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7 best books this week: From video game adaptation to the history of women's sex
As if you needed any reason to go to the bookshop...
- Helen Daly
Published: Sunday, 31 May 2026 at 8:00 am
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Every week we at Radio Times provide you with some excellent options to read this week – and boy, do we have a mixed bag below!
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Dr Kate Lister is back and she's exploring the history of women's sexual pleasure in the fantastic Flick, while a popular video game has been translated for the book format.
Meanwhile Ann Patchett's latest, Whistler, explores the relationship between daughter and step-father, and Game of Thrones actor Hannah Murray tells an extraordinary true story of when spiritual healing went wrong.
Without further ado, read on for our best books to read this week.
1. The Street Clinic – Dorcas Gwata (BBC Radio 4's Book of the Week)
Dorcas Gwata has worked for years as a nurse in mental health and has helped vulnerable young people who are exposed to knife crime and other crimes associated with gangs. In The Street Clinic, readers join her in her work as she meets many young people affected by devastating crimes on the streets.
With 25 years on the NHS frontline, Gwata dives into a London often overlooked, packed with wealth inequalities and a crisis in youth violence. The Street Clinic is as uncomfortable as it is exposing, as Gwata brings some unspoken truths to light and explores what the future could hold.
The Street Clinic, Picador, out now
2. The Make-Believe – Hannah Murray
Hannah Murray is perhaps best-known for her on-screen roles as Cassie in Skins and Gilly in Game of Thrones. Most might be unaware of the path she took to get there and the sacrifices she had to take for success. In this memoir, Murray details her need for personal healing after years of degrading auditions and filming violent scenes.
At first, an encounter with a reiki healer led her down a path of magic in a seductive organisation. However, that caused her sanity to fall apart before she was eventually detained in hospital. The Make-Believe offers an – at times – unbelievable look into the extraordinary life of one of the small-screen’s recognisable faces.
The Make-Believe, Hutchinson Heinemann, out now
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3. Moon Tiger – Penelope Lively (BBC Radio 4, Sunday 3pm)
The winner of the 1987 Booker Prize, Moon Tiger explores a historian confronting her own personal histories as she explores the passions and pains that have defined her life while she lies in a hospital dying. Lively masterfully explores memory and flashbacks, in a delicate and haunting narrative filled with themes of loss and desire.
The novel will take on a new life of its own as Geraldine James (The Jewel in the Crown) plays Claudia for an adaptation on BBC Radio 4, developed by Kate Clanchy. As good a chance as any to revisit this fantastic story.
Moon Tiger, Penguin, out now
4. Flick: The Story of Female Pleasure – Dr Kate Lister
In this fascinating non-fiction book, Dr Kate Lister explores the history of sex and desire for women, starting with sex goddesses in Ancient Mesopotamia to the contraceptive pill, Dr Lister explores how women's sexual pleasure was controlled, understood but most of all, actually enjoyed. Dr Lister explores the misconception that women didn't enjoy sex before modern-day feminism and looks at how the fight for sexual equality has been long-fought.
Flick, Bantam, out now
5. Whistler – Ann Patchett
Daphne is wandering around the Met museum in New York, and spots an older man following her – she doesn't expect it to be her former stepfather, Eddie. One fateful event changed the directions of their lives when she was nine, and she hadn't seen him since. Meeting him again transports her back, and she finds herself reflecting on the impact the relationship had on them both as they explore where they are today – and how being truly known by someone can change everything.
Whistler, Bloomsbury Publishing, out Tuesday
6. Exit 8 – Genki Kawamura (translated by Sameeha Anwar)
First a game, then a film, and now a book. Exit 8 is an immersive locked-room mystery like you've never read before – and likely never will. A young man in Tokyo is riding the subway before a life-changing text from his ex. When he leaves the train, he finds he can't actually escape and he's trapped, with a series of clues to solve to save him. Expect page-turning thrills and intriguing mystery in this must-read for those who want to devour a story in one sitting.
Exit 8, Ithaka, out Tuesday
7. People in Love – Claire Daverley
Claire Daverley, bestselling author of Talking at Night, is back with a tender story about a love triangle and how unspoken feelings can shape our life decisions. Nora is taken by surprise when her partner of 10 years proposes. Going with the moment, she says yes to Robin, but her life is turned upside down when her childhood friend, Bren, arrives at their engagement party and Nora can’t fight her feelings any longer. With an impossible choice and heartbreak around every corner, Nora must choose her future while navigating an impossible present.
People in Love, Michael Joseph, out Thursday
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Authors
Helen DalyDeputy Digital Editor
Helen Daly is the deputy digital editor for Radio Times, overseeing new initiatives and commercial projects for the brand. She was previously Deputy TV Editor at a national publication. She has a BA in English Literature and an MA in Media & Journalism from Newcastle University.
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