In keeping with this month’s theme of Community, we explore the idea through literature, sharing our top picks for this month’s selection. These books examine community in a variety of ways, from connection and belonging to conflict, resilience and shared experience.
Births Deaths Marriages
Laura Barnett
Births, Deaths and Marriages follows six close university friends: Zoe, Al, Rachel, Rob, Yas and Indie, whose once-unbreakable bond is tested by time and distance. After years apart, an engagement party reunites them, reigniting old passions, unresolved tensions and buried emotions. Over the next year, their lives become entwined again as a birth, a marriage and a death unfold, though not all is as expected. Spanning years and continents, this novel explores love, friendship, regret and second chances. At its heart, it’s a story about growing older together, and everything that connects us in between life’s biggest milestones.
We Were There
Lanre Bakare
Rocked by economic crisis, the rise of the National Front, harsh anti-immigration policies and civil unrest, Thatcher’s Britain was deeply divided. Yet across the country, Black creativity, resilience and community thrived. From Bradford’s mills and Northern Soul dance floors to Cardiff Bay’s multicultural docks and rural Britain, Lanre Bakare uncovers the overlooked people and places that shaped modern Britain. Featuring artists, activists, Rastafarians and rugby stars, We Were There reveals a vibrant history often left untold. Rich with insight and humanity, this powerful book celebrates a shared legacy that continues to define Britain today.
Togetherness: Symbiosis and the Hidden Story of Life’s Greatest Collaborations
Rowan Hooper
Togetherness challenges the idea that life is driven by competition alone, revealing that cooperation is the true foundation of nature. Science writer Rowan Hooper explores extraordinary examples of symbiosis, from fig wasps and corals to the gut microbes that shape our health and emotions. These remarkable partnerships show how animals, plants, fungi and bacteria depend on one another to survive and thrive. Blending evolutionary science with compelling storytelling, Hooper argues that understanding nature’s interconnectedness offers vital lessons for humanity. This thought-provoking book presents cooperation not as an exception, but as the key to life and a more sustainable future.
No Fair Maidens
Kim Willis
No Fair Maidens blends folklore, mythology, memoir and landscape to reimagine a powerful role for women in Britain, where they are — and always have been — forces of nature. As Kim Willis steps away from traditional expectations of marriage and motherhood, she seeks new stories to guide her. Drawn to the source of the River Severn, she encounters echoes of ancient matriarchs: goddesses, river spirits and shape-shifting enchantresses who once ruled the land. Across Britain, from Skye to Northumberland, she uncovers myths of women such as Arianrhod, Melusine and Cerridwen, revealing a buried sense of power and possibility.
In these forgotten stories, she discovers new perspectives on grief, healing, sisterhood, sexuality and freedom.
The Roots We Share: 100 Words That Bring Us Together
Susie Dent
In Roots We Share, bestselling author and word expert Susie Dent uncovers 100 words and phrases that celebrate the ties connecting us. From forgotten expressions to modern favourites, each entry highlights kindness, friendship, community, love and shared humanity. Discover delightful words like conjobble (chatting over food), goodwilly (kind and generous), atone (to become “at one” again) and coddiwomple (travelling without a destination). Rich with wit, warmth and linguistic curiosity, this uplifting collection reminds us that, despite our differences, the language we share can foster understanding, spark joy and bring people closer together.
We Are All Different
Tracey Turner & Asa Gilland
There are billions of ways to be human, and We Are All Different celebrates every one of them. Created with Inclusive Minds Inclusion Ambassadors, this joyful picture book introduces children of different abilities, cultures, ethnicities, family structures, gender identities, interests and experiences. Through engaging characters, real children’s quotes and lively speech bubbles, it shows that everyone has unique strengths and something valuable to offer. Warm, funny and reassuring, the book highlights how diversity enriches our lives while reminding readers that we have far more in common than what sets us apart. Åsa Gilland’s vibrant illustrations bring every page to life.
