Flesh: A Novel, David Szalay

This compelling novel is elegantly written and hypnotic. It brings out our sympathy for a lost boy who is not always likable as we follow him to maturity. István is 15 when the novel begins. He lives with his mother in an apartment complex in Hungary. We follow him as he gains wealth, power, and status in 21st-century London. Sometimes we are pushed forward in the story and have to figure out what has happened in the intervening months or years, making us, readers, intensely engaged in the story. I’m not usually attracted to a book only because it’s a prize winner but this 2025 Booker Prize winner is indeed a winner.

My daughter Ronit recommends: Bog Queen: A Novel, Anna North

I might not have read this novel if Karen Stacey from Hornblower Books hadn’t suggested it to Sandra Climan (my mother) at Bibliophile, but am I glad I did! It captured my attention from the start! When a perfectly preserved body is discovered in an English peat bog, American forensic anthropologist Agnes is asked to help investigate. Soon Agnes finds herself at odds with those who want to profit from the bog and climate change activists who are determined to preserve the bog. At the same time, in almost alternating chapters, the reader is introduced to a young Celtic Druid who is finding her way as a leader at the beginning of the Roman era in Europe. Bog Queen mixes modern themes with old-world wisdom as it follows two young women figuring out how to use their unusual talents in challenging environments.

Carey recommends: Don't Feed the Lion, Bianna Golodryga and Yonit Levi

Although this is technically a young adult book it speaks on many different levels and it is important to understand how our kids feel, confronted with passive and then more overt antisemitism. It is a wonderful book that is fast-paced and very much contemporary. 13-year-old Theo Kaplan loves soccer more than anything. One day, his favourite player and idol makes an antisemitic remark in an interview. Theo is stunned by what was said, his own teammates' reaction, his parents' comments, and not least his younger sister's anger and outrage. This is just the beginning; soon antisemitic comments are flying around, a locker is defaced, and a stone is thrown through a synagogue’s window. Theo doesn’t know what to do, whether to ignore, forget, and suppress his anger and embarrassment or stand up and do something about it. What shall he do? Ages 8-Adult.