Even with e-books on the rise, plenty of high streets still have a bookshop. Whether it’s a tiny independent one or a well-known brand like Waterstones, it seems like there’s normally still a place for books…and there are some more than others that can change the way you read, and even the way you think. Here are some of mine:

 

  • A Place Called Here – Cecelia Ahern: I read this at Christmas, which probably made it even more magical but this book really did change something for me. It made me think about the world and the possibilities within it in a whole different way. I wont ramble on about this one, because I already wrote a whole post on the wonders of Cecelia Ahern, but y’know, check it out
  • The Other Half Lives – Sophie Hannah: Now, according to the reviews on Amazon this book is “terrible” and “disappointing”. Luckily, I found this one in a charity shop so there were no reviews handy for me to read otherwise I probably wouldn’t have bothered and that would have been a sad, sad thing. I LOVE this book. It brought me to Sophie Hannah – an author who in my opinion, is just incredible. She writes plots that are so twisty you can barely figure out what’s going on…but in a good way? This one is definitely worth a read
  • Frankenstein – Mary Shelley: My sister is currently reading this for A-Level and doesn’t seem to really see what all the fuss I’m making is about. To be honest I can’t explain it either. Perhaps it’s just that the lecturer I had for this book was incredible at his job, or maybe it’s the way that it’s written in such a detailed, intricate Gothic fashion. Either way, it will stick with me forever and I could read it again and again
  • Love – Victoria Hislop’s collection: Let’s put it this way – Hislop has chosen very very well. I saw this book in Waterstones, firstly as a huge collection called “Love, Loss and the Lives of Women”. Since then it’s been broken down into three and although I now own all of them I had to start with love (bit of a hopeless romantic like that). The tales in this collection are beautiful. Some of them have happy endings, and some are just heart breaking. They write about love in a number of forms, and I think Hislop has managed to highlight the diversity of relationships brilliantly. If you’re a fan of short stories this was definitely worth the buy
  • Rebecca – Daphne du Maurier: I studied this in a Feminism module in my second year at uni and it was one of my favourites over the whole three years. I then gave it to my mum, who also loved it – it seems to be a winner with everyone. If you’ve read Jane Eyre and liked it, then you’ll probably like Rebecca even more…it’s a revisioning of Jane Eyre and it’s done very well. I’d definitely recommend this one to anyone – also it seems to be a rather well thought of novel (so it might start some interesting conversations!)