6 books I am desperate to buy and read (Spring 2020)

Hello everyone 🌻


Having set this blog up only three weeks ago I'm already blown away by the response and the kindness I have received! I set this up as I was feeling sorry for myself in isolation, but I had no idea that I would find myself in such a wonderful place as the book blogging community. It has fuelled my desire to carry on with my little part of the internet and I will always be grateful. 
My first 5 posts have all been book reviews, and there will a lot more reviews on here as it is the main idea behind the blog, but through reading other blogs and a lot of brainstorming, I feel that I want to have a tiny bit more variety and do a few different things from time to time! 
I posted a May TBR book stack over on Instagram with the books I hope to get read this month but today I want to talk about 6 books that I am really excited to read, but need to get my hands on first!!! There is a common theme of history, nostalgia (childhood) and classic literature as these are just the genres I am really loving right now and these choices aren't necessarily new releases or books that are particularly being talked about in the blogging community, purely just some titles I've wanted to read for a very long time or that fit my preferred genres. 

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1. The Constant Princess by Philippa Gregory: originally published 2005

Philippa Gregory is without a doubt my favourite historical fiction writer and I discovered her books a few years ago as my very small local library had a few battered copies of some of her Tudor novels. I read them and enjoyed them but never realised the scale of the series and didn't own any of the books or really get invested in them. In late 2019 I caught sight of a shelf of her books in Waterstones and decided to give them another try. I researched the reading order of her Tudor and Plantagenet novels and bought the first one (chronologically) which is 'The Lady of the Rivers' and fell in love with it. The series goes all the way through the establishment of the the Wars of the Roses, the establishment of the Tudor dynasty and then all the major monarchs. Since then I have read up to the fifth novel in the series and 'The Constant Princess' is number six. 

I'm very excited for the sixth novel as this is about Catalina, the Spanish Infanta, who was originally married to Arthur (Henry VIII's older brother) and ultimately marries Henry VIII - becoming his first wife - Katherine of Aragon. This book marks the start of the more popular, well known events of the Tudor dynasty and the reign of Henry VIII. 

Genres: Historical fiction, Biographical fiction 

2. The Phantom Tollbooth by Norton Juster: originally published 1961

The Phantom Tollbooth is a American children's fantasy adventure novel and from what I can gather, is extremely popular. It features on the 100 Epic Reads of a Lifetime and is referenced by Leslie Knope in the American satire sitcom 'Parks and Recreation' during a public meeting. 

Currently I am finding myself reaching for books from my childhood and I have been buying a lot of second hand copies of books I once enjoyed such as Enid Blyton's 'Faraway Tree' series. This has also made me keen to discover new children's and YA fantasy novels, as I find them a fantastic way of escaping everyday life but also reading books that contain important messages. 

Genres: Children's literature, Fantasy, Adventure 

3. The Foundlings by Stacey Halls: originally published Feb 2020

This is the only book on my list that constitutes a current popular release and probably the one of the list that I am most excited about. 'The Foundlings' is the newest book from the author of 'The Familiars' which was published in Feb 2019 (a novel about the Lancashire witchcraft trials) and is about a child left at a London foundling hospital in 1748. 


I am particularly keen to read this book because I absolutely adored 'The Familiars' and also because I've been fascinated by the Victorian era and foundling hospitals for years since reading Jacqueline Wilson's 'Hetty Feather' when I was in primary school. 


Genres: Historical fiction 

4. Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte: originally published Oct 1847

I have Jane Eyre on my Kindle (which I basically never use) and haven't ever read it, but I really want a nice copy to read in order to be able to appreciate the true scale of this book and to add to my growing collection of beautiful classic books. 

I am a big fan of classic literature and in particular a bit of a Jane Austen nut - I've read most things she's written and some biographies - because of that have often ignored some other really important classics such as C Bronte's 'Jane Eyre' and also her sister Emily Bronte's 'Wuthering Heights'; which I only read for the first time at the end of 2019. 

5. Cilka's Journey by Heather Morris: originally published Oct 2019

This is the sequel to Morris's novel 'The Tattooist of Auschwitz' which I really really enjoyed and read in one sitting until about 2am; after picking it up in my local Tesco for about £4.50 on a whim. Easily one of the best novels about the holocaust that I have read. 

Despite the fact I am aware this novel is slightly more explicit - especially as Cilka becomes the sexual object of a Commandant - I am still pretty sure that this will be another excellent and sensitive book about the holocaust which I can't wait to read!

Genres: Historical fiction, Biographical fiction, Jewish fiction

6. A Series of Unfortunate Events by Lemony Snicket: originally published Sept 1999 - Oct 2006

I remember my primary school library having some well read copies of most of this series and a close friend of mine being a really huge fan of them but I think I only read a few random ones personally and I have certainly never read the whole series or have much knowledge of it. A lovely lady on Instagram called @readingwithcaffeine  challenged herself to read all 13 books in this series in one week and managed it - since then I've been feeling really nostalgic and decided to start hunting for some cheap second-hand copies online once I get paid!

I have also started watching the Netflix series (how did I not know about it before!?!) and I am really enjoying it so far - just the right mix of disturbing and funny!

Genres: Gothic fiction, Absurdist fiction, Mystery, Comedy, Children's literature

What books are you desperate to read that you haven't already?

Let me know in the comments

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