Hamnet has been one of our favourite reads across all four bookshops this year. A beautiful historical novel that places Shakespeare’s wife, Agnes, at the forefront and gives voice to those often eclipsed by the Bard. With its unflinching portrayal of grief and family this is a story not to be missed. Duncan, St Andrews

A magnificent ode to all things fungal - brimming with joy and fascination. As only the best storytellers can, Merlin's enchanting prose recasts a small and static world as vast, animated, and full of life. A radical contemplation on how enmeshed our lives are with our mycorrhizal neighbours, and how they test our own sense of self - even breaching the limits of our own body. Saskia, Bath

Another firm favourite of all four bookshops this year, Pádraig Kenny's The Monsters of Rookhaven ruminates on collective grief within a small village and two orphaned siblings who stumble upon Rookhaven Manor and the family of monsters that reside within. This assured and emotionally intelligent story is a fantastic read for children from 9+ that adults will enjoy too. James, St Andrews

A book I really enjoyed this year was Pew by Catherine Lacey. A real stunner, it's about a nameless figure who shows up in a small town and confuses the townsfolk - they can't figure out the stranger's race, gender, or age, and Pew (the name the townsfolk give them) quietly refuses to confirm or deny any of the bias directed their way. A brilliant little novel about putting people into categories, it really is a book of our times. Jenna, Edinburgh

In The Bookseller's Tale, Martin Latham deftly blends history with personal memoir as he considers our love of literature. Latham, who has been in the book trade for over thirty years, brings a mixture of perceptive insights and hilarious anecdotes to his explorations of bookshops, libraries, and reading. This is a must for any keen browser of bookshelves. Jacob, St Andrews

One of my favourite reads this year, written in heartfelt and lyrical prose. October and her father live wild in the woods enjoying a quiet existence until one day an accident changes their lives. October finds herself wrenched from the peaceful life she knows into the noise and chaos of London where she battles to find her own space and wilderness within the city. A book to curl up with on a cold wintry day. Leanne, St Andrews

One of the best books of poetry that I've read for a while is Daisy Lafarge's debut collection, Life Without Air. Shortlisted for the TS Eliot prize, she skillfully merges a lyric voice with her contemplations on the sticky nature of our relationship with the environment. Alex, Edinburgh

My favourite novel this year, and one of the most exciting novels I have read for a long time. London’s marginalised world of poverty, bravado and violence is rendered with what feels like miraculous authenticity, ever-heavy with the full weight of humanity. Lyrical and rhythmic, elegant and brutal, this book feels like a long missing puzzle piece from the landscape of literary fiction. Matt, Bath

A brilliant and original piece of history writing that outlines, seemingly for the first time ever, the role of women in slave resistance movements across the Caribbean. At its centre is a weighty argument of the extent to which enslaved people were the foremost active agents in their own emancipation. Enlightening and shocking in equal parts, Stella has given a voice to a vital and necessary historical perspective. Saskia, Bath

A little gem this year has been Martyn Rady's The Habsburgs. Offering a full genealogical breakdown of the Habsburg family, this book tells the epic story of a dynasty and the world it built - and then lost - over nearly a millennium. Fabulously written and intellectually engaging, I recommend this to anyone who wants to read about the family who forged our contemporary world. James, St Andrews

From the author of Kintu, this is a coming of age story played out against the rich and fascinating backdrop of Ugandan myth and history. It tells the story of Kirabo, whose happy existence in a rural Ugandan village is complicated by the newly discovered presence of a second, uncontrollable self inside of her - the rebellious nature of ‘the first woman’, which most women no longer possess. A magnificent blend of epic and personal; written with beauty and subtlety. Matt, Bath

A poetry collection that deeply moved me this year was Magnolia, 木蘭 by Nina Mingya Powles. Shortlisted for the Forward Prizes for Poetry Best First Collection, Magnolia, 木蘭 is an exploration of the inheritance of language. Powles relishes in the nourishment of her mixed-race heritage, savouring the taste of language through myths and memories from her girlhood. Powles boldly and tenderly claims her multiplicities within these beautiful poems, and reading this collection was a joy to read. Jenna, Edinburgh

An exceptional, subtly unnerving book, Burnt Sugar grapples with the fallibility of memory and maternal neglect. With deft twists and turns, Doshi takes the reader on an emotionally fraught journey with one the best endings I've read in recent years. Adeptly demonstrating the lasting damage of coercive relationships and the power of what is often left 'unsaid', Burnt Sugar deserves a place as one of the most impressive recent debuts. Olivia, Edinburgh

The wine book on everyone’s lips at the moment - seductive, whip-smart and personal and erudite. The enthusiasts behind Noble Rot (originally a magazine and now two London restaurants) will send you on a journey of pure pleasure. This book champions compelling wines with a natural slant that provoke curiosity and often take in undiscovered regions and new producers. Kathleen, Bath.

A gorgeously illustrated and enchanting story about parenthood. A father and daughter set about building the things that will bring them warmth and shelter but more importantly they build memories to cherish. This is a heartfelt tale of building bonds with those we love. Leanne, St Andrews.

I really enjoyed reading The Well Gardened Mind by Sue Stuart-Smith when it came out during the summer. It is a great book both for someone who knows a lot about gardening or for someone who doesn't know the first thing but who's had their interest piqued in the natural world during lockdown. It's about gardening, garden history and psychology and is very readable. Steffan, Edinburgh.

While most accounts of the Greek myths centre on the heroic acts of men, this book offers an alternative telling. Focusing on some of the best known stories in Greek mythology, Haynes re-centres the women in these tales, and shows us of the strength, complexity and daring of women who are so often portrayed as one-dimensional. Witty, engaging and immensely enjoyable, this book really provides a fresh perspective on these classic tales. Rachel, St Andrews.

The latest novel from the author of the sensational Convenience Store Woman. It centres on two cousins, Natsuki and Yuu, unable to shake off the belief instilled in them as children that they are not from this planet. Facing increasing pressure to conform, Natsuki and her husband find themselves pulled back towards Yuu and the mountain house where she spent her childhood summers. In a similar vein to her debut, Murata brilliantly captures the uneasy detachment that decentres Natsuki from her surroundings. It is dark and dizzying in its rendering of the closeness with which violence and innocence coexist, and what it means to decide, as Natsuki does: survive, whatever it takes. Saskia, Bath.

Love is set almost entirely in a Dublin Pub and restaurant and features no more than two characters who dominate the story. It's a good thing it has some of the most observant, witty and subtle dialogue I have ever had the pleasure of reading in a book. The book deals with topics of unrequited love, male friendships and a shared past between, now distant, long time friends in a way that still manages to make you chuckle. Whilst on paper this book may sound mundane, it is one of the most entertaining reads of my year. I highly recommend this book. Luca, St Andrews.

Pirate Stew, Neil Gaiman and Chris Riddell's latest delightful children's book, is fun and engaging from start to finish. Enjoy the magnificent illustrations and riotous rhymes as two kids experience being babysat by pirates! And don't get too hungry- for if you sample the stew, you may become a pirate too! Grace, St Andrews.

For me, this vies with Entangled Life for Natural History book of the year. In his unique and affable combination of philosophical reflection and scientific investigation, Peter Godfrey-Smith takes us on a broad sweep of the history of the mind, which becomes inextricable from the history of animal life itself. Like the best natural history books, Metazoa takes a subject that is impenetrably complex and lays it out in such a way that is not only a delight to read, but scattered with illuminating moments of discovery and endearing human observation. Matt, Bath.

A complex examination of both race and sexuality, Real Life has stuck with me the last few months. Taylor's writing style is beautiful yet easy to read and the themes are both engaging and thought-provoking. This is a great novel for anyone, but especially those in the transition between university and adult life. Duncan, St Andrews.

It starts with a journey north. In the car are sisters July and September, and their mother Sheela. Although there are identifiable commonalities between Sisters and other big-hitting haunted house stories, Johnson manages to cut a new track in the well-trodden path of horror writing. As the story progresses, July’s narration slides further into what feels like an illusory fever-dream in which the boundary between consciousness and unconsciousness becomes indistinct. This does nothing to obfuscate the trajectory of the story, but instead configures an atmosphere of nightmarish uncertainty. It’s well-landed, too. Johnson manages to eek out the tension right into the last few pages, and the ending feels deliberate and timely. Steph, Ely.

The final book indie publishers Charco Press published this year, Theatre of War traces the life of Tamara, whose parents have fled the Balkans conflict to move to Latin America. Composed in fragmented tableaus, posed as if scenes in a play, it is an interrogation of the weight of collective trauma, memory and agency. Andrea's writing has an insular, suffocating quality that perfectly embodies the oppressive weight of the past- the end of each chapter like a gasp of breath. But it isn’t a desolate story - Tamara’s brilliantly assured, sensitive narration prevents that. Instead it becomes an ode to surviving the past, as well as the uprooted, migratory lives of the 20th century - a testament to how history etches itself onto people and places. Saskia, Bath.