by Victoria Bromley and Trina Read
For those wanting to dive into Swim Press’ catalogue but don’t know which issue to choose, we have matched popular books to each issue based on themes, vibe and aesthetic.
Everyone loves a book recommendation, especially if it’s based on a book you already love. So we thought we’d recommend you a Swim Press magazine based on your reading taste.
We were inspired to do this from Fawn Press who paired up poetry collections to their publications and we are obsessed with it!
The Water Cure – Issue 01 Water
Sophie Mackintosh’s debut novel The Water Cure couldn’t be more of a perfect match for our first ever literary magazine Water. Birthed from the desire to publish an anthology about water, Swim Press began as a means to celebrate writing on the natural world, flowing landscapes and fluidity.
The Water Cure follows three sisters stranded on an island where the water is toxic and keeps them away from men. As a press which prioritises women+ voices, the links to girlhood and the female experience is perfectly matched.
Never Let Me Go – Issue 02 Bodies
IIf you liked Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro then you’ll enjoy this issue of Swim Press. Ishiguro’s novel delves into darker themes surrounding bodies and bodily autonomy, as we follow young people who are clones born to a fate where they have no autonomy over their bodies (without giving too much away).
Bodies, delves into a multitude of themes, including bodies of water, queer bodies, body dysmorphia, even sleeping with ghosts…it’s not one to miss.
Untold Night and Day – Issue 03 Sleep
Untold Night and Day by Bae Suah is the perfect companion to Sleep. There’s just something about two characters walking around a hot city at night which seems so romantic and dreamlike and endless. Translated from Korean, this novel is an hallucinogenic fever dream which manipulates time, place and memory.
Similarly, Sleep is a bit of a fever dream, with writing to inspire your imagination, tuck you into bed, or have you laying under the stars all night long. Whatever your sleep mood is, we’ve got you covered.
The Hidden Life of Trees – Issue 04 Flora/Fauna
Peter Wohlleben’s The Hidden Life of Trees, pairs brilliantly with this issue as it delves into, well, the hidden life of trees; how they communicate, feel and live in communities. If you have a love of the natural environment around us from the grass to the deer, the flora to the fauna then you would love Flora/Fauna.
With a combination of poetry, prose and flash fiction on flora and fauna in equal measure this is certainly one to dive into if you enjoyed books like The Hidden Life of Trees, for a more fictitious and unexpected take on the world around us.
Rebecca – Issue 05 Haunt
If you love the Gothic, then our fifth issue is for you. What better novel to accompany issue 05 Haunt than Daphne Du Maurier’s Rebecca? Our unnamed narrator marries a widower to find that the house is haunted by the memory of his late wife. A book that will have you on the edge of your seat, this is certainly a timeless Gothic classic.
If Rebecca was up your street, then Haunt will definitely have you just as enthralled. With short stories to make your skin crawl, both fiction and non-fiction, touching on both the haunting of place and person that will have you questioning what you consider haunting to be.
Atonement – Issue 06 Desire
Our sixth issue is on the theme of Desire, which, again can take many forms. Ian McEwan’s Atonement is an excellent example of one route that desire can take, perhaps the most obvious…The lust between Cecilia and Robbie on that hot, sultry evening in 1930’s England is one of the most intense infatuations in literature.
If you enjoyed Atonement, you will devour Desire. A issue which will take you on a journey where you will encounter desire in all its forms: love, lust, gluttony, desire for self, desire for something you know you can’t have, to name but a few. Don’t miss out on this one!
On the Savage Side – Issue 07 Bury/Excavate
Issue 07 bury/excavate is another dual themed issue on buried secrets and uncovering truth. In Tiffany McDaniel’s novel On the Savage Side, women are being pulled from the lake, drowned and naked, their bodies extracted from the murky water. Arc and Daffy are daughters of addiction and poverty. Just like their mother and aunt, they grow up into a life of prostitution, drug abuse and neglect. Their passions in life are buried deep because there is no money for swimming lessons or university, so how will Daffy ever be able to become an Olympic swimmer and Arc an archaeologist?
Orbital – Issue 08 Motion
Pre-orders are now open for issue 08 motion. If you’re a fan of Orbital by Samantha Harvey and enjoy the literary exploration of how movement, both physical and emotional, as well as astronomical, effects our lives, relationships and the planet, then you should grab a copy of issue 08 motion. Our upcoming issue takes a dynamic and undulating look at the momentum of life as well as the pause which is needed to take it all in.
Pre-orders for issue 08 motion close Sunday 6th April 2025. You can pre-order your copy here.
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