The books I have loved this year

Reading has always been an activity that I have loved doing. However,  in recent years I have become extremely slack when it comes to reading. I have found that I will put off reading or rather do something else. I can find that I am restless so when it comes to a book it has to grip me from the beginning, otherwise I do tend to lose interest.

At the beginning of this year (2020) I set myself a goal of reading 50 books by the end of the year. I have been keeping track of the books I have been reading on an app called GoodReads (which you can also access online). This has been able to allow me to set myself a reading challenge and it updates if you are on track for your reading goal or not. It also shows you the books that you have read too. You get to give each book you read a rating out of five and you can write a review if you so wish to. My reading challenge of reading 50 books by the end of 2020 means that I need to be reading one book a week to be able to achieve my goal. I have currently read 20 books this year, which I am very pleased with as last year I could only count on one hand how many books I had read that year. However, I am a couple of books behind schedule so by writing this blog post then hopefully this will give me the motivation to keep reading (please keep pestering me to keep reading). I think it would be such a huge achievement if I do manage to reach my goal by the end of the year. It has managed to recharge my enthusiasm and love for literature and reading. I would highly encourage any of you to set yourself a goal. However big or small. Let’s reach our goals together!

Reading for me allows me to escape from reality for a certain amount of time and dive into a different universe. I always experience a sense of calm, almost as if time stops and it really allows me to take some time in the day to just be still and immerse oneself in something. I think reading is a brilliant way of relaxing after a busy or stressful day. I normally read before bed and it makes me go to sleep easier and it helps me to switch off from life for a bit.

I thought I would just enlist a few of my recommendations out of the books that I have read so far this year. In hope that this might give you the motivation and courage to read more. So, without further ado here are my top 10 recommendations of the books I had read so far this year:

* There won’t be any spoilers of any book that I talk about*

*Also, this list isn’t in any particular order*

1. ‘The Book Thief’ by Markus Zusak. I absolutely loved this book. This is by far one of the best books that I’ve EVER read. This book opened up so many emotions inside me. I found myself so invested in each of the characters' lives and wanted the best for all of them. It’s set in Germany in the years 1939-1943. It follows the life of a little girl called Liesel growing up with her foster parents in Nazi Germany. I thought that having the narrative being from ‘Death’ to be such an interesting concept and I didn’t know if it would work at first glance, but I was so wrong. It was perfectly executed. The descriptions are rich and vivid and I was hooked from the beginning right to the end. One would think having ‘Death’ as the narrator would cast a dark shadow on the book. However, it’s the complete opposite. ‘Death’ shows the glimmer of light and brings a lively sort of humour to the book. I would highly recommend this book to anyone. You won’t be able to put it down.

*side note: If you’re anything like me then you’ll love this book even more as it has short chapters. As i mentioned before i have a short attention span and tend to get restless. This book allowed me to read as much or as little as I wanted without stopping in the middle of a paragraph. These short chapters also meant that I got through the book faster as I would just tell myself “just one more chapter”.*

2. ‘Girl, Woman, Other’ by Bernardine Evaristo. This was previously a book that my Dad had bought as it was his next reading group book. However, I decided I wanted to read it before he even had the chance to. I hold the belief that this book is extremely relevant to that of the “Black Lives Matter’ movement and I thought it to be extremely important to broaden my knowledge around the topic and do my own educating and studying around that of the black community and people of colour. This book was a beautiful rendition of what it is like to be black and female in British society. I found this book to be powerful, honest and moving. It divulges into twelve different black women and the different topics they encounter such as race and sexuality. It’s also a novel about what it’s like to be female in modern society. The attention to detail, the structure and the syntax of this novel are exquisite. This is a book that I will continue to recommend to anyone I know.

3. ‘Why I’m No Longer Talking to White People About Race’ by Reni Eddo-Lodge. Carrying on from the previous book, this is also another essential book to read to help to educate oneself about the black community and the ‘Black Lives Matter’ movement. This is a book where Reni Eddo-Lodge writes out her frustration with the way that discussions of race and racism in Britain were being led by those who weren’t affected by it. This book came after her blog post with the same title after a lot of discussion was made from that post. It explores: black history, whitewashed feminism, the difference between class and race and much more. I would thoroughly recommend. It was able to educate me further.

*One of the quotes that sums up this book quite nicely is “ White privilege is the fact that if you’re white, your race will almost certainly positively impact your life’s trajectory in some way. And you probably won’t even notice it.”*

4. ‘On the Front Line with the Women Who Fight Back’ by Stacey Dooley. This book follows Stacey Dooley on her travels and the many women she meets. It explores different issue and topics reaching from sex trafficking in Cambodia, to Yazidi women fighting back in Syria and even to victims of domestic violence in Honduras. Stacey interviews these brave and beautiful women and one learns more about the world we are all living in. It is extremely real and raw and personal. Stacey is able to provide information about emotionally loaded topics in a respectful and thoughtful way. It was sometimes a hard read as you realise some of the cruel realities that these women have faced. However, again I thought it was vital to read and to include to further educate people on the happenings of the world and different societies.

5. ‘Britt-Marie Was Here’ by Fredrik Backman. I absolutely adored this book. I read it in one day as I just couldn’t put it down. It follows a woman (Britt- Marie) who cannot stand mess. She is a bit socially awkward and a fussy busybody but she has the warmest heart and a big imagination. She hasn’t been working for years as she has been a housewife. She has to adjust to her new life without her husband, who unfortunately cheated on her. Britt Marie finds herself in a new town, with a temporary job as a caretaker of a recreation centre. It is such a heartwarming, humorous story that I can guarantee you will enjoy.

6. ‘This is Going to Hurt: Secret Diaries of a Junior Doctor’ by Adam Kay. This book follows the life of Adam Kay who was a junior doctor from 2004-2010. He kept a diary throughout his experience, showing his training and tales from the front line of the NHS. This book will make you laugh out loud. There is obvious joy, pain and sacrifice that one has to endure being a doctor. The way in which he writes and the language he uses is comical but shows reality in explicit terms. Brilliant book.

7.‘Life After Life’ by Kate Atkinson. This book allows Ursula Todd to be born over and over again. When she grows, she also dies repeatedly, in a variety of different ways. This book is about having second chances and the different paths. It’s about family, about history and about the war. It’s a captivating read and I thoroughly enjoyed it.

8. ‘The Penguin Lessons’ by Tom Michell. This was a book recommendation handed down to me from my Grannie who said she knew i would love this book. She was not wrong, I loved it. It follows the life of a penguin with the name of ‘Juan Salvador’ who was rescued by an English school teacher from an oil slick in Uruguay. The bird refuses to leave his side so Tom takes him home with him and embarks on their story.You really got the sense of character from the penguin from the descriptions and it’s almost comical. This book is beautiful, funny, heart-warming and highly  enjoyable. 

9. ‘The Poison Tree’ by Erin Kelly. If you like suspense books and psychological thrillers then this is the novel for you. It is a novel about secrets that remain after a particular summer. My Mum recommended this book to me and I'm so glad she did. It’s a book based on flashbacks and paranoia of being found out. More of the story is revealed throughout the book and it is one of those books which will have you on the edge of your seat wanting to know more. It shows the reality of the saying that ‘no one is perfect’. The atmosphere and the language that Erin Kelly creates implies the sense of danger around the corner. I would highly recommend it.

10. ‘Never Let Me Go’ by Kazuo Ishiguro. Again, if you like mystery novels this is definitely one for you too. It provides details of what it means to be human. It is about an English boarding school and what happens there, It is a strange read as things are slowly revealed and you realise things aren’t as they first seem and that what they’re being taught has nothing to do with the real world and they are allowed little contact with the outside world. It explores themes of memory  and the impact of the past. I thought it to be thought provoking and an extremely enjoyable read.

Do let me know if you’re going to read any of the books enlisted or if you have already read any of the books mentioned. I would love to hear what you thought of them.