Summer Reading List
for Parliamentarians
Whether you’re preparing for a holiday abroad or enjoying the (hopefully!) good British weather this summer, what we all need is a good book to read. That’s why I’m very pleased to introduce our Publishers Association 2025 Summer Reading List for Parliamentarians.
A huge thanks to all the parliamentarians who have selected these books as their recommended read for the Summer Recess. I feel proud looking at this list, which shows the fruits of our world-leading publishing industry and I’m happy to add my own recommendation which I’ve recently read to the list too, which is The Ride of a Lifetime by Robert Iger.
We know that the effects of reading are transformational – books transport us to new places, expand our imagination and empathy, and help connect us with different societies. Yet we also know that fewer children than ever are reading for enjoyment. That’s why we fully support the government’s announcement making 2026 a national year of reading. I look forward to working together to tackle the children’s reading crisis. Nothing is more important than fostering a love of reading.
Enjoy!
Mandy Hill
President of the Publishers Association
Managing Director, Academic Publishing, Cambridge University Press & Assessment
Lord Alton of Liverpool
Dominion: The Making of the Western Mind
by Tom Holland
"In a panoramic, spell-binding narrative, Holland provocatively and brilliantly reminds us of who we are and from where so many of the values we cherish derive."
The Rt Hon. Lord Arbuthnot of Edrom
Why Are You Here, Mrs Hamilton?
by Jo Hamilton
"The Post Office Horizon scandal remains one of the greatest miscarriages of justice the country has ever seen, and this book brings to life the personal account of one of the leading figures of that story. "
Jess Asato MP
Poor
by Katriona O'Sullivan
"This extraordinarily moving personal story of a child growing up in poverty reminds us of the trauma children face, but also the value of listening, believing and supporting children into better futures."
Calvin Bailey MP
Careless People
by Sarah Wynn-Williams
"I liked going on the journey with Sarah Wynn-Williams. Her honest story drew me in with the gradual and painful loss of idealism at Facebook."
Dame Harriett Baldwin
Shadow Minister for Business and Trade
One Party After Another: The Disruptive Life of Nigel Farage
by Michael Crick
"I need to read this book to understand the man whose current party tops the polls."
Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle
Warra Warra Wai: How Indigenous Australians Discovered Captain Cook & What They Tell about the Coming of the Ghost People
by Darren Rix and Craig Cormick
"Everyone should know that as the fragile English vessel the Endeavour bumbled along the coast of the Australian continent, its longtime inhabitants were sending advance warning of its approach, and that their longtime traditions of peacemaking and conflict resolution were the only thing that kept the English invaders alive."
Baroness Bonham-Carter of Yarnbury
A Month in the Country
by J. L. Carr
"Set in a small Yorkshire village in 1920, the narrator Tom Birkin - recovering from World War and the break up of his marriage - is restoring a medieval mural in the church. Through beautiful prose, it evokes a rural past but also personal healing."
Sir Chris Bryant MP
Minister for Creative Industries, Arts and Tourism, and Minister for Data Protection and Telecoms
A Room Above a Shop
by Anthony Shapland
"Crisp, spare, poetic, plangent, beautifully evocative and a complete surprise, this story of hidden love is gorgeous."
Wendy Chamberlain MP
Precipice
by Robert Harris
"Just the political and historical page turner needed for summer recess - featuring the relationship between PM (and my constituency predecessor in North East Fife) Herbert Asquith and socialite Venetia Stanley as the Great War begins. Harris always ensures his readers are historically informed and entertained."
Feryal Clark MP
Minister for AI and Digital Government
Poo in the Zoo: The Island of Dinosaur Poo
by Steve Smallman
"My son loves this book and it makes perfect bedtime reading. The book combines humour, adventure, and playful silliness - sparking children's imaginations and keeping them engaged and giggling."
Dame Caroline Dinenage MP
Careless People
by Sarah Wynn-Williams
"It was an eye-opening and disturbing account of the culture at the heart of one of the world's most powerful tech companies."
Sir Ashley Fox MP
The First Fifteen Lives of Harry August
by Claire North
"The book follows a man who relives his life from birth to death many times, learning each time. It is brilliant and original."
The Rt. Hon. Lord Foulkes of Cumnock
Midnight and Blue
Ian Rankin
"Ian Rankin revives Rebus in a new setting."
Baroness Harris of Richmond DL
Precipice
by Robert Harris
"Fascinating political study with shocking details of a WW1 liaison."
The Baroness Hodgson of Abinger CBE
Raising Hare
by Chloe Dalton
"Original and thought provoking."
Lord Inglewood MRICS
Danube
by Claudio Magris
"A picturesque journey down the Danube tells us a lot about Mitteleuropa."
Uma Kumaran MP
Brotherless Night
by V. V. Ganeshananthan
"Winner of the Women's Prize for Fiction in 2024, a question for any politician to grapple with, is it possible for anyone to move through life without doing harm?"
Lord Sonny Leong
Lord in Waiting (Government Whip)
Failed State: Why Britain Doesn't Work and How We Fix It
by Sam Freedman
"Every Government Minister should have this book by the bedside and dip into it when they had a tough day."
Catherine McKinnell MP
Minister for School Standards
The Women
by Kristin Hannah
"A powerful story of one woman who went to war, but also a timeless reminder of the sacrifices and commitment of women that history has too often overlooked."
Kirsty McNeill MP
Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Scotland
Clubland: How the Working Men's Club Shaped Britain
by Pete Brown
"One of my big priorities this year is running a campaign, Club Together, to support social clubs - I found Pete's research a real inspiration for this work."
Baroness Miller of Chilthorne Domer
The Position of Spoons: And Other Intimacies
by Deborah Levy
"Short essays that sparkle with love of her subjects."
Julie Minns MP
The Puppet Show
by M. W. Craven
"This fantastic, award-winning page-turner of a crime novel will introduce you to the unforgettable world of Washington Poe and Tilly Bradshaw - I envy you discovering them for the first time!"
The Rt Hon. Baroness Morgan of Cotes
Out: How Brexit Got Done and The Tories Were Undone
by Tim Shipman
"Utterly compelling, even when you were there and know how it ends!"
Melanie Onn MP
Still Life
by Sarah Winman
"Pure escapism in terms of evocative scenery between WWII era London and Italy with a very emotional storyline, lovely arc too."
The Rt Hon. Baroness Prashar CBE
There Are Rivers in the Sky
by Elif Shafak
"Beautifully written masterpiece which moves backwards and forwards in time, combines fiction with truth and brings situations to life with the force of her writing."
Lord Rennard MBE
The Patient Assassin: A True Tale of Massacre, Revenge and the Raj
by Anita Anand
"A very well researched, very well told story which reflects on the British occupation of India."
Baroness Ritchie of Downpatrick
Millicent Garrett Fawcett: The Fight for Votes for Women
by Tessa Blackstone
"Most informative read on one of the world's leading English suffragists."
Dan Tomlinson MP
The Age of Diagnosis
by Suzanne O'Sullivan
The Rt Hon. Valerie Vaz MP
Chair of the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Publishing
The House of Doors
by Tan Twan Eng
"Brilliant writing that absorbs the reader on every page and an extraordinary storyline."
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