BOOKS TO REIGNITE YOUR LOVE OF READING

Whether you’re sick of Booktok’s cheap thrills or bored of dreary academic drawls, we’re championing five books to invigorate your disenchanted inner bookworm.

Small Pleasures By

CLARE CHAMBERS

Small Pleasures depicts ageing journalist Jean’s investigation of an alleged immaculate conception. With neat, pretty prose and a few love stories, the novel’s mystery is captivating. Profound curiosity is certain to propel even the most uninspired readers to the novel’s end, and what an enigma that ending is, being both predictable and highly unprecedented. A timeless read, Small Pleasures is sure to get your reading cap back on. It’s the perfect refreshing novel for anyone feeling lost on their reading journey.

My Year Of Rest And Relaxation By

OTESSA MOSHFEGH

Ironically, My Year of Rest and Relaxation is a stirring novel, following the strange pursuit of one horribly privileged woman. She’s beautiful, rich, white, upper class and living in New York (eurgh, how awful!) This hedonistic protagonist is so lazy she can’t even be bothered to share her name, while committing to plunging into a drug-induced sleep for an entire year. The result is a plethora of funny and slightly terrifying drug-fuelled antics. Another fantastic novel from the 2016 Booker Prize-shortlisted author, it showcases Moshfegh’s delicious dark humour exquisitely and her take on those who like to enjoy too much of ‘the finer things’ is hilarious. You won’t want to take a reading rest after this one.

Rebecca By

DAPHNE DU MAURIER

An enduring romance, Rebecca is saturated with love, loss, lust and betrayal. Our plain little unnamed narrator suddenly finds herself in the arms of a mysterious rich older man, Maxim de Winter. Hardly believing her luck, they marry and she’s swept away into his Gothic mansion and tormented past. His home is dominated entirely by the overwhelming presence of Rebecca, his dearly departed, terrifyingly beautiful wife. You can practically feel the protagonist’s obsession with Rebecca swelling from the pages. She has her claws in everyone, including the reader. It’s hard to let Rebecca go.

TOMORROW, AND TOMORROW, AND TOMORROW BY GABRIELLE

ZEVIN

Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, a novel about childhood, love and video games is sure to tap into childhood nostalgia. Sam and Sadie meet following an accident which leaves both Sam’s foot and spirits crushed. The pair are together then apart, then together again … but video games remain a constant throughout their lives. A multi-layered novel, the full scope of human emotions is explored through the most Gen Z of backdrops; that of video games. You won’t be able to drag yourself out of this alluring world.

By Elena John