The Winter Reading List: Some Bookcase Archives, A Memoir & A New All Time Favourite
Four books I've loved over the winter months and haven't taken up enough space online to talk about them.
As winter comes to a close and a new season approches, I wanted to take the time to reflect on the books I’ve read over the last few months. I’ve read such an abundance of brilliant novels, and it’d be a shame to not recommend a few to anyone who finds themselves reading more over the warmer months and need some inspiration for what to pick up next.
Days at the Morisaki Bookshop by Satoshi Yagisawa
This book has very swiftly found itself on my all time favourites list for so many reasons. The 160 paged novella made me feel so much in such a small space of time and it was such a privilege to fall into this world. The story follows a woman who finds out that her supposed committed partner, has promptly decided to marry someone else with no notice, and leaves her. This turn of events ripples into a depressive state and with her mothers encouragement, she decides to move in with her uncle to help out at his bookshop whilst she finds her feet after such a difficult time.
The story follows her as she finds herself after hardship, whilst falling in love with books and reading alongside it. Admittedly, it’s quite a common theme for readers to love books about reading, but this novel particularly was such a beautiful read for me at this point in my life, who often ponders about who I am and what I want from life, and it was such a beautifully important reminder that nothing really matters and chasing happiness and contentment with the people you love, really is the most important thing.
Starter for Ten by David Nicholls
Admittedly, like everyone, I fell in love with Netflix’s One Day last month and after watching (and crying MANY tears), I wanted to explore Nicholls’ work more. I read One Day in 2020 and loved it, so I quickly bought his other well-loved novel, Starter for Ten, but quickly placed it on my bookshelf and forgot about it. Until now!
I’m so glad I got round to this story. A working class boy, Brian Jackson, moves to Bristol from his hometown, Southend-on-Sea, to achieve his dreams and study English Literature at University, join the University Challenge Team and sleep with loads of girls. It was hilariously told, Brian probably being the most awkward character, ever, and it made me laugh out loud several times. Alongside this, it was an excellent discussion of the class divide in the UK and particularly in UK universities and Nicholls’ use of Brian'‘s character as someone who wants to be ‘more middle-class but can’t seem to figure rich people out’ was so well done and such a lived experience for so many working class people who go to Russel Group universities. The film starring James McAvoy is such a brilliant film I’d really recommend, too.
If I Had Your Face by Frances Cha
If I Had Your Face was an extremely unique read for me, as someone who hasn’t interacted much with the intensity of beauty standards for women in South Korea, but it was a brilliant look into this world.
The novel follows the life of six different women as they navigate the pressures they face due to these existing beauty standards. It explores the normality of extremely invasive cosmetic procedures for a lot of women and the ways physical beauty can restrict a lot of things for them in South Korean society, including personal relationships and job oppurtunities. It wasn’t an easy read by any means, but the fictionalised stories of these women translated into such geniune stories and is a reality for many. I had this one of my shelf for over a year and I’m so happy I chose to pick it up one random Tuesday.
Strong Female Character by Fern Brady
I have been anticipating this book for such a long time, as memiors and biographies is my favourite genre and I’d heard such brilliant things from people online who recieved early copies, and it did not disappoint.
Fern Brady has created a career as a (very funny) comic, yet in Strong Female Character we are invited to explore an aspect of who is she is like never before. The memoir follows Brady’s difficulty throughout her life as she tackles undiagnosed mental health disorders and a severe lack of guidance for her autism.
Reflecting on times in her life when her autism was taking over her life and medical professionals continued to ignore her issues, due to her ‘having a boyfriend’ and many other frustratingly trivial excuses. It was a geniunely harrowing read at times, as she reflects on her times feeling ignored and deeply misunderstood due to the lack of mental health support she needed, but I thought it was such a brilliant novel and so deeply insightful about her personal experience, and also more generally the ways in which autism in women is often ignored due to masking. Really loved this one and was very happy to find out more about Fern Brady and her comedy after reading.
Happy Reading <3