In need of some reading inspiration? Here are the novels, poetry and non-fiction books we'll be picking up during lockdown 3.0...

Poems To Save The World With
Illustrated and Edited by Chris Riddell

For some reasons, all this pandemic gloom has unexpectedly awakened a soft spot of poetry in many people. Perhaps it’s the ability to dip in and out, find a little something for every and achieve something that day, even if it’s just reading a few short lines. This collection featuring poems by everyone from Emily Dickenson to Nikita Gill promises to fit this category perfectly. 

A follow up to Chris Riddell’s hugely successful Poems To Live Your Life By and Poems To Fall In Love With, it’s beautifully illustrated and split into three broad categories - Happy Thoughts, With Only One Life, Everything Is Going To Be Okay – and promises a “hope, happiness, rebellion and comfort,” all much needed right now.  

Luster
Raven Leilani
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Already a smash hit in the US, Raven Leilani’s debut novel Luster will hit shelves in the UK on 21st January. Charting central character Edie’s negotiation through modern life, from dead-end hook ups and crushed ambitions to a romantic liaison that has disaster written all over it, it’s been described as “razor sharp, provocatively page-turning and surprisingly tender.” Ideal cuppa-and-rainy-day kind of material.  

Why We Sleep
Matthew Walker

In what is virtually a cult classic by now, neuroscientist and sleep expert Matthew Walker illuminates the vital importance of sleep and dreaming, delving into topics such as what really happens during REM sleep, how caffeine and alcohol affect sleep and why our sleep patterns change across a lifetime. A great choice if reading more non-fiction is one of your 2021 goals!

She Is Fierce
Edited by Ana Sampson

She Is Fierce is a compilation of poweful poems written by women, from the wonderful Maya Angelou to Margaret Atwood and Ysra Daley-Ward. Covering topics including roots and growing up, love, and protest and resistance, it’ll leave you fired up. There’s nothing like the familiarity of an old friend when things are less than perfect; this is one I come back to again and again.

While you’re waiting for your copy to arrive, have a listen to Ysra Daley-Ward deliver her poem Mental Health as part of her Your Stories And You TedxTalk.

Ghosts
Dolly Alderton

If you loved Dolly Alderton’s first book, Everything I Know About Love, then you’ll surely be keen to read this, her first novel. There seems to be a lot of people on social media talking about how much they love this book right now; from what we can gather, it’s a relatable easy read, which sounds like just the kind of soft distraction we need to pull us through pandemic season.