5 BOOKS TO GET YOU THROUGH LOCKDOWN...

Why not spice up your lockdown life a little by living through someone else’s eyes? Reading can take you to a different world, which I think we can agree is a distraction that we could all use right now! 

This week's blog post is written by our lovely guest blogger Sophie Tate. Sophie discusses her top 5 books to help get you through the end of lockdown.

WHERE RAINBOWS END

If you loved Love Rosie; the heart-warming film with Sam Claflin and Lilly Collins, then I can almost guarantee you will love the book even more. This is a perfect lockdown read, giving you everything you could need from a chick flit.

This book follows Rosie and Alex, who have been best friends since the age of 5. With every year of life, they experience new things together, eventually pulling them apart. They never break contact and somehow always find a way back to each other. You get to experience the relationship between Rosie and Alex grow from children to adults and witness the realities of life getting in the way.

The book has more freedom than the movie, allowing more time to pass for the characters, allowing you to see more of the characters life, plus you are able to feel more with reading their thoughts and feelings.

What’s interesting about Where Rainbows End is that it’s written in epistolary form. The story is told through letters and emails to other characters. This is a really fascinating way hear a story, giving you an insight into each character’s perspective. If you’re looking for something different to read and to mix things up a little, this is a great option and really fun way to read a story.

where rainbows end by Cecilia Ahern

HOW TO BREAK UP WITH FAST FASHION

If you’re wanting to use this time in Lockdown, to learn and make a change this is a great book for you. Bravo takes us through Fast Fashion and the economic and environmental impacts it’s having on the world. It’s important for us to be aware of what’s happening in order to make changes. Bravo’s voice throughout the book is informative but friendly and never judgmental. She shares her experiences with Fast Fashion, the changes she’s actively trying to make and fully admits to her part in the fast fashion industry. It’s a helpful and entertaining approach which successfully encourages you to also make these easy and do able changes. Bravo also offers tips and advice when it comes to giving up fast fashion, including changes that will not only help to save the world but your pennies too.

What I love about this book is how readable it is. Bravo writes in such a casual way; you feel as though you two are having a friendly chat over a cup of tea. She is on your level the whole time, which is refreshing, as most other books tackling this issue take a different, more patronising approach.

How to Break Up with Fast Fashion By Lauren Bravo
THE SUMMER I TURNED PRETTY

If like me, you loved the To All the Boys I Loved Before movies or books, then read The Summer I Turned Pretty. The book follows Isabel (Belly), her brother and her mum visiting her mum’s best friend and her two sons, Conrad, and Jerimiah for the summer. They stay there every summer; however, this summer is different. Isabel isn’t a little girl anymore, which starts to make things a little bit complicated with Conrad and Jerimiah.

The Summer I Turned Pretty is book one out of three, with It’s Not Summer Without You and We’ll Always Have Summer following. The series follows Isabel’s teenage years going into adulthood, as the series continues, things become even more complicated. Each book is small, therefore if you’re looking
for a lighter read this lockdown, this book is perfect for you. Although, once you finish book one, you’ll be eager to pick up book two straight after.

Jenny Han and Amazon studios have recently announced there are adapting the books into a TV series. Which from Han’s other adaptation To All the Boys I Loved Before, we already know it’s going to be a success. I’d definitely recommend reading this book series before the release of the Amazon series. 

The summer I turned pretty by Jenny Han
THE IMMORTAL LIFE OF HENRIETTA LACKS

Another non-fiction book for you. You may not have heard of Henrietta Lacks before; however, I can almost guarantee she has impacted your life in some way before. Henrietta was born in 1920 and unfortunately lost her life battling cervical cancer in 1951. However, that is not the end of the story. After her death, a doctor took a sample of her cancerous cells without permission. When those cells were studied, it was discovered that they were immortal.

This was unheard of in that time, where normal cells died, Henrietta’s doubled, creating millions of cells in the last 70 years. They were the first human cells that could survive in a test tube, meaning scientists finally had what they needed to conduct, the research, trials and experiments that would change
medicine and science forever. Henrietta’s cells have impacted science and medicine, including the eradication of Polio, Cancer treatments and even the COVID 19 Vaccines. Even after 70 years Henrietta Lacks in helping us fight in this pandemic.

The book follows author Rebecca Skloot and her research into Henrietta’s Life, the journey of the HeLa (Henrietta’s Cells) and the life of Henrietta’s family after her death. Although the HeLa cell was worth millions, her family never saw a penny. Skloot never fails to show us the ugly side of the history and the
realities of Henrietta and her family had to endure as a black family in America.

The story behind this book is incredible and I think it’s one everyone should know. Lockdown is the perfect time to hear it. This book gives us insight into an important part of history and shows us just how far medicine and science has come, which gives us hope of what’s possible during these difficult times.

The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks By Rebecca Skloot

LIBRARY OF SOULS 

Library of Souls is the third (out of six) book in the Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children Series. The most recent addition to the book has just been released. This is the perfect time to start a book series and be sucked into the reality of Peculiarities. The series follows Jacob Portman a teenager from
Florida. After his Grandfather’s death, Jacob discovers the truth behind his Grandfather’s life and the tales he used to tell Jacob as a child. This new information takes him to a remote island off the coast of Wales, where he discovers even more to the Peculiar World.

Each book in the series contains vintage photographs that have been collected through antique swap meets and stalls with some of the photos being over 100 years old. He uses the images to lead the storyline adding an extra layer to the books.

The reason why I loved Library of Souls in particular is because Riggs uses real life events in history to impact his story, travelling through time to different periods. The themes in the book mirror different issues in history giving us an insight into our history in an interesting way. As a lover of history and
fantasy, this book works hand in hand to create a brilliant story that I struggle to put down. This series has something for everyone, including, humour, romance, and adventure. It celebrates the good in being unique and different.

Library of Souls By Ransom Riggs
Back to Coconut Lane Blog