I must admit, this post has been sat in my drafts for quite a while but these books still remain some of the best books that I have read recently. Lockdown has been incredible for reading! During the summer I managed to work my way through a fair few of the many books sitting on my bookshelf. Being an English student means that I barely have any time to read the books I actually want to. However, lockdown has meant I have finished almost everything on my shelf and had to buy more books (and a Kindle) to keep myself busy!
Daisy Jones and The Six
I have heard so many people rave about this book and I can see why! I devoured this book so quickly and absolutely loved the format. I still can’t get over how this band never existed as the novel is so authentic. Essentially the premise of the story tracks Daisy Jones and The Six through the beginning, their rise to fame and their demise. It’s all told in an interview-style which was refreshing and different but allowed you to gain a good insight into each of the characters thoughts and perspectives without the need for the author to explain what everyone was thinking. At first, I didn’t think I would be a fan of this format but it makes it such an interesting book to follow along with as you can carve out your own identities for each of the characters. It takes you back to the 60s and 70s effortlessly and touches on addiction, love, fame and music without being heavy. I highly recommend this – add it to your TBR pile immediately!
Never Let You Go
This novel follows the life of Lindsay after she has fled from her abusive husband Andrew, who ended up behind bars. It flits between past and present and is told both from the perspective of Lindsay and her daughter, Sophie. I always enjoy novels from multiple perspectives as it gives you a good chance to explore the dynamics and attitudes of both the characters towards Andrew. All is plain-sailing with Andrew behind bars until he gets released from prison; it is at this point that odd things start happening to Lindsay and she is convinced that it has to be Andrew out for revenge. One thing I will say is that I did not expect the ending – it escalates quickly and ended in a way that I did not see coming which is always good for a thriller!
The Prison Doctor
I was a big fan of This is Going to Hurt by Adam Kay so something similar to that was always going to be right up my street. I read this in less than 2 days and it’s written in an incredibly accessible and easy to read style. Maybe this is just me, and whilst there are plenty of stories in there, I wanted to hear of even more gruesome or shocking stories. I found that a lot of the book was partly taken up by hearing the explanation as to why she switched jobs and I wanted more focus on the stories. Having said all that, I still devoured this book incredibly quickly and would highly recommend if you’d like to gain an insight into prison life! I devoured the second book too!
Juliet, Naked
This started off as a bit of a slow burner and I didn’t immediately find myself hooked but as I started to get further through it I enjoyed it more. It follows an email correspondence between Annie and Tucker, an old musician – they both feel lonely and unfulfilled in their lives and it is through these emails that a relationship forms. I loved the characters in this as I felt I really got to know them and their thought processes, and the inclusion of the emails and snippets of musical interpretations really bought the book to life too.
The Things We Left Unsaid
This story follows Rachel and Eleanor – a mother and daughter who have a rather strained relationship where they know very little about each other. When Eleanor dies suddenly, it is down to Rachel to re-trace the past and find out what she never knew about her mother and to uncover her past! This is the type of book that gets you to appreciate your family before its too late whilst also reminding you to to make the most of them and learn whatever you can. It’s an enjoyable read and I loved the dual time-frame it uses. It’s definitely quite a poignant one to read during lockdown too.
The Two Lives of Lydia Bird
I loved this book – I cannot express how much I adored this! I absolutely devoured it and read it incredibly quickly. The story follows Lydia after the loss of her fiance Freddie; they’d been together for years and she thought they’d grow old together, yet fate had other plans. In the depths of her grief, Lydia struggles to cope with the loss of Freddie and cannot find a way out. She starts to take sleeping pills that cause her to start having intense and vivid dreams of what could have been and their life together had he not been taken away. But can Lydia have the life she always wanted in the dreams or is life not quite as rosy as it seems? I cannot recommend this book enough, but the only thing I will say is I’m not sure how I felt on the ending! If you’ve read it, let me know your thoughts!
Normal People
Everyone and their pet dog loved the TV series (except me it seemed, I only got to about episode 4 and then stopped) so I felt like I had to read the book before watching the show. I read this in one sitting as it’s quite a short book that isn’t particularly complicated to read. The story follows Marianne and Connel through school and university and the relationship between the two. Not a lot really happens in the book, though I think that’s partly the point of it – it seems to highlight the mundanity of real-life and relationships, stressing how the two characters are just normal people with normal lives. It’s an enjoyable and quick read, but I don’t think it’s as hype-worthy as the TV show makes out – it’s essentially a sex-filled story about two teenagers as they progress into adulthood. But hey, sex sells.
The Day We Met
I cannot express how much I adored this book! I picked it up on a whim in Aldi (don’t you just love Aldi) and I am so glad I did. Jamie and Stephanie meet at an art weekend and have instant chemistry, the issue is that both of them are in other relationships and realise that they cannot do anything about this connection so they agree to meet up once a year as friends. The chemistry between them is undeniable but as their lives and respective marriages move in different directions they cannot deny what they have or their feelings for each other. This book made me such a mess! I have never cried so much at a book in all my life, it was the type of book that I thought about for days afterwards and still shed tears over it – I cannot recommend it enough! It’s both a heartwarming and heartbreaking story that I will continue to recommend to every single person I meet. It. Is. So. So. Good!!!!
Those are a selection of some of the best books that I’ve read in recent months. If you’re looking for any more recommendations these are some of my favourite books of 2020!
Have you read any of these? What did you think? I’m always open to recommendations too!
Love this, I’ve saved for later! One of my goals for 2021 is to read more, so always looking for recommendations.
Hope you find something you enjoy!
I need to get back into reading this year. I recently watch Bridgeton and became obsessed so I’ve decided I’m going to read the books x
Yes, I want to read them too!
You made me want ALL of these!!! I’m a reader as well, but lately I haven’t even been able to finish a book! I’m going to blame mommy duties, haha! Love your reviews on each of them!
Thank you, hope you find something you enjoy!
I absolutely adored Daisy Jones and The Six, it was definitely one of my top reads of the year too! I haven’t picked up any of the others though but they all sound great!!
I’ve heard really good things about Daisy Jones and The Six so I’d definitely like to try that one soon 🙂 thanks for sharing x
These all sounds like really great books! I recently put together a list of books that I’m going to try and read this year and I think I’m also going to add Daisy Jones and the six! X
Great post! I’m always looking for books to add to my tbr. I haven’t read any of these, but they look like great reads. Thanks for sharing these book reccommendations!
Thank you for reading!
I love these types of round-up posts! A lot of these books sound right up my street – Some books I’ve loved recently are A Thousand Splendid Suns, The Guilty Feminist and Vox is incredible xx
I’ve got the Prison Doctor sat on my kindle waiting to be read, I loved this is going to hurt too so sounds like this will be up my street, glad you enjoyed it too and love that it’s a relatively easy read!
Yes, I definitely recommend!
I definitely need to get myself a copy of Daisy Jones And The Six – everyone seems to be obsessed with it! Personally I was a huge fan of both the book and TV series of Normal People, so it was really interesting to read your thoughts on them both. X
https://www.femaleoriginal.com
This was such a great list! I haven’t read any of them but ‘Never Let you go’ and ‘The day we met’ are going straight on my list! I heard still mixing review of Normal People, so not sure it would be my kind of read. Thanks for sharing x
Normal People is one of my all time faves, but the rest sound interesting, including some I haven’t heard of before! Thanks for sharing! 🙂
I actually never finished Normal People let alone watched the show. Now that I’ve lowered my expectations, I better finish off the book soon haha I want to read Daisy Jones and the Six one day.
http://thesydneysider.com/
Daisy Jones is such a great book! And yes, I’m with you about normal people!
Daisy Jones and The Six is one of my favorites! I loved it so much. I’ll have to read Never Let You Go! Sounds right up my alley as well. Thanks for sharing!
Normal People was a book I read last year and didn’t enjoy it at all, I just couldn’t get into it and I hated the lack of speech marks in the conversations and I kept getting confused who was speaking to who! I liked the Prison Doctor, I thought that was a good read and I agree, I think it did focus quite a lot on her reasons for her career change etc x
Lucy | http://www.lucymary.co.uk
Wow, so many interesting books! I am adding some to my pile of tbr lol
These all seem right up my street!
https://www.emilyclareskinner.com
Hope you find something you enjoy!
The Two Lives of Lydia Bird sounds really good! I love the concept for it, gonna add that one to my reading list! I am so glad I’ve finally found someone else who didn’t like normal people. I haven’t read the book but I just didn’t enjoy the tv show at all and didn’t really understand the hype around it!
Juliet, Naked sounds like an enthralling and beautiful read. People who handle the lives of the people we think we know through old writing and history and change them into new renditions of themselves are gifted writers. I think there is a lot said in the name and a book that may be slow but is enjoyed is a book worth mentioning. 🙂
Oo I have soem new books to put onto my list now! I love thriller type books, so a few on here sound right up my street!
Thanks for sharing!
Aimsy xoxo
Aimsy’s Antics
I have read normal people and I absolutely adored it! The Two Lives of Lydia Bird is on my TBR and Daisy Jones and The Six is on my wishlist! Great post!
I really enjoyed the film Juliet, Naked so I might give the book a go as well!
Katy | http://www.katystephenson.com
Thanks for these recommendations! I’m alwayssss looking for new books to read. I really want to grab The Prison Doctor! x
Daisy Jones & the Six is on my list – I’m glad you enjoyed it! I’m intrigued by the interview format!
I’ve heard so much about Daisy Jones but still haven’t got around to reading it yet! What a great list – the rest of them are new to me – looks like my TBR might have just got a bit bigger… Great post.
I love reading book recommendation posts! There are so many books here that sound amazing, I’ve added lots to my to-read list ❤. The thing we left unsaid and the day we met are the ones I’m most looking forward to reading xx
I’ve read several of these books (Daisy Jones, Normal People and Lydia Bird) and I agree with all your comments for these books. Thanks for the book recommendations! Great reviews!
Thank you!
Some great books in this list! Have a few on my tbr already but may have to add a couple more. Especially The day we met!
I loved the day we met! I highly recommend!!
This is such a good list! Normal People was one of my favourite books I read last year! And Never Let Me Go is such a heartbreaking classic! Really enjoyed reading your thoughts on these!
Thank you!
I think that ‘The Things We Left Unsaid’ sounds like I’d enjoy it — thanks for sharing these, I’ll make a note of them!
Thank you!
These all sounds like really great books! I migth buy a few
Thanks for sharing
https://uncuaderno4cero.wordpress.com/
Thank you!
You’ve read some interesting books. I must say that I haven’t read any of them. I’ll definitely put some of them on my reading list.
Antonia || Sweet Passions
Great recommendations. I have just finished a book that completely messed with my emotions so I’m spending today choosing my next read carefully. This has arrived at a perfect time!
Awesome collection. The way we met is my favourite.
Thanks for recommending..
You write so beautifully. Definitely going to come back when I need some more fiction books to read.
Thank you so much!
Really liked this post and interestingly I’ve only read one book from it and that was Daisy Jones and the Six! I’m intrigued by Juliet, Naked and Never Let You Go.
Great collection, some of them seem interesting 💜
Thanks for sharing
https://uncuaderno4cero.wordpress.com
I always love hearing about people’s favorite books, as it often allows to me find books I hadn’t heard of before. That is the case with this list, as all of these are new to me books. These all sound quite interesting. I will have to add some of them to my TBR and check them out.
Thank you! I hope you find one that you enjoy!
Some really great sounding stories here which I will definitely add to my Wishlist – all but the prison doctor and normal people. I really didn’t like the tv adaptation of normal people, I felt a bit similar to you but I always wondered about the book so I’m glad I’ve read this and I’m not really missing out.
Yeah, it’s an enjoyable book but not one of my faves!
I’ll give Daisy Jones and the Six a go. I haven’t read any of these titles, thanks for the review. Funny, but my new post degues into yours. Reading improves intelligence! (link below!)
Sue
https://susanberkkoch.com/blog/best-way-to-keep-your-brain-sharp/
Wow! It looks like you’ve been really productive about reading. Haven’t read any of these books but they look promising! Hopefully, you’ll provide reviews! Thanks for sharing
http://www.lifebeginsattwenty.com
Thank you – yes, I’ll try and do some more reviews!
I have not read any of these books but some I do have already so I will have to have a re-jiggle of my TBR list as they sound great.
I am so glad that I fell in love with reading again, it is the perfect distraction right now x
I devoured Normal People in an afternoon! If the other books in this list are as good as that one, I’ll be buying them all!
Rosie
Love this post. Daisy Jones and the Six is one of my all-time faves!
Yes, it’s such a good book!
OMG thank you! I was in desperate need of a new book for my wishlist and these all sound great!
Katie | katieemmabeauty.com
I’m always on the look out for some new books to read. I’m pretty intrigued to read The two lives of Lydia bird, it sounds absolutely heart breaking though, but really interesting! Especially as you loved it so much as well, sounds like a great read. xx
I cannot recommend it enough!
Great post! Thank you for sharing this! I have been looking for book recommendations since I have reading more recently and this post is very helpful. I love the sound of a lot of these books and I’ll definitely be checking them out!
Wonderful post! This is almost perfect timing as I need a list for my next trip to the library. I’m pinning this and adding all of these to my ever-growing Goodreads list. Thank you so much for sharing!
Yay! Hope you find something you enjoy!
I’m obsessed with Normal People. Like a very NOT normal person I must have read it 30 times since the series came out.
Oh wow, that’s dedication, haha!
I’ve read the prison doctor and my one thought was that it was just too short! I’ve got A Bit of a Stretch which you might find interesting, it’s diaries of a prisoner? Daisy Jones and the six is a fabulous read, I want to read her latest novel too! xx
http://www.iridescentplaces.com
Oooh thank you for the recommendation – I’ll check that out!!
Daisy Jones & The Six is such a brilliant book – I love the author so much! xx
Yes, I loved that book!
Would love to check out The Two Lives of Lydia Bird and Never Let You Go! Currently am on a small break from internship and would like to finish the time with lovely readings♡︎ Thank you for this list!
Thank you for commenting and I hope you find something you enjoy!
I just started reading more books since Covid so this list is not an disappointment! Thank you!
Oh I absolutely need to start reading more, these books all sound so exciting! Especially the Daisy Jones and The Six one really sounds like the type of book I’d like to read. Thank you for sharing! X
I love Daisy Jones and the Six! I read it when it first came out and it was my first read from that author. So many good other choices — the Two Lives of Lydia Bird has been on my TBR also.
I really recommend the Two Lives of Lydia Bird – it’s one of my favourite books!
I’ve recently gotten back into the habit of reading but have been looking for something new to read so this is very helpful! Thanks for sharing 🙂
Thank you – hope you find a book you enjoy!
Wow……you read a lot of good books recently. I should check out these eight books too. Thank you for sharing.
Thank you for commenting!
Never Let You Go sounds amazing! I’ll have to add that to my reading list!
It’s such a fab book!