Considering I'm now well over halfway through my reading goal for the year, I thought it was about time I updated you on what I've been reading and loving over the last few months.
I went through quite a lull in terms of reading earlier in the year, I was finding that I read plenty of books that I quite liked, but none really gave me that invigorating I LOVED THIS book feeling, which was a bit sad! However, I recently finished Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine and it has completely made up for all the passable books I'd read previously in the year. Before we get to that, let's get into all the books I've loved most this year...
The Muse- Jessie Burton
It's actually a bit strange that when I looked back over the books I've read this year, I remembered that I loved this book, but I honestly don't remember why and it hasn't really stuck with me. I have a vague feeling that I was a bit dissatisfied with the ending, so perhaps that contributes to my semi-indifference towards it. However, I do remember that the story was very well written and the character development kept you hooked right until the end, so I'd definitely still recommend it.
The Tides of Avarice- John Dahlgren
This one is a bit of a niche book that most people wouldn't really like, but I enjoyed it so much. It reminded me a lot of the Redwall series, which I have absolutely adored since I was a child. The main characters are lemmings with the main antagonist being a fox (hence why I say it's a fairly niche book!) and the story follows the lemmings adventures when they get caught up in an adventure on the high seas after pirates invade their small town. It might not be for everyone, but if you loved Redwall like I did, this is definitely a book I'd recommend.
The Atomic Weight of Love- Elizabeth J Church
I wrote a full review of this one a few months ago, so I won't repeat myself too much here. This book followed the story of a young woman living in America in the 1940's, and follows her attempts to maintain a career in science whilst also fulfilling the societal expectations of how women should be living their life. I loved the feminism and historical aspects of this book and found it a really refreshing read!
If you'd like to see my full review you can find it here.
The Trees- Ali Shaw
This is one of the stand-out books so far this year. The story was very unique and the characters were exceedingly well written. I had some dissatisfaction with the last few chapters of the book and the direction they went in, however overall the book was really worth the read. What would you do if civilisation as you know it was destroyed overnight by a forest of trees bursting through the ground?
This Is Going To Hurt- Adam Kay
This book was definitely my favourite this year before I picked up Eleanor Oliphant, and it was really excellent. I actually listened to the audiobook of this one, which is fairly unusual for me. I usually find listening to an audiobook second best to reading the book for myself, however I tend to make an exception for audiobooks that are narrated by the author like this one. This got me through so many long drives genuinely laughing out loud, but of course also shows the very serious side of practicing medicine. From my experiences as a med student I could relate to so many of the stories Adam told, but I also think this book would be very entertaining for a non-medical audience and would thoroughly recommend it.
Big Magic- Elizabeth Gilbert
I don't often read books in the 'self help' type genre, however this one had me hooked! I've always fostered dreams of writing a book some day, and this one reminded me of that dream and the importance of embracing creativity. Big Magic holds concepts that can be relevant to many aspects of life, and even if you're not a creator or particularly artistic I still think it holds value for many readers.
Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine- Gail Honeyman
Oh, words just cannot express my love for this book! I'll insert an excerpt from my Goodreads review, as it basically encapsulates my adoration for every aspect of the book. I honestly just thought it was perfect, and that's all I really need to say!
"All I can say is that this book is an absolute MASTERPIECE. I’ll be honest and say that it took me a little bit to get into at the beginning, but boy, once I did! I was completely captured by this story, and haven’t felt so connected to characters for such a long time. I have so much love for Eleanor, Raymond, his mum, Sammy and the rest. This book was perfectly written, with exactly the right balance of humour and pain, and truly restored my faith in humanity. I really admired the pacing of the book as well; it would have been so easy to rush the storyline but every moment felt realistic and just right." |
And on that positive note, I'll leave my update there. I have a huge pile of books patiently waiting to be read, including the second Game Of Thrones, most of Phillipa Gregory's Tudor series and several thrift store purchases! Unfortunately I'm coming in to the end of the year that doesn't leave me much time to read whilst studying for exams, but luckily I know I'll have plenty of time over the summer holidays to finish off my goal.
If you'd like to share a recommendation or keep up with what I'm reading, you can follow me on Goodreads here.
I hope you've found some inspiration for what to read next in this post. Happy reading!
Kate x
Thanks so much!
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