April Reading List
Hey friends,
Well, I’m a day late in sending his out. I forgot to finish it yesterday before watching the football. So here it is, a day late, but better late than never. Some great books this month that I can’t recommend enough.
Klara and The Sun - I haven’t read as many novels as I should have recently, and when I saw this book discounted in my local supermarket, I had to get it. I haven’t read any of Kazuo Ishiguro’s work before, so I didn’t know what to expect. But I was pleasantly surprised by this charming story about a future where children have artificial friends. It’s an interesting story about what it means to be human, life and how quick we are to discard something after professing our love for it.
Anti-Social - This is both a funny and depressing read into the life of a local authority worker in England. If you want an insight into what life is like on council estates in England and the poorer parts of the country, Anti-Social does a great job of conveying the reality. A lot of this isn’t surprising to me, but some of the stories are at once grim and rip-roaringly funny. The sad thing is, the book does a great job of describing why the UK is so dysfunctional despite being the 5th largest economy in the world.
Reflections on The Guillotine - A lesser-known essay by Albert Camus that’s part of the Penguin Great Ideas series. I read this in an hour or two as it’s less than 100 pages long, and was intrigued by Camus’ argument against the death penalty. I didn’t need convincing, but when you read his points, it becomes obvious why it doesn’t work as a deterrent and even more baffling why people seem to think it does.
Every Species Is A Masterpiece - This is one of the twenty books in the Penguin Green Ideas series and is a nice collection of writings by the esteemed naturalist E.O. Wilson. His writing is clear, alarming and hits you square in the heart. The world we live in is a magnificent place but we’re doing our best to trash it. His words on the rate of extinction of species is concerning and show just how damaging humanity can be to the wider world, and why we all need to love nature that little bit more.
Gomorrah - This is one of the grimmest books I’ve ever read. It’s one I’ve wanted to read for a while but never got around to. Well, I’m glad I have now. Roberto Saviano’s look into the barbaric world of the Camorra is incredible and I can only applaud his bravery in publishing this work. It’s an important piece on how organized crime can terrorise a community and suck billions out of an economy all while destroying the area and the lives of local people in the process. What’s most macabre is that members of the Camorra seem to believe they are glorious soldiers fighting for something noble, when, in reality, the opposite is true.
I hope you get around to reading a few of these selections. Whether you read them in the next month or year, I’m not bothered. The idea of my reading lists is to encourage you, the reader, to read more.
If more of us read, and read books outside of our comfort zone, the world would be a better place. You don’t know what you don’t know. Reading is one of the best ways to fill in those gaps in your knowledge.
If you have any comments about the books, maybe you’ve read one before. Or if you have some recommendations for me, I’m all ears. I’d love to hear your thoughts!
Until next time,
Tom