Brilliant reads for Autumn

Now summer's been and gone and Autumn is in full swing its a great time to delve into a book. Here's a few recommendations of books I've enjoyed over the past few months.

Bitter Orange by Claire Fuller.
Presently reading this dark psychological thriller set in a crumbling country house in 1969 England.

Into the Water by Paula Hawkins.
The second novel from the Girl on the Train writer. Another brilliant thriller about women from different eras ending life suspiciously in 'the drowning pool'.

From the Corner of the Oval Office by Beck Dorey-Stein.
An amazing insight into the life of Beck who worked as a stenographer in the Obama white house.

Autumn by Ali Smith.
About friendships coming in all shapes and forms.

Lace by Shirley Conran.
Lace has been named the original and much better 50 shades of Grey. Set in late 1978 this book follows the lives of four women living in London, Paris and New York.

The Wrong Knickers by Bryony Gordon.
A memoir from journalist Brynony about the antics she got up to in her twenties. Very hilarious and relatable.

Everything I know about Love by Dolly Alderton.
An amazingly relevant memoir about growing up as a millennial. Funny, intelligent and beautifully written. 

Places I stopped on the way Home by Meg Fee.
A beautifully written memoir about Meg's time living in New York city.

The Interestings by Meg Wolitzer.
An insight into the lives of six teenagers who met in the mid 1970’s and always vowed to be interesting. Fast forward two decades and their once strong friendship is put under strain by envy and crushing disappointment.

Reading, Watching & Listening #3

Reading

Autumn by Ali Smith
About friendships coming in all shapes and forms. 

Lace by Shirley Conran
Lace has been named the original and much better 50 shades of Grey. Set in late 1978 this book follows the lives of four women living in London, Paris and New York. I'm only one chapter in but so far I'm hooked.

Watching (on Netflix)

The Crown -Series 2
I've just finished another brilliant series of The Crown, but I am sceptical about how true the events and incidents displayed are, but still an interesting watch whether true or not.

Minimalists
An inspiring watch about living a minimalist lifestyle. It made me want to blitz my home of any unneeded items.

The Durrells
Set in 1935 a single mother who's had enough of life in England relocates to Corfu with her four teenage children. Funny, charming and heart warming and all set in the most beautiful location. Perfect for a Rainy Sunday.

Listening

The High Low (As always)
A funny and intellectual news and pop culture podcast with journalists and writers Pandora Sykes and Dolly Alderton. 

Ph Credit - Buzzfeed

Reading, watching & listening #2

Reading

The Interestings by Meg Wolitzer (still) - Even though its taken me three weeks to read this book I'm loving it and the wide selection of topics and themes covered.

Bloody good period - The Standard - https://www.standard.co.uk/lifestyle/health/government-uk-tampon-tax-end-period-poverty-amika-george-a3799796.html
A fantastic article that finally announced how the government tampon tax funding will go towards ending period poverty for the first time.

Making Friends as an Adult - Vogue - http://www.vogue.co.uk/article/making-friends-as-an-adult
Articles about making friends are difficult to come by, this one discusses making friends as an adult and how these new friends differ from life long friendships.

Watching

Testament of Youth
An aspiring writer (Alicia Vikander) and a young solider (Kit Harrington) come of age during World War 1. Based on the life of Writer Vera Briton.

Happy Valley
Gritty crime drama Filmed in my Town. Staring the brilliant Sarah Lancashire and James Norton.

The Russian State Ballet of Siberia present Romeo and Juliet
An amazing evening of ballet and music at The Victoria Theatre.

Listening

Fashion no Filter - Modern Muse. Hosts Monica and Camille set out in pursuit of the modern fashion muse.

The High Low - After a 6 week hiatus The High Low is back. This weeks episode covered a whole host of topics from 'The Farcical Arc of the Weight Loss Reality Star' to the 'Ulster Rugby Rape case'.

Ph Credit - The Red List

Reading, Watching & Listening #1

A new type of post including discussion and recommendations from me on what I've loved reading, watching and listening to this week.

Reading...
Meg Wolitzer - The Interestings
An insight into the lives of six teenagers who met in the mid 1970’s and always vowed to be interesting. Fast forward two decades and their once strong friendship is put under strain by envy and crushing disappointment.

Faux vs Fur - Fashions hairiest debate - ft.com
An extremely relevant read, debating the impacts Faux Fur has on the environment and whether using real fur is better or worse.

Watching...
Netflix Original
Joan Didion ‘The Centre will not hold'
Great insight into the life of Writer and Journalist Joan Didion. Brilliant film clips and photography from 1970’s LA.

Netflix Original
Power
Low brow, easy watching crime drama. Perfect after a long day in the office.

Listening...
Podcasts
Love Stories with Dolly Alderton
Individuals from popular culture discussing their life love stories with writer and journalists Dolly Alderton. Witty, honest and insightful.

You me and the Big C
Three very brave women discussing their experiences of cancer in all shapes and form.

Radio Fours Women’s Hour
Topical discussion from a female perspective - particularly loved their interview with Margot Robbie star of new biopic I, Tonya.

Ph Credit -Pinterest

Has reading a book become a lost art??

I love to read - so much so that a man who sees me regularly whilst waiting for my bus home from work commented "You're always reading a book". Random comment, but it really reminded me of how much I love reading. In today's fast paced online world, the joy of reading a (physical) book seems to have been lost. We all read on a regular basis but this tends to be tweets, Facebook posts and comments, daily mail articles or magazines, I'm sure we're all guilty of one the above, right? 

Somewhere along the way we've forgotten to read books. Whilst on my daily travels it is rare to see a fellow commuter reading a book. Looking at their phones yes, but no book! When was the last time you actually sat and read a book? 

Reading has continually been part of my life but more recent in the last year. Since January I've read about 15 books and I have to admit it was a struggle at first. It felt as though I was learning how to read all over again. Focusing on the story and not getting lost in other thoughts was difficult. Learning to follow the story line and think about what might happen next and understanding the characters all seemed new to me. Finding a book that has meaning, that leaves you feeling something is always my main aim. This is a challenge within it's self as it's often difficult to find an exciting and interesting book that's keeps you wanting to turn the page. Great writers can detail something so clearly that you can be transported there in a moment. 

Books can be life changing, they teach us things about ourselves and others that no other medium can. Reading is one of the things that keeps me mentally sane and stops me from worrying about life. 

It fills my boring bus journeys and Saturday afternoons in front of the fire when it's freezing. They are a way to escape our sometimes mundane lives, because let's be honest life's not always fun. Whilst my heads in a book I can forget about the stresses and imagine myself in that world. I also think I might single handedly be able to keep my local library in business (despite government cut backs.)

If you're a book lover or newbie novel reader here's some of my favourites  - 

Savages by Shirley Conran 

The Year of Magical Thinking by Joan Didion 

Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte 

The Girl on the Train - Paula Hawkins

The Miniaturist by Jessie Burton

The Lesser Bohemians by Eimear McBride

Ph credit teachingliteracy.tumblr.com via Pinterest