Book Recommendations?

Book Recommendations?

I’ve been reading a lot lately, essentially because my mode of work has shifted from partially to completely virtual.

This year I’ve been on a roll. I don’t usually take reading challenges but if there’s a book/writer I really REALLY wanna read, I make it a point that I read it/them.

Some of the books I read and loved (in no particular order) this year include :-

– My Brilliant Friend (all 4 books) by Elena Ferrante
– Cleopatra and Frankenstein by Coco Mellors
– Love in the Big City by Sang Young Park
– Heaven by Meiko Kawakami
– Roman Stories by Jhumpa Lahiri (I like everything she writes)
– A Room of One’s Own by Virginia Woolf
– Birnam Wood by Eleanor Catton
– Love in the Time of Cholera by Gabriel Garcia Marquez

Besides I also read the entire shortlist for the Man Booker Prize 2023 in addition to two books in the longlist (The House of Doors and In Ascension).

I am currently reading the Amgash series by Elizabeth Strout.

On my side table, in the “to read” pile I have books like:-

– Forbidden Notebook by Alba de Céspedes
– Americanah by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
– Antartica by Claire Keegan
– Beloved by Toni Morrison
– Clear Light of Day by Anita Desai

I also wanted to challenge myself by reading the following books but I had to put a pause on them:

– Middlemarch
– The Grapes of Wrath
– The Red and the Black
– Memoirs of a Dutiful Daughter (Simone de Beauvoir’s Memoir)

I think I got distracted by other “easier” books but I do aim to finish these books as well.

I’ve also just finished learning French (C1). So I aim to read more French books as well, especially some Annie Ernaux.

Also, I think I should clarify that my day job is nowhere related to English/French Literature. Reading is purely a beloved hobby for me and an escape from my corporate and complicated personal life.

Hence, I’d like to know from you, in the light of the aforementioned information, what books would you recommend I read?

Also, if you’ve read any of the books mentioned here, I’d love to have a book discussion with you!

Tl;dr – I need book recommendations!

Thanks!

by Globally20