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Reading is one of life’s pleasures – and never more so than now.
From thrillers to romantic fiction, books make us laugh, make us cry and make us think, so it’s not surprising that many of us are reading far more than usual at the moment.
Sales of fiction books rose by a third last month as people prepared for lockdown, while Waterstones saw its online sales rise by 400 per cent.
At a time like this, when essential deliveries are being prioritised, e-books are coming into their own. They are often cheaper than hardbacks, easy to download and available to read within a few seconds.
Here we’ve selected some of the best fiction e-books published in recent months, from a novel about the complexities of new motherhood to the tale of a detective ordered to investigate a horrifying series of murders on Holy Island, off the Northumberland coast.
Our e-book choices are judged above all on their readability and their power to transport us to a totally different world, whether it’s 1930s Kentucky, the streets of Rome or a rural school in Somerset.
You can trust our independent reviews. We may earn commission from some of the retailers, but we never allow this to influence selections, which are formed from real-world testing and expert advice. This revenue helps us to fund journalism across The Independent.
Best-known for her Me Before You trilogy, Jojo Moyes is on stellar form in this story of an unworldly Englishwoman who marries a wealthy American on a whim and moves to the US in search of adventure. Alice Wright’s new husband turns out to be a terrible disappointment – weak and dominated by his overbearing father. But Alice’s life changes when she joins a band of women who deliver books on horseback to remote, mountainous outposts. It’s gruelling work and as the packhorse librarians trek through the wilds, read to the sick, and share books with forgotten communities, they face hostility, danger and heartbreak. Set in the 1930s, this big-hearted tale will stay in your head long after you have finished reading it.
Known as the “Kindle queen”, LJ Ross is the first self-published author to be nominated for a British Book Award. Imposter, her 2019 thriller, will vie with books by Lee Child, Val McDemid and Lucy Foley in the crime and thriller category and the winner will be announced in June. Holy Island was her debut e-book – the first of 16 novels featuring DCI Ryan, a hard-nosed detective who seeks sanctuary on Holy Island, off the coast of Northumberland, after being ordered to take a sabbatical. But when a young student is found dead in the priory ruins, Ryan finds himself investigating a series of chilling murders. Former lawyer LJ Ross has sold more than 4.5 million books worldwide and this is an enthralling, pacey read. If you want more, the 16th DCI Ryan story will be out later this month (April).
If romantic fiction is your cup of tea, you’ll love this touching story of a pair of 20-somethings who meet at a language school in Rome. Letty and Alf have two things in common – they’re the only English speakers in the class and they are both passionate about dance. Alf is a former ballroom dancing champion while Letty had dreams of becoming a ballet dancer only to have her ambitions ruined by injury. Drawn to each other from the start, they are both hiding painful secrets that could destroy their happiness. Kate Eberlen’s previous book, Miss You, was a bestseller and Only You is just as good, with wonderful descriptions of Rome’s iconic landmarks.
Taffy Brodesser-Akner is an award-winning journalist who writes for the New York Times Magazine. Her first novel follows the toxic relationship of Toby Fleishman and his ex-wife Rachel. Finally free from his 15-year marriage, Toby is looking forward to a life of online dating and weekend-only parental duties. But his life is turned upside down when Rachel drops their two children off at his place and doesn’t return. Published in 2019 to widespread acclaim, Brodesser-Akner’s debut has been shortlisted for the British Book Award’s fiction debut of the year and longlisted for the 2020 Women’s Prize.
Choosing fiction e-books is very much a matter of personal taste, but our top choice is The Giver of Stars by former journalist Jojo Moyes. Her story of a group of intrepid 1930s women who trek through the wilds on horseback to deliver books to forgotten communities is the perfect escapist read for these unsettling times. If you’re looking for a tense literary thriller, Three Hours by Rosamund Lupton is outstanding.