I have always loved reading. I look at it like exploring; there is always something new and exciting to find in a good book. Over the years I have explored many books, both good and bad, but there are are certain ones that have stuck with me. The reason? They were able to teach me the best lessons about the world and myself, and that is why I want to share them with you today.
Let’s start with Bloom and It, both of which are down-to-earth books written by women that I admire, beauty blogger Estée LaLonde and the forever chic Alexa Chung respectively. In both books these wonderful women share their life experiences and the lessons that they have learnt along the way. Each page in each book is beautifully written and scattered with pictures of both women’s lives and inspirations. Bloom and It have taught me invaluable lessons about style and being myself and I will read them again and again.
Onto poetry, there’s something I never thought I would say. I never had myself down as someone who would get into poetry. I have always liked it, don’t get me wrong, but found it hard to connect with. That was until I read Bukowski’s You Get So Alone At Times. It was relatable, youthful and brilliant. This book opened the door for me to the world of poetry and for that I will be eternally grateful. If you don’t like poetry, or think you don’t, then I urge you to give it one more try with this book and hopefully you won’t be disappointed.
Novel wise I have a few favourites, The Perks of Being a Wallflower being one of them. This is a beautiful book which shows Charlie, the main character, overcoming all the baggage that comes with growing up and so much more. It is a nostalgic, funny and heart-wrenching story and is sure to both make you laugh and cry. This book taught me that it is ok to be different and that Rocky Horror is flippin’ awesome, what more could you want.
Another novel that I love is The Handmaid’s Tale. It is a powerful story of oppression and morals, love and religion and perhaps one of my favourite books of ALL time. I read it at school and it really left a mark on me. I have talked about it on here before (see Favourite Books/ The Handmaid’s Tale & Girl Boss) so I won’t go on and on again but if you only choose one book to read out of my recommendations then make it this one. It’s a goodun’.
I hope you have enjoyed reading about the five of the books that have influenced my life so far, I wonder which ones have influenced yours? These are only five of many books that have been important in my life so far and I have so many more I would love to share with you, so watch out for that over the next few months.
Love Holly x