Barts Book Club: a wonderful reading list with something for everyone
As you know, at Bart we like to read a book. On the train, on the plane, in the lobby. Or just at home on the couch or in bed, that is actually the most common place. It doesn't matter, you can sit comfortably anywhere with a good book. Feel free to read on, then you are already halfway there. Welcome to Barts Book Club.
Of course, a book with more depth is recommended. But truth be told helps correct reading easy to read book us with the proverbial emptying of the head. Favorite in that category? A nice thriller. Well, if we have any tips:
- From the Scandi angle, the best remain whodunnits come. The favorite from that corner is Blood Moon by Jo Nesbo, a new one in the series in which the gruff (and yet likeable) fallen from grace detective Harry Hole stars. It was delicious (and be sure to read all of Jo Nesbro's books – it never disappoints)
- The books of Harlan coben fall into the same category of exciting page turners (even though Coben is an American - a pain in the ass, the same goes for Hellen Fields)
- Love loved LOVED Colleen Hoover: It Ends with Us, It Starts with Us – Every ending has a beginning, and so It Ends with Us is the first book you should read, followed immediately by It Starts with Us.
- The first book we read from Rachel Cain is an instant hit: there's a good chance it will be the first of many. But first things first: Stillhouse Lake. An ordinary housewife's life is changed forever when a car accident reveals that her husband is a serial killer. She quickly goes into hiding and assumes a new identity, but soon, surprise, a new threat finds her…
If you are a little familiar with the book world, then the hyping around the books of the American author Taylor jenkins reid you probably won't have missed it. We also go along with that at Bart hyping and we have already devoured a lot of her historical novels. The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo goes about the life (and secrets) of a Hollywood legend – we even dare to say that if you don't like reading, you will appreciate The Seven Husbands.
Another Taylor Jenkins Reid is malibu rising and is about the surfers scene in the eighties. Daisy Jones & The Six is based on the story of Fleetwood Mac. They read and watch one by one. The Daisy Jones & The Six series has now been announced and the film rights to Malibu Rising have also been sold. We can't wait!
Since we are quite enthusiastic about Barts Book Club, and the list will soon be added we and we apart from this list, we will now divide the Club into different editions. Like this one with books about friendship. Perhaps the most important theme of your life.
And so we – of course – also have a list of books about love . John
But also sustainability, self-care and self-development are discussed. Just like parenting books (really helps)
- It is truly HUGELY addictive Seven Sisters series by Lucinda Riley – really, even if you are skeptical: do it! You will enjoy it. After reading this series, we were infatuated with Lucinda Riley and promptly read (though trills) a number of her other books, such as The Love Letter and Secrets of the Boarding School.
- Happy Place by Emily Henry is a 'booktok' hit and to be honest: that is rarely disappointing in the category feel good. This book is about a couple who... broke up five months ago, but for their annual week-long vacation with their best friends, they pretend they are still together.
Another book whose film adaptation is in the making. The Grace Year, or 'the shadow year' by Kim Liggett, is about a society in which women are extremely oppressed. The entire society is designed to destroy feminine power. Just before their 16th birthday, girls are banished to the wilderness to be purged of their so-called dark powers. Sounds dark and it is, but it is still an enjoyable read. If you liked The Hunger Games, this book is definitely up your alley.
The shadow year, via bol.com
Now, the books in this list are already tips, but if we can recommend one, it would be this one. She by Jennifer Weiner. She is about two sisters, Jo and Bethie, who you follow from childhood to later years. They both take turns talking about different periods of their lives. That's quite interesting, because as befits sisters, they each have a different view of their lives.
Jo and Bethie are very close to each other, but also very different. Older sister Jo is the tomboy who likes women, sister Bethie is the good girl who wants nothing more than a straight life. So the sisters have a different view on things, but they also share the same parents and upbringing. And they are typical sisters: Jo has qualities - external or otherwise - that Bethie admires and, conversely, Jo feels pangs of jealousy towards Bethie because she is exactly the daughter her parents wished Jo to be.
And both sisters encounter obstacles on their way to adult life. From expectations, gender roles and sexism to abuse, She makes everything negotiable. That may sound a bit heavy – with more than 400 pages it is also a heavy book – but it is written quite lightly. That makes it a smooth book and, we mean it, it continues to surprise until the last page. She due.
If it is International Women's Day and you think about international women, sooner or later you will come across Angela Merkel. She is smart, sober, firm and merciful. And don't let yourself be messed with, not even by angry men like that crazy orange guy from America or that grumpy guy from Russia. Angela is not afraid and certainly not hysterical, an excellent example that as far as we are concerned, she can suffer during the women's march in Amsterdam.
In We are Angela eleven women speak, each writing something about their view of Angela. One (Manon Uphoff) writes a letter to the Chancellor, the other (Wilma de Rek) tries to express her admiration for this woman. But her outfit, her metamorphosis from bony milkmaid to 'polished Powerfrau' is also scrutinized, by of course the one and only Cécile Narinx. And then you secretly know that things are going well with that book.
The original title actually read Unpregnant and we think it's just a little bit better Unexpected. This book is about Veronica Clarke, an American teenager who is preparing for an impeccable student life at ivy league university Brown. But just before she finishes high school, she turns out to be pregnant. After much consideration, Veronica chooses an abortion, because... teen mom does not fit into her vocabulary, nor into her future plans, nor into her parents' expectations.
Unexpected is a typical young adult book. So think of short dialogues in which a lot happens and easy sentences full of clichés. But, it is also about abortion in a light-hearted way and we should read more about that. Especially in the approach of International Women's Day. A great gift for your niece.
This slim but fun book is full of stories from the life of Hippie Guenter Lansink. He goes on adventures together with his donkey, Negra (aah, hence the name) and the rest of his animals. Entertaining and occasionally sad. The stories are set in Morocco, Ibiza, France and Africa. He continues his adventures through trial and error. Sometimes without a cent in my pocket and other days enough to buy a house. To give an example: in Ibiza he bought an old farm and transformed it into his own home where chickens, goats and his donkey roamed around. There he made delicious goat cheese that the entire island fell in love with. He had to leave his donkey Negra behind when Ibiza became a thing of the past and then had Baba (his dog) as a new friend. Baba accompanied him through the harsh and exciting journey through the Moroccan desert. I can keep writing about the nice stories. Not going to. Reading yourself is much more fun! The one feel good from beginning to end (even though some moments were heartbreaking) because of the light-hearted way of writing. He's a born storyteller if you ask us.
Fantasy fans may know this series of books better as Fitz and the Fool trilogy, but for the Dutch translation it is Fitz and the Jester. Yes, fantasy, but in a very natural way. YES there are dragons and yes there is magic, but in a completely different way than the Disney-esque appearance you may be used to. In addition to Fitz and the Jester, you also have the Liveship Traders, Tawny Man and Rain Wild Chronicles trilogies (more than fifteen books in total, so plenty of reading material). Fitz is a kind of antihero and hero at the same time, with good things but also many flaws. Throw in palatial interiors, special friendships and a touch of the supernatural and you will be glued to these books for days.
A literary masterpiece and based on the life of the writer aka Shantaram yourself. Pit and pace of a thriller, and full of adventure, great stories of all walks of life and with moral life lessons without it being pedantic. Eight years in the underworld of Bombay, after an escape from an Australian prison, and living in one of the largest slums in Bombay, that's where the story takes place. The main character Shantaram sets up a health clinic there and also briefly joins the mafia, where he launders money, counterfeits and is used as a street soldier. Ultimately he ends up in prison, where this book was written no fewer than three times, because the first two versions were destroyed by the guards. It's about love, willpower, interrupting toxic patterns, but also finding the beautiful in the sad. It takes a while to get into it, but after that Shantaram reads like a dream.
