The first lockdown of the year was when I reconnected with my love for reading... Reading has been a great escape from all things 2020 and has been a great coping mechanism for me. I have started scrolling Goodreads more than Twitter (!!) and wanted to share some of the books I've read and loved that I think you may love, too. And I've enlisted the help of fellow grad, Ellen, who runs 'graduatereads' over on Instagram where she posts some beautifully written reviews of so many genres of books! Ellen is an English Language and Literature graduate who graduated from Liverpool Hope University back in 2019! It was great to collaborate with Ellen on this post and I hope you enjoy x
Ellen’s recommendation: Out Of Love by Hazel Hayes
This is a story about heartbreak, but not in the way you would think. You start with a breakup and you expect to watch a young woman put herself back together again, to watch her discover her worth outside of that relationship (think Elle Woods in Legally Blonde). However, in this story we start with heartbreak and move backwards, reading about how the protagonist existed purely as a part of that relationship, how she and her partner functioned as a pair. It’s devastating in itself learning to learn to love this relationship knowing it’s doomed to fail, yet despite that, this is one of the most inspiring and, surprisingly, reassuring books I have ever read. It made me believe that I could survive anything that life might throw at me. We don’t see the protagonist survive her break up, but by reading into her past, we know that she will, because she has struggled and suffered before and made it to the other side. We don’t see her survive, just as we don’t get to peer into our own future and see ourselves survive, we can only look back and rely on our past experiences to know that we have the strength to get through it. I honestly can’t recommend this book enough! Whether you’ve been through a breakup or not, this book will find some way to resonate with you. It’s so beautifully written and manages to weave its way into your life - I haven’t stopped thinking about since I finished reading!
Rebecca’s recommendation: Ghosts by Dolly Alderton
Ellen’s recommendation: My Name Is Why by Lemn Sissay
My Name Is Why is Lemn Sissay’s account of his first eighteen years, spent bouncing between various institutions and care homes. He describes it as the story of how a government, which he calls “The Institution,” stole him as a baby and essentially imprisoned him for his entire childhood. This is not a fun book to read, but my goodness is it a brilliant one. Lemn interspersed his own personal accounts with scanned documents from social workers and council officials, which offer an insight into ‘the bigger picture’ that a child is not privy to at the time. You would hope that the bigger picture would show a network of adults and professionals all trying to do what’s best for that child, unfortunately, it doesn’t and more often than not it shows a system of lies and deliberate mistreatment. It is highly emotional and harrowing to read through his trauma, but also enlightening and inspiring. I was already aware of Lemn’s poetry before reading this book and whilst he is at times incredibly blunt, you can definitely feel his poetic voice creeping through. I would definitely recommend this book to everyone even though I finished it feeling angry. Thankfully, there are plenty of resources included at the end, so you can direct your anger into something productive and helpful.
Rebecca’s recommendation: The Insecure Girls Handbook by Liv Purvis
I have followed the Insecure Girls Club on Instagram for a while, and I decided to download the audiobook version of the Insecure Girls Handbook recently and loved it so much. Purvis covers everything from body image, our inner critic, comparison and friendships and shares some great hints and tips for facing some of the issues us insecure gals can often face. What I loved about the Insecure Girls Handbook was the fact not only does Purvis account her own experiences of dealing with insecurities, but she brings in other members of this ‘club’ to do the same… It doesn’t matter who you are, where in your life you are, or what you’ve achieved, we are all going to face these issues at some point in our lives, because we’re all human. I always enjoy books like this because there’s always one piece of advice that resonates and that you can take away and use in your own life… And I took plenty from this book!
Ellen’s recommendation: Hamnet by Maggie O’Farrell
This is the very deserving winner of the Women’s Prize for Fiction 2020! It tells the story of Shakespeare’s son who tragically passed away at a very young age, and who likely inspired the play ‘Hamlet’. I listened to this novel as an audiobook and absolutely adored it; it’s full of so much care and love. The story is split into a before and after. Maggie O’Farrell beautifully builds up the family relationships and the setting in the first half, I particularly enjoyed getting to know Agnes, Hamnet’s mother, and found her to be such a unique and magical character. In the second half we watch the family grieve and come to terms with the death of a young boy, and the impact this has on their relationships and daily lives. I really liked how Shakespeare is never mentioned by name - quite frankly he has had his time to shine and this story isn’t about him, it’s about the family as a whole. I also really enjoyed the focus on the twin relationship and what happens when one of a set of twins passes away. Not a single word in this novel has been wasted, every second felt important and wonderful and I can absolutely understand why it has received such high acclaim in the literary world.
Rebecca’s recommendation: City of Girls by Elizabeth Gilbert
Before reading City of Girls, I hadn’t been familiar with Elizabeth Gilbert’s work (I am still yet to read/watch Eat Pray Love!). I picked up City of Girls during a lockdown trip to Sainsbury’s, not sure what to expect… I didn’t even read the blurb (I definitely judged the book by it’s cover in this case) but was so pleasantly surprised. City of Girls is written from Vivian Morris’ perspective as an older woman looking back on her time in New York during the 40s, writing to someone whose identity isn’t revealed until the end (it's a bit of a plot twist). It’s a really exciting read and takes place in the ‘Lily Playhouse’, a theatre that's struggling to stay alive owned by Vivian’s aunt. We hear all about Vivian’s experience of living her late teens/early twenties in the city, experiencing freedom, exploring her passion for costume design, falling in love, and making big mistakes. You’re taken on a journey with Vivian, and you come to fall in love (and out of love) with the characters who follow along. Following the twists and turns of Vivian’s life, you feel like you’re living vicariously through her in 1940s NYC. I loved it and I would definitely recommend it!
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