Recent Reads I'd Recommend #6

In my last book recommendations post at the back end of last year I mentioned that I don't have as much time for reading as I used to. However, I seem to have turned over a new leaf this year and am now powering through books like there's no tomorrow. I've got into the habit of going up to bed a bit earlier, putting my phone away for the night and reading a chapter or two, which I like to think is helping me sleep better too. Anyway, enough of my sleeping/reading habits, here are the best books I've read so far this year:

The Beekeeper of Aleppo by Christy Lefteri // I'm going to be bold here and say this is probably the best book I've ever read (I gave it five stars on Goodreads and that is something I never do). The Beekeeper of Aleppo follows the journey of a Syrian beekeeper and his wife as they try to reach England and claim asylum. It covers not only the physical and emotional challenges of being a refugee, but also the lasting mental impact such trauma can have. Although not based on a true story, it is inspired by refugees the author met in real life and it definitely captures what I imagine to be a fairly realistic picture of what one person's journey could be like.

The Giver of Stars by Jojo Moyes // It took me a while to get into this one and to fully grasp the concept (does anyone else get this when a narrative is so far from your own life experience?), but after a few chapters I couldn't put it down. Based on a true story, a group of women set up a horseback library in 1930s Kentucky to educate the harder to reach members of their community. They face a lot of challenges, including sexism, racism and classicism. What the book demonstrates really well is that people should always be judged on their character and actions over anything else (and should definitely never be judged on anyone's existing biases).

The Thursday Murder Club by Richard Osman // I know people who loved this book and people who hated it so it definitely seems to be an opinion splitter, but I really enjoyed it. A group of OAPs living in a retirement village form a club solving old murder cases, until a real murder case comes along for them to solve. It was a very easy read and probably fairly unrealistic (maybe those are the reasons some people don't like it), but it was different to anything else I've read and I flew through it! I'm yet to read the second in the series, but it's on my list!

What have you been reading recently?

Amy x