Recommended Books
Our Team’s Favourite Reads From The Veranda Bookshelf
At Veranda Books, every recommendation comes from genuine enthusiasm; books we’ve read, discussed, and returned to long after the final page. This is a collection of the titles that have stayed with us: stories we’ve loved, ideas that have challenged us, and books we can’t wait to pass on. We hope you find something here that speaks to you.
Tangerinn
By Emanuela Anechoum
RECOMMENDED BY
LEO
Alison
When Mina returns from her unsettled life in London to her late father’s bar in Calabria, she is drawn into the story of his past, from his journey out of Morocco to the family he left behind. Tender and richly layered, this debut novel explores identity, migration and belonging with warmth, insight and beautiful storytelling.
£14.99
Strangers
By Belle Burden
RECOMMENDED BY
Emily
A candid, tell-all memoir that dives into the fallout of a husband abruptly leaving his family, offering an intimate look at relationships under strain. Set against the backdrop of New York’s wealthy elite, it’s a compelling, fast-paced read full of intrigue and insight into the lives people rarely reveal.
£18.99
What Am I, A Deer?
By Polly Barton
RECOMMENDED BY
ALISON
An unnamed aspiring translator moves to Germany for a corporate job and becomes consumed by an obsessive crush on a stranger she dubs “umbrella man.” Sharp, funny and refreshingly original, this coming-of-age novel explores identity, desire and self-doubt.
£14.99
The Palm House
By Gwendoline Riley
RECOMMENDED BY
Emily
Centred on Laura and her lifelong friendship with Putnam, the novel opens with his resignation from a literary magazine and unfolds through a series of reflective vignettes. With precise, understated prose, it explores complex family dynamics and the quiet strength of enduring friendship.
£16.99
Self-Worth
By Emma Tholozan
RECOMMENDED BY
LEO
Fresh out of university, Anna drifts through gig-economy jobs until her life takes a bizarre turn when her boyfriend begins producing €100 notes, catapulting them into sudden wealth and luxury. Darkly surreal and sharply observed, the novel explores the pull between capitalism and personal values, asking what truly matters.
£10.99
London Falling
By Patrick Radden Keefe
RECOMMENDED BY
All Staff
A gripping true story following the tragic death of teenager Zac Brettler, who became entangled in London’s shadowy world of wealth and crime after reinventing himself as the son of a Russian oligarch. Meticulously reported, it’s a jaw-dropping investigation into the choices that led him there, and the systems that allowed it to happen.
£22.00
Happiness
By Yuri Felsen
RECOMMENDED BY
ALISON
Set among the Russian émigré circles of 1920s Paris, this novel follows the introspective Volodya as he fixates on his turbulent relationship with the elusive Lyolya. Told in diary form with a stream-of-consciousness style, it feels strikingly modern, a rediscovered classic now brought back to life for new readers.
£12.00
My Friends
By Fredrik Backman
RECOMMENDED BY
Emily
Fredrik Backman’s latest novel follows a group of teenagers whose shared summers inspire a painting that resurfaces decades later, sending Louisa on a journey to uncover its origins. Warm, evocative and deeply moving, it’s a beautifully told story of memory, friendship and the lasting impact of youth.
£9.99
Repetition
By Vigdis Hjorth
RECOMMENDED BY
Emily
A powerful coming-of-age novel that captures a teenage girl’s year of firsts, navigating the intensity of adolescence under the watch of a controlling mother and distant father. Written in raw, concise prose, it explores how formative moments of youth echo into adulthood with striking emotional clarity.
£10.99
Rasputin and the Fall of the Romanovs
By Anthony Beevor
RECOMMENDED BY
ALISON
A compelling new history of Rasputin, the enigmatic Siberian mystic whose influence over the Russian royal family helped shape a turbulent era. Gripping and richly detailed, it’s a fascinating portrait brought vividly to life.
£25.00
The Nights Are Quiet in Tehran
By Shida Bazyar
RECOMMENDED BY
ALISON
A sweeping multi-generational novel following an Iranian family through the revolutions of 1979. Both intimate and political, it captures youthful resistance and the realities of displacement, offering a powerful, insightful portrait of modern Iranian history.
£10.99
Women Without Men
By Shahrnush Parsipur
RECOMMENDED BY
LEO
A richly layered novel following five women from across Iranian society as their lives intertwine. Blending fable, magical realism and mysticism, it offers a powerful feminist exploration of freedom and oppression, as resonant today as when it was first set.
£12.99
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