About a year ago I got really into reading again. For some reason, I had a bit of a hiatus for a few years, probably cuz I was out getting drunk all the time. But now I have grown up and joined a book club and started being held accountable for reading so am well and truly back into it. Anyway, one of the best parts about reading is being able to recommend great reads to friends, so I thought I’d try and do some fairly regular posts about books that I have read recently that I recommend. Here is the first one!
Is it just me, or is there loads of great reading material around at the moment?
Here are 8 books I have read recently and wholeheartedly recommend:
Three Women by Lisa Taddeo
This was my absolute favourite book of 2019. I had heard good things, but it was even better than I thought it would be… so gripping about intense female stories, but with so many relatable aspects.
The book follows the true stories of three different real women who were interviewed by the author Lisa Taddeo, written in documentary fiction style. Their stories might be different from ours but their thoughts and emotions can be very much the same. It is heartbreaking and beautiful and I loved it. It also has one of the best book covers I’ve ever seen.
My Year of Rest and Relaxation by Ottessa Moshfegh
This book is amazing. Its a kooky number but it is so readable, I could hardly put it down. It follows the story of a wealthy well educated young woman in New York who is suffering from depression (although its never called that) after the loss of her parents and vows to sleep for a year.
Told in a hilarious but also brutal voice, this book is totally weird but so brilliant. I loved it and will definitely read again. I also loved the aspects of her story related to studying art history as it reminded me of my time as an Art Historian at uni.
Everything I know about Love by Dolly Alderton
If you don’t yet know about The High Low podcast, well, where have you been? It’s everyones favourite and one of the hosts Dolly Alderton released her debut book last year and it is so so so brilliant. Its effectively her memoir but told through different snapshots of her life and the people she loves along the way.
From romantic lost and found, to friendship, to family, it covers all types of love and is so incredibly universal that I’m sure it will reach so many people. If you are a women in your late 20s and 30s, this is an unbelievable must read. An all time fave now.
Becoming Michelle Obama by Michelle Obama
It was probably one of the most read books of last year and not something I would ordinarily choose to read but I read it with my book club and absolutely loved it. Michelle Obama is so intelligent, so real and so empathetic and she comes across so beautifully in her book.
I think what I loved most about it, was that it is an amazing account of a marriage that isn’t always easy. I think this is a really important way to acknowledge that life and relationships are hard no matter who you are and you have put an incredible amount of work into them. Michelle for president! – although she says she never will.
Conversations with Friends by Sally Rooney
Everyone is obsessed with Sally Rooney’s book Normal People which is now adapted for the screen and it is undeniably iconic but I recently read her lesser-known book, Conversations with Friends and I love it.
The book follows the tale of two couples who meet and make friends and particularly of two of them who have a romantic relationship. Sally Rooney has this amazing way of taking you along for the ride in her books with no judgement from outside and you glide along in the story with the characters. The relationships in this book, just as in Normal People, feel so universal. Definitely read this. And Normal People.
Educated by Tara Westover
This book is about The wildest childhood. Education is a memoir by Tara Westover about her childhood preparing for End of Days. Her father was extremely anti-government and tried to live a life completely off-grid which came with huge danger and trauma.
The story is unbelievable, violent and heartbreaking but also hopeful. Its hard to believe someone could come out of this incredible life story and write such a great book.
Expectation by Anna Hope
This book was a book club pick and its safe to say that everyone in the club LOVED it. It follows the story of three young friends growing up in the UK, going to university and then ten years on.
It is about love and rivalry and it is the truest tale that I have ever read of the awkward line between what you think your life is going to be and then what it really is. This is sort of hard and painful to read but also a comfort to realise that you are not alone and these feelings are universal.
The Examined Life by Stephen Grosz
I was given this book as a Christmas gift by a friend who has gifted it to many people in her life because she believes in it so much. I can totally see why! The Examined Life is the gift of being able to see yourself more clearly – this little book is a revelation!
Each of the 25 chapters follows a counselling journey by the author, psychoanalyst Stephen Grosz and one of his clients. They all follow themes of the universal aspects of life; our beginning, hate, love and death for example. The stories, although unrelated, are a glaring mirror into ourselves and our relationships and I had so many of those amazing OMG moments where I saw hidden aspects of myself in the lives of these strangers. It is an incredible look at who we are and why we do the things that we do.
Happy Reading!