I wrote this back in January, but completely forgot to post it, must be because of how busy life is right now !! Anyway, if there was one year to get through books, it was last year. I found reading, aside from going for walks and watching tv was the only thing to do, and I got through a lot! So in light of the ongoing pandemic, I thought I’d share some of my favourites, enjoy x
The year of magical thinking - Joan Didion
This was the first book of the year, and the second I’d read of Didion. Whilst I couldn’t resonate with the grief she wrote about, it was a beautiful depiction of it and well worth a read.
White Teeth - Zadie Smith
A cult classic as many call it, I finally read this for my one of my uni modules and loved it. It depicts London through a series of three families, and delves into questions of race and identity in a multi ethnic society. I still can’t believe Smith started to write it whilst she was still at university, but it shows what a brilliant and natural writer she is.
American dirt
If you like tense / suspenseful reads then you’ll love this. It deals with the reality of migration through a story of a mother and son fleeing Mexico to start a new life in America. Whilst it’s a fictional novel, it really highlights how real and innocent people endure this experience and how traumatic it is, and how there shouldn’t be a question of people wanting to exist in a safe environment.
Where the Crawdads sing
I couldn’t put this down !! I read this in two days because the story was just so beautiful, definitely recommend if you like a happy/ romance style of book. (I’m especially excited to see how it comes to life as a film).
The Catcher in the Rye
A few years late with this one, but I’m so glad I finally read it. It’s a funny read, because the events happen over one night and it drags out a lot of mundane tasks, but at the same time its quite sad as it portrays a boy coming to terms with with loss of childhood and the emotions that come with that.
Never Let me Go
I think I liked this, but I’m still not sure? The style of writing annoyed me, a lot of the things the characters said felt quite silly/repeated, and the ending was strange, but I’m including it because I can appreciate how most people found it emotional (maybe I’ll have to watch the film to like it even more).
Between the world and me
A very short yet powerful book, I found it so insightful and interesting. Rather than urge his son (who he’s writing to), to stand up and fight against the racial injustice in America, he clearly depicts the reality of racism existing and the dangers of believing in the American dream, using his experiences of discrimination throughout his life to impact his son and reader.
Half a yellow Sun
I read ‘Americanah’ last year for uni and it’s one of my favourite books, so I’ve been loving reading the rest of Adichies writing. This one dealt with similar themes as Americanah, but its wholly set in Nigeria as opposed to America.
Christodora
This was definitely a long, but powerful read, it depicts lives affected by HIV and Aids, drug abuse and mental health issues. I absolutely loved the plot of the book, how it was set in New York, and how it identifies the brutal matter of the Aids epidemic in the 80’s.
The colour of Law
Another non fiction, this was a very insightful read in light of the BLM movement and I recommend everyone reading to see the examples of racial discrimination within communities that aren’t as explicit as other forms.
Intimations
I liked how easy and quick this was to read. Smith wrote it during the early months of the lockdown in the UK and explores the questions of how to deal with an unpresented (I’d ban that word if I could) situation, and the emotions and reactions that come with it.