Books, Not Dates — The Only Company You Need This Season

A table for one is never empty. Not until you have a book with you, at least. So, picture this: a glass of wine, or perhaps some matcha if you’re like me, the hush of a nice bar-café that you’re a regular at, and a book that turns the evening into a moment of little celebration. Unlike people, whether a friend, partner, or date, a book doesn’t quite interrupt, demand, or expect, does it? It waits patiently to be picked up. It listens to your thoughts. And more fascinatingly, it stays with you wherever you go, physically in your cute tote or in your thoughts, echoing its subtext and themes. And when chosen well, a book, believe me on this, can feel like the most decadent company of them all.

When you look around, you’d be quick to notice that pop culture has already caught up with the game. From Dua Lipa’s Service95, which treats books as the must-do thing right now, to the viral Instagram page Hot Dudes Reading, which made a whole cultural spectacle out of men on subways with paperbacks, even before any articles were written about performative males. And then there are the people of BookTok and Bookstagram, who thrive on the notion that the right novel can make you the “main character” of your own life. Today, reading has moved beyond a pastime. It’s an aesthetic, and while some may choose to call it all a performance, it has, in fact, become an activity that photographs well, and so I get why people think that it’s all an act.

But if one were to sit down and truly look beyond the spectacle of it all, a book remains what it always was: humankind’s most loyal companion, after a dog, a golden retriever at that. A book will choose to keep pace with you when the world seemingly doesn’t, and it has the power to turn silence into presence. And so, here are some of this season’s hottest, most fascinating, and buzziest reads that can do the same for you, from literary fiction, poems, and romance to fantasy. There is something for everyone.

1.Poems & Prayers by Matthew McConaughey

Academy Award-winning actor Matthew McConaughey has just come out with a blend of poetry, prayer, and philosophy all rolled into one in his new book. With his trademark Texan cadence, the book drifts between humour and hope and looks at a man searching for meaning in life.

2.Waist Deep by Linea Maja Ernst

Set in a Danish summer cabin, this book is a meditation on love, desire, and the quiet compromises of adulthood. It constantly oscillates between nostalgia and disillusion on one hand and desire and restraint on the other. This is a book best read slowly, preferably in long, warm light, and with some solitude.

3.Daddy Issues by Kate Goldbeck

When Sam’s stalled dreams meet Nick’s hard-won responsibilities, sparks are bound to fly. This new contemporary novel is equal parts charming and humourous. Goldbeck roots her characters in modern adulthood and reaffirms the age-old saying that intimacy usually arrives when least expected.

4.Fierceland by Omar Musa

Musa’s Fierceland is at once an epic family saga, a meditation on power and corruption, and an account of environmental destruction. When a pair of siblings return to Malaysian Borneo to confront the legacy of their father, they come face to face with the ghosts of family, language, and colonialism. This is the kind of novel that stays with you long after the last page, and you won’t stop yourself from recommending it to a friend.

5.Our Infinite Fates by Laura Steven

Evelyn, the protagonist, has lived and died through countless lives, always murdered before her eighteenth birthday by Arden, the supernatural being bound to her soul. However, in her present time, she has more to lose than ever as her sister is pulled into this ordeal. Inventive and dark, this action-packed romantasy dares to ask: what if your greatest love was also your downfall?

6.Call it Coincidence by Nona Uppal

If you loved reading Nona Uppal’s debut, Fool Me Twice, her second book, out next month, should totally be on your radar. Set between Delhi and London, Call it Coincidence explores love, heartbreak, and the pull of fate through Naina and Vatsal’s turbulent connection. Witty and full of the kind of yearning we love in a good romance, this book shows you the courage to risk love again.

7.In Safe Hands by Ivy Ngeow

When Genevieve Ho returns to care for her ailing father, she meets the mysterious caregiver who’s taken her place in her father’s eye, and then all hell breaks loose. If Freida McFadden and Lisa Jewell are your go-to picks, try Ivy Ngeow’s latest. With her, you are going to be in safe hands.

8.Railsong by Rahul Bhattacharya

Known for his intimate character work and nuanced storytelling, Bhattacharya, in this epic feast of a novel, introduces readers to a young motherless girl who flees her railway township for Bombay, navigating love, loss, and self-discovery against a backdrop of political and social upheaval in India.

9.Who Will Remain by Kasim Ali

In this raw and urgent book, Ali chronicles the protagonist Amir’s descent into a world shaped by loss and betrayal. Exploring the fragility of loyalty and the dangerous allure of rebellion, this is a fitting second book from the author of Good Intentions, which was just as good, nuanced, and heartfelt.

10.You’ve Found Oliver by Dustin Thao

If there were a list of authors whose books are known to break hearts, Thao would top it. In this spin-off sequel to his bestselling debut, You’ve Reached Sam, he explores queer love, loss, and the strange magic of connection across time and distance. It’s wise to keep some tissues handy when you pick this up.