I used to hate reading- I just didn’t have the attention span for it and just couldn’t concentrate on it. However, when I was stuck at home, I tried reading to give me something to do. It was a bit of hard work at first but now I absolutely love it!! I try to read a bit everyday and find it a really good escape from the real world. In this blog I want to talk about some of my favourite books that I have read any why I find them so good!!
1. Becoming- Michelle Obama
This book… oh my god this book. It is incredible. Michelle Obama is such a strong, inspiring woman and hearing her story, and the difference she makes was just incredible. The way she doesn’t let her husband’s influence affect the way she wants to make an impact on the world. After reading this book and researching more about her, she is now one of my biggest role models. This book is so good, especially for women- whether young or old. It gave me an energy, an enthusiasm that I really lacked at the time. All in all, this book was just insane (and a very decent price on amazon!!)
2. Circe- Madeline Miller
This is a fiction book focusing on the daughter of the Greek god Helios. I was kinda concerned when I bought this book- I didn’t really know if a book on Greek mythology would be for me but based on the good reviews I decided to go for it… I was not disappointed!! The story was amazing and I don’t think there was one point in the story where I felt bored or as if I wasn’t enjoying it (usually there’s a couple of pages in each book I don’t enjoy). Circe is such a strong, independent woman who just didn’t fit in. I guess I just felt like I kind of related to her- even though she is immortal and has loads of crazy cool powers! This was a very fun read, and one that again I feel like many women in particular would enjoy.
3. 1984- George Orwell
This book is definitely considered a classic. I never had to read it at school but my English teacher always talked about it, so eventually I decided to take the risk and buy it. The story was written so long ago and yet is so relevant in modern day! There were scenarios in the book that genuinely hit me- ones I had to read over just to get the full effect. The themes are so strong and the ending was definitely not what I expected. To be honest at the time I was disappointed at the ending, but then I thought about it more and realised just how fitting and genius it is. I feel like this book is aimed at a wide audience and explores many themes that are so relevant over half a decade later. I also read animal farm by George Orwell after enjoying this book so much, and although I liked animal farm, I feel as if 1984 surpassed it by quite a large margin.
4. Little fires everywhere- Celeste Ng
This book was an amazing fiction tale. It has won awards and it is very clear why! Ng focuses largely on character development and the ending seriously hit my hard- I was sobbing at it. It made me think, and think hard about life and what is actually important. The story at times seemed to be slightly dragged out but was still enjoyable, and it was definitely worth the longer bits for such an ending. I one day really hope that they make a film based on this book, as I think if done well, it could be such a simple yet amazing film that really makes you think when you come out. Ng has another book called “everything I never told you”, which is a shorter novel and also very good ;however , I feel as if ‘little fires everywhere’ really stuck with me more.
5. Seven habits of highly effective people- Stephen R Covey
I think that this book is amazing for everyone. It focuses on a work-life balance and really teaches you to focus more on your values and what you believe in, than following the crowd and agreeing with something that just doesn’t blend with your morals. This book was actually recommended by a YouTuber called Matthias (on his channel the exec). Matt is one of my biggest inspirations and is just a truly incredible man, father, and CEO of three different companies. After reading the book, I can see why he references it so much! I will definitely refer back to it in the future to help keep me on track when I go off on a tangent!!
There are also many other books that I have enjoyed but I don’t want this blog to be too long!! I will probably make more posts in the future about reading as it is something that I think is an incredible thing. If anyone has any book recommendations please let me know!
Thank you guys!
Zoe x
my life with mental illness 
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