The Blushes Reading List 2021
There comes a point when Netflix is releasing new films far slower than we’re watching them, we’re bored of baking and we left the motivation to do home workouts in lockdown 1.0. Now what? In today’s world it’s often pretty rare that we sit down with an actual paper book, rather than a kindle, e-book or an online article but there are so many benefits to reading especially for self-care. It’s better for our eyes for one, reducing our exposure to blue light for a while and can act as a great wind-down process in the evenings.
There’s nothing better than starting a book that you can’t put down, you get so invested in the characters and the world they’re living in that you have to keep reading on. In such a saturated field it can be tricky to know what’s worth buying and what isn’t, so we’ve put together a list of titles that are on everyone’s digital lips right now to get started on.
As we are nearing the last few weeks of lockdown as we know it, now more than ever we’re searching for just a little escapism, a step out of our weird new daily routines and into the world of someone or something else for a while.
We asked the Blushes teams for their favourite books and they came up with a (very) comprehensive list that will follow below!
Luster- Raven Lelani
Luster charts the trials and tribulations of a 23 year old black woman navigating the landscape of racial and sexual politics in today’s world. Leading a directionless and unfulfilling life, the protagonist Edie, provides a commentary on race, gender, class and sexuality as a millennial. Jam-packed with dry humour, messy feelings, crushed ambitions and self-destructive tendencies Luster made it on to GQ’s 2021 reading list, courtesy of Barack Obama, making it a must-read for 2021.
Where The Crawdads Sing - Delia Owens
A beautifully haunting tale of Kya, aka the Marsh Girl, a mysterious death and the realities of being abandoned by all. Set in a quiet town on the North Carolina coast in the 1960's Owens narrative achieves a superbly realistic depiction of the landscape that has you living through the events with Kya. “Where the Crawdads Sing” explores abandonment, loneliness and being ostracised while the main character Kya continues through with hope, resilience and quiet endurance. A moving, and heartbreaking tale of survival.
Klara and the Sun - Kazuo Ishiguro
In a world where we’re getting closer and closer to the possibility of AI being tangible, screenwriters, novelists and others alike continue to be fascinated by the inner workings of the AI. The narrative is written from Klara, the AF’s perspective and though she exclaims “I believe I have many feelings, the more I observe, the more feelings become available to me.” it serves as a cool reminder that AF/AI can only observe the spectrum of human emotion, rather than feel it- as much as we might think otherwise.
But You’re Still So Young - Kayleen Shaffeur
“But you’re still so young” explores a sentiment that has still to this day been drummed into us by our parents and grandparents generations - that we should have achieved certain milestones by certain ages. The book pivots on the societal expectations instilled to us by giving us other viewpoints. Based on the antiquated view of the five main life events, Shaffeur gives narrative to people in different walks of life in their thirties and where they actually are. This makes for both an interesting read and a comforting one for anyone around the 20-30’s age bracket.
You Changed My Life (The Upside Memoir) - Abdel Sallou
A heart-warming memoir from Abdel Sallou about his relationship with a wealthy french quadriplegic. The book explores the unlikely friendship between an irreverent con-man with sharp wit and the unexpected personal growth that comes from seeing how the other half live from both perspectives. An uplifting book turned into the film The Upside featuring Kevin Hart as Sallou and Bryan Cranston as Phillipe Pozzo di Borgo. While the film doesn’t, the book delves into the past of Sallou as a young immigrant in Paris giving us a realistic insight into the struggles of emigrating to another country in poverty.
Before the Coffee Gets Cold - Toshikazu Kawaguchi
Time-travelling may be a bit of a far reach for some, but Kawaguchi executes this in a sensitive and plausible way. The novel is split into four sections with different protagonists using the cafe’s time-travelling facility for different reasons. Kawaguchi’s construction of this allows each characters second chance to be its own standalone story which makes you all the more invested. A moving story exploring grief, regret and attempted redemption.
The teams from all four salons have put together a (slightly longer) list of their favourites down below:
For the fantasy lovers: The name of the wind Patrick Rothfuss
For the coffee table stagers: Grace by Grace Coddington Thirty years of fashion @ Vogue,All black everything by Sally Faye
For a dive into the human psyche: The Chimp Paradox by Prof.Steve Peters
For the comedy lovers: Good Omens Neil Gaiman
For the crime aficionados: The stranger beside me by Ann Rule, Deviant by Harold Schechter, Arséne Lupin by Maurice Le Blanc
For the dream followers: The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho
For the psychological thriller lovers: The Girl Before JP Delaney
For those with kids under 6: Dave by Sue Hendra
