If you are only going to read one book this year… pick this one!

From Australian climate-change science fiction to essential essays on Black Britain and the thrilling debut of Jack Reacher - authors, critics and booksellers have something to offer.

According to new data from YouGov, around 40% of UK adults have not read a single book in the past year, and the average number of books read or heard by a British person is three. In a world full of entertainment and other distractions, fewer and fewer people turn to reading books, although many of us would like to read more. That's why we asked authors, booksellers and critics to recommend a book you should read this year – even if you only read one book.

James by Percival Everett

James' book was hailed as a modern classic and a "masterpiece" before it hit bookstores last year. Percival Everett, an American author with more than 30 published works, has gone to one of the pillars of American culture, the same book that Ernest Hemingway referred to as "the best book we ever had": The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain - but this time from the point of view of the character Jim, the runaway slave.

Everett rescues James from the racial stereotypes of the original, restores his real name and humanity. He may not be free, but Everett gives him narrative authority and a pencil to write his own story.

If this is your first serious encounter with the hack, don't worry. James has the excitement and adventure of a classic children's story, but with the humor, wisdom, and serious concerns of adults. Everett said: "I hope I have written a novel that Twain did not write." James is an important novel and at the same time very readable. And the good thing is that the paper version has just been published.

A Life's Music by Andreï Makine

A very short novel that contains a world of concepts. A young Russian composer flees Moscow to Ukraine, trying to escape Stalin's purge of intellectuals in 1941. But Russia's war with Nazi Germany begins and his life changes completely. How will it survive? What facilities and forces does it have that it can take advantage of? A deep, impressive and unforgettable work that becomes more meaningful in this tense time. A small masterpiece.

• Killing Floor by Lee Child

  This novel is the first story to introduce Child's legendary hero: Jack Reacher, an army veteran turned rogue and a one-man ops team. This book hooks the reader from the very beginning and is like a high-speed roller coaster, full of action scenes and breathtaking plot twists. In this story, you will face mystery, danger, conspiracy, excitement and heroism that you cannot help but be a fan of. In short, this book has everything you expect from an exciting thriller. Get started now!

  • Orbital by Samantha Harvey

    Last year, when I was a judge for the Booker Prize, my colleagues and I selected this novel as the winner. This book is short, but at the same time, it opens a wide range in front of the reader; A work that is both epic and intimate, heartbreaking and surprising. This book reminded me how fleeting life is, but how precious every moment can be. I have never read anything like it.

    • Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yaros

      I'm not usually a fan of fantasy novels, but this successful romance-fantasy by Yaros made me want to read books again. This story has everything it needs to captivate the reader: love, excitement, adventure, and more dragons than you can imagine! This book is one of my regular bookstore recommendations, both for fantasy fans and those who don't normally read the genre. Almost everyone who has picked up a copy has come back with excitement and admiration!

      Question 7 (Question 7) by Richard Flanagan

      Choosing a book? As a literary editor whose free time is as much influenced by books as his professional life, this question seems difficult to answer. But one recent title immediately came to mind: Question 7 by Australian author Richard Flanagan. This book is a unique blend of memoir, history, science, and a philosophical thought experiment that unfolds like a thrilling novel with clever structure, propulsive energy, and imaginative beauty. Its main focus is the coincidences of fate: if the bombing of Hiroshima had not happened, Flanagan's father would have died in a Japanese POW camp and he himself would never have been born. From here, the book unfolds like an accordion, delving into the strange origins of nuclear weapons, Tasmania's shameful colonial history, the author's family background, and a terrifying encounter with death – told in a thrilling manner. Blending fiction and history, Flanagan shows profoundly how all of our lives are a "constant invention." This book will remain in your mind forever.

      Bat Eater by Kylie Lee Baker

      Cora is a crime scene cleaner, but her work doesn't bother her, especially after witnessing her sister's murder. The killer is still on the loose, and no one can get close to Cora: not her aunt, who is preparing for a "Hungry Ghosts" party, not her strange colleagues, not even the shadow lurking around her coffee table. Haunted by the nickname "Bat Eater" and a series of serial murders in Chinatown, he has come to believe that someone is targeting East Asian women and maybe something is threatening him. A blend of folkloric horror and crime fiction, with black humor and violent moments, this novel takes readers on a journey through Chinese-American heritage while also depicting the racism prevalent in New York in the era of Covid-19.

      Juice (Juice) by Tim Winton

      Something in this book really moved me. It has similarities to Cormac McCarthy's The Road and Mad Max: Fury Road, and is another sci-fi story with a climate crisis theme, but it's still quite a unique work. The main reason is Tim Winton's deeply human pen, which focuses on moments of human connection, love for nature, and an impossible hope for humanity's collective survival. The story is about a farmer who accompanies a child in Australia, which has been devastated by a climate disaster. When they are captured, the farmer tells his entire life story to his jailer one night in order to survive. This book is full of vengeful military groups, tragic loves, brutal weather and epic heists, but at its core, it deals with something deeper: the power of a story to change the course of the world.

      There Are Rivers in the Sky (There Are Rivers in the Sky) by Elif Shafak

      Every bookstore knows that no book is suitable for everyone, but if someone is in a slump in reading, Elif Shafak's works are a sure way to get out of this situation! He is one of the greatest storytellers of our time, and each of his books, regardless of the starting point, is an engaging, action-packed, and politically prescient work that connects with each reader in a different way. His latest work is an exciting environmental story that spans from Dickens-era London to contemporary Kurdistan; From the Thames River to the Tigris River. It's fascinating, complex, and subtly queer, with characters the reader connects with deeply—a rich, immersive work.

      Black British Lives Matter edited by Lenny Henry and Marcus Ryder

      Black British Lives Matter is a collection of articles written by a panel of experts and leading figures who share their views and experiences of life as a black person in contemporary Britain. At a time when efforts for equality and the fight against racism are facing serious challenges, books like this are not only necessary, but vital. Written with clarity and passion (including authors such as Sir David Ajayi, Nadine White, David Olusuga and Lady Doreen Lawrence), these essays provide a framework for understanding racism while revealing important truths about modern society that can benefit us all.

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