Our recommended reading: Holly’s reading list
Here are some books that are always on my side table - I can so easily go back and read them time and time again. These are a few of my favourite reading recommendations, ones I’ve found to be real page turners that I can read on holiday, on the train or cosied up at home with a nice cup of tea.
The Book of Hope by Jane Goodall and Douglas Abrams
Based on conversations between Goodall and Abrams throughout 2020, the book poses the question: how do we find hope in dreary times? How can we inspire hope in others especially when hope has never been more desperately needed than now? Goodall, who is a well-known conservationist, creates a strong sense of optimism when you’re reading this book. As you’re turning the pages you feel a sense of warmth and lightness coming from them. Goodall has spent a lifetime fighting for a better future and this book discusses how she became a beacon of hope for many people.
The Alchemist by Paul Coelho
Coelho has written this book in a really authentic and simple way that’s so easy to read you can’t put it down. We follow the character of Santiago who goes on a journey to find treasure in Egypt. We accompany him from his home in Tarifa, Spain and we see how on his expedition he meets many people who in turn instil in him valuable knowledge about life. With its understandable story line, coupled with its underlying themes, we as the reader see how much there is always to be learned with every hardship. When I was reading this book I was always underlining parts and I found this quote really stood out for me : “When we strive to become better than we are, everything around us becomes better, too”.
The Archipelago of Hope by Gleb Raygorodetsky
Raygorodetsky has travelled all around the world meeting different indigenous communities and learning about their ways of interacting with the environment. The book shows how we are not separate from nature, but are simply one part of it and that we are actually dependent on and intertwined with the environment. For me I found this book actually really uplifting and fascinating. Instead of looking at the problems with climate change it looks at all the solutions that are both possible and positive.
The Secret History by Donna Tartt
The Secret History is about a group of classics students with a dark secret at the exclusive Hampden College in New England. Tartt’s use of storytelling keeps you hooked, unable to put the book down from the second you start reading. You enter the elusive world of the lives of these eccentric characters along with their unconventional professor. They become lost in a spiral of intellectual pursuits to reach some ill-fated choices. Reading The Secret History makes you feel like you have a privileged invitation into the inner circle of this enigmatic group of students, set against the haunting backdrop of New England.