To mark World Book Day, Islington Now writers share what they’ve loved reading this year.
James Ashworth: The Last Hero, Terry Pratchett
The Last Hero, by the late, great Sir Terry, is not his longest book, not by a long chalk. It is, however, one of the most beautiful, with illustrations throughout by Paul Kidby. Beauty can also be found in its story, of a group of barbarians who feel out of place as the increasingly modern world leaves them behind. It’s touching, exciting, and a lot of fun – just as books should be.
Georgia Heneage: Educated, Tara Westover
It’s not often that you come across a story that is so shocking and inspirational that you can’t believe it is true. This is the power of Educated: it is a beautifully crafted autobiography about a young girl trapped in an abusive and narrow-minded Morman family, and it charts her quest to find an education and break out of the ignorance that has been imposed on her. As you read it, you anticipate the moment she acquires the language to tell you her story in the first place.
Ian Johnston: If on a winter’s night a traveller, Italo Calvino
Credit: Vintage Classics
I’m reading a book about reading. Italo Calvino’s If on a winter’s night a traveller follows a reader who begins novel after novel, gets sucked into each storyline and, just as the plot thickens, is distracted or unable to continue. It’s a comment on how, why and what we read by one of Italy’s best-known novelists. Funny, frustrating, very meta and quite pretentious – what’s not to love?
Martha Comerford: Three Women, Lisa Taddeo
Though it reads like fiction, this book is a closely observed piece of journalism. Following three women in America of varying age and class, the story takes a deep dive into their stories of love and sex, disecting their relationships and sitting beside them for years of their lives. Lisa Taddeo produces an achingly sad account of what shapes female desire, but also a moving manifesto for independence and strength for modern women.
Isaac Peltz: The Silent Patient, Alex Michaelides
The Silent Patient is a suspense-building thriller à la Gillian Flynn’s Gone Girl. The seemingly perfect life of Alicia Berenson takes a major hit when she shoots her husband in the head five times. Six years later, and she still hasn’t uttered a word. Theo Faber is the psychologist who thinks he can help Alicia rediscover her voice. A page-turner with a spell-binding twist!
Elmira Tanatarova: Mythos, Stephen Fry
Mythos was this summer’s summer bestseller but has been just as enjoyable in the colder winter months. Entailing Greek myths in a humorous, approachable way, reading Mythos is like watching an Ancient Greece-themed QI episode. Witty, clever and extremely readable, Fry brings old classic stories a new life, and makes them enjoy us all over again.
