Candice Carty-Williams

Readers and writers share books they enjoyed in June, offering enthusiastic impressions of titles ranging from contemporary fiction and nonfiction to children’s and YA literature. Highlights include emotionally powerful novels, insightful social commentary, Victorian gothic thrills, and humorous literary classics. Contributors express strong appreciation for the engaging storytelling and personal resonance found across their selections.

Writers, scholars and artists reflect on bell hooks’ profound impact on their personal lives, intellectual development and understanding of feminism, race and love. They highlight her clarity, compassion and transformative ideas, crediting her work with shaping generations of thinkers across the UK and US. Her influence spans activism, education, cultural criticism and personal empowerment, leaving a lasting and widely felt legacy.

Prominent Black authors discuss the trajectory of Black literature in Britain, reflecting on the surge in visibility following Black Lives Matter protests and the long‑standing lack of industry recognition. They describe growing up with predominantly white literary syllabuses, outline their varied paths to success, and examine ongoing debates around who can tell Black stories. The conversation also highlights key literary works and offers recommendations for further reading.

Authors discuss the rise of Black writers in the wake of Black Lives Matter, examining the publishing industry’s historical exclusion of Black voices and the ways it is beginning to change. They reflect on being taught from predominantly white literary syllabuses, describe their paths into writing, and debate questions of authorship surrounding Black experiences. The conversation concludes with recommended works that highlight the depth and range of Black literature.

Jade LB reflects on writing Keisha the Sket as a teenager, the story’s viral spread across Black British communities, and her complex relationship with it over the years. She describes returning to the work with greater life experience, rewriting it to expand themes of growth, family and womanhood. Now published by #Merky Books, the project remains deeply personal, and she emphasises retaining creative control over any future adaptations. Despite mixed feelings about public attention, she expresses gratitude and pride in bringing the story back to readers.

The writer reflects on the difficulties and losses of 2020 while looking ahead to 2021 with optimism, highlighting anticipated book releases, film adaptations and TV projects. Upcoming titles from several authors and major screen adaptations such as Dune and Passing are mentioned with enthusiasm. The column closes with hope for collective recovery and a return to normality.

Young Black writers reflect on transformative conversations that shaped their identities, including navigating queerness within a religious upbringing, confronting alopecia and vulnerability, and experiencing radical honesty within a family. Their stories highlight themes of self-acceptance, resilience, and the power of open dialogue, underscoring hope for future voices in writing.

A late-night encounter with a police car provokes intense fear as the driver, shaped by past stories of harmful encounters, worries about being stopped. Although the police eventually turn away, the experience underscores how similar situations often end badly for others, highlighting broader concerns about policing and safety.

The writer describes discovering Have You Heard George’s Podcast? and praises its originality and powerful storytelling, highlighting the emotional impact of episodes such as A Grenfell Story while urging others to listen.

Holiday advertisements appearing in mid‑November prompt frustration and a desire to delay the festive season, reflecting on how quickly the year has passed and the emotional weight of 2020. The author avoids early ads to preserve a sense of seasonal timing while acknowledging the appeal of a touching Etsy commercial. Concerns about gift‑buying anxiety and the fleeting nature of the year shape plans to prepare for holiday book purchases.

Joe Biden’s election victory is described as a rare optimistic moment in an otherwise difficult year, offering a sense of relief and symbolic hope amid ongoing global hardship. The author reflects on widespread pessimism throughout 2020 and suggests that the result provided many people with a feeling that circumstances might finally improve.

The author describes relying on grime and UK rap to maintain energy and emotional focus while completing a second novel, drawing inspiration from the storytelling, intensity and wordplay of artists including D Double E, Frisco and Giggs, whose recent releases helped sustain momentum through the most challenging stages of the writing process.

Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie’s release of the short story Zikora ends a long wait for new fiction from the author, whose writing is described with deep admiration. The piece celebrates her return to fiction since the 2013 novel Americanah and conveys the excitement and personal significance the new story holds for devoted readers.

A writer reflects on exchanging books with a friend just before a new lockdown, describing the comfort and connection found in sharing favourite novels and the anticipation of reading them during a period of isolation.

Reflecting on experiencing both the novel Us and its television adaptation, the writer describes being deeply moved by the story’s portrayal of a strained marriage, noting that the emotional impact of the series made it difficult to compare the two versions. Emphasizing that a strong adaptation captures the core feeling of the original work, the piece highlights the continued poignancy of David Nicholls’s story and the effectiveness of its transition from page to screen.

Argues for the richness of nonfiction as a creative and emotional resource for novelists, drawing inspiration from Kae Tempest’s essays on human connection and Ify Adenuga’s memoir of migration, resilience and intergenerational experience. Highlights the cultural and personal insights gained from these works and their value in shaping understanding and creativity.

Writing prizes are described as vital opportunities for emerging writers who often lack industry access, offering visibility and professional development even without winning. Merky Books’ writers’ prize is highlighted as an example, providing publication for the winner and a writers’ camp for all longlisted authors. Submitting work is emphasized as an important step toward being recognized and gaining insights into the publishing world.

The omission of Hilary Mantel’s The Mirror & The Light from the Booker prize shortlist prompts reflection on how emotion shapes the publishing world. Judges’ decisions, like Lee Child’s view that stronger books were available, remain subjective. Readers’ and writers’ connections to books endure independently of awards, which validate tastes but do not define a novel’s worth.

Music videos are highlighted as uniquely powerful storytelling tools, able to convey emotion and narrative within minutes in ways written stories cannot. Examples such as Kano’s Teardrops, the Yeah Yeah Yeahs’ Maps and Kool & the Gang’s Fresh illustrate how visuals and music combine to deliver truth and emotional depth. The writer reflects on how this concentrated artistic impact inspires their own creative aspirations but cannot be fully replicated without music’s intrinsic magic.

The return to cinemas after months away proves more thrilling than watching Tenet, which is described as fine but less exciting than the experience of being back in a theatre. Mask-wearing and pandemic adjustments shape the outing, while Christopher Nolan’s film and its associations offer familiar reference points during an unusual cultural moment.