Different reads for different needs: my top 3

I have at least one book on the go in every room of the house. An easy read next to the bed, something unsettling in the kitchen, a few laughs in the living room, a dip-in in the office, a page-turner in the toilet. Think about it, you don’t always need the same thing from what you’re reading. To me, only reading one book at a time would be like only watching Workin’ Moms: not enough diversity or depth.

Since today is Book Lovers Day, I thought I’d put together a short selection of books that are great to pick up for different needs.

Inspiration or a creative boost:

• Freshwater by Akwaeke Emezi
• Midnight’s Children by Salman Rushdie
• Cat’s Cradle by Kurt Vonnegut

A new point of view:

• There There by Tommy Orange
• The Stranger by Albert Camus
• God Help the Child by Toni Morrison

A change of scenery:

• Other Voices, Other Rooms by Truman Capote
• Crome Yellow by Aldous Huxley
• The Tattooist of Auschwitz by Heather Morris

A bit of perspective:

• The Road by Cormac McCarthy
• The Stand by Stephen King
• Down and out in Paris and London by George Orwell

Good company:

• Raise High the Roof Beam, Carpenters & Seymour: An Introduction by JD Salinger
• [Not a novel, but] Writers at Work: The Paris Reviews Interviews (Series 1)
• A Moveable Feast by Ernest Hemingway

Real life:

• The Five Invitations by Frank Ostaseski
• Stiff: The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers by Mary Roach
• Operating Instructions by Anne Lamott

I’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments… I’m always looking for a good recommendation!

And if you’d like to read some fantastic books with a group of brilliant people, check out Bucket List Book Club.