Anyone that knows me knows I am a complete and utter book worm. If I can steer a weeny 5 minutes of a conversation to the topic of reading and books, then I will try harder than a Brit clinging onto summer. I am obsessed. I write reviews (just for myself..), have a Goodreads account that I meticulously update and I LOVE a bookshop browse, even though I have a kindle. I find it so relaxing, getting lost in a story, learning about something I know nothing about, or being kept up at night needing to read JUST….ONE…MORE…CHAPTER. I have always read, reading anything and everything, but I made it a goal of mine this year to get through even more books, trying all sorts of different genres. I’m currently on my 24th book of the year and I thought I would share a few of my recent favourites.

Little Fires Everywhere by Celeste Ng

This was completely wonderful, gripping, heart-breaking and fascinating. I actually read this in April when I was on holiday in Italy and read the final 40% late at night during a pasta fuelled food coma. It reduced me to tears by the end, with her beautiful way of story-telling, developing character and relationships. I won’t write the blurb, because you can search for a much more concise and appealing description than the one I’ll write, but trust me when I say, it is one of the best books I have read in a long time. With themes of rebellion, family tension, relationships, culture clashes, perfectionism, class, secrets and consuming love, it is something special. I can’t even express how much I enjoyed it, but if you love Liane Moriarty… then you most definitely will love Celeste Ng- I loved her writing even more. One more thing.. her other book, Everything I Never Told You is just as incredible.

Killers of the Flower Moon by David Grann

I loved this. As someone who is completely fascinated by crime documentaries, this non- fiction book jumped out at me. It explores the growth and beginnings of the FBI and the crimes that were the birth of it, the Osage murders. The exploration of the Osage Indian Nation in Oklahoma, from the discovery of valuable oil supply on their land leading them to wealth, to the targeted murders and corruption of the community, this book was brilliant. Grann manages to paint the complex and weaving picture of the families and detectives, along with the conspiracies, injustice and roots of the Osage culture in a captivating yet smooth way of writing. It exposed a crime that had long been buried in history and I think it is the perfect book for a crime doc lover.

Everything I know about Love by Dolly Alderton

This was so amazing. I originally wanted to read her memoir because I think Dolly is fab and love her podcast with Pandora Sykes, The High Low. I find her so interesting and articulate and love everything she stands for. When I first started reading the book, I didn’t think I was going to like it as much as I wanted. At the beginning, she told tales of her wild youth and countless escapades with loads of different guys. I enjoyed it, but I thought the whole book was going to be her trying to convince everyone how crazy, cool and wild she is. How wrong I was. It truly told her life story, with all of its ups, downs, twists and flips… her heartbreak, experience with grief and love of her female friendships, along with a real sense of what she believes in. It is completely brilliant and it was so natural, I could almost hear her voice as I read it. It is not just your average memoir, but a thoughtful, honest, raw insight into her life, her experience with love in all its different forms and her life as a currently single but hopeless romantic. I really loved it and now I love her even more.

Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi

Wow. That’s the first word I would use to describe this book. A difficult read in terms of the topic and at times harrowing story it tells, but a complete necessity. It gave me a whole new perspective on life for a different culture and the harsh reality for some. It traces three hundred years in Ghana, through the lives and family tree of two different girls, who happen to be half sisters. Again, read the blurb, as I can’t possibly put into words the breath-taking, heart-breaking power of this story. Each chapter surrounds a different character, but they follow on from the last and all becomes interwoven as the book progresses. Gyasi’s ability to transport the reader through time, history and place is absolutely mind blowing, the sort of book that will leave you with goose bumps and a lump in your throat. At times uplifting, romantic, sorrowful and hopeful, the journey of the two inextricably linked, yet completely contrasting experiences of life through slavery in Ghana, to the jazz clubs of America is unmissable. I would say read it when you really have time to, if that makes sense. When you can really commit to the story and be absorbed by it, because it is not an easy one, but definitely worth it.

I’m currently reading: This is Going to Hurt by Adam Kay

If you want to follow me or be my friend on Goodreads, it’s just Romy Dakin. There you can see what I’m reading, what I think and if you really couldn’t care less… thanks for making it to the end of this post, I’ll talk about my mac & cheese recipe next… maybe.