What was the last book that you read? Was it good?
Maybe you’ve just finished a great story and are missing the characters.
Maybe it’s been a while since you read anything.
Maybe you’re looking for a fantastic book.
With fewer adults and children currently reading for pleasure, perhaps you need something outstanding to start you off…
Have a look at the books you should read immediately- they’re all very different, and all very brilliant!
Piranesi by Susanna Clarke
Piranesi lives alone in a vast, astonishing house. The rooms are infinite, the corridors endless. The sea surrounds the house, flowing through its lower chambers and dramatically flooding the vast building. Clouds fill the upper halls.
Piranesi lives to explore. He knows the rooms and the tides. He watches the stars. He loves the mysterious statues. He never leaves the house – he’s always been there, and always will be. His existence is perfectly ordered and predictable.
Then he sees messages.
Scratched in chalk. Warnings.
Someone else is in his house.
Piranesi searches for the truth in a confusing, dreamlike world where nothing is as it really seems.
Susanna Clarke’s simple, hypnotic story unfolds beautifully as we discover more and more about Piranesi and his strange life. Her beguiling words make us care deeply for Piranesi – we become desperate to understand what is going on.
When we finally do, it’s astonishing, heart-breaking, jaw-dropping, and incredibly tempting to read the book all over again!
A Walk in the Woods by Bill Bryson
Fancy a walk? Ever looked at a path and thought, ‘Hmmm… where does that go?’ How about spending some time outdoors, getting back to nature?
Bill Bryson’s perfect account of his hike along the Appalachian Trail details his battle with fitness, the wilderness, and much, much more as he attempts to complete the 2000-mile challenge.
Voted the funniest travel book of all time, A Walk in the Woods is hilarious. And educational. And inspiring. And, in places, deeply moving. Bryson captures the beauty of the natural world, whilst contrasting it perfectly with luxuries that we take completely for granted. His writing makes us yearn for the adventure of exploration, but appreciate safety and a comfy bed!
The book also features one of the most infuriating, ridiculous, flawed, yet strangely lovable characters ever to grace a non-fiction text – the great Stephen Katz.
If you read the whole book and never once, even for a second, think about walking the Appalachian Trail yourself someday, I’ll be astonished!
The King of the Copper Mountains by Paul Biegel
How about a perfect story for younger readers?
Gentle and beloved King Masolain has ruled benevolently for a thousand years. His realm was once home to many animals, dwarfs, and even dragons. But now, only the Hare remains to look after the old king. Masolain is finally reaching the end of his days.
Yet, there is still hope…
The Wonder Doctor diagnoses that a potion brewed from the elusive Golden Speedwell will cure the kindly king. He will undertake the perilous journey to its source, but it will take time.
Time the King no longer has.
So the Doctor prescribes something else to keep King Masolain alive until his return.
A story.
A different story every night, told by a different creature.
So unfolds Paul Biegel’s perfect tale of friendship, trust, loyalty and love.
A tale of magic and hope.
Young readers, just like King Masolain, will be desperate to hear each story and anxious for the Wonder Doctor’s successful return.
A truly beautiful book.
Dark Matter by Michelle Paver
Britain 1937. Gloomy, repressive, on the brink of war.
Jack Miller is working in a menial, dispiriting job when he unexpectedly receives an offer of adventure. He can join an expedition to Gruhuken in the Arctic as a wireless operator. Jack barely hesitates before signing up.
At first, the expedition goes well – the weather is good, the scientific research is successful, the landscape is beautiful. Except…
Something is very wrong.
It’s there in the scared faces of the boat crew who take Jack and his group to Gruhuken.
It’s there in the pile of bleached bones by the old, abandoned miner’s cabin.
It’s there in the solitary figure that Jack glimpses staring at his camp.
And then winter comes on, bringing the endless Arctic night.
His companions are forced to leave the island, but Jack stays to continue the research.
In the bitter darkness and the deadly storms, cut off by the frozen sea, Jack realises that the Arctic isn’t the only danger.
He isn’t alone.
Throughout Dark Matter, Michelle Paver brilliantly captures feelings of isolation, fear, and panic. The sense of growing dread that envelops Jack seeps out of the pages to deeply unsettle the reader.
You’ll read deep into the night, desperate to find out what happens.
With all the lights on!
The End of the Whole Mess by Stephen King
Another scary story? Nope. This short tale by horror maestro Stephen King isn’t frightening in the usual sense. For just a few pages, we join Howard Fornoy as he recounts the sorry state of a world poised on the brink of disaster. International relations have collapsed and nuclear Armageddon seems inevitable.
Enter Bobby Fornoy, Howard’s younger brother who just happens to be a genius.
Since Howard last saw him, Bobby’s been busy. He’s spent months studying the most peaceful town in the States and has a plan to save the world.
As he listens to the audacious ideas, Howards is astonished, but almost immediately convinced. A simple way to make everyone peaceful and calm? What could possibly go wrong?
The brilliance of the story lies in King’s beautiful glimpses of Howard’s early life with Bobby – a child prodigy with incredible talents yet fragile flaws. We can feel the brotherly love between them and empathise with Howard’s protective attitude toward his gifted but naïve sibling.
Written in the first person by Howard, the story is simple and elegant, with details left deliberately vague. King employs a very smart technique to ensure a cracking pace is maintained – Howard has absolutely no time to waste. By the time we reach the end and the shocking truth is revealed, we genuinely care about our narrator.
Read it in one go. You’ll need to.
So, there you go – five books to read right now. Pick one, start, and enjoy!
