World Book Day – Books for Grown Ups to Read
I’m a passionate advocate of books and reading. World Book Day is about getting every child and young person a book on their own. I still find it unfathomable that some children do not own a book. It’s also a celebration of books and encouraging children to enjoy them. If you want to buy your child a book and are looking for some suggestions as to what book a couple years ago I wrote a post with 60 Books Every child Should Read.
Today I am going to put a slightly different slant on it. I hear so many parents say they don’t have time to read now that they’re parents. Which makes me sad, because reading is such a source of pleasure for me. Every adult should also own at least one book they love to read. I’m a strong believer that it doesn’t matter what genre this is, it can be a classic, it can be non-fiction, it can be as trashy as you please. I think as long as you are reading that’s all that’s important.
So bearing that in mind I set about asking a group of bloggers to share some of their favourite books with me. Hopefully it will ignite an interest with you and help you read something new or marvellous this week.
Two Books From Me
I thought I would start this feature by sharing two books from me, two books that will always have a place on my favourites shelf, along with J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter novels, but someone else has mentioned those below so I shall leave that to them.
Wuthering Heights – Emily Brontë
Wuthering Heights is one of those books that made such an impression, it will stay with me forever. I started by studying it when I did my A Levels and we even when to visit the moors where it was set. This led me to write my dissertation of the works of all of the Brontë sisters. I also have to give a special mention to Jane Eyre here which comes in a close second after Wuthering Heights.
The Time Traveller’s Wife by Audrey Niffenegger
This was a book I picked up on a whim one day at the train station when I had finished my previous book. I couldn’t put it down, it pulled me, the emotions, the really clever concept of the book, I confess to sobbing at the end too. Also don’t watch the film, it’s dreadful.
Blogger Recommendations
Here is a selection of 19 books from a selection of different bloggers with some of their favourite books. So if you haven’t had time to read for yourself lately, maybe there is something here that will inspire you?
To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee
I read it at school many years ago and It has stayed with me since and I think everyone should read it.
The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern
It’s such a beautiful read and a lovely book for a bit of escapism. It’ll have you imagining all sorts of magic and it’s the kind of book you just want to dive right into and explore. It’s crying out to be made into a really good immersive theatre show! It’s my absolute favourite.
Nobody Told Me by Hollie McNish
A collection of spoken word poems about being pregnant and raising children.
The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy
It’s my favourite. So funny and inventive and I can really relate to Arthur Dent in certain ways. Excluding travelling through space and time and having a two-headed president and paranoid android as acquaintances, of course.
The Class Ceiling: Why It Pays to be Privileged by Sam Friedman and Daniel Laurison
This book is all about how accessible elite professions are, but also the different career progressions in them of people from different backgrounds. I really recommend that anyone who believes in equality and a fairer, just society should read this book.
The Secret Dreamworld of a Shopaholic by Sophie Kinsella
I love how relatable, Becky, the main character is, and how light-hearted and easy to read the book is. As a busy mum of two, I can’t be dealing with anything too serious! The book is really funny. And even though I’ve read it at least 100 times I never get bored of it and still laugh out loud at some of the stories Becky comes up with to get out of paying her credit cards. It’s a must-read for anyone who loves chick-lit!
The Man I Love by Suanne Laqueur
It’s a story about a group of friends and the aftermath of a high school shooting, and it really hits the emotions.
The Happiness Project by Gretchen Ruben
A non fiction one from me. I love The Happiness Project by Gretchen Ruben. I read it when my daughter was little and it really inspired me to think about small sustainable ways to make my life happier and to be really honest about what happiness means to me. It’s a really nice read too. It is a little bit similar to what I’m doing on my blog trying out different things to make life more happy and joyful.
Slave to Fashion by Safia Minney
Safia Minney’s book is shining a light on modern slavery in the fashion industry.
Wonder by R J Palecio
I’ve never read a full book in one sitting and laughed, cried and felt so emotional as I did reading Wonder. It is such a beautiful book about a boy with a facial disfigurement and how people perceive him as he starts school. It’s so cleverly written as it shares chapters written by other character’s points of view. It is such a heart warming eye opening book that everyone should read. (Don’t cheat and watch the movie, it’s nowhere as good!)
Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling
Any of the Harry Potter books. I love them and they bring back so many memories of waiting for the next one to come out when I was younger!
Bridget Jones’s Diary
Reading it as a young adult, I really related to it. Through all the ups and downs of life and love in your 20s. Obsession with the Mr Darcy wet shirt scene. Bridget was my imperfect heroine.
The Husband’s Secret by Liane Moriarty
Giving a favourite is so hard! I’ve just finished reading The Husband’s Secret by Liane Moriarty for the second time. I couldn’t believe I’d forgotten the twists (must have read it soon after giving birth! ) and it was brilliant. The plot was far-fetched yet believable because it was handled so well. I thoroughly recommend it.
Northanger Abbey by Jane Austen
I studied it at uni and fell in love with it. All about high society and love and all the rules they had.
A Little Life written by Hanya Yanagihara
A Little Life is harrowing, rewarding and shocking and I did and didn’t want it to end for so many reasons. It’s such a fascinating look at life, male friendships and so much more.
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The Last Juror by John Grisham
Anything by John Grisham is fantastic. The Last Juror or A Time to Kill both very gripping stories. Grisham has the ability to make you wonder what’s going on, you feel a little lost and then bam! You’re hooked and lost in a book you can’t put down.
No Further Questions by Gillian McAllister
It was my Book of the Year last year. It is a tough read at some points as the plot follows the court case of a woman whose baby died in her sister’s care. Amazingly written and I couldn’t put it down!
The Colour Purple by Alice Walker
Mine would be The Colour Purple by Alice Walker. I studied it at school and it was like nothing I’d ever read before – I loved it so much. It’s so beautifully written and so evocative of that period of time. A few years after I first read the book, I saw the film, with Whoopi Goldberg and Oprah Winfrey and they totally and utterly brought it to life. It’s one of the most powerful books I’ve ever read and thirty years, after the first time I got lost in those pages, it’s still as fresh and captivating as ever.
How to be Happy by Eva Woods
My recent fav was How to be happy – I downloaded it on a whim before we went on holiday and absolutely loved it. A real lesson in making the most of what you’ve got, and not judging others when you know nothing of their situation.
Thank you for including my suggestion, some great choices here- many I have not read yet. xx