Super Thursday: 7 books to pick up on the biggest day in publishing
From Mary Berry to Shirley Ballas, some major names have new books coming out.
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Your support makes all the difference.If you’re looking for a new book to read, you’re in luck – October is full of some of the biggest releases of the year.
Every October sees the most books published in a single day for the whole year.
It’s dubbed ‘Super Thursday’, and this year it falls on October 12.
According to The Bookseller, 1,286 new books are set to be published on October 12 – and these are some of the biggest new titles to pick up…
1. Mary Makes it Easy by Mary Berry
Baking legend Mary Berry is back with her latest cookbook, this time dedicated to simple recipes.
Expect one-pot dishes and recipes using just five ingredients. As well as her signature bakes, such as flapjacks and pavlovas, there are savoury dishes too, including vegetarian main meals like roasted vegetable wellington.
The book is accompanied by a BBC TV series, where the former Great British Bake Off judge will cook up some of these dishes – with the help of celebrity friends.
(BBC Books, £28)
2. The Twat Files by Dawn French
This sort-of memoir is comedian Dawn French’s response to the culture of perfection.
French is a proud, self-proclaimed “champion twat” – and she highlights some of her most cringeworthy moments The Twat Files.
It’s charming and funny, and a good reminder that nobody’s perfect – and why would you want to be anyway?
(Michael Joseph, £22)
3. The Magic Faraway Tree: A Christmas Adventure by Jacqueline Wilson, illustrated by Mark Beech
October is when Christmas-themed releases start hitting the shelves, and it doesn’t get much bigger than Jacqueline Wilson’s new offering.
This brand new story inspired by Enid Blyton’s much-loved characters has a festive twist. It follows Milo, Mia and Birdy, who are excited to visit the Enchanted Wood for Christmas – encountering a whole range of wintery surprises there.
(Hodder Children’s Books, £14.99)
4. Murder On The Dance Floor by Shirley Ballas and Sheila McClure
It’s no surprise that the ‘Queen of Latin ballroom’, Shirley Ballas, has released a debut novel that’s all about dancing.
The glitz and glamour of ballroom is there, but there’s also a darker side to this book.
When a young dancer dies at the start of a competition, dance legend Lily Richmond suspects foul play – and she turns to her former student Susie Cooper for help, who’s conveniently now a private detective.
Strictly Come Dancing judge Ballas gives a peek behind the curtain of a world she knows so well… albeit with a lot more murder and betrayal.
(HQ, £18.99)
5. Light Over Liskeard by Louis de Bernières
From the author of Captain Corelli’s Mandolin comes a new book, looking towards the future.
It follows quantum cryptographer Q, who is fed up with helping the hapless government foil cyberattacks, so he leaves the city behind and moves to a ruined farmhouse in Cornwall.
Q goes back to nature and begins to build a self-sufficient life – the book follows his trials and tribulations, his encounters with the locals and what happens when his teenage children come to visit.
(Harvill Secker, £20)
6. Roman Stories by Jhumpa Lahiri, translated by Jhumpa Lahiri and Todd Portnowitz
Pulitzer Prize-winning author Jhumpa Lahiri is back with her latest collection of short stories, this time exploring the city of Rome.
Mystery abounds in Roman Stories – no character is given a name, but is instead referred to by an initial, a status or a relationship. Lahiri – who splits her time between Rome and New York – paints the city as an extra character, who’s just as involved in the humanity of every story.
(Picador, £16.99)
7. The Book You Want Everyone You Love* To Read *(And Maybe A Few You Don’t) by Philippa Perry
Philippa Perry – psychotherapist, the Observer’s agony aunt and cult author – has put together her experiences into her cheekily-named latest book.
Perry outlines how to tackle some of the biggest problems we’ll face in life – spanning everything from finding love and tackling conflict, to coping with change and loss.
It deals with big issues, but is full of Perry’s signature wit and lightness of touch.
(Cornerstone Press, £18.99)