A Reading Wish List
Anna Hayward shares what is currently on her reading wish list
It’s hard to beat a book for the perfect gift. They can be appealing in so many ways, whether it’s the well-loved charity shop book, the newly released read, the highly acclaimed autobiography or the number one bestseller you’ve been desperate to get your hands on. This year calls for a different kind of wish list to normal, so here’s a peek at mine to give you some inspiration.
A challenging year and a term of heavy academic reading has inspired a need for escapism. I’ve heard great things about ‘Ready Player One’ by Ernest Cline and it seems like the perfect story to get stuck into. It is futuristic, set in 2044, and considers themes of virtual reality, adventure and pop-culture. I am yet to pick it up and would love to receive it.
The novel is said to be a brilliant mix of entertaining, satirical and enlightening, so I am really excited to give it a go.
I am also hoping to get a few of the bestsellers which I didn’t get a chance to read over the summer. One of these is ‘Such a Fun Age’ by Kiley Reid. The novel is said to be a brilliant mix of entertaining, satirical and enlightening, so I am really excited to give it a go. Another is Celeste Ng’s novel ‘Little Fires Everywhere’ which has won multiple literary awards.
A book which I was keen to unwrap this Christmas was ‘In the Dream House’, a memoir by Carmen Maria Machado. It has attracted less attention than some of the others on this list, but I have seen it receive some really positive reviews. It is claimed to be an extremely honest piece which tackles dark topics in unique ways.
One of my favourite traditions is receiving a fun poetry collection each year – the covers never fail to amaze me.
A bit of comfort reading is essential to unwind with over the Christmas break. One of my favourite traditions is receiving a fun poetry collection each year – the covers never fail to amaze me. One which has caught my eye in 2020 is Chris Riddell’s ‘Poems to Fall in Love With’. His illustrations are particularly wonderful, and I am intrigued to see which poems he has chosen to include.
Lastly, it has been more pressing than ever to keep ourselves well-informed about the people and the world around us, so I would love to read something which many have found to be eye opening like Tara Westover’s memoir ‘Educated’. In this book, Tara tells of her astonishing journey of self-discovery from an utterly unconventional background. It is sure to be a fascinating read.