What we’re reading: authors and readers of the books they enjoyed in May | Books

Madeleine Thien, author

Recently I like Dorothy Tse A City Like Watertranslated from Chinese by Natascha Bruce. It is a novel, sharp, artistic, passionate about how a dying city is also home to a man. I have been telling everyone to read Karen Hao The kingdom of AI to understand the cost of the equipment we have been told we need. I also read about Hsiao-Hung Pai Scattered Sand: The Story of China’s Rural Migrants because he has been with me for more than ten years now. And I’m reading Hannah Lillith Assadi’s moving book, Paradise 17written a few weeks before and a year after the death of his father, who was born in Palestine. Finally, a selection of poems by Michael Ondaatje, Screaming distance. This is a life’s work and a book worth grasping.

Book of Records by Madeleine Thien published by Granta. To support the Guardian, order your book from guardianbookshop.com

Stephen, a Guardian reader

No in Francis Spufford a fascinating read, combining the atmosphere and lack of early wartime London with the ever-increasingly magical events taking place within it. The characters, especially the complex and well-rounded Iris, are well-defined, the setting is cinematic, and the story interesting. I usually hate woo-woo mystery novels, and I can’t remember why I picked up Nonesuch, but I’m glad I did.

Sufian Salam, author

Ever since I moved to London (recently) I’ve been trying to immerse myself in its endless history. So, it’s me, going in and out Oxford Shakespeareless for the boy’s game (which is obviously good), and more for the interest you get from the originals – from the poems his contemporaries wrote about him, his court appearances, because he bought a house in Blackfriars for £140! Then, jumping back in time, I recently looked up Monika Radojevic Strangerlandwhich follows the love story of his immigrant parents, is a strange, fictional story that (among other things) takes place in pre-smartphone London. Finally, the glue that holds it all together; I am obsessed and Alan Moore’s From Hellwhich uses the murders of Jack the Ripper in 1888 to weave a magic that binds together all the different parts of London, which collide past, present and future in one big, beautiful, violent epic.

Wimmy Road Boyz by Sufiyaan Salam was published by #Merky. To support the Guardian, order your book from guardianbookshop.com. Shipping fees may apply.

Sue, Guardian reader

When Cranes Fly South the author Lisa Ridzén touched me deeply, and Sixten, the dog, stole my heart. It is a fascinating and beautifully written story about the end of life and how we, and those around us, deal with it. It may sound like a sad topic but it is not. Painful and inspiring. This is a book about how memories form in a person’s mind as they grow older. It is about relationships, love and friendship. And it’s about Bo’s love for his dog and the pain of being separated from him. I have read this book twice and the second time brought tears to my eyes. I recommend this book to everyone.