I started this blog Over the course of last summer, after having caught the mumps meaning I was more ill than normal, which is really saying something for me. But one positive to have come out that was that I had the chance to listen to some amazing audiobooks.
I'm really grateful for audiobooks because they give me access to completely different times, places & people. When you are stuck in bed unable to do anything it's an incredible way to escape it all.
I then got thinking about some of the other books I have enjoyed. I've compiled a list of some favourites. It's a very varied bunch of stories mostly children's but I hope this helps at least one person find a book recommendation that occupies your mind whilst we are all on lockdown.
1: Becoming: Michelle Obama
This was a book on my TBR (to be read) list for such a long time, I never thought I would get around to reading or listening to it. Eventually, I did. Having not really known much about the Obama's it was a real insight for me.
I find it really inspiring to hear/read real-life stories from truly remarkable people. I don't think you can never really value how hard a person has worked unless you know their struggle to get to where they are. This book not only talks about Michelle's life in the white house, where she faced a variety of challenges, raising a growing family whilst trying to hold down a job but also of her childhood struggles with poverty & racism.
2:The Witch's Daughter: Paula Brackston
I don't know where to begin with this book, it was what I would class a masterpiece, set in a world of witches and time travel. It cleverly manages to switch from present-day then to flashbacks of the past without making the book extremely hard to follow. All historical snapshots are written so perfectly you feel as if you have actually stepped back in time & watching the events unfold from around you.
For a book like this to work, you need someone for the story to be told to otherwise it would make no sense. Having Tegan allowed this. Tegan a shy & lonely girl but all the lessons from Elizabeth give her something to focus on, making her believe in herself. They also give her the confidence to help Elizebeth fight off the man who has been torturing her since the 16th century who just so happens to be Tegan's boyfriend.
3:Pages&Co: Tilly & the book wanderers ~ Anna James
Every bookworm feels as if they have lived in the world of their favourite characters, cried with them, laughed with them & just generally been a part of their lives. This book is based on that concept but it makes it so much further, at the start of the book Tilly has little friends so like many lonely people she turns to books for comfort only she discovers that she can have real-life adventures in them.
I adored how real this book felt, I felt as if I was Tilly I and that all these beloved characters were with me whilst I went about my day.
I also admired the addition of Oscar,
giving his character dyslexia but making him love books is a really great idea as it shows that anyone can have a passion for reading no matter who they are & that stories are always with us no matter how we choose to access them.
The best part of this book was finding new stories I had never heard before then being able to listen to them, go back & understand the story on a whole new level. I think it's important for old loved classics to be brought back into circulation so a whole new generation of children is able to love them as much as the last.
4:Pages & co: Tilly & the lost fairy tales ~
I loved this book just as much as the first the way it links to the first book yet still has its own storyline with new & complicated characters. I think I said this about the first book but Anna James seems to have the ability to make you feel apart of Tilly's world like you are there experiencing everything with her. I personally love fairytales & read or listen to them to escape reality. This book is a fantastic mix of realism & fairytale, It's important to tell new stories & in the process figure out how to create new & updated versions whilst preserving the old ones & keeping them alive. This book does that brilliantly.
5:The Wombals: Elisabeth Beresford
I feel most people have probably read this book, but if not please take the time out to do so. Read it to your children or grandchildren or just to yourself. I love children's stories. Especially for helping calm me down or helping me drift off to sleep. I found the sweetness & innocence of this so refreshing. Sometimes you need that sort of thing to make you feel better. I think everyone could learn from that and I also believe that we need to bring the wombals back into circulation. They were way ahead of their time with their recycling efforts which is something we desperately need in today's society.
6:Opal Plumstead: Jacqueline Wilson
I was unsure whether or not to listen to this book but upon finding it in an audible sale I thought I would give it a go. My reason for being unsure was that I knew it slightly touched upon the first world war. The whole idea of war terrifies me but this only briefly touches upon the fighting aspects of war it's mostly about Opal's life working in a sweet factory after having to leave school when her father ends up going to prison.
Opal manages to befriend her factory boss who takes her under her wing offering her a new position within the factory, she also introduces Opal to the suffragettes who she then attends meetings with. Opal then goes on to thrive in her workplace, she also begins to feel like she has a purpose. Falling in love with Mrs Robert's (her boss) son Morgan. Miss Robert's does not approve of their relationship but despite this, they do get to spend some precious time together before the war brutally rips them apart.
I sometimes struggle with being able to relate with modern characters mostly because my life is so different from theirs. I find fantasy stories more relatable than most fiction stories. Although I could relate to Opal in various ways I also found the historical elements really interesting. And although it moved me so much that I was brought to tears it gave me much to think about.
7: Wave me goodbye: Jacqueline Wilson
Another Historical war book, written by Jacqueline Wilson, which again I was apprehensive about but it's mostly about Shirley's time in the country. It does mention the actual war but does not go into detail about an actual fight. Most of the story is about Shirley's newfound friends and the people she ends up living with.
All the characters in this book feel very real & there also a good mix of characters from really rich to really poor who all have very different characteristics but are somehow able to come together despite their differences.
8: The Railway Children: E.Nesbit
The simplicity of This book was lovely, I went through a stage of trying to read or listen to more classics that I missed as a child. I found this on BBC Sounds & decided to give it a go.
I sometimes find that some children's books are that because they are easy to follow they can be slightly dull. This book was highly enjoyable. It was also useful to me to have it split up into different adventures because this helped me keep up with it when I was at my most tired.
9: The Lost Magician: Piers Today
Being set just after the war, this book again has a historical element. Very much like pages&co, it allows you to step into fairy tales, doing an incredible job at mixing reality with fiction. The war in Britain has just come to an end but the fairyland war is only just beginning. Children have to muster up all their thoughts, emotions and fears of the real war to help save
the world's beloved stories.
10: Cyborg Cat and the Night Spider By Ade Adepitan
I found this on the audible website, they have compiled a list of free books to help children with boredom during the lockdown. Audiobooks are super expensive when you can't find bargains or offers. (something I love to do) But I can go weeks using borrow box without having to actually purchase a thing. When it came to finding a new book I was stuck until I discovered audibles free options. (I already have audible that me & my dad share, but wanted to save the credit)
Having wanted to read or listen to this for over a year I knew I had to give it a go. Forming a realistic-sounding story but making it interesting was one of the many things I acknowledged when listening to this book.
I cry so easily at sometimes the stupidest things, of course, I cried especially at the bits I could relate to. I think it also makes it more emotional that Ade was ultimately writing about himself and his own experiences. In places very similar to mine, I also cried at how sweet his friends were. I only have 4 proper friends who meet up with me and whom I would completely trust if anything bad were to happen. But these friends have known me since very young, they've grown up with me and have been with me through everything. Very much like Ade's friends in this book.
I wouldn't just recommend this to children I think everyone should read it at some point in their lives, especially if you are or know someone with a disability.
Thank you for reading
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