A Book a Month, For a Year

A Good Way To Give Yourself Some You-Time

Thanks to a friend, I recently created a list of 100 goals I want to achieve over my life. These included 'keep a bonsai tree alive for longer than 3 months', 'stop eating as much chocolate', 'own a house' and my recently completed 'read a book a month, for a year'.

"But I'm not that much of a reader"

Nope - me either. But what a way to give yourself 5-10 hours a month in your own space, away from your phone and distraction. Now I am obsessing over which books to buy with my Christmas book voucher. These are the books I enjoyed in 2019*: *FYI, not my list of favourite books

1. Madeleine by Kate McCann

My mam bought me this book for Christmas last year when she visited us in Australia. I read it on the beach in a week whilst they were practicing their snorkeling for the Great Barrier Reef. I was weirdly obsessed with this unsolved mystery (but she was definitely taken)/ self-defensive view of the disappearance of Madeleine. Poor girl. Parts are a little bit like Prince Andrew's memory of being in Pizza Express at 16:03 on the 10th of March 2001, but definitely worth a read if you were interested in the news at the time. And a million times better than the Netflix documentary.

2. Miranet by Leila Aboulela

A $2 charity shop find, a book about a girl who is forced to flee Sudan for London during a civil war, who finds herself again through religion. May be written for a slightly younger audience but an uplifting novel nonetheless.

3. The Little Old Lady Who Broke All the Rules by Catharina Ingelman-Sundberg

I really wanted to hate this slapstick novel about a granny who escapes her care home as she thinks prison looks more luxurious, but its just too good! A lighthearted easy read.

4. The Diving Bell and The Butterfly by Jean-Dominique Bauby

A touching memoir from former editor of the Elle Magazine. Jean-Dominique narrates the book with the help of letter boards after he suffered a stroke left him with locked-in syndrome. This book must be read in your lifetime.

5. Down the Rabbit Hole by Juan Pablo Villalobos

Told from the perspective of a young boy living in a gangster life as the son of a powerful drug lord. He basically just wants to collect hats. Darkly humorous, well worth a read.

6. The Refugees by Viet Thanh Nguyen

Took me a few chapters of this to realise it was a different story in each chapter (FAIL). It actually helps to be able to put the book down after each short story, which are loosely based around Vietnam and America.

7. Purple Hibiscus by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

This is my kind of book. If you like the books by Khaled Hussaini (author of The Kite Runner) then this will be right up your street. The story is based in Nigeria and is told by a young girl as she grows up in a somewhat dysfunctional family unit. Chimamanda is an amazing author who also does a really good TED Talk (several, but this one in particular about feminism): -https://www.ted.com/talks/chimamanda_ngozi_adichie_we_should_all_be_feminists?language=en

8. The Tattooist of Auschwitz by Heather Morris

Super popular at the moment - this is such a moving story, shed at least a billion tears. Has you gripped from the get-go until the very last page. Based on a the life of a Holocaust survivor, it tells his harrowing journey through Auschwitz-Birkenau. Certainly needs to be followed by the next book to stop you feeling gloomy. Heather has also just released Cilka's Journey which I bought a friend for Christmas...watch this space.

9. This is Going to Hurt by Adam Kay

SUPER funny and 1000% relatable if you are in the medical field as it is written about the experiences of an ex-junior doctor. If your job does not involve the slightest bit of medicine then don't worry as all is explained in page footers, and this is still such a funny book which adds humour to typical daily human occurrences. I really did laugh, scoff and choke aloud at this. Definitely recommend.

10. The Sense of an Ending by Julian Barnes

About a man reflecting on the paths he and his school friends chose. Read this in one afternoon and forced Alex to read it the same day. Really makes you decide the conclusion of the story for yourself - a great conversation starter and a worthy winner of the Man Booker Prize.

11. Over the Top by Jonathan Van Ness

This book is GORGEOUS QUEEEEEEEEN! A very personal insight into the life of my favourite of the Fab Five with a refreshing honesty that is very much needed.

12. A Whole Life by Robert Seethaler

This book was recommended by a friend on the basis of my enjoyment of Julian Barnes' The Sense of an Ending. Whilst walking around the bookshop with this in my hand it was recommended to me again by the shop assistant. It tells the story of a solitary man who enjoys living in the mountains and what his work and lifestyle brings. Short and sweet, and a good finish to a year of books!

It may seem daunting to read this many books in a year but it is totally doable! Here are some tips:

• Take a book with you everywhere

• Read on an evening instead of watching TV

• Keep a record of what you have read

• Try different types of books

• Enjoy!