Lockdown, as I've mentioned has resulted in a lot of reading meaning I've been buying a lot of books too - I just can't help myself! My current TBR pile is more of a mountain so I decided to pluck off five titles that are quite popular at the moment and give you a little more information on them.
I can't wait to read them all myself, I'm just about to the start The Beekeeper of Aleppo which is one I've had for a while so no doubt each of these titles will be in an I've Read... post soon.
I'd love to know what is on your TBR pile too so don't forget to leave a comment below, I will absolutely be checking your recommendations out so I can add to mine... oops!
This is a story of love, loss and hope - I'm sure many of us are aware of the horrific treatment the people of Syria have been put through in recent years and this touches upon that in a captivating and beautiful way. It's also the June book for Beth's Book Club which is why I have slid it to the top of my pile.
In the midst of war, he found love In the midst of darkness, he found courage In the midst of tragedy, he found hope.
Nuri is a beekeeper; his wife, Afra, an artist. They live a simple life, rich in family and friends, in the beautiful Syrian city of Aleppo - until the unthinkable happens. When all they care for is destroyed by war, they are forced to escape. As Nuri and Afra travel through a broken world, they must confront not only the pain of their own unspeakable loss but dangers that would overwhelm the bravest of souls. Above all - and perhaps this is the hardest thing they face - they must journey to find each other again.
This one is a book I'd seen doing the rounds on Instagram - I actually bought this the same time as The Beekeeper of Aleppo as part of Waterstone's BOGOHP offer. It's said to be hilarious, heartbreaking and honest - covering generations of women and the people they have loved and unloved including complexities of sex, gender, politics, friendship and love.
This is Britain as you've never read it.
This is Britain as it has never been told.
From the top of the country to the bottom, from the birth of the twentieth century to the teens of the twenty-first, Girl, Woman, Other follows a cast of twelve characters on their personal journeys through this country and the last hundred years. They're each looking for something - a shared past, an unexpected future, a place to call home, somewhere to fit in, a lover, a missed mother, a lost father, even just a touch of hope . . .
I am determined to read this in June, I have had this for longer than I'd like to admit but every time I go to read it, I scan over the back cover and put it back - I think partly because it is very hyped right now and partly because I'm worried it's going to take a while to get into. This will be the month though, I bought it for the cover, I won't lie but here's hoping it's better than that!
For years, rumours of the 'Marsh Girl' have haunted Barkley Cove, a quiet town on the North Carolina coast. So in late 1969, when handsome Chase Andrews is found dead, the locals immediately suspect Kya Clark, the so-called Marsh Girl. But Kya is not what they say. Sensitive and intelligent, she has survived for years alone in the marsh that she calls home, finding friends in the gulls and lessons in the sand. Then the time comes when she yearns to be touched and loved. When two young men from town become intrigued by her wild beauty, Kya opens herself to a new life - until the unthinkable happens.
The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah
The Nightingale is one I've wanted to read for so long and a friend kindly sent it to me during the pandemic. It's said to be a gripping tale of family, love, grief and forgiveness - I'm a huge fan of war fiction so I'd be so surprised if I didn't love this. It has had rave reviews and I can't wait to get started.
Despite their differences, sisters Viann and Isabelle have always been close. Younger, bolder Isabelle lives in Paris while Viann is content with life in the French countryside with her husband Antoine and their daughter. But when the Second World War strikes, Antoine is sent off to fight and Viann finds herself isolated so Isabelle is sent by their father to help her.
As the war progresses, the sisters' relationship and strength is tested. With life-changing in unbelievably horrific ways, Viann and Isabelle will find themselves facing frightening situations and responding in ways they never thought possible as bravery and resistance take different forms in each of their actions.
The Girl You Left Behind by Jojo Moyes
I'm a huge Jojo Moyes fan and this is a title one of my lovely friends sent to me in the new year as she knew I'd love it as once again it is war fiction. It has rave reviews, promises laughter and tears and is meant to be unputdownable. Here's hoping!
What happened to the girl you left behind?
France, 1916.
Sophie Lefevre must keep her family safe whilst her adored husband Edouard fights at the front. But when she is ordered to serve the German officers who descend on her hotel each evening, her home becomes a place of fierce tensions.
And from the moment the new Kommandant sets eyes on Sophie's portrait - painted by Edouard - a dangerous obsession is born, which will lead Sophie to make a dark and terrible decision . . .
Almost a century later, and Sophie's portrait hangs in the home of Liv Halston, a wedding gift from her young husband before he died. A chance encounter reveals the painting's true worth, and its troubled history.
