Books I’ve thoroughly enjoyed …

This morning, I was chatting ‘books’ with someone who enjoys reading. I don’t like recommending titles as we’re all so different in our choices and tastes. All too often I’ve had people say to me ‘you must read (insert book title) – it’s the best!’. I’ve then read the said title and thought it totally naff! Worse still, I’ve wanted to bill someone for the twenty hours I’ve wasted, plus the cost of the book. Shame that isn’t a thing in life? As a result, I tend to mention books which I’ve thoroughly enjoyed and which have stayed with me long after the final page. I tend to give the briefest outline highlighting what I liked. I’d happily scrub these five books from my memory enabling me to read and enjoy them again for the first time! Below, I’ve provided the beginning of the official blurb too.  
 
Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen – you knew it would be there! I simply adore it. I’ve read this novel so many times since I was a teenager and I still find something new every time. I’m rereading it at the moment, just because I can!  
The official Blurb:  Jane Austen's much-adapted novel is famed for its witty, spirited heroine, sensational romances, and deft remarks on the triumphs and pitfalls of social convention.
 
The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot – this book truly amazed me. I had never heard of HeLa cells before but was gripped with this real-life story. And, very grateful!
The official Blurb: Her name was Henrietta Lacks, but scientists know her as HeLa. She was a poor Southern tobacco farmer who worked the same land as her enslaved ancestors, yet her cells—taken without her knowledge—became one of the most important tools in medicine. 
 
Where The Crawdads Sing by Delia Owen – set in the ‘deep South’ – this book reminded me of Harper Lee’s ‘To Kill A Mocking Bird’ - the tone, the style, the injustice of life.  
The official Blurb: For years, rumours of the “Marsh Girl” haunted Barkley Cove, a quiet fishing village. Kya Clark is barefoot and wild; unfit for polite society. So in late 1969, when the popular Chase Andrews is found dead, locals immediately suspect her.
 
The Kite Runner – Khaled Hosseini – set in Afghanistan in 1975, a country I knew very little about. Filled with beautiful descriptions of landscapes, kite flying and cultural tradition. Warning: one scene contains a sexual assault/violence – just saying as I wouldn’t wish for anyone to be emotionally triggered or affected, if you’ve experienced this in life. 
The official Blurb: The unforgettable, heartbreaking story of the unlikely friendship between a wealthy boy and the son of his father's servant, The Kite Runner is a beautifully crafted novel set in a country that is in the process of being destroyed. It is about the power of reading, the price of betrayal, and the possibility of redemption; and an exploration of the power of fathers over sons—their love, their sacrifices, their lies.  
 
We Need To Talk About Kevin – Lionel Shriver – having worked in schools and met many adorable pupils … well, I couldn’t put it down! 
The official Blurb: Eva never really wanted to be a mother - and certainly not the mother of the unlovable boy who murdered seven of his fellow high school students, a cafeteria worker, and a much-adored teacher who tried to befriend him, all two days before his sixteenth birthday.    

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