Your September reading list

We are big fans of reading at Huckletree, and spent our summer months recommending great titles to each other that we had devoured on the beach or at the pool. Every genre is welcome - from gripping stories that transport you into other worlds to thought-provoking non fiction that makes you think - nothing is off the cards. We love how great books can help us to escape, to dream and to wander. In a world dominated by screens, there’s something so magical about picking up a book, and savouring the experience and weight in your hand. It’s why we have so many libraries in our hubs and encourage book swaps, reading circles and clubs amongst our members and team.

Read on to discover six brilliant recommendations from the Huckletree team that we couldn’t stop talking about this summer. Consider this your back to school, September reading list.

Recommended by: Aislinn Mahon, Head of Brand

The book I am recommending is Quiet, The Power of Introverts in a World That Can't Stop Talking by Susan Cain. This book truly changed my life. It is about the power of introverts and highlights how society is generally set up to reward and recognise extroverts, with lots of data and case studies weaved throughout. The reason I am recommending this book is because it gave me great comfort and it is a really enjoyable read. Susan Cain is a wonderful author. Sometimes I struggle with non-fiction but I couldn’t put this down! One big learning I took from Quiet is that it’s okay not to always be the life and soul of the party. If I were to summarise this book in one word it would be solace.

Recommended by: Gaby Hersham, CEO

I’ve made a conscious effort to read more during the summer months and I’m currently reading Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin. Contrary to Ais, I seem to struggle with fiction and I’m trying to rewire my brain to appreciate simply being transported away and not to want to optimise my waking life by learning something new or reading about historical facts. This book tells a beautifully human tale of friendship between two people and the path that their friendship takes them on, into their adulthood and through their professional journeys and via both love and betrayal. I am reminded to cherish and protect my deepest friendships, in particular the platonic love I share with one of my oldest childhood friends. To summarise this book in one word? Human.

Recommended by: Lewis Charles, Business Operations Manager

The book I’m recommending is Uproot by Jace Clayton. It explores a DJ’s journey around the world exploring the cultural and political implications of music in the digital age. Whilst non-fiction, the book and anecdotes it houses within are incredibly personal. It looks at how music bypassing borders and cultures has helped to build understanding between communities as well as the ethics of sampling and referencing art from all corners of the globe. I discovered some amazing musicians through Uproot, but it also really highlighted to me how music can be used to express and explore our cultural heritage. One word I’d use for this book is expansive.

Recommended by: Will Taylor, General Manager at Liverpool Street

A book I’ve read recently that I would recommend to anyone who’ll listen is Glitch Feminism: A Manifesto by Legacy Russell. Combining queer theory, post-humanism and musings on the post-internet era, Russell provides a framework on how we can use the idea of a glitch, an error, to rethink ourselves and perform an infinite number of identities outside of the hegemony. I find post-humanism such a fascinating theoretical approach to how we find our place within the world as it calls for a completely egalitarian view of both the human and nonhuman. Although they are quite big concepts, Russell keeps everything grounded with her own personal memoir and reference to the works of contemporary artists. One word to describe this book? Revolution.

Recommended by: Sian Noel-D’Avila, General Manager Dublin

The book I am currently reading that I can’t put down is Kala by Colin Walsh. It’s a fictional story about three friends reconnecting in the West of Ireland after years apart. This thriller is gripping, pacy and plot-driven, but it will also pull on your heartstrings with nostalgic references to your first love and those intense teenage emotions that go with it. It also cleverly highlights some deeper social issues which are plaguing Ireland to this day. I am thoroughly enjoying it and highly recommend it. One word to describe this book? Tense.

Recommended by Patrick Keogh, Head of Curation and Events

I’m currently reading Biography of X by Catherine Lacey. Presented as a work of non-fiction compiled by the widow of a mercurial artist who goes by the name of X, the story is strange, seductive and intriguing. Meditating on complex issues of identity, art, love, the imagined versus the real, the novel is set against the backdrop of an alternative America — one divided across the Northern and Southern territories. Crossing limits and the exploration of boundaries are at the heart of this tantalising puzzle of a book which is not only brilliantly written but also does that rare thing: make you think. One word to describe this book? Thought-provoking.