Asian Booklist: January 2025
Discover new books by British-Asian authors
Update from Kia
Hello,
Now that it’s over, I can categorically say that 2024 was a crappy year for me in every possible way: family (two members of my family had life-threatening illnesses which continue to affect them and there was one cancer recurrence scare); love (my 14-year relationship ended); health (I was diagnosed with traumatic scoliosis following an old riding accident); money (my mortgage payments went up by £600 per month, my estate agent ran off with over £2,000 of my money and property repairs cost me over £6,000); and career (changes to the Google Algorithm mean that my income from Atlas & Boots took a nosedive. As I didn’t have a book out in 2024, there was little book income to cushion this fall).
Luckily, after living through 2006-7 (also known as The Worst Year of My Life) I am pretty much bulletproof. Plus, I’ve had boxing, travel and friends to keep me sane.
What’s more, it turns out that I’m an optimist, which is a surprise to even me. I always thought that an optimist was a naturally sunny person who saw the silver lining in everything (not a good description of me), but last year I read that optimists are defined by three traits: they expect good things to happen; when good things happen, they feel like they earned them; when bad things happen, they don’t take it personally or blame themselves. These three things definitely apply to me.
I am also a believer in fresh starts. The logicians among us would say that life doesn’t change just because December 31st ticks over to January 1st but, for me, the cognitive reset has always been effective. I have set fresh goals and I fully believe that they will be achieved so, yes, I guess that makes me an optimist.
With that in mind, I expect 2025 will be if not a brilliant year, then certainly a better one.
Until next time.
Kia x
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Books out this month
2 January 2025
This Book May Save Your Life: Everyday Health Hacks to Worry Less and Live Better
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. […]
2 January 2025
Empireworld: How British Imperialism Has Shaped 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, to the origins of international law. Yet Britain’s idea of its imperial history and the world’s experience of it are two very different things. […]
9 January 2025
Feel-Good Productivity: How to Do More of What Matters to You
The secret to productivity isn't discipline. It's joy. We think that productivity is all about hard work. That the road to success is lined with endless frustration and toil. But what if there's another way? Dr Ali Abdaal – the world's most-followed productivity expert – has uncovered an easier, happier path to success. Drawing on decades of psychological research, he has found that the secret to productivity and success isn’t grind – it’s feeling good. […]
23 January 2025
Winter Animals
In one of America's Happiest Cities, 38-year-old Elen is trapped under the shadow of the snow-capped Cascade Mountains. Her husband has left her. Her belongings are in the boot of her car. Her days are filled mostly with silence and drinking. When she meets four English teenagers in an empty bar, she is enamoured. Luka, Clover, George and Lyn are wealthy squatters, drifting between ski resorts and breaking into empty Airbnbs. […]
30 January 2025
Hidden Fires
Ramadan, 2017. Yusuf wakes 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. Miles away, Rubi is also awake. On the television, she watches reports of a devastating fire in London. […]
30 January 2025
The Spy
One missing boy. One man undercover. A whole nation at risk. Detective Kamil Rahman is working for the Metropolitan Police when he gets the call from MI5. They've received intelligence of a terrorist plot, and it's Kamil they need. Posing as a disaffected cop, and working back in his friend Anjoli's beloved restaurant on Brick Lane, Kamil attempts to infiltrate the cell. But when a young boy goes missing, Kamil finds the disappearance is linked to his case. […]
Books out last year
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