What’s next on my reading pile…
With cosy evenings in on the cards for the foreseeable future, it made sense that I treat myself to a big ol’ stack of books to cosy up with over the coming months! It doesn’t look like I’ll be doing much else, so I may as well stock up on reading material to see me through. Is everyone else doing the same?!
I set myself a goal of reading 30 books this year, just a little challenge to encourage me to spend less time scrolling the gram and do something a little more worthwhile! When lockdown first happened I felt like my attention span was so terrible that I didn’t think I would manage it, but thankfully I’ve managed to tick off 25 so far! I’m sure with this pile of picks I’ll be able to reach my goal before the year is out.
I’m actually so excited to get stuck in to this lot, I’ve already finished a couple and I’ve just started Rodham which I’ve heard so many good things about! Let me introduce the books I’ve recently added to my collection…
Ghosts By Dolly Alderton; I loved Dolly’s first book, Everything I Know About Love, which had me laughing, crying and nodding along throughout. She has such a unique and endearing writing style that is so easy to relate to, so I just knew I would adore Ghosts. I flew through this, it’s the kind of read that makes you feel better about every little decision or turning point or unexpected outcome in your life – I really could relate to so much of it. It was easily one of my favourite books of the year, I’d recommend it to everyone.
The Mothers by Brit Bennett; I picked this up on a whim (probably because the cover is so pretty, I won’t lie!) without realising the author also wrote The Vanishing Half which has been recommended to me so many times!
The Mothers follows the story of a young couple who are haunted by a teen pregnancy; as they live out their lives we see the fall-out from this event. The book is sort of narrated by the elderly women of the town, but this kind of fell flat for me – the story alone is enough I think. An incredible read, I really enjoyed this so much.
Small Pleasures by Clare Chambers; These books and their beautiful covers! It’s hard to pick up the Kindle edition when the the hardback looks like this.
I’ve had Small Pleasures on my (admittedly very long) ‘to read’ list for months now, it seems like something I would adore. The story is set in the 1950’s and it follows the rather restricted life of Jean, a woman in her 40s who is sent to report on a story of a virgin birth. The reviews say it’s completely unputdownable so I’m going to save this for a lazy weekend, I can’t wait to get stuck in!
Rodham by Curtis Sittenfield; I feel like everyone has been reading this lately so naturally I had to pick it up. I started this last week and I’m already completely hooked – the tagline of Rodham is “what if Hillary hadn’t married Bill?” which is such an interesting concept. It took me a little while to get in to it but honestly I’m gripped – this is a book that really celebrates Hillary’s impressive career rather than her life as Bill Clinton’s wife.
Although, I have to say it is absolute SMUT! Goodness me, I really didn’t think I’d spend a good chunk of my time reading about Hillary and Bill’s sex life… but this year has been a curve ball so I guess I shouldn’t be too surprised at that plot twist.
You Will Never Be Forgotten by Mary South; I added this to my cart on a whim but it really does sound like something I’ll enjoy. A collection of short stories which all centre around our use of technology in a not-too-distant future – it sounds a bit Black Mirror-esque which is absolutely up my street! I’m excited to start this one actually, I think I’ll get stuck in to it next.
Salt Slow by Julia Armfield; Another collection of short stories, Salt Slow appealed to me because the blurb reminded me a little of Daddy by Emma Cline which I recently read and loved. I love books that have a big focus on the dissection of relationships and experiences, I’m always gripped by seeing how the characters react to such life-altering events. Maybe I’m just nosy!
I’m keen to try this one because I haven’t seen much else about it – has anyone read it?
Even just writing this post out made me want to sack off work for the day and speed through a book… in fact, that’s probably what I will end up doing. Anything to stay sane in these crazy times, am I right?!
Also, I linked to Amazon for ease (I buy a lot of books on Kindle to save space and money), but I know we should all be trying to support indie bookshops where possible. I’ve seen a lot of people talk about Bookshop.org so I thought I’d link it here too – it’s basically a one-stop site where you can purchase books from independent sellers. The site looks great and I think in these trying times we definitely have to make an effort to think about where we put our pennies.
What’s on your reading list right now?
*Photos by Corinne & myself.
