Manchester Summer Reads 2025: 8 Must-Read Books by Manchester Authors

Summer 2025 is the perfect time to relax, recharge, and dive into a great book. Whether you’re staying in Manchester or heading home for the summer break, you can take a piece of the city with you through its literature. 

To point you in the right direction, we’ve put together a list of the 8 must-read books by Manchester Authors. From gripping fiction to local history and powerful storytelling, these books will keep you hooked from beginning to end.  

Borrow them from a Manchester Library or your local library, enjoy your summer and keep your love of Manchester alive with these great reads. 

Our Top 8 Manchester Books & Authors for Summer 2025 

The Girl with the Red Boots by Alex Wheatle (2025)  

We remember Alex Wheatle MBE as a powerful voice in literature, and a passionate lecturer in Creative writing at Manchester Met. His passing earlier this year was a profound loss, but his legacy lives on in the stories he told. 

The Girl with the Red Boots is Alex’s final publication, released in April 2025. It follows the heartwarming story of fourteen-year-old aspiring footballer Kadeen Best, who is navigating grief after the loss of her older brother while adjusting to life in London after emigrating from Jamaica.  

Alex’s British and Jamaican heritage is a strong theme that runs throughout his novels. As a lecturer at Manchester Met, his work is a reflection of the broad range of talents across our staff and students that we continue to celebrate. 

Reserve a copy of The Girl with the Red Boots from a Manchester Library, to read for free.  

111 Places in Manchester That You Shouldn’t Miss by Julian Treuherz (2016-2024)  

Julian Treuherz was a curator at Manchester Art Gallery before he moved to Liverpool and has plenty of knowledge and cultural insights about the city. 111 Places in Manchester joins the 111 Places series, covering over 650 titles worldwide. 

This book invites you to look beyond the city’s present-day skyline and discover the layers of history hidden within it—from old mills and factories now transformed into hotels, offices, and bars, to lesser-known cultural landmarks. If you’re keen to see Manchester through fresh eyes, this is the guide for you. 

From the legacy of Emmeline Pankhurst to the music of Morrissey – you’ll learn all about the hidden history of your university city. Plus, it features the most interesting and unusual places not found in traditional travel guides. 

Reserve a copy of 111 Places in Manchester That You Shouldn’t Missfrom a Manchester Library, to read for free.  

Made in Manchester by Brian Groom (2024)  

Brian Groom grew up in Manchester and later became a news editor for the Financial Times. His previous book, Northerners, highlights his passion for the North of England – and most recently his Manchester focused title Made in Manchester.  

Named Financial Times Book of the Year, Made in Manchester is the perfect read for any Mancunian - whether you’ve lived here for years or are just beginning to explore the city. From its early days as the Roman fort of Mamucium to its rise as a global industrial powerhouse, the book takes readers on a journey through time. 

A more definitive history of Manchester has never before been documented, and Brian does a brilliant job of capturing the vibrant stories and lives of the city and its inhabitants. 

Reserve a copy of Made in Manchesterfrom a Manchester Library, to read for free.  

Passiontide by Monique Roffey (2024)  

Monique Roffey is another of our award-winning creative writing lecturers, with 7 books and a decoration of awards for her writing. She was born in Trinidad and draws on her family biography, history, and research when writing her novels. 

Passiontide is about a small island community rocked by the death of a young female steel-pan player. The event brings together four women who feel compelled to speak out in a community where women’s voices are often silenced, and violence against them is overlooked. Passiontide is about courage, togetherness, and women’s voices. 

Monique’s last novel, The Mermaid of Black Conch won Costa’s Book of the Year award in 2020 and was featured as part of our summer wellbeing reads in 2024. And we encourage you to share and celebrate the work of our staff and fellow students alike! 

Reserve a copy of Passiontidefrom a Manchester Library, to read for free.  

Mancunians by David Scott (2023)  

David Scott is an author, poet, musician, and BBC presenter who was born, raised and lives in Manchester. David reflects on the history of Manchester through his own eyes and recollections, as well as a series of interviews with influential Manc celebrities. 

Mancunians is the story of those who didn’t fit the typecast growing up in Manchester – the musicians of colour, ambitious artists, and optimistic developers. It confronts the upheaval of Manchester in the late 1990’s, in the wake of the IRA bomb that devasted the community. David overturns the surviving stereotypes that he feels have long suffocated the true spirit of Manchester. 

This mixture of memoir and interview offers a well-rounded view of Manchester from the people who actually lived it. Described as “an honest love letter to the city”, this is the best way to get closer to the heart of the city. 

Reserve a copy of Mancunians from a Manchester Library, to read for free.  

The Madonna of Bolton by Matt Cain (2018)  

Matt Cain MBE is a strong advocate for the LGBTQ+ community, receiving an MBE for his services to LGBTQ+ culture. He was born in Bury, Manchester and grew up outside Bolton – his work is makes up a fundamental part of queer literature and his 2018 novel reveals his deep adoration for Manchester too. 

The Madonna of Bolton is about a young gay boy who discovers his love for Madonna. The pop icon quickly becomes his spirit guide, and he draws on her audacity and ambition to help him overcome his own obstacles.  

Set in the suburban streets of Bolton, this is a novel that feels like home. This semi-autobiographical novel is all about passion, love, and finding your strength. It’s the perfect companion read for Manchester Pride this august. 

Reserve a copy of The Madonna of Bolton from a Manchester Library, to read for free. 

Mancunia by Michael Symmons Roberts (2017)  

Michael Symmons Roberts is a Professor of Poetry at Manchester Met, and has won countless awards for his poetry and collections. His poetry collection Mancunia is rooted in Manchester but also imagines it as a kind of fallen utopia. 

Mancunia is a series of poems surrounding a Victorian diorama, a bar where a merchant mariner has a story to tell. His tale spans the metaphysical and the lyrical, exploring the growing and changing landscape of “Mancunia”. The city is constantly changing and expanding, and these poems reflect our constant growth. 

Michael sees poetry “at the heart of it all”, and this is the perfect example of how he sees our city in his words. Explore the history of Manchester in a completely unique and contemporary light. 

Reserve a copy of Mancunia from a Manchester Library, to read for free.  

A Clockwork Orange by Anthony Burgess (1962)  

Did you know that Anthony Burgess was born and educated right here in Manchester? He went on to write the famous novel A Clockwork Orange when he returned to England after a stint in Russia – and remains one of the most respected Mancunians to ever live. 

A Clockwork Orange is a dark-comedy in a dystopian future, where the main character fifteen-year-old Alex enjoys a life of hyper-violence. He soon finds himself at the mercy of Dr Brodsky who performs a mind-altering treatment on him, which changes the way he behaves for good. 

A Clockwork Orange is a well-studied and revered novel all over the world, and it’s seen as an important tale of morality and free will. Our very own Professor of Modern Literature, Andrew Biswell, produced a Chinese-language translation of the novel in 2019. He also edited, introduced and annotated the enormously successful Penguin edition which was published in 2013. Going on to be translated into German, Portuguese, Spanish, Czech, Romanian, Italian, Korean, Polish, Chinese and Austrian.

Biswell is the author of a prize-winning biography of Burgess, and the general editor of The Irwell Edition of the Works of Anthony Burgess, published by Manchester UP since 2017.

Reserve a copy of A Clockwork Orangefrom a Manchester Library, to read for free.