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Each season, we round up some of the most exciting new books coming out from writers in our region, alongside giveaways, interviews, and other bookish content.
Spend a sunny weekend choosing some new reads from our selections of Northern releases, staff recommendations, and books set in hot places.
Plus we've rounded up loads of great events happening across the North this summer, from literary festivals to Northern Bookshelf Live library events.
A bookish summer awaits!
Happy reading,
New Writing North and Durham Book Festival
The Mercy Step by Marcia Hutchinson
A precocious Mercy makes her reluctant entrance into the world, torn from the warm embrace of her mother’s womb, to a chaotic household in Bradford that seems to have no place for her. Her siblings do not understand her, her mother’s attention is given to the Church, and the entire family lives at the whims of her father’s quick temper.
Left to herself, Mercy finds solace in books, her imagination, and the quiet comfort of her faithful toy, Dolly. But escapism has its limits, and as the grip of family, faith and fear threatens to close in, Mercy learns she must act if she wants a different future; one where she is seen, heard, and her family set free.
The Mercy Step is a sharply-witted and tender portrait of a young girl’s quiet rebellion, and her refusal to be broken.
The Mercy Step will be published on 22 July 2025 with Cassava Republic.
"It was like I was a miner digging for coal and that coal was my own emotions. I suppose I was trying to make my childhood mean something, and if I could create literature out of it then it had meaning."
In this interview, Marcia shares about her experience becoming a full-time writer later in life and the therapeutic power of revisiting her childhood through storytelling. Learn about how she dictated chapters of her book while out dog-walking, her decision to write fiction instead of memoir, and the daring hope that runs through The Mercy Step.
We're giving away two copies of The Mercy Step! 📚
Tell us what you're reading on Instagram, Facebook, Bluesky or X using the hashtags #TheMercyStep and #NorthernBookshelf. Winners will be drawn on 11 July 2025.
Thirst Trap by Gráinne O'HareA bitingly funny story about the friendships that endure through the best and worst of times. Thirst Trap follows three friends in a crumbling Belfast houseshare, beginning to unravel as they grieve the tragic death of Lydia, whose room remains untouched. Sometimes friends hold you together – sometimes, they’re why you’re falling apart. |
The Parallel Path by Jenn AshworthBurnt out and longing for an escape, Jenn Ashworth emerged from lockdown by embarking on Wainwright's Coast to Coast walk, prepared with an orienteering course and a set of maps. But as her balance begins to fail her, Jenn is confronted with a life-altering diagnosis – and a new path of self-discovery. |
The Others by Sheena KalayilIn 1989 in a small city in East Germany, three young people from vastly different backgrounds become friends. When they make a grisly discovery, and a quiet revolution sweeps through Eastern Europe, they become entangled in a web of love and lies, threatening their futures and leaving each irrevocably changed. |
Dead Lucky by Connor HutchinsonJamie loves his job as an embalmer, but he's hiding a secret – his gambling addiction has left him in eyewatering debt. When his girlfriend piles on the pressure to buy their first home, Jamie does what he knows best – he places the biggest bet of his life. Tonight could be the night that changes everything. You just never know... |
Deadline by Steph McGovernToday is a huge day for TV reporter Rose. A live interview on one of the nation’s biggest TV shows – until a voice in her earpiece tells her they have kidnapped her family. To protect them, Rose must do exactly what the hijacker says, live on air. Deadline is the debut crime thriller from award-winning broadcaster Steph McGovern. |
Beggars Would Ride by Emma MorganLiverpudlian Natalie meets Gwen at a spoken word poetry night, and despite their differences, a precarious romance develops beyond the expected one-night stand. But can Natalie overcome the shame of her past, or will old habits – and an estranged sister – scupper her chances of a different kind of life? |
The Moonlit Maze by Zoë MarriottThis dual timeline love story explores the power of secrets to hold you captive – and set you free. When Juliet inherits a cottage in Winterthorne, and starts investigating the story of a mysterious fire 100 years ago, she discovers that danger lies not only in uncovering the past, but in the present too... |
Black Climates by Selina NwuluTo want to ‘save the planet’, a person has to have a sense of belonging in it… What would a saved planet look like for a Black collective? Selina Nwulu reframes the climate crisis to directly address Black readers who have been previously ignored, and provide the tools to envisage more equitable futures. |
Instructions for Heartbreak by Sarah HandysideWhen Katie’s nine-year relationship suddenly ends, her friends make her a handbook to process her heartbreak. But Katie is not the only one nursing a broken heart, and tested by big life changes, even the closest friendships can fray. Could the heartbreak handbook contain the words they all need to hear? |
The Starlight Rebel by Lisette AutonThe year is 3897, and life on Earth is a neon dream. As she turns 11, neurodivergent, freckled Astrifer Nova is nothing like her high-achieving twin brother. But all is not as it seems, as Astrifer discovers that it’s up to her and a motley crew of new friends to challenge the status quo. Their differences may be exactly what the planet needs... |
Undercover Angel: Crash Landing by Lisa J AllenTrainee angel Phoebe is determined to ace her first top-secret mission. But searching for a demon in a class full of annoying humans proves more challenging than she expected. When people start disappearing, Phoebe must ask herself – should she complete her assignment, or make the ultimate sacrifice to save a friend? |
Riverskin by Mike EdwardsTess lives in a network of tunnels under the River Tees, with her Aunt Peg and her monstrous Unkle Darkwater. Tess longs to find out the truth about her family, but she has never been on dry land before – or mingled with dry-folk. Can she survive away from the river? And does she have the strength to take control of who she will become? |
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What We're Reading: Summer Edition 🌴Is there space in your suitcase for a few more books? Discover the books we're excited to read on our holidays this year – and maybe you'll find a new favourite summer read. |
New and Recent Poetry from the North 📚Get ready to indulge in some poetry on a long summer evening. It's time again for NWN poetry expert Will Mackie to recommend some of the best new work out this season by poets in the north. |
Books in hot places to read this summer 🌞From idyllic Mediterranean vistas to sweaty city heatwaves to blazing dystopian wildfires, these books taking place in ‘hot’ settings will be the perfect accompaniment for the sultry days of a long summer... or rather, reminders of what sunshine feels like when more grey, Northern drizzle approaches. |
Working-class writing from The Bee 🐝Read exciting articles, interviews and creative pieces from new and established working-class writers in our new online literary magazine, The Bee, launched last month. Plus, listen to the Working Class Library podcast to find out the books we think deserve a place in the working-class literary canon. |
Literary festivals in the North this summer 🎪
📚 Leeds Lit Fest, 14–22 June
Catch the last weekend of Leeds Lit Fest, including an all-night readathon and a discussion about mental health with Gemma Styles.
📚 Crossing the Tees, 12–28 June
Discover crime fiction and the history of the River Tees, or create your own zine, at libraries across Stockton, Middlesbrough, Darlington and beyond.
📚 Bradford Literature Festival, 27 June–6 July
This year's festival includes over 500 events, featuring John Cooper Clarke, Larry Lamb, Sanjeev Bhaskar, Steph McGovern, Shaykh Hamza Yusuf, Grace Dent, Ask Sarkar and many more.
📚 Theakston Old Peculier Crime Writing Festival, 17–20 July
For one long, sultry, summer weekend the temperature in Harrogate rises whatever the weather as the world’s hottest celebration of crime writing swings into town.
📚 Leeds Poetry Festival, 1–10 August
Look out for more info about this year's volunteer-run Leeds Poetry Festival, featuring events and workshops for poets and poetry lovers alike.
Come to an event at a library near you to connect with other book lovers and meet Northern authors! 🤝
Here are our Northern Bookshelf Live events happening this summer:
- Sarah Brooks at Norton Library, 21 June
- Sarah Brooks at Marsden Library, 26 June
- Tawseef Khan at Newcastle City Library, 26 June
- Trevor Wood at Newton Aycliffe Library, 3 July
- Eirinie Lapidaki at Consett Library, 5 July
- Eirinie Lapidaki at Jesmond Library, 9 July
- Len Pennie at Jesmond Library, 16 July
- Sairish Hussain at Newcastle City Library, 9 August
- Tawseef Khan at Marsden Library, 4 September
The Rise of Femgore with Lucy Rose and Jessie Elland
Tyneside CInema, 2 July
Stifled desires and visceral bodies are just some of the ways Lucy Rose and Jessie Elland are leading the rise of ‘femgore’. Join them they discuss how their new novels are reinventing horror fiction with their focus on the female body and distinctive northern settings.
With a Little Help from Their Friends: Stuart Maconie
Tyneside Cinema, 15 July
Everyone knows a Beatles song – their music has shaped and reflected the country we live in today. Join bestselling writer Stuart Maconie as he discusses the sthe epic tale of the people who made the band and shows The Beatles like you’ve never seen them before.
Northern Bookshelf is published by New Writing North and Durham Book Festival. If you have news about books by Northern authors or you would like to recommend books as a bookseller, librarian, book group or reader, please contact carys@newwritingnorth.com. The next issue will be published in June 2025 and will cover September 2025 - November 2025. The deadline for receipt of information for the next newsletter is 22 August 2025.
While every effort has been made to ensure that the information contained in this newsletter is correct at the time of going to press, things do change, frequently at the last minute and very often without our knowledge.
