2026 Madrid Book Fair
Books That Fly By
Which book do you recommend? This is one of the most frequently asked questions at Madrid Book Fair and we have passed it on to Laura Blocona, the digital creator behind @laubythesea. An account where she shares her love for literature and that has more than 123,000 followers on Instagram. Her selection is an invitation to fly, either from a plane seat or from the comfort of your own home.
Madrid Book Fair, sponsored by Iberia, is the ideal place to share book recommendations. From here, surrounded by authors — some at La Cabina del Libro —, editors, booksellers and readers, bookstagrammer Laura Blocona —known as @laubythesea on social media, where she has more than 123,000 followers — shares her must-reads during our stroll around the booths at Parque del Retiro. Her selection includes stories that trap you and don’t let you go, ideal for devouring during a flight. Because literature is a journey. Thus, we visit an unsatiable jungle (yes, you read that right), an oppressive house on the Cantabrian coast or a threatening forest at the foot of Sierra Nevada, among other locations. If there is one thing all these novels have in common it is their unsettling quality, which is not accidental. Their pages transport us to uncomfortable realms and are an invitation to reflect on such relevant issues as motherhood, family ties, mental health and caring. To do this, they use drama and suspense, but also humour.
El cielo de la selva – Elaine Vilar Madruga
Beauty and horror go hand in hand in a tale full of exuberant imagination and symbolism that takes us to a lost ranch in the middle of the forest. A hostile jungle that asks a high price of its inhabitants in exchange for safety. Through her bold, lyrical and visceral prose, the Cuban writer Elaine Vilar Madruga creates a ritual setting, capable of moving the reader on one page and scaring them on the next in a brutal allegory about motherhood and structural violence against women. It appeals to the senses, makes your skin damp and mosquitos buzz in your ear. A magnetic and unique novel that transcends the horror genre and has placed its creator — who is also a playwright and poet — as one of the most acclaimed Latin American female writers today.
Ideal for a flight to… RECIFE.
The Spanish covers of ‘El cielo de la selva’, by Elaine Vilar Madruga, and ‘Los extraños’ [The Strangers], by Jon Bilbao. © Lava / Impedimenta
Los extraños – Jon Bilbao
A new sample of Jon Bilbao’s ability to turn the mundane into a story full of tension and mystery. With the precision of an entomologist — the novel spans less than 150 pages— this author dissects a couple who spend the winter in an old house off the coast of Cantabria and sees how their peace and quiet is shattered by the arrival of the strangers the title alludes to. Or are they the strangers? A feeling of danger grows around them, filling the reader with anxiety. Under its simple guise lie issues such as the couple’s miscommunication, the fragility of our reality and the fear of what alters our certainties. A fascinating novel for its subtlety, its ambiguity and the impeccable psychological construction of its characters.
Ideal for a flight to… VIENNA.
El cuerpo de Cristo – Bea Lema
A love letter to a sick mother in the form of a graphic novel, which won the Galician artist Bea Lema the National Comic Award in 2024, as well as the People’s Best Book Award at the prestigious Angoulême International Comics Festival. A work of art that is read, but also, in a way, felt. Our fingers feel tempted to slide over its comic strips embroidered by hand, in a nod to the author’s mother’s profession as a seamstress. With a large autobiographical element, it tells the story of Vera, who deals with her mother’s mental issues from a young age. Obsessed with the devil, superstitions give way to a diagnosis. A story of understanding and discovery — told with moving sensitivity and awareness — which focuses on relevant issues: mental health and caring.
Ideal for a flight to… PORTO.
The Spanish covers of ‘El cuerpo de Cristo’, by Bea Lema, and ‘Un momento de ternura y de piedad’, by Irene Cuevas. © Astiberri / Reservoir Books
Un momento de ternura y de piedad – Irene Cuevas
In 2024, Irene Cuevas published one of the most acclaimed literary debuts in recent years. She did so with a fiercely clear and unclassifiable novel. The protagonist is an affectionate hit woman (despite her job description) who sees how her life is turned upside down when she falls in love with one of her victims. All while dealing with her strange mother, who has been admitted to a psychiatric hospital. Despite its gruesome narrative, this is a really fun novel which blends cutting dark humour with tense suspense and sweet romance. It is not surprising that it is Almodovaresque, since Pedro himself quotes it as his favourite novel of the year. Or other authors, like Mónica Ojeda, who have kind words for this novel: “Humour, intelligence, brilliance and nerve. It is so fun: read it.”
Ideal for a flight to… ATHENS.
Fever Dream - Samanta Schweblin
The brand-new winner of the first Premio Aena de Narrativa Hispanoamericana [Aena Hispanic American Award] — granted a few weeks ago with an allocation of a million euros — made her debut in 2014 with Fever Dream, proving that she is a powerful narrator. A young woman named Amanda lies dying in a hospital bed. A boy named David sits beside her. Together, through a tense dialogue, they reveal a story about fear and motherhood that leaves the reader intrigued. The review published in The New Yorker defines it perfectly: “A low, sick thrill took hold of me as I read it. I was checking the locks in my apartment by page thirty. By the time I finished the book, I couldn’t bring myself to look out the windows.” In 2021, Claudia Llosa adapted it to the big screen, starring María Valverde and Dolores Fonzi, but we recommend diving into the original source material.
Ideal for a flight to… TIRANË.
The Spanish covers of ‘Distancia de rescate’ [Fever Dream], by Samanta Schweblin, and ‘Crisálida’, by Fernando Navarro. © Seix Barral / Impedimenta
Crisálida – Fernando Navarro
The journey Fernando Navarro takes the reader on in Crisálida is one way because once you are immersed in the pages of this book, it is impossible to return. A girl called Nada wakes up in a sanatorium, unaware of how she got there. Slowly, the fog that covers her memory lifts and we discover her story: how her parents left Granada with their children to move to a forest near Sierra Nevada and how, once they got there, Nada’s father, known as The Captain, went mad, and family violence ensued. One of the most disturbing novels in recent years, capable of creating unforgettable images and nightmares. Tough without sacrificing lyricism. Brutal but moving. Proof that folk horror is alive and well in Spain.
Ideal for a flight to… NEW YORK.
