I don’t know about you, but I feel like I’m currently consuming TOO MUCH media right now which is adding to my anxiety at the moment. Whilst I think it’s important to stay on top of the news, I want a bit of an escape too. So I asked on my Instagram for you to share your fave recent books and was inundated by recommendations…and requests to share the results.

I’ve linked all of these on Amazon for ease when ordering right now, and so that it should automatically update to your location. However, I highly recommend supporting your local book shop if you can or a local chain. I feel really passionate about supporting businesses that are treating their employees well during this period of uncertainty and I have heard that here in the UK both Waterstones and WHSmith are doing right by their workers!

Book Recommendations To Read During Lockdown

Here is a collation of book suggestions from all over the globe, covering a number of genres. Hope you can find something you’ll enjoy to take your mind off our current situations. Perhaps one of them will inspire, educate, motivate or capture your imagination.

Fiction 

Books that I’ve read and can recommend:

• Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens 
• Educated by Tara Westover 
• The Lido by Libby Page 
• Half a Yellowfins Sun by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie 
• The Tattooist of Auschwitz by Heather Morrish (Cilka’s Journey is next on my list!) 
• Small Great Things by Jodie Picoult 
• The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas
• Elinor Oliphant is Completely Fine by Gail Honeyman 
• How Do You Like me Now by Holly Bourne 
• Everything I Know About Love by Dolly Alderton 

Books that have been recommended to me by friends and Instagram followers

(The ones with *s next to are one’s that I’ve ordered after reading the reviews and synopsis!)

• Dear Edward by Ann Napolitano  
• The Beekeeper of Aleppo by Christy Lefteri. 
• Queenie by Candice Carty-Williams *
• Such a Good Age by Kiley Reid *
• How to Fail by Elizabeth Day * 
• An American Marriage by Tayari Jones 
• The Cactus by Sarah Haywood
• The Flatshare by Beth O’Leary
• Wild Swans by Jung Chang 
• Sapiens by Yuval Noah Harari 
• A Little Life by Hanya Yanagihara 
• City of Girls by Elizabeth Gilbert 
• Verity by Colleen Hoover 
• The Giver of Stars by Jojo Moyes
• American Dirt by Jeanine Cummins *
• Girl, Women, Other by Bernadine Evaristo 
• My Sister the Serial Killer by Oyinkan Braithwaite *
• Fleishman is in Trouble by Taffy Brodesser-Akner 
• The Dutch House by Ann Patchett 
• Milkman by Anna Burns 
• Dear Mrs Bird by AJ Pearce 
• The Whisper Network by Chandler Baker 
• Weather by Jenny Offill 
• This is How it Always is by Laurie Frankel 
• The Luminaries by Eleanor Cotton 
• Circe by Madeline Miller 
• The Binding by Bridget Collins 
• Everything I’ve Never Told You by Celeste Ng
• Americanah by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
• A Gentleman in Moscow by Amor Towles 
• The Most Fun We Ever Had by Claire Lombardo 
• The Mars Room by Rachel Kushnor 
• Panchinko by Min Jin Lee 

Thrillers 

• The Other You by JS Monroe 
• Long Bright River by Liz Moore 
• The Woman in the Window by A.J.Finn
• Sleep by CL Taylor
• An Unwanted Guest by Shari Lapena 
• Those People by Louise Candlish 
• An Anonymous Girl by Greer Hendricks and Sarah Pakkenen 
• The Family Upstairs by Lisa Jewell
• Behind Closed Doors by BA Paris 
• Seven Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle by Stuart Turton 
• The Silent Patient by Alex Michaelides
• The Flight Attendant by Chris Bohjalian 

Medical 

I’m not sure if this is the kind of thing that you want to be reading right now, but personally I really love these kind of books and find that they give a glimpse into what life is like for those working in the medical system.

• This is Going to Hurt by Adam Kay
• War Doctor by David Nott 
• Critical: Science and stories from the brink of human life by Matt Morgan *
• The Prison Doctor by Doctor Amanda Brown 
• Do No Harm; Life, Death and Brain Surgery by Henry Marsh 

Non-Fiction 

If you’re using this lockdown time to learn, grow and develop then these books might be up your street…

• Invisible Women by Carolina Perez *
• This Too Shall Pass by Julia Samuel *
• Girl Wash Your Face by Rachel Hollis – I wrote a review of this last year 
• Black Box Thinking by Matthew Syed 
• Grit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance by Angela Duckworth
• Essentialism: The  Disciplined Pursuit of Less by Greg McKeown *
• Happy Fat by Sofie Hagen 
• Everything is Figuroutable by Marie Forleo 
• The Impossible First by Colin O’Brady 
• The Secret Barrister *
• Red Notice by Bill Browder
• She Said by Jodi Kantor and Megan Twohey 
• Maybe You Should Talk to Someone by Lori Gottleib
• Good Morning; I love You, Mindfulness and Self-Compassion Practices 
• The Leader Who Had No Title by Robin Sharma 
• Women Who Fight Back by Stacey Dooley 
• No-one is Too Small to Make a Difference by Greta Thunberg
• The Future We Choose by Chrisitana Figueres and Tom Rivett-Carnac 
• Buy Yourself the F*ckin Lillies by Tara Schuster
• Born a Crime by Trevor Noah 
• Bad Blood by John Carreyrou 
• The Book of Gutsy Women: Stories of Courage and Resilience by Chelsea and Hilary Clinton 
• Bit of a Stretch: Diaries of a Prisoner by Chris Atkins 

Running & Fitness 

Help stay motivated and inspired during these unique times:

• Run to the Finish by Amanda Brooks 
• North by Scott Jurek
• The Pants Of Perspective by Anna McNuff
• Cook Eat Run – obviously including my own cookbook in here – the perfect chance to get into the kitchen! (currently on sale for £8.90!)
• Leap In by Alexandra Heminsley 
• Inside a Marathon by Scott Fauble 
• Let Your Mind Run by Deena Kastor
• Marathon Woman by Kathrine Switzer
• Running for my Life by Rachel Ann Cullen 
• Jog On by Bella Mackie 
• 401; The Man who ran 401 marathons in 401 days by Ben Smith 
• 26 Marathons by Men Keflezighi 

I’ve had some requests for more of a bookclub style monthly review, let me know if this is something you’re interested in!

What books would you recommend? What have you read recently?