On March 23rd 2020, the UK went into its first national lockdown. It feels surreal that this pandemic has taken up a whole year of our lives. We're getting closer to the end and as it's now been a year since the UK went into lockdown, I wanted to take this opportunity to celebrate the books that have gotten me through the past year. Not to celebrate the fact that this has been a whole year and that we're still very much in it, but to highlight the wonderful books that have made the past year bearable. I am going to be including books I've read since March 23rd 2020 till when I'm writing this.
My Dark Vanessa by Kate Elizabeth Russell- April 2020
This is a slightly odd one to put on this list as it does cover quite a dark subject matter. This is about a woman looking back at her high school experience and what she thought was a loving, consensual sexual relationship with her teacher when she was 15 and realising it might actually be abuse. I would be aware of the triggering content in this book. Despite its harrowing subject matter, it was one I was both desperate to know more about and yet had to take regular breaks from. I read it over a couple of days and it's stuck with me, a year later.
The Travelling Cat Chronicles by Hiro Arikawa- July 2020
A slightly more light hearted book, this is about a man who adopts a cat when it is injured, nurses back to life and then the two travel across Japan trying to find a new home for the cat. This book is told from the cats perspective, which is actually quite funny. I think i read this in a day as it was so gripping and funny. I think this is becoming a film and it would make a really good animated film. This was exactly the book I needed for something a bit more light hearted with cats in it, then I'd really recommend this.
The Diviners by Libba Bray- July 2020
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| Taken from Google Images |
My first fantasy book on this list. I had the audiobook of this leftover from when I was subscribed to Audible. I had started listening to this on my walks and I was hooked. Evie is a new favourite character of mine. This is set in the 1920s in New York and follows a group of young people connected by their unusual powers and how they use them to solve mysteries. I had wanted to read this for a while and I'm so glad I did. This was 100% my favourite in the series. As I've already mentioned, I was hooked. I needed to know more. A phenomenal story and cast of characters. Sadly with each book, it would loose a star and my love for it, but I am so glad I read this series.
Serpent&Dove by Shelby Mahurin Reread- September 2020
I'm cheating a bit by putting this on here as it's a reread, but Serpent&Dove is one of my favourite books of the last couple of years. It's set in a fictitious 16th century France where witches are outlawed and there are witch-hunters. Lou is a witch and Reid is a witch-hunter. They end up being forced to marry and it follows their story from there. While this time around I could see the flaws I couldn't when I first read it, I still love this book. It has a great set of characters and a rich world. I remember being swept away by it and I won't forget it anytime soon.
The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue by VE Schwab- November 2020
This book restored my faith in VE Schwab as a writer. Now I know there has been some discussions around this book and how handles characters of colour and the lack of them, this was something I became aware of after I read it. I was so invested in Addie's story. This is about a young woman in 1700s France who makes a deal with the devil to live forever, but doesn't realise by being granted her wish, the moment someone stops looking at her, they forget her. I really like Faustus, the play this is based on, but having had a bit of an up and down journey with VE Scwab and her books, I wasn't sure if I would like this. It took me a week and a half to read this, which is quite a long time for me. I loved all the layers to this story and the different historical periods it visited. I would like to read this again and try VE Schwab's other books again.
The Secret History by Donna Tartt- January 2021
The first book of 2021. So far my only 5 star read. Since reading this, it has been brought to my attention that there are a lot of problems with this book and the author, particularly around how race is handled. My thoughts going forward are that I enjoyed this book but won't pick up another one of her books. This book is about a young man called Richard and he is reflecting on his time at an elite college in America. I just wanted to know more while I was reading it. I liked how unlikeable and untrustworthy all the characters were. Knowing what I know now, I would say this is a staple of dark academia literature, but I would research and read up about this issues with race.
Women&Power: A Manifesto by Mary Beard- January 2021
A short, snappy read about feminism. This book will make you think and will make you angry. It's finally given me that push to read more about feminism, something I have wanted to do for a while and should have been doing. If you have any interest in feminism, but are looking for something shorter to sink your teeth into, then look no further than this book.
The Poppy War by R.F Kuang- February 20201
This was a very hyped book that I actually agree with the hype and am so glad I finally read it. This is about a war orphan called Rin who manages to get a place in the elite military academy. It is based on Imperial Chinese Wars. This was bloody and brilliant. Rin was such an excellent character. She could have easily become a cliche, but she felt original. I am very much interested in continuing the series. This has really gotten me back in the fantasy mood.
Flake by Matthew Dooley- February 2021
My final entry is this amazing graphic novel I read in February. It's about a rivalry between two ice-cream men in the North West of England. My family and I are from the North-West of England, so a lot of the references made me laugh out loud. I moved away from my hometown almost five years ago and while it was for the best as we didn't like living there, it made me miss it a lot. It brought back some memories and desires that I can't do at the moment (partly due to lockdown and due to where I now live). The story and art style were beautiful. I would love to read more from Matthew Dooley.
That concludes my list of books that got me through lockdown. When this finally ends, I might do an updated version of this post or a part two. Books have offered me sanctuary during this madness we find ourselves in and I hope they have offered you the same.
Carenza :)x
