13th February Newsletter
What’s On At Veranda
Welcome! Speaking at the Society of Authors Translation Prizes awards this week, host Fiona Sze-Lorrain remarked “I never cease to marvel at how works of translation, like dripping water hollowing out a rock, transform cultural/literary boundaries and our receptivity to the ‘other’ on the most human level.” In a time when fear and hatred of the ‘other’ abounds, we can’t help but feel that reading and talking about translated literature might just make the world a better place.
Shop News
Amazing books - and the people behind them
On Tuesday, we were delighted to welcome Ginny Tapley Takamori and Lucy North to the shop to hear more about their work (along with Allison Markin Powell, not pictured) as the Strong Women, Soft Power collective. Formed 10 years ago, these powerhouse translators have been instrumental in bringing the work of female Japanese writers to the anglophone world. Strange Weather in Tokyo, Convenience Store Woman and Diary of a Void are just 3 of the many titles they’ve translated.
Ginny had flown in from Tokyo to collect her award for her translation of Mornings With My Cat Mii by Mayumi Inaba, at the Society of Authors 2025 Translation Prizes, held on Tuesday evening (and flagged in the 30th Jan newsletter).
A round-up of all the winners can be found on our Bookshop.org page, link below – or come and find them on our Translation shelves at the shop.
A very full house on Thursday for the launch of Saleem Haddad’s new novel Floodlines (see Our Recommended Reads below for details). Saleem was interviewed by poet, writer and academic Zena Agha in a conversation that ranged from art to family strife and the displacement of peoples. Zena and Saleem both have Palestinian-Iraqi heritage, and the conversation about ‘going back’ was fascinating. So much so, we could’ve listened long into the night… Saleem’s book is out now, published by Europa Editions and we have a lovely big stack in store. It’s fantastic and needs to be read far and wide.
“There is no charm equal to tenderness of heart” - Emma, Jane Austen
Consider the facts: in 2025, not one, but two indie bookshops opened in London, devoted exclusively to romance novels. Libreria in Brick Lane hosted a proposal (Reader, she said yes!). Romantasy is the genre dominating bestseller lists and booktok alike. And at Veranda this week, we’ve been seductively adjusting our reading glasses and getting to grips with what it all means. The conclusion: Romance is alive and well, in the literary world at least.
From Classics to LGBTQ+, self-help to contemporary bestsellers, our shelves are swooning under the weight of love in all its forms. Thankfully for readers and writers alike, the course of true love never did run smooth; human beings’ capacity for amorous misadventure, sexual idiocy and losing-your-mind passion has spawned a multitude of romantic tales. Bodice-rippers, anguished lovers, will-they, won’t they…poetry to melt your heart: we’re here for all of it (and not just on Valentines Day!)
The Veranda team’s heart-racing picks:
- LEO has gone for Love After Love by Derek Walcott. A gentle ode to the redemptive power of self-acceptance and loving yourself – “Feast on your life.”
- ALISON swoons over the Russian classics Dr Zhivago and Anna Karenina. Ain’t nothing com about these roms, but if you want rich, dramatic yearning in a cold climate, look no further.
- EMILY ‘s chosen Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë, one of her favourite books – and in her opinion, the most romantic book of all time. Brooding Mr Rochester and defiant Jane falling in love against the backdrop of the Yorkshire Moors. Perfection!
Now Booking
Upcoming in-store events
Our events schedule is heating up, with weekly launches and in-conversations booking into mid-March. Our events are always free and space is limited, so tickets tend to go very quickly. BUT, we always hold a few spaces for regular customers and newsletter-readers, so if something’s caught your eye, just get in touch and we’ll do our best to fit you in. Upcoming events:
- 17th February 6.30-8.30: Nidhi Arora discusses her debut novel The Lights of Shantinagar Expect a warm, lively discussion over chai and snacks
- 24th February 6.30-8.30: Fatima Bhutto in conversation with Sana Goyal. Fatima’s upcoming memoir The Hour of the Wolf is a brave and vital account of a coercive relationship and the redemptive power of friendship
- 5th March 6.30-8.30: Rebecca Perry will be talking about her brilliant debut May We Feed The King with one of our favourite writers Amy Key
- 11th March 6.30-8.30: we’re thrilled to welcome Erin Somers, author of Veranda Pick The Ten Year Affair for an evening with Juliet Rosenfeld, author of 2025’s authoritative hit Affairs: True Stories of Love, Lies, Hope and Desire
Our Recommended Reads
Floodlines by Saleem Haddad
A few weeks ago, we talked about the enduring lure of complex family relationships for novelists in the newsletter. This week, we have all been immersed in Saleem Haddad’s new novel, Floodlines, in anticipation of last night’s event at the shop. Inspired by Saleem’s personal family history, this multigenerational novel follows three Iraqi-British sisters as they navigate displacement, war, exile and uncomfortable family secrets. Spanning continents and decades, this is a contemporary novel which feels like the most epic and seductive of classic Victorian novels
Three Summers by Margarita Liberaki (tr. Karen Van Dyck)
As the Great British Winter marches on, Alison scoured the bookshelves for respite and alighted on this classic Greek novel set just before the war. Three sisters (it’s becoming a theme) spend three adolescent summers together looking at the adults around them, trying to figure out how their futures might look – and who they might become. It’s nostalgic and dreamy, a warm, summery coming-of-age novel that’ll take you to a different place and time, and for a few hours, at least, away from the rain!
What we’re loving this week…
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