New year, new shelf

Sally Rooney, author of Normal People

The new year is like the first page of a much-anticipated book. You have to take a deep breath (insert page sniff here) and dive right in. Preferably with a large cup of tea. What adventures await? What characters will we meet? What will we learn? Over indulgent similes aside, it’s a time of opportunity, possibility and potential. Oh and lists. So without further adieu here is our first #LWLbookclub list of 2019 and boy it’s a goodun. How To Be Invisible by Kate Bush 🗓09.01.19 A book of lyrics is a curious thing. But there’s something moving and contemplative about seeing the songs you know and love laid out like poems. But then again, it is Kate Bush we’re talking about. As a self-confessed super fan, leafing through her words and connecting with them on a more intimate level was a dream come true, but be prepared to have her music spinning round your head for days on end. Why Women Have Better Sex Under Socialism by Kristen Ghodsee 🗓 16.01.19 A much needed look at why capitalism is uniquely bad for women, Ghodsee’s book examines the fall of the Eastern Bloc and the sudden and unexpected end of state socialism to explore how women’s lives are limited by capitalism. Sound a bit dry? Think again. Ghodsee’s sense of humour makes this an uproariously good read while making a very important point about women’s economic independence. Becoming by Michelle Obama 🗓23.01.19 Like everything that Michelle Obama puts her hand to, her memoir is bursting with soul and substance. And from stalking her book tour obsessively on Instagram, style. From her childhood in Chicago to her years in the White House, Becoming is an intimate window into the life of one of today’s most influential women. As if it wasn’t possible to love her anymore. Normal People by Sally Rooney 🗓 30.01.19 Rave reviews of Sally Rooney’s latest novel have been splashed across every publication out there making it impossible to miss. And for good reason. The love story, which moves from rural Ireland to Dublin, follows a simple yet profound relationship which unfolds over a number of years. Quiet and complex with page-stopping writing, this novel was too good not to include in our round up.

Head over to Instagram every Wednesday to get involved in the conversation and share your thoughts on we're reading as part of the #LWLbookclub.