lou's library

One of the things I hate the most about social media algorithms is that they tend to promote the content that is already popular and that the users seemingly enjoy. All it means is that on Booktok, you will see the same five books over and over again. Don’t get me wrong: those books are great and deserve the attention and I’m glad social media is helping people find books they love. But I wish lesser-known books worthy of praise would get the same attention on those platforms. So, here are some amazing books that I hardly ever see on social media!

The Heart Is A Lonely Hunter by Carson McCullers

I picked this one up in a charity shop for 1.50 pounds, not knowing what it was about, but very drawn in by the title. The Heart Is A Lonely Hunter was published in 1940 and was Carson McCullers debut novel. She was just 23 when it was published, which is so astonishing to me because her prose is perfect. The novel is set in a small American mill town. It centres on a deaf man and the people he encounters in the town. In some ways, it is a simple story, but there is so much depth to the characters and I could see the entire book playing in my mind like a movie. The writing style and mood reminded me of To Kill A Mockingbird (the highest praise there is, in my opinion) and although there was a heaviness cast over the characters and plot, I found myself incredibly drawn to it. It left me feeling strangely empty and melancholic (yes, that is supposed to be a recommendation). Just one of those books that makes you feel, you know?

Jane Austen At Home by Lucy Worsley

Ironically (considering this blog post is about books you won’t stumble upon on social media), I first heard about Jane Austen At Home on my favourite podcast Books Unbound (which you should totally listen to, if you don’t already do so). As the title suggests, it is a Jane Austen biography, focusing on the homes she inhabited during her life and the impact they have had on her and her writing. It was a fascinating read because it was a reminder of how especially back during Jane Austen’s time, so much depended on how and where you had been brought up. Jane Austen never became wealthy through her writing, as she died far too soon. She often had to struggle to find the time and place to write, which reminded me a lot of A Room Of One’s Own by Virginia Woolf. To me, this attention on the spaces Jane Austen lived in helped to bring into focus what it meant to be an upper-middle class woman at the start of the 19th century. Also, Jane Austen At Home is written with so much love for Jane Austen and is at times also really funny! Anyone trying to understand the world the author wrote about better should definitely read this amazing biography.

Wintering by Katherine May

I didn’t realise how much I needed Wintering until I read it. As I read it at the beginning of spring, this is on my list of books to reread at the end of the year. The subtitle is The Power Of Rest And Retreat In Difficult Times, which is a perfect summary of what to expect from this immaculate piece of non-fiction. Honestly, it felt like a hug in our fast-paced world that seems so hell-bent on generating more, more, more of everything. This memoir was inspired by the author’s husband, who fell ill suddenly, forcing the entire family to recalibrate. This shock is being followed by others in Katherine May’s life, making her take a step back and look at her life from the outside. Wintering, to me, was a rallying cry to dare to take a break when life gets in your way, to listen to yourself and give your mind and body what they are craving. Yes, it is also about the actual season of winter and how it forces us back inside. But there’s so much more to this gem of a book. It is a necessary reminder that even when shit hits the fan, we always retain control of how we react to what happens to us. Wintering is the beautifully written story of a woman who dared to pause.

The Assault by Harry Mulisch

I chose The Assault as my souvenier to take back home with me when I was travelling through the Netherlands last autumn. The goal was to find a book that would remind me of my time in that beautiful country, and when I read the synopsis on the back of The Assault, I knew it was perfect. It’s partly set during the Second World War and centres on a family which is being drawn into an assasination. It’s partly based on true events and illustrates the horrific impact of the war on every-day people. I was told it’s a Dutch classic, and I can totally see why. It draws you in, and even though I was expecting tragedy to strike every time I was turning a page, I also didn’t want to put the book down. It’s written with great care and handles the sensitive subject matter gracefully. Above all, it made me feel for the characters, especially those who, in deep desperation, had to make hard decisions, some of which could be considered mistakes in hindsight. It shows the tragedy of war, and how it destroys everything in its wake.

There you have it, some of my favourite recent reads that I don’t see nearly enough people talk about online. If you need more recommendations, I have a blog post all about underhyped books you should read immediately! ❤