I’ve been saving this post for a few weeks whilst I get through a couple of books, as once again, we’ve reached that time of year when everyone is starting to jet off on their spring/summer vacations. I’m not much of a beach holiday girl - I’m all about city breaks, but that doesn’t mean I don’t love a good book
However, I find it hard to stay focused, so reading can be a little tricky sometimes. I'm trying to get out of the habit of having my phone glued to my right hand in the evenings, giving my thumbs a break from all the scrolling, and stepping away from the Net-a-Porter and Topshop apps in the hope I'll stop spending.
If I score a right page turner I can read a book in a weekend, and that's exactly what’s been happening recently. I have ploughed through a lot of books since the beginning of the year, so I thought I’d share them with you, just in case you have a holiday coming up and need some recommendations (there are a lot below)....
Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine by Gail Honeyman
If you haven’t heard of this book — where have you been? I read this over the space of four days last month, and I couldn’t put it down. It made me cry, and laugh out loud all on the same bus journey to work.
I didn’t want it to end — honestly, I found it difficult to start a new book after reading this one! It’s a seriously good read, and I know a lot of people have been talking about it, so don’t be put off by the surrounding hype.
Little Fires Everywhere by Celeste Ng
I’m going to put my hands up high here, and say I have a slight obsession with Reese Witherspoon! She is one talented lady, and after buying the rights to the book, Big Little Lies, and then turning it into one of the best TV series I’ve ever watched (seriously, if you haven’t watched it yet, go now!) I’ve decided this woman can do no wrong. So, when I saw on her Instagram that she was doing the same with Little Fires Everywhere AND teaming up with the equally talented Kerri Washington, I was straight on Amazon adding the book to my basket.
This book is brilliant, and focuses on motherhood, and the relationships between mother and daughter. I didn’t want it to end, and I can’t wait to see the Television adaptation of this.
The Boy on The Bridge by M.R. Carey
M.R. Carey’s book, The Girl With All The Gifts was a revelation. It’s the kind of book that’s best read with absolutely no knowledge of what’s going on, because of the way it drops readers into a future world where nothing can be assumed, and every new reveal comes as a surprise. So it’s only natural that the prequel novel, The Boy On The Bridge, can’t build the same sense of engagement and discovery. Don’t get me wrong — I enjoyed reading this, but I loved The Girl With All The Gifts a lot more.
Vinegar Girl by Anne Tyler
This is a re-telling of The Taming of the Shrew, following Kate Battista, a pre-school assistant who still lives at home with her eccentric scientist father and Queen Bee younger sister. Kate’s quiet, uneventful life gets interrupted when the visa of her father’s research assistant runs out and Dr Battista comes up with a creative solution to the problem: Kate should marry Pyotr to save him from being deported.
It’s not the best book I’ve read this year, but it is engaging and very easy to read.
When Breath Becomes Air by Paul Kalanithi
I put off reading When Breath Becomes Air for a long time, because I didn’t think I could handle the heartbreak, as it’s all a little ‘real-life’ for my family and I.
Kalanithi was in his final year of neurosurgical residency when, at 36, he was diagnosed with stage IV lung cancer. His stunning memoir was published posthumously, and attempts to answer the question: What makes a life worth living?
I did find I struggled with this - mainly because I felt I could relate in some way to his story, and it made it hard to read at times. His writing is so beautiful and emotive. The final chapter is written by his wife, Lucy as he sadly passed away before he could finish writing.
That’s it for now! I’m about to crack on with a new book, and I went a bit crazy round the shelves of Waterstones yesterday, so I have a few to get through. I will of course share them on here once I’ve got through all of them!
Do you have any book recommendations? I may have a few on my shelves to get through, but always love to hear what everyone else is reading — so feel free to send me yours!
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