I am delighted to welcome Cally Taylor - whose debut novel, Heaven Can Wait, Helen reviewed just yesterday - to Five Minutes Peace. Take it away, Cally!
When Keris asked me to write a guest post about my five favourite books to curl up I had to have a long, hard think. I know what my five favourite books of all time are (although I do switch a couple around occasionally) but ‘books to curl up with' is a completely different issue! To me a book you curl up with is akin to chocolate, a log fire or a deep bubble bath – something that allows you to escape from the real world for a while. Here they are...
High Fidelity by Nick Hornby
In a nutshell: It’s about a man who, when his girlfriend leaves him, rakes through his past relationships to try and understand where it all went wrong.
Why I love it: I think High Fidelity was the first book - written by a man about relationships - I’d read that wasn’t from a pervert’s point of view (Lolita by Nabakov) or obsessed with sex (anything by Henry Miller). There’s something so everyday-man about Rob, the main character in High Fidelity. He could be a friend of mine, or even someone I’ve dated and for that reason he’s very real. I loved his obsession with music, his constant list-making, his flawed, funny personality and couldn’t help but root for him all the way through.
Vince and Joy by Lisa Jewell
In a nutshell: A warm, romantic story about first love and searching for ‘the one’
Why I love it: I’m a huge fan of Lisa Jewell. In fact, she’s my favourite chick-lit author ever and I’ve read everything she’s written. The topic of this book, first love, is something we can all relate to and you can’t help but root for Vince and Joy as they stumble through life and various disastrous relationships until finally... no, I won’t give it away what happens. I had a hard time deciding which Jewell novel to choose but this particular book helped me through a difficult time in my life and one of the sub-plots helped me make a difficult decision.
After You’d Gone by Maggie O’Farrell
In a nutshell: A mystery and love story rolled into one. A woman sees something terrible and ends up comatose in a hospital bed as her past floods back.
Why I love it: Anyone I’ve ever met who has read this book has loved it and I’m no exception. It’s an absolutely astonishing novel that packs such an emotional punch you’ll be left reeling for days after you’ve read it. Maggie O’Farrell’s use of language is exquisite. This is the book I wish I’d written.
How I Live Now – Meg Rosoff
In a nutshell: It’s World War III and a teenaged girl is sent from America to stay with her cousins in the UK. They spend an idyllic summer in the countryside - until the UK is invaded too.
Why I love it: I hadn’t read any Young Adult since I was a young adult myself but a review I read online convinced me to buy this book. I wasn’t disappointed. From the very first paragraph I was sucked into Daisy’s world and remained trapped there until the last page. The book started off quite light-hearted but, as the story progressed, it became so intense, with so much at risk, I couldn’t put it down.
The Handmaid’s Tale – Margaret Atwood
In a nutshell: The Republic of Gilead offers Offred only one function: to breed. If she doesn’t she will be hanged at the wall or sent out to die slowly of radiation sickness. But even a repressive state cannot obliterate desire.
Why I love it: I couldn’t write a list of top 5 books without mentioning Margaret Atwood. I seem to have a bit of a thing for dystopian societies (see ‘How I Live Now’) and this book is one of the best ever written. Most novels on the subject are written by men (‘Brave New World’ and ‘1984’ are two of my favourites) but this is the first novel I’d ever read about a dystopian society that was written by a woman, and featured a female main character. It’s a hugely thought-provoking novel about women’s desires and rights and their role in the world.
Cally Taylor is the author of “Heaven Can Wait”, a supernatural romantic-comedy about a woman who dies the night before her wedding and tries to return to earth as a ghost.
Great list! I'm a huge Meg Rosoff fan but chick lit wise, I would choose Marian Keyes, Sophie Kinsella and Catherine Alliott ... although I do like Lisa Jewell too :o)
Posted by: Karen | 30 October 2009 at 02:43 PM
Hi Cally - you have my top two in order! Now I am compelled to go get the Maggie O'Farrell after such a glowing review. Daughter read and loved the Meg Rosoff too. Great post, thanks.
Posted by: Debs | 30 October 2009 at 06:10 PM
I've read 1,4 & 5 but shall check out 2&3. 'How I Live Now' is one of my favourites too. (Unlike you I read a lot of YA fiction - far more than I did as a YA, when I was busy reading adult fiction).
Thanks for the recommendations.
Kat
Posted by: Kat W | 30 October 2009 at 07:44 PM
I've read (and loved) 4 out of 5 and will now pick up After You'd Gone..
Posted by: Michelle | 02 November 2009 at 08:29 PM