Lockdown has been the perfect opportunity for me to renew my love of books and reading – one of my goals for this year was to read more books, and although it was already going well before lockdown, I obviously have even more time now. However, I do miss the days where I could pop into a Waterstones and explore all the new-in books; if I’m honest, it’s probably one of my normal life aspects that I miss the most. Instead, the book discovering void has been filled by the likes of Instagram so the list of what I want to read has been really influenced by bloggers’ favourites.
One of my favourite places to find books is BorrowBox, the app equivalent of your local library. I’ve spoken about it a lot before, and will do again soon when I write about a few books I’ve currently read on there, but for today I will be talking about some books I decided to buy in physical form. BorrowBox has a very good selection, but it doesn’t have everything, and I prefer a proper book when wanting to read outside on a sunny day.
I picked up five books from my local big Tesco, that came to £21 in total which is an unbeatable price. I had a look at these books on Amazon and it would have cost me almost double, plus this was an experience almost as good as browsing books in Waterstones. I definitely recommend having a quick look down the book aisle while doing your supermarket shop because there are some really good bargains to be found.
The Flat Share – Beth O’Leary
Instagram’s favourite novel was the first into my basket – after all, it was the book I had come to look for! The novel is about two characters, Tiffy & Leon, who share a flat but have never actually met. I don’t think I have ever read a bad review of this one, instead plenty of praise! It has been hailed as the perfect modern rom-com story so I can’t wait to dive straight in.
Never Greener – Ruth Jones
All paperbacks were on a 2 for £8 deal, so of course this began the difficult decision of which other one to get. I had picked up Ruth Jones’ debut novel, Never Greener, on a table inside the Waterstones at Trafalgar Square a few months ago and it sounded so interesting that I never forgot it. This is a ‘one that got away’ tale which I have high-hopes for, since we already know from Gavin & Stacey that write loveable and hilarious characters.
Wolf Hall – Hilary Mantel
It seems very out of character for me to buy a book set in Tudor England, of all things. But after begrudgingly studying a module about the subject all year and then the work being futile because my exams were cancelled, I want a reason to put that knowledge to good use, and this will be reading the best-seller Wolf Hall. It has had raving reviews and even a tv series made out of it (which I wish I could watch just because Claire Foy stars in it) so I look forward to reading it, and you never know, I may actually end up enjoying the Tudors for once!
Half A World Away – Mike Gayle
I’ve seen some great reviews about this novel on blogs and Instagram, but for some reason I didn’t feel too compelled to read it until I saw it in person. The novel is about two siblings who were separated at childhood – one adopted and enjoying a successful life, the other went into care and struggling. Everything changes when one gets in contact with the other. This sounded really interesting, especially because one character lives in Primrose Hill, so perhaps the novel will transport me back to the London I miss.
The Switch – Beth O’Leary
Initially I wasn’t going to purchase this until I had read her debut, The Flat Share, but a hardback for £5 was too difficult to resist. In The Switch, a grandmother from Yorkshire trades lives with her granddaughter living in London. This sounded like a really fun idea and again, is a novel with lots of buzz about it right now, so I can’t wait to give it a read.
Have you picked up any new books recently? I would love to hear what you’re about to start reading, and can’t wait to update you about how I find these!
