow community. It’s also an intimate study of the tenderness that survives the ravages of alcoholism in a mother-son relationship.
What They Say: “A debut novel that reads like a masterpiece, Shuggie Bain gives voice to the kind of helpless, hopeless love that children can feel toward broken parents” – Washington Post
Read More: Douglas Stuart On The Powerful Images That Inspired Shuggie Bain
Pachinko
Pachinko
Min Jin LeeWhat We Say: Vivid and deeply moving, this powerful multigenerational story about a Korean immigrant family’s life in Japan is a saga of endurance, love, and sorrow. It’s unforgettable.
What They Say: “Gripping… a stunning achievement, full of heart, full of grace, full of truth” – Erica Wagner
On Earth We Are Briefly Gorgeous
On Earth We Are Briefly Gorgeous
Ocean VuongWhat We Say: This semi-autobiographical novel speaks solemnly of Vuong’s experiences as an immigrant and a gay man and is written as a beautifully honest open letter to his mother who can’t read.
What They Say: “Everything is beautiful in this debut… Vuong has originality running through his veins, and a good deal of humour and impish charm… This impressive debut hints at even greater things to come” – The Times
Read More: In Conversation With Poet And Writer Ocean Vuong
Read More: Glenn Lutz On The Books That Opened His Mind To New Perspectives
Oh William!
Oh William!
Elizabeth StroutWhat We Say: The Pulitzer Prize-winning, Booker-longlisted, bestselling author brings us back to the captivating world of Lucy Barton in a luminous new novel. Oh William! delves into themes of love, loss, and unexpected family secrets that can unsettle and confound us at any stage of life.
What They Say: “A superbly gifted storyteller and a craftswoman in a league of her own” – Hilary Mantel
Noughts And Crosses
Noughts And Crosses
Malorie BlackmanWhat We Say: Thrilling and dangerous, breathtaking and heartbreaking, this novel explores race and equality through a dystopian Romeo and Juliet for modern times. It’s a fine example of just how powerful young adult fiction can be.
What They Say: “Packs some powerful political punches… But Blackman never compromises the story, which is dramatic, moving and brave” –Guardian
Norwegian Wood
Norwegian Wood
Haruki MurakamiWhat We Say: A tale of depression, suicide and trauma, Norwegian Wood takes a deep dive into mental illness and leaves you with a message of hope: to keep living and rebuilding after loss.
What They Say: “This book is undeniably hip, full of student uprisings, free love, booze and 1960s pop, it’s also genuinely emotionally engaging, and describes the highs of adolescence as well as the lows” – Independent On Sunday
Kink: Stories
Kink: Stories
RO Kwon & Garth GreenwellWhat We Say: A revolutionary anthology of short fiction edited by acclaimed writers RO Kwon and Garth Greenwell, this brilliant collection delves into themes of love, desire, BDSM, and diverse sexual interests. The lineup of contributors includes Alexander Chee, Roxane Gay, Carmen Maria Machado, and many others!
What They Say: “A reflective and must-read collection” - Stylist
Just Mercy
Just Mercy
Bryan StevensonWhat We Say: As profiled in series 2, episode 4 of our At Your Service podcast, this New York Times No.1 bestseller chronicles the trajectory of a lawyer’s pursuit for racial justice in America’s prison system. A call to action featuring compelling tales of those he has defended over the years, Just Mercy is as powerful and poignant as one can expect.
What They Say: “This is so important. Stevenson explains how deep-rooted racism is, while giving hope that it doesn’t have to exist” – Gloria Steinem
Just Kids
Just Kids
Patti SmithWhat We Say: One of our favourite books of all time, Just Kids begins as a love story, recounting Smith’s life and friendship with artist Robert Mapplethorpe and their pursuit of art, and ends as a beautiful elegy. Just stunning.
What They Say: “The most beautiful, incredible autobiography – it will make you ache for a time and a place that you probably never knew, New York in the 1970s” – Nick Hornby
Jerusalem
Jerusalem
Jez ButterworthWhat We Say: Jez Butterworth’s masterpiece on Englishness stands up as well as on the page as it does on stage. Johnny ‘Rooster’ Byron dazzlingly holds court while the scene of his small world transforms into an epic state-of-the-nation play.
What They Say: “Tender, touching, and blessed with both a ribald humour and a haunting sense of the mystery of things…” – Telegraph
Half Of A Yellow Sun
Half Of A Yellow Sun
Chimamanda Ngozi AdichieWhat We Say: In this epic following the lives of Ugwu, Olanna, Odenigbo, Kainene and Richard throughout the horrors of the Biafran War, Ngozi Adichie is operating at the peak of her powers. Gripping, devastating and unputdownable.
What They Say: “I look with awe and envy at this young woman from Africa who is recording the history of her country. She is fortunate – and we, her readers, are even luckier” – Edmund White
Read More: Solange Azagury-Partridge On How Chimamanda Has Inspired Her Work
Girl, Woman, Other
Girl, Woman, Other
Bernardine EvaristoWhat We Say: An essential, vivid, nuanced picture of life as a Black woman in modern Britain, told through the interlinked stories of 12 diverse characters – ranging from a teenage student to a 93-year-old farmer.
What They Say: “If you don’t yet know her work, you should – she says things about modern Britain that no one else does” – Maggie Gee, The Guardian
Fever Dream
Fever Dream
Samanta SchweblinWhat We Say: Part modern horror, part love story, this nightmarish novel about a young woman recounting her astonishing story from her death bed covers themes of maternal anxiety and ecological disaster. It will grip and haunt you in equal measure.
What They Say: “Samanta Schweblin’s novella is a skilfully paced and intricate omen that tears not just at ecological anxieties but at the core of maternal love” – The Times Literary Supplement
Born A Crime
Born A Crime
Trevor NoahWhat We Say: A chronology of his time growing up under South Africa’s apartheid regime, this recent memoir offering, helmed by At Your Service S2 EP5 guest Trevor Noah, is both a comic and compelling read. Touching on the politics of race and identity, Noah invites you on a captivating, introspective journey of self with a collection of personal stories and anecdotes.
What They Say: “A soul-nourishing pleasure, even with all its darker edges and perilous turns, reading Noah recount in brisk, warmly conversational prose how he learned to negotiate his way through the bullying and ostracism . . . is an enormous gift” – USA Today
Read More: Glenn Lutz On The Books That Opened His Mind To New Perspectives
Blue Nights
Blue Nights
Joan DidionWhat We Say: Blue Nights is a poignant memoir about the death of Didion’s only daughter Quintana, aged 39. Interspersed with vibrant snapshots of her own childhood and laced with the tragedy of a mother’s loss, it’s incredibly honest, moving and ultimately life-affirming.
What They Say: “This is a beautiful and devastating book by one of the finest writers we have. Didion has always been a precise, humane and meticulously truthful writer, but on the subject of death she becomes essential” – Zadie Smith
Bless the Daughter Raised By A Voice in Her Head
Bless the Daughter Raised By A Voice in Her Head
Warsan ShireWhat We Say: Essential and intrepid, this collection of poems exploring migration, trauma, resilience and womanhood from the award-winning Somali British poet Warsan Shire (and collaborator on Beyoncé's Lemonade and Black Is King) is a triumph.
What They Say: "It is absolutely astonishing how much emotion, intelligence, imagination, and truth Warsan Shire can get into one collection. She is a poet of the highest order, with a compassionate heart, and a limitless mind” – Benjamin Zephaniah
Bad Feminist
Bad Feminist
Roxane GayWhat We Say: Reading cultural critic, novelist and professor Roxane Gay is like listening to a trusted and hilarious friend. This collection of essays examines race, gender and feminism and the way media, politics and pop culture shape society’s views.
What They Say: “A strikingly fresh cultural critic” – Ron Charles, Washington Post
Read More: Dua Lipa’s Other Pieces Of Pop Culture Presenting Norm-Defying Views On Womanhood
Airships
Airships
Barry HannahWhat We Say: The stories in this collection are a vivid celebration of the new American South – of high-school band contests where boys from Vicksburg are reunited in Vietnam and the pain of thwarted love abounds. This is a remarkable demonstration of Hannah’s established and unique genius.
What They Say: “Barry Hannah is an original, and one of the most consistently exciting writers of the post-Faulkner generation. The stories in Airships are fiercely imagined fables in which hilarity and pain achieve a remarkable equipoise; sometimes funny, often terrifying, they are told in a captivating and unforgettable voice” – William Styron, Salon
A Thousand Splendid Suns
A Thousand Splendid Suns
A Thousand Splendid Suns – Khaled HosseiniWhat We Say: A beloved modern-day classic and the follow-up to breakthrough debut The Kite Runner, Hosseini offers another heart-warming tale centring familial dynamics amid a contemporary backdrop of his native Kabul, Afghanistan.
What They Say: “Hosseini has done it again… A Thousand Splendid Suns is a triumph. In Khaled Hosseini, Afghanistan has at last found a voice” – The Financial Times
Read More: Dua Lipa Reads A Thousand Splendid Suns On A Solo Date
A Little Life
A Little Life
Hanya YanagiharaWhat We Say: Exquisitely written, A Little Life will challenge everything you thought you knew about friendship. Yes, the trauma is harrowing, but at its heart, this is a story about a love that knows no bounds – the love we find in friendship.
What They Say: “The triumph of A Little Life’s many pages is significant: It wraps us so thoroughly in a character's life that his trauma, his struggles, his griefs come to seem as familiar and inescapable as our own. There’s no one way to experience loss, abuse, or the effects of trauma, of course, but the vividness of Jude's character and experiences makes the pain almost tangible, the fall-out more comprehensible. It’s a monument of empathy, and that alone makes this novel wondrous” – Huffington Post
A Fine Balance
A Fine Balance
Rohinton MistryWhat We Say: Mistry’s talent lies in creating characters you think you know. Delving into their past to explain their present, he addresses how caste, social expectation and political corruption in India shape the fortunes of his four central characters.
What They Say: “A towering masterpiece by a writer of genius” – Independent India
100 Years Of Solitude
100 Years Of Solitude
Gabriel García MárquezWhat We Say: An epic tale spanning seven generations of the Buendía family in the fictional town of Macondo in Colombia from the GOAT of Latin American literature and magic realism. One of the world’s most famous books and deservedly so.
What They Say: “With a single bound Gabriel García Márquez leaps on the stage with Gunter Grass and Vladimir Nabokov… dazzling” – The New York Times