Books to read once lockdown ends
A list of titles you should consider buying.
Once the lockdown is over, bookworms will once again be able to buy new books.
Here’s a list of titles you should consider buying:
The Girl with the Louding Voice by Abi Darè
Meet Adunni, a 14-year-old living in a Nigerian village outside Lagos. She is a downtrodden daughter, desperately missing her deceased mother, and will soon become a despised third wife then an abused domestic servant. She is expected to be meek, quiet, obedient. Adunni is none of these things. She is determined and loyal and curious. This is the story of Adunni’s pursuit of education. Her search to find her louding voice. So that she can speak for herself – and for all the girls who came before her.
The Authenticity Project by Clare Pooley
Six strangers with one universal thing in common: their lives aren’t always what they make them out to be. What would happen if they told the truth instead? Julian Jessop is tired of hiding the deep loneliness he feels. So he begins The Authenticity Project – a small green notebook containing the truth about his life. Leaving the notebook on a table in his friendly neighbourhood cafe, Julian never expects Monica, the owner, to track him down after finding it. Or that she’ll be inspired to write down her own story. Little do they realise that such small acts of honesty hold the power to impact all those who discover the notebook and change their lives completely. A story about connection, community and the kindness of strangers.
Also read: LOCKDOWN: Free to listen to audio books available
The Inn at Helsvlakte by Patricia Schonstein
In the Karoo-like landscape of a mythical country beset with civil war, tarot cards are brandished and bones swiftly turn to dust. Against the backdrop of this arid place, Kitty Cloete, the innkeeper’s wife, survives on her inner resources. Strong and self-willed, Kitty is a skilled equestrienne, wheelwright, blacksmith and talented harpist – none of which could shield her from an arranged marriage after an ill-fated romance. And now, devastation at Helsvlakte. After State soldiers are ambushed by separatist guerillas, a critically injured captain arrives at the inn. For the haunted man, whose face has been disfigured in combat, the soulful music of Kitty’s harp becomes the elixir that brings him back to life. But drama awaits offstage. A young man who witnessed the slaying of his family and the torching of their farm hears of the captain’s residence at the inn. He holds the captain responsible for the tragedy that befell his loved ones, and sets out to find him.
Girl, Woman, Other by Bernadine Evaristo
This is Britain as you’ve never read it. This is Britain as it has never been told. From Newcastle to Cornwall, from the birth of the 20th century to the teens of the 21st, Girl, Woman, Other follows a cast of 12 characters on their personal journeys through this country and the last 100 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…
Also read: Book review: Who put this song on?
The Boy From the Words by Harlan Coben
Thirty years ago, a child was found in the New Jersey backwoods. He had been living a feral existence, with no memory of how he got there or even who he is. Everyone just calls him Wilde. Now a former soldier and security expert, he lives off the grid, shunned by the community – until they need him. A child has gone missing. With her family suspecting she’s just playing a disappearing game, nobody seems concerned except for criminal attorney Hester Crimstein. She contacts Wilde, asking him to use his unique skills to find the girl. But even he can find no trace of her. One day passes, then a second, then a third. On the fourth, a human finger shows up in the mail. And now Wilde knows this is no game. It’s a race against time to save the girl’s life – and expose the town’s dark trove of secrets.
My Dark Vanessa by Kate Elizabeth Russell
Vanessa Wye was 15 years old when she first had sex with her English teacher. She is now 32 and in the storm of allegations against powerful men in 2017, the teacher, Jacob Strane, has just been accused of sexual abuse by another former learner. Vanessa is horrified by this news because she is quite certain that the relationship she had with Strane wasn’t abuse. It was love. She’s sure of that. Forced to rethink her past, to revisit everything that happened, Vanessa has to redefine the great love story of her life – her great sexual awakening – as rape. Now she must deal with the possibility that she might be a victim, and just one of many. Nuanced, uncomfortable, bold and powerful, My Dark Vanessa goes straight to the heart of some of the most complex issues of our age.
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