Secret Book Swap | No. 14 - Currie April 2026
Books We Swapped:
Songbirds – Christy Lefteri
Set in Cyprus among migrant workers and hidden lives, this moving novel follows Nisha, a domestic worker who disappears without explanation. As those who love her search for answers, Lefteri explores displacement, exploitation and the quiet resilience of people too often overlooked.The Love Hypothesis – Ali Hazelwood
When PhD student Olive fake-dates intimidating professor Adam Carlsen to convince her friends she’s moved on, the arrangement begins to feel dangerously real. Smart, funny and full of chemistry, this romance blends academic chaos with slow-burn emotional vulnerability.Not a Happy Family – Shari Lapena
After a wealthy couple are murdered, suspicion falls on the family they left behind. Secrets, resentment and shifting loyalties unravel in this fast-paced domestic thriller where everyone has something to hide.Everything I Know About Love – Dolly Alderton
Dolly Alderton reflects on friendship, heartbreak, bad decisions and growing into adulthood with warmth and razor-sharp humour. Honest and deeply relatable, this memoir celebrates the messy, transformative love found in friendships as much as romance.The Bees – Laline Paull
In a rigid hive society where every bee has a predetermined role, Flora 717 begins to question the rules that govern her world. Strange, gripping and surprisingly emotional, this literary dystopia explores conformity, power and survival through the eyes of a bee.The Vanishing Act of Esme Lennox – Maggie O’Farrell
When Iris learns she has a great-aunt locked away in a psychiatric institution for decades, long-buried family secrets begin to surface. Atmospheric and heartbreaking, this novel examines memory, shame and the silencing of difficult women.Margo’s Got Money Troubles – Rufi Thorpe
After becoming a single mother in chaotic circumstances, Margo turns to unconventional ways of making money while trying to hold her life together. Funny, chaotic and unexpectedly tender, this novel explores motherhood, internet fame and survival in modern America.The Favourites – Layne Fargo
Two fiercely ambitious ice dancers chase Olympic glory while their intense partnership threatens to destroy them both. Glamorous, dramatic and addictive, this novel explores obsession, rivalry and the blurred line between love and competition.All the Light We Cannot See – Anthony Doerr
During World War II, the lives of a blind French girl and a German boy intersect against the backdrop of occupied Europe. Lyrical and deeply moving, this Pulitzer Prize-winning novel explores survival, humanity and the invisible connections between people.The Hidden Girl – Lucinda Riley
A chance encounter draws Leah into a story stretching from post-war Poland to modern England, uncovering long-buried secrets and lost histories. Rich in emotion and atmosphere, Riley’s novel blends romance, family drama and mystery across generations.Only Here, Only Now – Tom Newlands
Set in working-class Scotland, this sharp and darkly funny coming-of-age novel follows Cora as she navigates friendship, poverty and uncertain futures. Raw and compassionate, it captures the intensity of youth and the struggle to imagine something beyond survival.My Sister, the Serial Killer – Oyinkan Braithwaite
Korede is a nurse, devoted sister and reluctant accomplice to Ayoola — her younger sibling, who happens to kill her boyfriends. Sharp, stylish and darkly funny, this thriller explores sibling loyalty, beauty and the dangerous things we excuse for love.Mystery Man – Bateman
Part memoir, part absurdist comedy, this cult favourite follows a man literally named “Mystery Man” as he stumbles through increasingly bizarre situations involving crime, confusion and existential dread. Surreal and very funny, it plays with noir conventions while embracing complete chaos.
Our Guest , Kerry Law
Kerry is an international #1 bestselling author. Inspired by a love of 90s fantasy and a desire to centre strong female characters, she writes immersive, character-led adventures.
Her books include the Sparks series, a dragon rider fantasy, and the Old Town Trilogy, a dark urban fantasy set in an alternate 18th-century Edinburgh. Kerry draws on Scotland’s landscapes and folklore to shape her richly imagined worlds.
Swirls of Magic
Swirls of Magic is a dark, atmospheric fantasy set in an alternate 18th-century Edinburgh, where magic, monsters and crime lurk in every corner.
Isla Campbell is a skilled thief determined to save her family, but when a dangerous opportunity draws her into the city’s hidden magical world, she finds far more at stake than she imagined.
As black market magic spirals out of control, Isla must navigate a city on the brink, where survival means confronting secrets far darker than she ever expected.
Banned Book Reading
In April, our banned books discussion moved to Canada, looking at an ongoing case in Alberta around the removal of graphic novels from school libraries.
The story began last year after concerns were raised about sexually explicit content in some books available in schools. What followed was a series of reviews, policy changes and removals across multiple school boards, with over 200 titles initially flagged in at least one district before the guidance was revised. More recently, just over 100 graphic novel titles have been removed or restricted across five school boards while reviews continue.
What made the discussion particularly interesting was the question of how age is handled in schools. Critics pointed out that children aged four and teenagers nearing adulthood don’t attend the same schools or use the same libraries, and that many of the books involved including Heartstopper, The Handmaid’s Tale, 1984 and A Game of Thrones: The Graphic Novel were already intended for older readers.
We also spoke about the reality of “temporary” removals. While many of the books are still under review rather than permanently banned, the process has now been ongoing for months, meaning access has effectively disappeared for long periods of time.
As with last month’s discussion in Manchester, we found ourselves returning to the same questions: who gets to decide what’s appropriate to read, how should those decisions be made, and what happens while those decisions are still being worked out?
For our reading, we chose Heartstopper by Alice Oseman, which had come up in both our March and April discussions.
Join us at future secret book swaps: