As the founder of a literary company it’s no surprise that I’m a bit of a self-confessed bookworm. If you know me it’s also no surprise that I like to force my taste onto all of my friends, or anyone who will listen. I don’t always get them back, and they certainly don’t always get a positive reception (‘Raymond Carver is so depressing’) BUT that doesn’t stop me lending out my favourites. I usually hand them over well-thumbed, full of post it notes and scribbles highlighting the best parts. Why do I recommend the ones that I do? They make think, without telling me how to think. Most fiction is escapist to a certain extent, and many self-help books completely didactic, leaving no room for your own interpretation. These books however, have informed emotions and started thought processes in me that I haven’t found anywhere else:
The UnbearableLightness of Being – Milan Kundera
A book I had always seen being read on the tube by men in tortoiseshell glasses, I finally picked up my own copy last year on a weekend charity shop run. A translated work, originally written in Czech and first published in French, this novel is one part beautiful fiction and one part philosophical declaration. Based on the idea that we only have one life, never to be repeated it explores the life of various characters in Prague and how sex, love and death shape their existence. Thought-provoking, challenging and memorable this novel is best read with an espresso and notebook in hand.
Not That Kind of Girl– Lena Dunham
The ‘it’ book of 2014 I’m pretty sure, much like rats in a big city, there is a copy 4 feet from everyone at any one time. As a massive Girl’s fan the charm of this book was irresistible and it delivered over and over again. Lena’s writing is superb as always but she approaches each topic almost afresh with no prior assumptions about what her experiences have amounted to. Just like any woman in her twenties the impact of her younger years are still coming into fruition and it’s cathartic to explore the idiosyncrasies of Lena’s story.
What We Talk AboutWhen We Talk About Love – Raymond Carver
A collection of short stories about relationships and all the things left unsaid, this is my absolute favourite offering from the eminent Raymond Carver. Everyone I lend this to find it ‘depressing’ or ‘a little unfulfilling’ because with these stories there are no happy endings. Ironically that is why I adore it so much. Carver’s characters are flawed and dark and so are the way they treat each other, but in each open ending (Carver was hugely influenced byHemingway who loved a good cliff hanger) there is space. Space for thought, for reflection and depending on your optimism levels, a bit of hope. What We Talk About When We Talk About Love takes its name from one of the stories of the same name, that you can read here.
Self-Help – LorrieMoore
Sitting on my bookshelf, the words ‘Self-help’ seem to signal the most blatantly named book of all time, but in fact it’s a collection of short stories from Lorrie Moore. Named in such a way not because of its content but rather its narrative style, these stories document female narrators searching for their identities both from within and without. ‘How To Be AnotherWoman’ is the key work in this collection and the one that I find new and deeper meaning in every time I read it. You can read an extract of it here.
The UnbearableLightness of Being – Milan Kundera
A book I had always seen being read on the tube by men in tortoiseshell glasses, I finally picked up my own copy last year on a weekend charity shop run. A translated work, originally written in Czech and first published in French, this novel is one part beautiful fiction and one part philosophical declaration. Based on the idea that we only have one life, never to be repeated it explores the life of various characters in Prague and how sex, love and death shape their existence. Thought-provoking, challenging and memorable this novel is best read with an espresso and notebook in hand.
Not That Kind of Girl– Lena Dunham
The ‘it’ book of 2014 I’m pretty sure, much like rats in a big city, there is a copy 4 feet from everyone at any one time. As a massive Girl’s fan the charm of this book was irresistible and it delivered over and over again. Lena’s writing is superb as always but she approaches each topic almost afresh with no prior assumptions about what her experiences have amounted to. Just like any woman in her twenties the impact of her younger years are still coming into fruition and it’s cathartic to explore the idiosyncrasies of Lena’s story.
What We Talk AboutWhen We Talk About Love – Raymond Carver
A collection of short stories about relationships and all the things left unsaid, this is my absolute favourite offering from the eminent Raymond Carver. Everyone I lend this to find it ‘depressing’ or ‘a little unfulfilling’ because with these stories there are no happy endings. Ironically that is why I adore it so much. Carver’s characters are flawed and dark and so are the way they treat each other, but in each open ending (Carver was hugely influenced byHemingway who loved a good cliff hanger) there is space. Space for thought, for reflection and depending on your optimism levels, a bit of hope. What We Talk About When We Talk About Love takes its name from one of the stories of the same name, that you can read here.
Self-Help – LorrieMoore
Sitting on my bookshelf, the words ‘Self-help’ seem to signal the most blatantly named book of all time, but in fact it’s a collection of short stories from Lorrie Moore. Named in such a way not because of its content but rather its narrative style, these stories document female narrators searching for their identities both from within and without. ‘How To Be AnotherWoman’ is the key work in this collection and the one that I find new and deeper meaning in every time I read it. You can read an extract of it here.
Which books do you always lend out to your friends?
