Update from Kia
Hello and Happy New Year.
I write to you after three tiring but reinvigorating weeks in India. Although it was one of those holidays from which I need a holiday, it was the creative reset I really needed.
Before the trip, I was feeling burnt out, as I mentioned in the December issue. I felt exhausted by the thought of writing another novel and just wasn’t sure if I wanted to do this long term. (Trust me, there are easier ways to earn a living wage.)
On my trip, however, I found myself jotting down certain details to use in my next novel. For example, I noted about a fellow traveller: his laugh was well articulated, each “ha” separate from the other, which lent it a falseness (naturally, I’d edit this half-a-dozen times before it made it into a published book). I wrote about the woman whose plastic surgery seemed designed to slowly morph her into her prettier sister. I noted how Peter co-opted one of my witticisms at a group dinner and thought, hm, that would be an interesting husband-wife dynamic at a fictional dinner party.
This reminded me that I love fiction. Indeed, if I won the lottery, I’d treat myself to a luxury holiday, I’d probably buy a nicer house – and then I’d potter about and write a new novel.
All this to say that I’m starting 2024 ready to work and in a good place. I hope you’re doing the same.
Until next time.
Kia
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New books by British-Asian authors
4 January 2024
The Health Fix: Transform Your Health in 8 Weeks
Starting with the experience of his own illness, Dr Ayan Panja, NHS GP and lifestyle medicine expert, brings a unique personalised framework to tailor targeted lifestyle-based interventions to you, with his groundbreaking new book, The Health Fix. Unlike many approaches to health and wellbeing, The Health Fix focuses on the 'why' rather than just the 'what' […]
11 January 2024
The Things That We Lost
Nik has lots of questions about his late father but knows better than to ask his mother, Avani. It's their unspoken rule. When his grandfather dies, Nik has the opportunity to learn about the man he never met. Armed with a key and new knowledge about his parents' past, Nik sets out to unlock the secrets that his mother has been holding onto his whole life […]
18 January 2024
Hidden Fires
How can you live in the present when you’re trying to bury the past? Ramadan, 2017. Yusuf wakes up in the middle of the night to pray. His routine is always the same, but something tells him that tonight is different. Yellow flames blur Yusuf’s vision, and the laughter of a small child echoes in his ears. But this time, the red, smoke-filled skies aren’t just in his memory […]
18 January 2024
Know Your Place
At four years old, Dr Faiza Shaheen was told by her mum that one day she would study at the University of Oxford. As the daughter of a car mechanic attending state schools, the odds were low, but she worked hard and succeeded. Today, she’s a leading statistician and standing for election as a Member of Parliament. Why do we glorify success as personal triumph like this? […]
18 January 2024
The Detective
Has someone got away with murder? On the verge of a four-billion-dollar deal, a tech entrepreneur from Shoreditch is found dead in a construction site, which leads to the discovery of three skeletons over a hundred years old. But as fresh bodies turn up, can Detective Kamil – along with his friend Anjoli – prevent another murder? Desperate to solve his first case for the Met, will Kamil put his reputation on the line? […]
25 January 2024
Empireworld: How British Imperialism Has Shaped the Globe
Empireland examined imperialism's lasting impact on Britain. Empireworld traces the legacies of British empire across the globe. 2.6 billion people are inhabitants of former British colonies. The empire's influence upon the quarter of the planet it occupied, and its gravitational influence upon the world outside it, has been profound: from the spread of Christianity by missionaries to nearly 1 in 3 driving on the left side of the road […]
Books out last month
28 December 2023
This Book May Save Your Life
The hilarious, myth-busting survival guide to the human body from TikTok's favourite General Surgeon. Though the odds are stacked against us, the human body has an extraordinary tendency to survive. Here, Dr Karan Rajan explains the weird and wonderful bodily functions that keep us going, and offers practical advice to help you thrive. Full of everyday health hacks to worry less and live better, This Book May Save Your Life […]
Editor’s choice
The book I’m most excited about…
Sairish Hussain’s debut, The Family Tree, was shortlisted for a slew of awards, among them the Costa First Novel Award. I read it in 2020 and found it to be a profound, beautifully observed portrait of a British-Muslim family rocked by tragedy. The characters were so endearing, I grieved as they grieved, cheered as they healed and clung to them for days after the final page.
I’m expecting similarly great things from Sairish’s second novel, Hidden Fires.
Ramadan, 2017. Yusuf wakes up in the middle of the night to pray. His routine is always the same, but something tells him that tonight is different.
Miles away, Rubi is also awake. On the TV, she watches reports of a devastating fire in London. She is already anxious when her parents send her to stay with her Grandpa Yusuf, whose conservative house rules are almost as unbearable as the loneliness she feels at home.
Yusuf’s lifestyle does not gel with Rubi’s. But when she finds him scared and confused one night, it becomes clear that there’s more to her grandfather than Rubi ever considered.
Hidden Fires explores grief and loss, the power of family ties, and the long arm of history.
Order it now from Amazon or Waterstones or your local independent bookshop.