Now, I’d first off like to say that a few of these books were compulsory reads for my English Literature degree that I’m currently doing, but I have only included the ‘interesting’ ones that I would recommend to people to read for fun or that sparked my interest. Don’t worry; I won’t bore you with anthologies Longfellow’s forgotten poetry, I know we ain’t all got time for that. However, there were a few books that managed to sneak into my ‘reading for pleasure’ time, which trust me is a rare thing, and I thought I’d share them with you:

THE ONES I’VE READ

‘The Alchemist’ – Paulo Coelho

I LOVED this book… and pretty much so does the rest of the world. Paulo Coelho shot to fame with this philosophical, spiritual novel. I read this book while on a 56hr train journey (!?) across the United States last summer, and I will never forget the overwhelming feelings I experienced in the final couple of chapters: I remember looking up from the book in my makeshift bed, at a stunning sunset reflecting off a nearby lake, listening to Sigur Ros, and spontaneously burst into happy tears. It’s a powerful book that I would recommend to everyone, and plan to reread every year. 

‘My Ántonia’ – Willa Cather

This was a big surprise for me. I have to admit, as I am dyslexic (and maybe a tad lazy) I have only managed to finish one novel a year on my university reading list. I.e. I’ve read a total of three books throughout my entire literature degree, I know I’m a fraud. And this is the most recent one. I started this never expecting to get more than half way through, but as I went along I found that I had to know what happened. This is a feminist, coming-of-age novel from the point of view of Jim Burden, a man reflecting on his childhood with his sweetheart Antonia. It is not a romance, as Jim and Antonia are never together in the book, but more a reflection on how people come and go from our lives, but always leave a mark, whether it’s a good thing or a bad thing. 

‘Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine’ – Gail Honeyman

I read this book last summer in 24hrs (I’m not a fast reader, but I sat up all night unable to put it down): it’s totally worth the hype. At first, I wasn’t keen on it, mainly because the protagonist was set up as an unlikeable character, which is sometimes intriguing but in this case I couldn’t figure out why the author had chosen to implement this technique… until I was half way through. And then oh my gosh the ending blew me away. I obviously won’t spoil it, but this psychological, romantic, poignant novel made me laugh, cry and gasp. A relatively easy read, I would definitely recommend this to anyone.

‘The Miniaturist’ – Jessie Burton

This debut novel is without a doubt in my top five novels of all time. And I don’t say that lightly. I read this in one sitting, completely transfixed with Burton’s stunning writing style, three dimensional characters, and incredible narrative. Every chapter was better than the last, bringing with it a new wave of thrill, anxiety, love, sadness. I don’t know anyone else who has read this yet, although I believe it was a bestseller, but I have been DYING to talk to someone about it. I can’t wait to reread it, knowing where the plot takes the characters and the reader, and particularly because the novel interestingly starts with the final chapter, bringing the narrative in a full circle at the end. 10/10 read.

‘Flux’ – Orion Carlotto

I had been looking forward to reading this debut book of poetry by Influencer/Youtuber Orion Carlotto for a long time, and I finally got my hands on it. Her simple, yet beautiful writing style was perfect for cosying up in bed with a cup of coffee. My only complaint is I wish there were more poems in there! I love Orion’s style, content, humour, and obviously her cats, so what’s not to love about her writing too?

‘The End We Start From’ – Megan Hunter

As soon as I opened this book on the shop floor of Waterstones (due to it’s beautifully designed cover), I was intrigued by it’s unique structure of aphorisms and sparse prose. The narrative explores the challenges a woman faces as she becomes a new mother in a near dystopian future where England is quickly being flooded as the result of climate change. I read this book in a peaceful afternoon, and thoroughly enjoyed it. 

THE ONES TO START/FINISH

‘A Moveable Feast’ and ‘The Garden of Eden’ – Ernest Hemingway

I’m currently writing my final year English Literature dissertation on Ernest Hemingway, and I’m in the middle of both of the novels I’m focusing on. These two posthumously published novels instantly transport me to a different time and place through Hemingway’s unique ability to explore all the senses while ensuring that each sentence is deceptively… simple. If I’m completely honest, I’ve started and stopped reading both countless times, simply because I don’t want them to end! 

‘Everything I Know About Love’ – Dolly Alderton 

I’ve heard good things about this book online, mostly through influencers’ social media recommendations. I managed to read the first couple of chapters at Christmas before returning to an onslaught of work at university. So far it seems like a witty, relatable, easy read, and I’m looking forward to summer freedom so I can finally finish it! 

‘An Edited Life’ – Anna Newton

I recently went to Anna’s book-tour event in Norwich (which I wrote about here), and included in the price of the ticket was a copy of the book so the author could sign it personally. I’m about half way through the book, as I dip in and out of it, and though many of the tips don’t yet apply to me as I am still a student and not in the big ol’ world of work and mortgages etc, I’m still finding it useful and entertaining. I’ve loved Anna’s writing style as long as I’ve been reading her blog (so about eight years now), and was so pleased to find that her book is no different. Packed full of relatable, witty cultural references (including her love of Ryan Gosling, ASOS and late nineties music, this book is the one-stop-shop for everything to do with organising your life, and we all need a bit of that, right?

THE ONES THAT BEAT ME

‘The English Patient’ – Michael Ondaatje

This book has beaten me… for now. For some reason though, I am determined to finish this. I’m a literature student (did I mention that already…? * side eye emoji *) so I’ve managed to conquer the likes of Chaucer and Shakespeare, so I’m not about to let Ondaatje beat me. Although there are passages in this novel that are so beautiful I have to mark a star next to them, as an overall book I’ve found the narrative extremely difficult to follow. At one point I was actually reading it in one hand, and holding my phone with ‘sparknotes’ up in the other so I could follow what was happening. I’m half way through, and when I’m less busy with essays and university work, I will definitely do my best to finish this bad boy, if not because the cover is stunning, but because I can’t wait to pat myself on the back. 

‘Lolita’ – Vladimir Nabokov

I have started, stopped and restarted this book more times than I can count now. Of course it’s a cult classic, one that most people have heard of, and that many people love. Though it’s also one that many people hate. I cannot for the life of me figure out which camp I’m in. I always convinced myself that I stopped reading this book because life or other work got in the way, but last semester when this appeared on my reading list for a 20^thCentury Fiction class, I was determined to finally finish this once and for all. I didn’t manage it. I read about three quarters of it, wrote an essay on it (a Freudian analysis of the protagonist Humbert Humbert, a paedophile in love with a young girl, Lolita) and put the book down again once I’d submitted the essay and haven’t picked it up since. Maybe one day, if I can get past how uncomfortable it makes me, I’ll finish it, but for now it can remain on my bookshelf with a page folded over to mark the place I managed to get to this time. 

And that concludes an overview of a few of the books I have read in the past year that I felt the need to share! If you’ve read any of these books please do comment so I can hear your thoughts on them, and let me know if you’d like to hear about the next few books I read. 

Until next time!