Update from Kia
It has been a mad month, but in all the best ways. Those People Next Door came out in August and I had the sort of publication that authors dream of. I was wined and dined at The Ivy, posed with my book outside the lifts in the HarperCollins building, signed copies at Waterstones Piccadilly where I had my own table (two in fact), did a 90-stop tour of my billboards and posters on the London Underground and hit the Times Bestsellers List three weeks in a row.
A part of me had hoped for the Sunday Times list (i.e. the one we use here at Asian Booklist) but given that only one British-Asian novelist has hit it this year* – and that novelist is Salman Rushdie – I don’t feel too bad about it. There are, of course, broader questions about why there’s only one, but that’s for another time when I’m feeling less buoyant. For now, I’m going to enjoy myself. I know that this sort of investment isn’t given to every book, so I’m allowing myself a moment of joy.
Until next time.
Kia
(*Based on imperfect research as it’s not always obvious from an author’s picture or bio if they are British-Asian.)
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New books by British-Asian authors
7 September 2023
Hysterical: Exploding the Myth of Gendered Emotions
How we interpret emotions and act on them has been heavily gendered, as far back as Ancient Greek and Roman times, and – despite improvements in societal equality – continues to be today. In Hysterical, Dr Pragya Agarwal delves into history and science to determine the truth about our notions of innate differences between the male and female experience of emotions. She examines the impact this has on men and women – especially the role it has played in the subjugation of women […]
7 September 2023
The Council of Good Friends
A funny and heart-warming story for readers aged 6-9 from award-winning author Nikesh Shukla. Vinay, Musa, Inua and Nish are best friends. Nothing can separate them… until one day when Vinay’s cousin comes to invade his bunk bed haven (i.e. share his room). When a prank war starts, can the friends remember what really matters? Filled with fun illustrations by Rochelle Falconer, The Council of Good Friends is full of both hilarious mayhem and caring moments of friendship […]
14 September 2023
The Shoulders We Stand On: How Black and Brown people fought for change in the United Kingdom
The UK is grappling with big questions about belonging, equality and the legacies of Empire and Colonialism. We've been here before. Embracing a broader history that encompasses all British people, The Shoulders We Stand On is fundamental to a better understanding of the past and gives many more people who fought for our future a voice in the present. Have you heard of the Indian Workers' Association? The Grunwick Strike? The Brixton Black Women’s Group? The Battle of Brick Lane? […]
20 September 2023
Better Left Unsaid
Three siblings. Three promises. Three lifetimes of saying all the wrong things… Since their mother’s death, siblings Imran, Sumaya and Majid have drifted in three very different directions, trying to live up to the last promises they each made to her. But when a viral news piece throws an unwanted spotlight on the family, they’re drawn back into each other’s lives for the first time in years. With the media attention exposing the cracks in Imran’s already fragile marriage, he […]
Books out last month
3 August 2023
Those People Next Door
Salma Khatun is extremely hopeful about Blenheim, the safe suburban development to which she, her husband and their son have just moved. Their family is in desperate need of a fresh start, and Blenheim feels like the place to make that happen. Not long after they move in, Salma spots her neighbour, Tom Hutton, ripping out the anti-racist banner her son put in their front garden. Initially, she chooses not to confront Tom because she wants to fit in. […]
3 August 2023
Story of Now: Let's Talk about the British Empire
The UK was once a huge global superpower. Bigger than the Roman Empire. Bigger than the Incas, Mayas, Aztecs, Mughal, Ottoman or any other European, Asian, African or American power. Its influence was felt in countries all over the world, but it didn't just affect countries over there. It affected everything about the islands we live on today. It affected the language we speak, the food we eat […]
3 August 2023
Geoffrey Gets the Jitters
From the creator of Barbara Throws a Wobbler, the ultimate story to chase (and laugh) your worries away. Geoffrey's got the jitters! It started last night when he was thinking about school – a funny, wiggly feeling in his tummy that grew and grew. But when Geoffrey's tummy jitters started talking to him, that's when he knew they were out of control. Geoffrey had to do something. […]
10 August 2023
Death of a Lesser God
Can a white man receive justice in post-colonial India? Bombay, 1950. James Whitby, sentenced to death for the murder of prominent lawyer and former Quit India activist Fareed Mazumdar, is less than two weeks from a date with the gallows. In a last-ditch attempt to save his son, Whitby's father forces a new investigation into the killing. The investigation leads Inspector Persis Wadia of the Bombay Police to the old […]
17 August 2023
Why Don't Things Fall Up?: and Six Other Science Lessons You Missed at School
Do you ever look up at a cloud and think, where do those come from again? Do you know your molluscs from your mammals and your rocks from your minerals? Have you forgotten what the non-edible version of the Milky Way is, and did you ever know what a force was? Why Don't Things Fall Up? will gently remind you of everything you definitely learnt once upon a time, but have somehow forgotten along the way. […]
31 August 2023
In the Shadow of the Wolf Queen: Book 1
In the lakes, the wolf queen sharpens her spear. In the mountains, an ancient girl opens an eye. In the forest, an orphan is summoned by the trees. Our story has begun … Ysolda has lived her life in the shadow of the wolf queen's tyrannical rule but, safe in her forest haven, she has never truly felt its threat. Until one day when a mysterious earthquake shakes the land and her older sister Hari vanishes in its wake. […]
31 August 2023
Grimwood: Attack of the Stink Monster!
A Bigfoot is on the loose! Ted, Nancy, Willow and the rest of the Grimwood gang must embark on their greatest adventure yet to save their home from a nasty, thieving stink monster. Monster hunters are GO! Fully illustrated throughout and full of heart, laughs and surprises, this is the must-read third title in the bestselling and fantastically funny Grimwood series. […]
31 August 2023
The Cookie Culprit (Meet the Maliks – Twin Detectives)
Meet Maysa and Musa Malik. They might be twins but they are total opposites. And together they make an unstoppable team, especially when trying to solve a mystery! Maysa Malik just can't seem to be good like her twin, Musa. So, when she isn't allowed to go on a school trip, Maysa tries to change her parents' minds […]
Editor’s choice
The book I’m most excited about…
As someone with seven brothers and sisters, I always enjoy novels that centre on the sibling relationship, from Little Women to The Virgin Suicides. This is why I’m excited about the new novel from British-Bangladeshi author Tufayel Ahmed.
Better Left Unsaid is the story of three siblings, three promises and three lifetimes of saying all the wrong things.
Since their mother’s death, siblings Imran, Sumaya and Majid have drifted in three very different directions, trying to live up to the last promises they each made to her. But when a viral news piece throws an unwanted spotlight on the family, they’re drawn back into each other’s lives for the first time in years.
With the media attention exposing the cracks in Imran’s already fragile marriage, he begs Sumaya to return from New York to help – but living under the same roof again after all this time brings up all the secrets they’d both thought long-buried. And now nothing can stop the truth from coming out.
With the promises they once made in tatters, is this a chance for the siblings to finally live the lives they’ve always wanted and rebuild the bond they once had? Or has too much already been said?
Order it now from Amazon.