Thanks to all of you who read and commented on my last post, I really appreciate it. Given everything that has happened this year I’ve spent a lot of time not reading – it’s a sad fact that reading is my main way of coping with anxiety and escaping from stress but when I’m really stressed I just can’t concentrate to read at all. I tried to feel my way back into reading by listening to a lot of short stories that I found on Kindle Unlimited, which was nice but it’s not the same for me as getting lost in a novel. I have occasionally read a novel but recently I finally feel like I’m missing reading, and yesterday I spent a chunk of time reading which was lovely. So as I find my way back to blogging I thought I’d write about my favourite books that I’ve read this year.
Before my life imploded I read one of my Christmas gifts which was Comfort Eating by Grace Dent and I adored it. It was such a lovely read learning about various people’s comfort foods.
I also read Body Friend by Katherine Brabon, which was such an emotive read for me and I really connected with it. It follows a woman who is struggling with chronic pain and it represented the two sides of a person going through these struggles in a way I’ve never read before. It made me feel seen and I had such a connection to it.
Another Christmas gift that I read and loved was The Last Devil to Die by Richard Osman. I found this a much more emotional read than I was expecting but at the same time it felt like such a comforting read at a time when I was struggling to find any solace in my own life.
I listened to the audiobook of Bright Young Women by Jessica Moor and loved it. It was a really engaging novel but also one that makes you think about the way people view true crime and also how we always remember the name of the serial killer but struggle to name any of the victims.
My husband bought a book for me whilst he was recovering as he wanted to encourage me to try reading again and the one he chose was Rabbit Hutch by Tess Gunty. This is probably my joint favourite read of the year so far, I just didn’t want to put this book down. It looks at a disparate group of people who live in the same block of flats but mainly it follows a group of teenage boys who are obsessed with the girl who is the main character, and we see how far their obsession leads. It’s so sad but so engrossing, I still keep thinking about this book and I know I will re-read it in the future.
I then read the new Kiley Reid novel Come and Get It. I’d seen mixed reviews of it but I adored it. I loved reading about female characters and the complexities that go with female friendships and this book is all about that.
My next read was another book that my husband gave me – it was one of the first times we managed to go into town after his cardiac arrest and he really wanted me to choose a book. I ended up stuck by choice in the book shop but then as I was about to give up I saw The House of Broken Bricks by Fiona Williams and I had to have it. This is my other joint favourite read of the year. I just got so swept up in this novel, it’s a sad read but it’s so beautiful and I keep finding myself thinking about it.
I had to put Knife by Salman Rushdie on this list as I read it recently as I started exploring books about different traumas. This book was a really powerful read for me as he explores his own trauma but also the trauma that his wife must have gone through. It was interesting in and of itself but it also really resonated with me. He put into words the longing to want to go back to the day before your world changed but knowing that before is a place you can never get back to in a way that I never could and I keep thinking of that.
The most recent book I read that makes this list is The Chimp Paradox by Dr Steve Peters. This was recommended to me by someone I was put in touch with who has been through what I have. I bought it and slowly read it. It’s not about trauma, it’s about how our brains work but it’s helped me understand why I feel the way I do and how I can learn to work with the way I am rather than fighting it.
So there you have my favourite books so far! What books would you recommend that you’ve read and loved this year so far? I’d love to know!