Dua Lipa’s 2024 Reading List

My Monthly Read for January is the eerily beautiful The Guest by Emma Cline. Every page of this book raised so many questions for me! The story takes place over just one week, during which we learn almost nothing about the young protagonist Alex. We never leave a small affluent area of what we assume is Long Island.

I first read A Thousand Splendid Suns just after the return of the Taliban in 2021 when Afghanistan dominated headlines around the world. If we need any reminder of why we should stand in solidarity with Afghan women now more than ever, this book is surely it.

My March Monthly Read is Trust by Hernan Diaz. This book made my head spin! Set in New York City in the 1920s and ’30s, the story of a Manhattan financier and his high society wife is told through four ‘books’ – a novel, a manuscript, a memoir and a journal. But which version should you trust?

My April Monthly Read is the extraordinary Crying in H Mart by Michelle Zauner. Some of you may already know Michelle as the uber-cool singer and guitarist of the American cult indie band Japanese Breakfast.

My May Monthly Read is Swimming in the Dark by Tomasz Jedrowski. It’s a beautiful coming-of-age love story set against the brutal political backdrop of Communist Poland in the 1980s.

My Monthly Read for June is Say Nothing by Patrick Radden Keefe. Say Nothing is a masterclass in the art of the ‘non-fiction novel’. It has all the elements of great fiction – mesmerising characters, intrigue and plot twists. And it also happens to be true.

Like many people my age, I was partly raised by Malorie Blackman. She creates worlds you want to carry with you and each story encourages its young readers to ask the important questions in life. Noughts & Crosses is my absolute favourite of her books.

This beautiful book had me hooked right at the title. And while it is a novel, Ocean Vuong’s poetic language dances on every page.