9 Books to Pack on Your Next Trip

Photo by Markus Clemens on Unsplash

One of the best bits of holidays is reading. The decadence of getting stuck into a book in the middle of the day with the sun on your face. The way the pages get peppered with grains of sand at the beach. Those holiday home bookshelves that groan with the weight of paperback thrillers and spy novels left by tourist predecessors. 

I’m yet to buy a kindle (it’s just not the same!) so I’ve resigned myself to carrying the excess bulk of books squashed into my rucksack each time I travel. 

Although travelling has been off the table recently, I’ve been reading at a rate that’s normally reserved for my holidays thanks to an endless supply of free evenings. And not having to do the usual rucksack book squeeze has been a bonus. 

Here are some of the books I’ve been reading during lockdown. They’d be best enjoyed in the sun, on a beach or in a cosy café with a pastry in hand. But in the meantime, they provide a little slice of much needed escapism.

1. Eat up by Ruby Tandoh

Part cookbook, part love letter to food, I found this book so refreshing. Tandoh speaks to the importance of nourishing ourselves, but not in a faddy, Instagram account filled with pictures of porridge kind of way. In fact, Eat Up is the perfect antidote to the world of clean eating and filtered food. Tandoh writes so beautifully about self-love through eating, I felt nourished just reading the book. It also makes for an enlightening read, addressing serious issues such as the intersection between food and femininity, the pervasive fatphobia that runs through society, and the relationship between food and identify. 

2. Feel Free by Zadie Smith

This is such an eclectic collection of essays, in the best kind of way. Zadie Smith lends her brilliant mind to the subjects of art, music, Brexit, race, and much more. I particularly loved her essays on Billie Holiday (where she takes on Holiday's voice in what she calls ‘some form of ventriloquy’), the Balthasar Denner painting Alte Frau (a seven-page homage to the old woman’s indifferent gaze), and Jordan Peele’s hit film Get Out (which Smith unpacks and defines as ‘the opposite of post-black, or post-racial’). 

3. Another Country by Anjali Joseph

I read this as part of a book club I recently joined called ShelterBox Book Club. The beauty of this book club is not only do the profits go towards helping disaster-hit families, the books champion stories from all over the world. This was the first book I’ve received since joining ShelterBox, and it was definitely something I wouldn’t have thought to read otherwise (the beauty of the book club at work). Joseph weaves a melancholic tale centred around a female protagonist fresh out of university who spends time in Paris, London and Mumbai, struggling to find a purpose and fit in. I loved the split between the three countries and really enjoyed the way Joseph painted life in each place. 

4. Girl, Woman, Other by Bernardine Evaristo

I had seen a few adverts for this book in pre-lockdown times on my commute and the title sounded intriguing (not to mention I’m a sucker for a brightly coloured cover) so I decided to add it to my reading list. The powerful stories that the book shines a light on combined with its unique style of writing makes it a beautiful read. The book is comprised of a series of separate yet intertwined tales of twelve different characters, each with their own story to tell. Evaristo amplifies black female voices and opened my eyes to a Britain I've read far too little of in fiction. 

5. Maus by Art Spiegelman

I received this book as a birthday present and I’m so glad I did as I might have never read it otherwise. Based on his father’s experiences of the Holocaust, Art Spiegelman’s comic is the most emotive book I’ve ever read about that period of history. Spiegelman’s depiction of the different nationalities as various animals is really affecting and adds so much to the atmosphere of the story. Naturally it made for a very intense read but it was so worth it. Especially after having just visited Berlin. 

6. The Plague by Albert Camus

Having never read The Plague before, I just couldn’t miss the opportunity to add it to my lockdown reading list. After all, how many times do you get the opportunity to read The Plague during an actual ‘plague’. The current backdrop of the pandemic did make this book a heavy read but it added a whole new level of poignancy. There were some sections that were spookily accurate, point in case being: “The trouble is, there is nothing less spectacular than a pestilence and, if only because they last so long, great misfortunes are monotonous.” Of course, it’s also crucial to bear in mind the book’s original context. Written just after the Nazi occupation of France, the plague is undoubtedly meant as a metaphor for a far greater evil. 

Other books to read

I read the following three books before lockdown, but in light of the tragic murders of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor and so many more before them, I wanted to highlight three novels by black female authors I read over the last year. The first two are American classics and the third is a best-selling debut, so there's nothing particularly trailblazing in me suggesting them. But if you're looking to diversify your bookshelf and you haven't read them yet, I really recommend adding them to your reading list. I will certainly be broadening my bookshelf further going forward.

7. Beloved by Toni Morrison

This is a classic, so it’s shameful that I only got around to reading it last year. Set in the mid-1800s amid America’s slow trudge out of slavery, Sethe is dealing with the trauma of her former enslaved life which comes back to haunt her in the form of her dead baby daughter. The writing is so beautiful and really brings you into the story. For me, it’s the contrast between the beauty of Morrison’s writing and the horrifying and violent acts it depicts that makes the book so powerful. 

8. The Color Purple by Alice Walker

Another masterpiece and must-read. Set in the deep South between the wars, The Color Purple tells the tale of Celie, a young black girl born into poverty and segregation. Celie is such a beautiful character and Walker really elicits a bond between the protagonist and reader. One of my favourite aspects of the book was the celebration of female friendship. But most of all, I loved getting swept away in Celie’s journey. 

9. Queenie by Candice Carty-Williams

I read this as part of a book club suggestion and found it to be a real eye-opener. Carty-Williams' protagonist feels candid and real and through her she highlights serious issues spanning across mental health, race, class and consent. Despite the weighty topics, Carty-Williams' humour shines through, making it a really engaging read. 

I can't wait to get back on a plane with a bag full of paperbacks ready for my next adventure. But until then, you'll find me perched on my balcony with the sun in my face and a book in my hand.