A 'Lit' Lit Student's Recent Fave Reads
First of all, yes I am proclaiming myself to be a 'lit' literature student. Mainly because I needed another word in the title that warned that this list of recommendations wasn't going to be entirely literary. Some of these books are recipe books and non-fiction, some are available now and some to pre-order, but all are equally fab! Click the titles or the pictures to find out more or, if you really do trust me, buy them for yourself.
Books to read now
I forget about this all the time but it's the only 'classic' I devour as eagerly as I do more contemporary stuff. If you don't usually enjoy classics then Emma is a great place to start. If you're REALLY not into classics then watch its 90s film version Clueless on Netflix first, but make sure you come back to Emma afterwards. She's just so blindly determined she makes my heart sing. Also, I've done the research and can firmly reassure you that this Vintage Classics edition is the prettiest.
"Emma's very good opinion of Frank Churchill was a little shaken the following day, by hearing that he was gone off to London, merely to have his haircut"
I'm only halfway through this, and it took me about the first 50 pages to get into it. I only persevered so long because I knew it was about women gaining powers which enabled them to reverse a patriarchal society. Chills ran up my spine when the characters began to help each other hone their powers, collectively overthrowing abusers, starting a revolution. It really is strong stuff.
"A dozen women turned into a hundred. A hundred into a thousand. The police retreated. The women shouted; some made placards. They understood their strength, all at once"
Eley did a reading at my university which I didn't actually go to because it was on my birthday. A fab friend got me a copy of her book and had it signed though, and reading it has made me even more sad I missed hearing her read it aloud. Although I've found it a bit baffling at times, it's a wonderful kind of baffling that makes me go back and enjoy being unsettled again. For the nameless narrator(s?), a split-second can contain an entire story or realisation, and communicates the inability we have to pinpoint our constant and truest thoughts. It's so good I even struggled to choose my favourite line to feature here.
"And as sure as hell don't you ever kiss me goodbye again because I cannot promise it would not leave me blinded"
"I want to be able to tell you that I miss you, and the way you had with me, and the way you had with all the words that - at the time - I had for you"
You should have already read this because I have recommended it before here, but I'm willing to forgive those who haven't as it was a long time ago. A true delight for anyone who's ever stared at a building and wondered why they find it so fascinating/beautiful/vile.
"Although this house may lack solutions to a great many of its occupants' ills, its rooms nevertheless give evidence of a happiness to which architecture has made its distinctive contribution"
This would make a great gift for anyone who loves to cook or loves books, and a perfect gift for someone who loves both. The concept originally ran as a blog, before Kate got the offer to turn her work into a book, a wonderfully nostalgic read that feels like a cosy Sunday. It has recipes like Dr. Seuss' green eggs & ham, the clam chowder from Moby Dick, and the Treacle Tart served in the great hall at Hogwarts. The introductions to each recipe are just as delicious to read as the food is to eat.
Books to look forward to
The F Word is a book on female friendships is written by my YouTube fave Lily Pebbles, who I've followed for several years, mainly because she seems like quite a lovely person who has really solid fab friends. She's filmed videos with them before about careers and growing up, and they've always been really great. Usually I'm very sceptical of YouTuber books and I don't think I've bought any before, but having watched Lily for quite a while, I really feel like she's the right person to write on this topic, so hopefully it will be a good read.
She Must Be Mad is Charly Cox's debut poetry collection on mental health, love and growing up. She attended an event we ran at university called Writing on Mental Health, where she read some poetry and answered questions. She was utterly wonderful, and made us all laugh and see ourselves in new lights with her honest and unapologetic writing.
Ruby Tandoh has always written beautifully about food. Her piece for Elle on disordered eating is incredible, and earlier this year she branched out into producing a mental health zine called Do What You Want. She asked on twitter if a book on enjoying food would be something that people would want to see, because she was having trouble getting a publisher interested. Of course, so many struggle with body image and consistently eating well that demand was visible and she's been able to write it for us after all! It's likely to be full of advice and inspiration, and promises to make you fall back in love with food, if that's what you need.
So those are some recent reads I've liked, or things I'm looking forward to reading. Gift them to your neighbours, your loved ones, your enemies or, as I always do, myself.
x
Disclaimer: I use Amazon Affiliates now -so if you purchase something through reading my post, I get a little cut of the sale, a slice of the pie, if you will.
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