Whether reading has been your perfect escapism or you’re struggling to find a book to focus on, we’ve picked some books which have comforted us during quarantine.
It’s also a women-only list because only 16 women have won the Booker Prize compared to 31 men (that’s half!). So, supporting these incredible women is another reason to pick up a great new book.
If you want to support indy bookshops while you’re at it, here’s a map showing every bookshop in the UK still delivering. Whoever made this is an absolute hero.
1. Mrs Dalloway by Virginia Wolf
It’s a short book with no chapters which spans over a day in 1924 while Mrs Clarissa Dalloway prepares for a party that evening. Throughout the book it switches between different characters as they all intersect. It reads like poetry and feels like you’re going for a walk through London – which is an absolute dream right now. If you want to be poetically transported to 1920s central London on a balmy summer’s day, this is absolutely the book for you. But, be warned, there’s not a huge plot – you just meander through one of their days.
– Ffion Clarke (@FfionJourno)
2. Feminine Gospels by Carol Ann Duffy
It’s a poetry anthology full of feminist and autobiographical poems, following a generally chronological pattern. There are poems about women through history and the main life events which have shaped Duffy. It’s been great to revisit during lockdown because it reminds me that this is only a small part of my life and I have so many good things ahead of me that will happen outside of this house!
– Serafina Kenny (@serafinakenny_)
3. Girl, Woman, Other by Bernardine Evaristo
This has been so comforting to read during lockdown. The book follows the stories of 16 women who are all connected to each other in different ways, whether they’re aware of it or not. It also deals with issues like race, sexuality and class in a sensitive and skilful way. Evaristo weaves a rich tapestry and builds a sense of community between the 16 women, which is very heartwarming during this time of isolation.
– Joanna Magill (@joannamagill)
Our contributor, Meg Fitzwater (@meg_fitzwater), also described it as ‘AMAZING’, and I’ve gone through 150 pages of it today – I’m hooked!
4. Hope in the Dark by Rebecca Solnit
Solnit uses Virginia Woolf’s quote “the future is dark, which is the best thing the future can be, I think”, and builds upon it. It really give you hope and makes you realise that progress is slow and outcomes aren’t immediate.
– Emily Algar (@EmilyAlgar)
5. Salt to Sea by Ruta Sepetys
It’s a tragic but heart-warming untold story from World War Two told from four different perspectives. It reminds me that people have lived through tragedies before and we’ll live through this.
– Orla McAndrew (@orlamcandrew_)
If you’ve got any books you’d like to add to this list, leave a comment below!
Ffion Clarke
Featured image courtesy of Ed Robertson and can be found on Unsplash.
ffionclarke
Hi, I'm Ffion! I'm a co-founder of the project and a trainee broadcast journalist at Cardiff University :)