One year ago, if anyone told me to pick up a novel and read it I would have laughed and then cried. With the amount of reading you have to do at university, reading for pleasure just seemed ridiculous to me. But during the pandemic, when everyone found a new hobby, I found books. Since then I have had a growing collection of fiction novels on my bookshelf and a long list of recommendations. If you have that little voice in your head telling you to pick up a book, now might be a great time to start.
The Wolf Den by Elodie Harper
An incredibly written yet brutal story of a young Greecian girl sold to slavery in Pompeii, this book immediately caught my attention from the first page. Since I have started reading for pleasure, I’ve discovered that I much prefer a faster-paced plot over a beach read. This is exactly what drew me into The Wolf Den to the point of no return. With an eventful life, the leading lady Amara battles a variety of challenges alongside her friends that question her morals and judgement. Not only is the plot enticing and engaging, but the focus on the women in Pompeii brings a well-received feminist touch to the collection of historical Greecian/ Roman fiction books currently sweeping the shelves which often have a male-centric focus.
Historical fiction can be hard to get right. Drawing a reader into a different time without being overzealous with irrelevant details is a balance that most struggle to succeed with. But Elodie Harper’s commitment to this novel has resulted in her viewing Roman artefacts, documents and locations which crop up in her novel to give this story a fantastic level of detail to bring it to life. If you are one for a sequel, Harper is releasing the second book in The Wolf Den series, The House with the Golden Door, in May 2022.
If you are still unconvinced with how much I love this book, the minute I read the last page of The Wolf Den, I pre-ordered the sequel without a second thought. At 464 pages, it may seem too long for some new readers to pick up at first. But I can guarantee you that it won’t seem long enough by the end.
How To Stop Time by Matt Haig
How To Stop Time by Matt Haig was the first book I finished since I was 12 and the whole reason I started to enjoy reading again. Haig is a well-established writer publishing a collection of other popular books such as The Midnight Library and Reasons to Stay Alive. However, my blatant ignorance of the world of books meant I was completely unaware of Haig’s success and just chose this book because it was the first one I found on my housemate’s shelf. I was not let down.
This historical fantasy novel will satisfy those who enjoy unravelling an intriguing plot mixed with a good dash of romance. In How To Stop Time, you follow Tom Hazard, a man who has lived for centuries that feels lost in the concept of time. Tom’s many lives lead you into a variety of different stories that are all connected in one way or another. This not only adds to the excitement of the book, but the addition of a variety of characters, and some famous names make it hard to put this novel down.
Haig’s writing is easy yet mesmerising for anyone to read, which is why this book was a fantastic starting place for me. If you are worried about being overwhelmed by the English language, as I was, this book will ease you into novels and not let you go.
The Silence Of The Girls by Pat Barker
I read 245 pages of this book in one evening. Barkers writing mixed with Greek mythology made this book one of the most engaging I have read in 2021. The Silence Of The Girls focuses on the women in Greek mythology who often get ignored, with Briseis being the leading lady within this novel. With recognisable characters in Greek Mythology such as Achilles and Queen Helen of Troy, this book is a great place to start for those interested in such stories. Briseis, Achilles slave girl, adds a new and unthought-of narrative to these mythological tales and, much like in The Wolf Den, adds a welcomed female-centric point of view to some well known, male-focused stories.
Barker’s harsh writing pairs well with the brutality of these tales from the Trojan War, bringing an atmosphere that encompasses the story skillfully. The sequel to The Silence Of The Girls has already been released in the summer of 2021 and is named The Women of Troy. This novel continues Briseis’s narrative after the Trojan war has ended and resumes the telling of this Greek mythology. The Women of Troy is the next, of many, books on my to-read list that I cannot wait to get started on.
Too Many Books
These were just three of the many books I have read over the last eight months. Although I could probably write pages about the other books on my shelf, I would not want to overwhelm any aspiring readers! With many new exciting releases coming in 2022, and many old classics yet to read, I don’t think my recommendation list will ever cease.
No matter whether you haven’t read in 10 years or 10 minutes, these books (in my opinion) are some of the most engaging and interesting books for anyone looking for a good novel to read in that cosy corner.