Greetings loved ones. Back again with the last two months of books and I am thrilled to say we had another epic reading two months - I loved them all. Let's get in to it. The titles of the books are clickable (affiliate) links to purchase!

1. Little Scratch - Rebecca Watson

TW - sexual assault

I loved this book and I adored the way it was written and how the story was told in such an important way, showing just how sexual assault affects every single aspect of a person's life from that point on, whether or not it seems linked or seems like an obvious trigger.

The story follows an unnamed woman going about her seemingly normal day to day life - going in to the office, counting down the hours until work is finished - in the wake of a sexual assault. We learn how she gets through the mundane, day-to-day things and how they are affected by what has happened to her.

The book is written in such a smart way - sometimes in columns and weaving lines - really cleverly depicting just what is going on in this woman's mind, every second of every day. She becomes more anxious as her day goes on and we see her attempts to distract herself and survive, which often ends up in endless questioning of herself and what has happened to her.

I imagine this would be very triggering (and relatable) to someone who has suffered a sexual assault, so do keep that in mind if you choose to pick up this book (and so much love to you if this has happened).

2. The boy, the mole, the fox and the horse - Charlie Mackesy

I wasn't going to count this because I read it in about 15 mins and it's not exactly a novel, but I thought it was such a gorgeous book and wanted to tell you about it. As the name suggests, the book's main characters are a boy, a mole, a fox and a horse - four unlikely friends who find each other along their journeys of life - sharing with each other the thoughts and feelings that are relatable to us all in life.

The illustrations in this book are also so gorgeous, as is the fabric hardback cover, it would be a lovely present for an adult or a child. It's the sort of book that each time you pick it up and flip through the pages, you will find a nugget of wisdom that you just might need that day.

3. Americanah - Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

TW - racism, sexual assault

This has been on my shelf since Christmas and I've been dying to get stuck into it. It took me quite a while to get through (it's super long and the writing is tiny so my little blind eyes couldn't cope and kept falling asleep after a few pages) but I loved it. The thing about super long books is you get so into the story that you feel like you know the characters and are living in the book because you're reading about them and their day-to-day lives for so long!

The story follows Ifemelu and Obinze - first we meet them as the young, loved up couple who leave their home of Nigeria, which has come until military rule, to head West. Ifemelu heads to America, and despite her intelligence and academic success back home, she finds she is confronted with what it means to be black outside of Nigeria for the first time. The plan had been for Obinze to join her in America but he has problems getting a visa, so he ends up undocumented and illegally living in London, and the relationship falls apart due to an incident that Ifemelu experiences and shuts down as a result.

15 years later, a handful of relationship and life experiences later, Ifemelu decides to move back to her hometown in Nigeria, where Obinze is now wealthy and successful, and they meet again, reigniting their love for both eachother and their homeland. This is such a heart-wrenching but gorgeous story that everyone needs to read. Absolutely adored.

4. On Earth We're Briefly Gorgeous - Ocean Vuongo

This book was recommended to me by a friend who has the same exact taste in books as me (shout out Eliza) and I could not have loved it any more. 

It's a heart-breaking book, written as a letter from a son in his late twenties (Little Dog, as called by his mother) to his mother who cannot read. In the letter, we learn about the history of his family before he was born, beginning in Vietnam. We also learn about parts of his life that his mother has never known,  the things she put him through as a child and how that affects him to this day. It touches on issues of addiction, violence, trauma, race and class, but written with compassion and love, as the author tries to learn how we heal from the past and help one another without losing ourselves. 

I couldn't believe this was a debut novel, it was written so beautifully and I can't wait to read more from this amazing author. An emotional but essential read.

5. Crying in H Mart - Michelle Zauner

Funnily enough, this book was also based around a mother-child relationship and I read these back to back, without realising the content, however this story is different in many ways, and is also a memoir.

Michelle writes about growing up Korean American in Oregon, USA, as she navigates and reflects on her youth, growing up and losing her mother, leading her to have to find a new identity outside of her mother. 

This is such an important book about family and grief, and what we can endure as humans, both in ourselves and in order to help those we love. It also shows how love can present in ways that don't always feel like love, in painfully high expectations from a parent to a child or in meticulously made meals and language, as Michelle experienced with her mother growing up. Their relationship ultimately centres around food and cooking, and this is where they bond and come together at a common ground. 

It's such a gorgeous and heart-wrenching story full of intimacies as she navigates her mother's illness, suddenly having to be the caregiver and cook, wondering if she is doing everything right. A must read for everyone and anyone.

Et c'est ca. 

Do let me know what you have been reading and loving recently, and if you want to purchase any of the books mentioned in this post, simply click on the title (affiliate link)! Reel to go with this post over on my insta.

Thank you for reading, 

S ✗