This month’s Book with Buzz feature on books that are enjoying coverage, but are worthy of even bigger attention include a dystopian page-turner about a vow of silence cult, a collection of punch-packing, wit-drenched short stories, and a gorgeous cook book designed to help you make memorable feelgood meals for your nearest and dearest. Bon appétit!

The Silence Project by Carole Hailey

The Silence Project

We were delighted to see The Silence Project selected as a Zoe Ball Radio 2 Book Club — it’s a novel we selected as one of our personal Star Book Picks, and boy is it deserving of bigtime attention. 

On her daughter’s 13th birthday, Rachel moves to a tent at the bottom of her garden and takes a vow of silence, believing that “Our world needed positive action. And that can only happen if we stop shouting, First, we must fall silent. Then we must listen to others. Only when we hear others, will we ourselves be heard”. Rachel’s silence spawns a cult that becomes a huge global community, and leads to a mass suicide protest event.

We called it “a sizzling, thought-provoking tour de force” and “a moving story of impossibly complex family dynamics, mother-daughter needs, and knowing when to listen, and when to speak out”. But don’t just take our word for it. The panel of librarians who selected The Silence Project for the Radio 2 Book Club called it “exceptionally clever, remarkably planned, and perfectly executed”, and “a disturbing and thought-provoking read”.

Send Nudes by Saba Sams

Though Saba Sams’ debut collection of short stories (paperback published in mid-January) has attracted press plaudits and awards, this critical acclaim doesn’t seem to have cut through to as big an audience as the book deserves. Featuring ten stories that explore the complexities of girlhood and young womanhood, it’s funny, tender, original and feverishly gripping. If you don’t usually read short stories, Send Nudes is a fine way to discover exactly how powerful they can be.

Table for Two by Bre Graham

While Table for Two is certainly “perfect for Valentine’s Day” (as Vogue described it), the fabulous idea behind this book is to share easy-to-create, feelgood recipes for meals that will warm the hearts and fill the bellies of all your loved ones. Think sumptuous meals to say thank you to your mum, or carb-rich comfort food to whip-up for your flatmate after a long day at work (or night in the pub).

The good news is, though the recipes tell you how to make meals to remember, you don’t need tonnes of experience to cook them up. In the words of Delicious magazine, Table for Two is “an ode to cooking for the one you love, and is full of achievable but exquisitely tempting recipes”.