We promised in our recent post that we would start doing monthly previews of some of the fantastic indie books being published, so here is our first attempt!
At the time of writing there are 245 UK based independent publishers on our twitter list alone, let alone the publishers that aren't on twitter, so of course there will be books coming out in June that we won't be able to include - please feel free to leave any you feel should be here in the comments. All titles lead to pre-order links, from the publisher direct where possible but otherwise through Wordery. I've also tried to stick with the smaller publishers, as you're probably more likely to hear about and see books from Canongate, Faber and the likes than you are the smaller indies.
Leading with one of my most anticipated books of the year and one which I've talked about on Instagram for our #30daysofindiebooks
challenge on Instagram, We Shall Fight Until We Win is a history of women in politics in graphic novel form, from the very beginnings of the fight to get the vote through to the present day. From incredible, radical publishers 404 Ink and BHP Comics, I cannot wait for this to arrive.
Summery Stuff ->
The Waterfront Journals by David Wojnarowicz is another book that I have coming from backing a Kickstarter campaign. Published by Peninsula Press, a new indie founded by three booksellers, this sounds like it'll be quirky and intriguing. It's compiled of a set of fictional monologues which articulate the lives of various people the author met while sleeping rough in 80s America.
The Reading Party by Fenella Gentleman (Muswell Press) is a bit of a confusing one - according to Muswell Press's website it doesn't come out until June. According to Wordery it came out on May 17th. Anyway, it sounds like an ideal book for June. Sarah Addleshaw is hired as the first female academic at a college of Oxford University in the 1970s, and during her first year is asked to accompany the first mixed group of students on a retreat to Cornwall, where she becomes illicitly drawn to one of them...
The Tyranny of Lost Things by Rhiannon Lucy Cosslett (Sandstone Press). Harmony drops out of university and returns to her hometown, where she rents a room in her old commune, hoping to discover the source of strange nightmares she's been having. The summer of the London riots converges with a summer in her childhood and she begins to discover what really happened twenty years ago.
One Deadly Summer by Sebastien Japrisot (Gallic) - a whirlwind romance turns sinister in this suspense novel from the author of A Very Long Engagement.
General Fiction ->
Lucia by Alex Phleby (Galley Beggar Press) - Lucia Joyce was the daughter of James Joyce, the lover of Samuel Beckett, a gifted dancer and a schizophrenic who was repeatedly hospitalized throughout her life. After her death all trace of her was erased and her life has been a mystery. Lucia dives into all the things that could have happened to her.
Fish Soup by Margarita Garcia Robayo trans. Charlotte Coombe (Charco Press) - Charco Press are a really interesting new publisher, and Fish Soup is a collection of two novellas and a short story collection.
All Our Yesterdays by Natalia Ginzberg (Head of Zeus) - set against a backdrop of war, this is the story of two families, one rich, and one poor. It portrays the struggles of their everyday lives in contrast with their wartime lives and gives the struggles of each equal importance.
Celestial Bodies by Jokha Alharthi (Sandstone Press) - the stories of three sisters and their marriages tell the story of the evolution of Oman, from its roots as a traditional, slave-owning society to its complex present.
High Static, Dead Lines by Kristen Gallarneaux (Strange Attractor) - Described as "a literary mix tape that explores the entwined boundaries between sound, material culture, landscape and esoteric belief" this sounds like the kind of thing that has found its home in indie publishing and it's fantastic.
Short Stories ->
How the Light Gets in by Clare Fisher (Influx Press) - this is a really intriguing sounding collection of short stories exploring life in contemporary Britain by looking at "the spaces between light and dark and how we get from one to the other". The stories are super short and the cover is super beautiful.
Shantila Stories (Peirene Press) - 9 refugees have been commissioned by Peirene Press to tell their stories in a piece of collaborative fiction being released as Shantila Stories. Adam and his family arrive at the Shantila camp in Beirut after fleeing Syria and see many things happening around them. Adam struggles to make sense of his own experience, but then he meets Shatha and starts to view the camp through her eyes.
This list could have gone on for a lot longer than it has, but I hope you've been inspired and excited by some of the awesome things being published next month!
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Want more excellent books to read during the long Summer days? Join the waiting list for our one-off Summer Reading Box here.