World Book Day has been promoting the joy of reading for nearly thirty years! In honour of this special day, the ITL team shared some of their favourite recent reads.
One Day by David Nicholls
“After binging the 14-episode Netflix series in 24 hours, I felt I needed to give the source material a go. Nicholls manages to create an incredibly moving and believable relationship between Dexter and Emma where you cling on to their every move and wonder from one year to the next where they’ll be. I never saw the film, but I can’t imagine how they even tried to fit in the depth of a 20-year relationship into 90 minutes, and apparently Anne Hathaway did a terrible accent, so I dodged a bullet there.
The book allows all the various relationships room to breathe, and we get to know the characters even more. It’s inevitably an emotional rollercoaster but one that has multiple journeys worth following. It’s a solid 4/5 for the book (and 5/5 for the TV show), especially if you’re into deep and meaningful character studies and heart wrenching relationships. I’m not usually but this really did grab my attention from start to finish. These are people who will stick with you for some time after you close the book for the final time.” – David Bedwell, Senior Data Analyst.
Before the Coffee Gets Cold by Toshikazu Kawaguchi
“The book revolves around a cafe in Tokyo that has the power to send people to the past. It follows various characters navigating relationships and loss. The writing is simple with minimal fluff, but it still finds a way to move you. It’s a lovely, cosy read, but if you prefer an action-packed story, this may not be for you!” – Francesca Fielding, Senior Research & Marketing Executive.
Number Go Up: Inside Crypto’s Wild Rise and Staggering Fall by Zeke Faux
“An in-depth piece of investigative journalism on Cryptocurrency, Faux digs into the world of crypto and tries to make sense of its bizarre characters and community. He particularly focuses on Tether, a so-called “Stablecoin” underpinning many transactions, which when he follows the money appears to be stacked up on a house of cards. He also has unparalleled access to Sam Bankman-Fried, founder of the crypto exchange FTX, now awaiting sentencing for seven counts of fraud, conspiracy, and money laundering.
There’s quite a tonal shift midway through as the emphasis shifts from the more jovial tech-bro culture surrounding NFTs and Reddit users who “HODL” their volatile investments with “Diamond Hands”, to horrendous slave labour conditions in South-East Asia run by criminal gangs which are used to carry out scams and prop-up blockchain games. Very readable (it doesn’t get stuck in the technical weeds at all) but be prepared for some of the disturbing revelations worlds away from the Silicon Valley hype.” – Ben Hart, Security Officer.
The Years by Annie Ernaux
“An unconventional memoir that traces French society from the middle of the Second World War until the early 2000s. Described by one reviewer as a ‘collective autobiography’, it never uses the word ‘I’. Ernaux’s narrative masterfully blends the subjective and the impersonal to capture unflinching vignettes of the twentieth century. This was not my first of Ernaux’s books, but it certainly was my favourite. After reading this you’ll definitely understand why she’s the winner of a Nobel prize in literature.”– Heather Rydings, Content Writer.
Why not take a look at some of FSL’s previous World Book Day posts for some more recommendations?