What are you currently reading??  It’s a question I am asking anyone and everyone at the moment.  I’m not sure what’s happened to me during this isolation period but I cannot get enough of books.  I should explain that this isn’t entirely uncommon for me, I’ve always been a ‘reader’ and books have always been part of my life.  I could sit in a library or bookshop for ages, stare at the books and just feel – well – comforted! 

Since having my children though I’ve found it harder and harder to read at home, I’d usually have a book on the go but I’d struggle to concentrate or to read more than a couple of pages in bed before I was ready for sleep.  Holidays were really the only time I’d ever get through a whole book in less than six months!!

I think this lockdown period, a time where we actually can’t be that busy, we can’t fill our time with outings and gatherings and kids activities, has enabled me to rediscover what I always loved about books which is that feeling of escapism, or being part of another world for a little while and all of the emotions that a piece of writing can make you feel.

So, in case like me you’re always looking for your next read at the moment, I thought I’d share with you five books I’ve read lately that I’ve really enjoyed and why I loved them so much.

I’ve linked the books in the title so that you can view them for yourself if you want to 🙂

The Dressmakers Gift – by Fiona Valpy

The book follows Harriet as she unravels the truth about her Grandmother’s story when she lived and worked in Nazi occupied Paris during the war in 1940.  I love anything set in the 1940s it’s my favourite era to read and learn about and to have it set in a French atelier during that time with the references to sewing, dressmaking and French design and fashion was just perfect for me.  I loved the story, a little reminder if ever we needed one of what our grandparents and great grandparents went through during that time.  I adored this book and didn’t want it to end!

The Family Upstairs by Lisa Jewell

‘Rich, dark and intricately twisted, this enthralling whodunnit mixes family saga with domestic noir to brilliantly chilling effect.’ RUTH WARE

This book has mixed reviews on Amazon but for me I was absolutely gripped throughout and read it in a week which is unheard of for me lately.  It’s kind of dark and a little bit creepy but it kept my interest until the end, wanting to find out what had happened and why things had turned out the way they did.  My only criticism might be that the end seemed a little rushed but I guess all books have to end somewhere.  Definitely recommend if you want a page turner that you won’t be able to put down and like a bit of mild psychological thriller-ism (is that a word!!).

The Tattooist of Auschwitz by Heather Morris

Another book set during the second World War!  This one has been on my list for ages, I started the book at the start of lockdown and was worried it would be a bit hard going, given how I was feeling, but actually it wasn’t at all.  Don’t get me wrong there are parts of the book that are pretty harrowing to read, it’s set in a German concentration camp after all, but it is an amazing story of love, friendship and the determination to survive above all of the odds.  The most amazing bit is that it’s based on a true story.  I found the real life parts at the end fascinating.

The Girlfriend – by Michelle Frances

‘A girl. A boy. His mother. And the lie she’ll wish she’d never told’

Continuing the psychological thriller theme I read this book on our holiday to last year and it was another one that just kept me gripped throughout.  I could not put it down.  Lots of twists and turns, every chapter ends on a cliff hanger that left me unable to put it down to sleep.  The sign of a good book – and the making of a very tired mumma the next day!!

The House we Grew Up In – by Lisa Jewell

‘ An unforgettable story about a family with a terrible secret’

Another Lisa Jewell book! This one didn’t keep me quite as gripped as the one above but I still really enjoyed it.  It did make me feel quite sad in parts, not crying my eyes out sad, but sad about the knock on effects family life can have and how parents are parents but are still their own people with their own feelings and issues.  Very compelling, an excellent read.  I won’t waffle on anymore about it incase you decide to read it yourself and I ruin it for you.

So that’s it, next on my list is Grown Ups by Marian Keyes. I’ve read every one of Marian’s books so far and I’m looking forward to seeing if this one lives up to the others.

Have you read any of the books on my list?  I’d love to hear what you thought and please do let me know what you’d recommend for my ever growing ‘to read’ list.

Lots of love as always!! Sally xx   

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