London SYPinto Mentees Reveal Their 2018 Best Reads

Posted on December 12, 2018 in London

As we head off for some much-needed year end rest before gearing up again for new events and projects in 2019, our SYPinto mentees Lily, John, Maleeha, Chloe, Hannah, and Muneera share the books that topped their reading lists this year. So if you’re just getting started on your holiday TBR pile or need a few more ideas to round off your selection, look no further! Here are their – wonderfully inclusive – #SYPinto best of 2018:

Recommended by Hannah Stamp:

Roar by Cecelia Ahern (Fiction)

This collection of funny, and often heart-breaking, short stories traces the lives of ordinary women as they navigate change within their lives. Whether they are overcoming humiliation, wading through grief, or re-evaluating complex relationships, there’s something identifiable in each of their lives. Ahern combines the everyday relatable with the wildly absurd, throwing in talking ducks, ground that swallows people up and a life spent quite literally on a living-room shelf. Not many writers can successfully weave the weird and wonderful into an uplifting message of female empowerment and diversity. The overriding theme is that it’s never too late to gain some gumption, and we are ultimately stronger together than divided.

The Salt Path by Raynor Winn (Non-fiction)

When Ray and her husband Moth are cast out of their beloved home just as Moth is diagnosed with a terminal illness, a bleak shadow is cast over their future. With nothing to lose, they spontaneously decide to hike the South West Coast Path, camping along the way and encountering interesting people as they walk. The ethereal descriptions of the rugged coastline appealed to my Devonshire roots. Having spent most of my life exploring strips of that very coastline, I felt connected to the soul of their journey. Ray and Moth’s tale sung with hope and resilience, whilst dissecting the harsh reality of what it really means to be homeless. Understated and healing, this is a book spoken from the heart, and written about things that really matter.

Hannah also recommends Vox by Christina Dalcher, Circeby Madeline Miller, Little Fires Everywhereby Celeste Ng, Fierce Fairytales & Other Stories to Stir Your Soulby Nikita Gill.@hstamp4 

Recommended by Chloe Murphy:

Her Body and Other Parties by Carmen Maria Machado (Fiction)

I’ve been on a rampage this year, opting to read female written texts over those written by their counterparts. I didn’t realise that this was a pilgrimage,  driven by a search for something in particular, until I read Her Body and Other Partiesby Carmen Maria Machado. A beautiful, terrible collection of feminist fairy tales, Her Body and Other Parties is an incantatory glimpse into the female past, present and future. Think Black Mirrormeets Rosemary Tonks and Charlotte Perkins Gilman’s forbidden love child. Genre bending and exquisitely stylised, this is some of the most insidious, devastating and sensuous writing I’ve ever read, and the most important book I’ve read this year.

Women Whose Names Were Erased by Avianti Armand (Poetry, translated by Eliza Vitri Handayani)

As a feminist, I’ve always felt ostracised by the narrative of the Bible. But what happens when the women in the Bible get given a voice? Avianti Armand’s latest poetry collection explores just this. A sumptuous, rich translation that gives a voice to those silenced for too long, Women Whose Names Were Erasedis a rebellious collection that gives presence to the best and lesser known women in the Bible — rewriting history and weaving women into a story that previously belonged to men only. Gorgeously obscure in its translation and innovation, I encourage all women to take a bite out of this apple, and hear the voices finally filling the gaps in one of the most read narratives of all time.

Chloe also recommends Poisoned Apples: Poems For You, My Prettyby Christine Heppermann, Teethmarks On My Tongueby Eileen Battersby and Elmetby Fiona Mozley. @chloe_inthe_rye 

Recommended by John Baker:

The Stars Now Unclaimed! by Drew Williams (Fiction)

Science Fiction has had a great year, with some brilliant books joining the shelves of my favourite section of Waterstones. We’ve had the Star Warsmeets Top Gunin Skywardfrom the masterful Brandon Sanderson, we had Pierce Brown emotionally terrorising us again with Iron Goldand we had Becky Champers re-affirming the beauty of the universe with the final book in the wayfarer trilogy Record of a Spaceborn Few. My top pick of the year for sci-fi though is Drew Williams’ The Stars Now Unclaimed! It’s an extremely epic space-opera, cast some awesomely original characters and set in a rich and well-plotted universe. However, what blew me away was the action. Williams writes action sequences like Spielberg dreams he would direct them. The open act surpasses all expectations of what a debut should be able to do, and they just keep building in intensity and ‘jaw-dropping’ness. Buy it, read it, and then read the sequel when it’s out next year!

The Punk Factor by Rebecca Denton (Fiction)

I will admit to not entirely feeling like YA fiction accurately represents the teenage years of my friends and I, probably because I’m reading the wrong books. However, reading The Punk Factorwas like watching Freaks and Geeksfor the first time (if you haven’t seen it, it’s a classic and its cancellation after one series joins Fireflyas one of the greatest crimes against popular culture). Frankie and her best friend Haruna though remind me so much of my mates and growing up that reading The Punk Factor was like travelling back in time. Frankie is far from a perfect, she’s a smart-ass, she’s bolshie, but she loves her friends and is desperate to work out who she is and what’s she’s capable of. Don’t be mistaken though, this book rocks hard and I had the soundtrack going off as I was ripping through the pages.

John also recommends Summerland by Hannu Rajaniemi, Ravencry by Ed McDonald andThe Big Ship at the Edge of the Universe by Alex White. @JJBker

Recommended by Maleeha Mir:

I am a strong believer in inclusive publishing and enjoy books that represent all cultures and backgrounds. So, this year I made a special effort to read books that explore these themes and found a variety of brilliant bestsellers to recommend.

Girls of Paper and Fire by Natasha Ngan (Fiction)

This highly anticipated YA book should be read by everyone. Ngan creates a fantastical and vivid world with formidable female characters. I couldn’t turn the pages fast enough – I fell in love with the protagonist, Lei and her difficult journey. The themes of assault, survival, love, and hope created an emotive and powerful read. This book gave me a world full of magic and demons. What else could a fantasy lover want? The story was pacey and raw with its roots deep in Malaysian culture – I was utterly blown away.

Mother Country: Real Stories of the Windrush Children edited by Charlie Brinkhurst-Cuff (Non-Fiction)

A genuine and heart-felt collection of stories from the Windrush generation. This book made me think deeply about the many ways Britain was shaped by this forgotten generation of men and women. These stories gave me an insight into a completely different culture, one that fascinated me. I felt an undeniable connection to the struggles and heartaches within these stories – especially from the women – what they suffered and experienced as they built new lives, eight thousand miles away from home. We need to learn from the raw truth of these stories and change our bias.

Maleeha also recommends For Everyone by Jason Reynolds, Children of Blood and Bone by Tomi Adeyemiand Brothers in Blood by Amer Anwar. @Mmir08

Recommended by Lily Mac Mahon:

The Seven Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle by Stuart Turton (Fiction)

This is certainly one of the most complex and gripping murder mysteries that I have read for some time. Not only has it got the best components of a classic Agatha Christie story, but it’s also an original take on the whodunit formula which involves time-travel and body swapping. On nearly every page there’s a twist and Turton’s prose creates a dark and unsettling atmosphere. I promise that you will not be able to put this book down until, like Aiden Bishop, you find out who committed the murder and why he’s trapped at Blackheath House.

Making Oscar Wilde by Michèle Mendelssohn (Non-fiction)

Most biographies tend to concentrate on the course of Oscar Wilde’s life, ending in his tragic demise. Mendelssohn, on the other hand, focuses on the early part of his career and offers an in-depth account of his American lecture tour in 1882. Wildeans have often taken their prophet’s words about his dazzling reception in America as gospel. Mendelssohn reveals, with newly discovered material, the more objective and surprising story which involves the initial failure the genius suffered, set amongst the racial and social politics of the 19th century.

Lily also recommends Circe by Madeline Miller, Aristotle’s Way: How Ancient Wisdom Can Change Your Life by Edith Hall and Shakespeare’s Library: Unlocking the Greatest Mystery in Literature by Stuart Kells. @lilymacmahon1 

Recommended by Muneera Munier:

Hold by Michael Donkor (Fiction)
This book brings to life the story of a 17-year-old domestic servant from Ghana whose voice is the kind of voice we do not make an effort to hear. Belinda’s life becomes complicated though she is well looked after and has no more duties than looking after Amma, the troubled teenager of wealthy Ghanaian-born parents in Clapham, south London. This is an uprooting of a different kind and Belinda leaves behind in Ghana not only her own family but a much younger maid called Mary who was her protégé. The Otuo family doesn’t understand why their scholarly daughter Amma is acting up and they do not want to know how all this affects Belinda. Belinda has no real home and is expected to adapt to what comes her way and even she doesn’t realise the burdens she carries. But how much can one take on? Holdis a difficult story unfolding in simple story telling – the multilayered relationships Belinda has to juggle with Amma, her mother Nana and Mary back in Ghana illuminate the difficulty of adapting to core changes in life that bring people face to face with taboos that no one really wants to confront. Secrets, female friendships and a hope for the future are all juxtaposed against reality in this book. Michael’s pen is refreshingly self-assured in this wonderful debut novel. Can’t wait for his next work!

Brit(ish) by Afua Hirsch (Non-fiction)
I cannot recommend this book enough. If you have ever confronted your own sense of identity with the reality of how you are perceived then you know what this book is going to delve into. But Afua goes far deeper than that; She is not afraid to ask questions about an entire country’s prejudice towards its coloured kin. And it is not just institutional reluctance to stop wrongdoing that she talks about; its also the minutely personal everyday micro-aggressions that she (and many others) have had to face each and every day of her life. It is a deeply personal book but Afua is not just talking of her own identity alone – if you have struggled to put shape to your thoughts or feelings about how you have felt in face of prejudice – or how you have not understood when someone else has been talking about the prejudice they face – this book will educate you. It is a must-read, I would say, if you want to think about your own Brit(ish)-ness.

Muneera also recommends Belonging by Michelle Obama, Somebody I Used to Know by Wendy Mitchelland Free Woman by Lara Feigel. In Fiction, her favourite reads this year includedBrother by David Chariandy, White Chrysanthemum by Mary Ann Bracht, Lullaby by Leila Slimani & Sing, Unburied, Sing by Jesmyn Ward.@mun_artist