Hey there, I am back on the blog and what better way to kick things off then with a little round up of some of my favourite reads recently. I know lots of you love reading just as much as I do and I love hearing your current favourites too so I thought this would be a nice place to start with a little book club where I recommend some of recent reads and then I tell you which book I am about to read so that maybe we can read it at the same time and compare notes.

Let's jump right in...

Where The Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens

I feel like I was a little late to the party with this one but oh my goodness am I glad I jumped on the trend. Where The Crawdads Sing is definitely one of my favourite reads of 2020, I read it at the start of the year and completely swept me up. Such a poetic and enchanting read and I was mesmerised by the "Marsh Girl", the novel's main character Kya Clark. Her tragic upbringing full of rejection and intense loneliness, means Kya become at one with nature and it's as if she is an innocent and beautiful as nature itself. Full of love and heartache and even a murder mystery, it's a page turner as well as one you'll want to take slowly and read again and again.

Queenie by Candice Carty-Williams

I love a book that's based in London as it feels I can jump right into the characters life and live and breathe it. Queenie was an insightful and at times shocking read for me. Queenie a twenty five year old Jamaican British woman, who's long term white boyfriend leaves her spiralling Queenie into a place of self sabotage, anxiety and depression. Queenie is finding herself and as we know that takes a long time and a lot of mistakes, pain and suffering- I feel honoured to go along that journey with her. I felt heartbroken for Queenie but also hopeful throughout, towards the last third of the book when you understand a little more about her anxieties, I felt more connected to her and enjoyed the read even more. It's amazing how when even a character becomes more vulnerable, we warm to them.

Americanah by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

My first Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie novel and I am desperate to read more of her novels now. She writes in such a stunning interesting way that you almost want it to go on forever. This novel was educational as much as it was enjoyable. It's a powerful novel opening up conversations about race in the UK and USA that are uncomfortable and important. Alongside that is a love story that follows Obinze and Ifemelu, and disturbing incident means a barrier goes up between these two lovers for years and they both go on their own journeys into adulthood. I laughed, I cried, I was angry! Everyone should read this book.

Olive Kitteridge by Elizabeth Strout

One I whizzed through, you could perhaps find this book a little depressing at times but that's just one way of looking at it. I also got a little confused when the plot kept changing and jumping and we were introduced to new characters a lot but then I found my flow with it. You could also see this book as a gentle reminder to connect with those most closest to you but also those in your community. This book is right up my street as it dives into human conditioning, human behaviour and why we live the lives we lead. It didn't blow me away as much as I thought from reading the blurb and some reviews but I feel like it will stay with me for a while. I now need to read Olive Again which is the sequel.

The Binding by Bridget Collins

An addictive read that felt like it could be a movie. I love a magical fantasy/ historical fiction. I couldn't put this book down and the story line was intense, flowed well and was unpredictable- very unpredictable to the point where it was a quite horrifying and disturbing at times. I felt so so much for the main character Emmett Farmer, brilliant story telling and one to read for some escapism.

Upcoming Book Club Read: The Beekeeper Of Aleppo by Christy Lefteri

I'm currently reading The Most Fun We Ever Had by Claire Lombardo which I am loving so much but next up on my list is The Beekeeper Of Aleppo, so let me know if you want to join me in reading this over the next month. :)