Self Isolation Wrap-Up | Books I Read in Lockdown

Firstly, I have to deal with the obvious which is that ‘lockdown’ isn’t completely over. However, I’ve moved back to London, after living with my parents for 16 weeks. As such, to me, the self-isolation/lockdown portion is over – for now! Be sensible and wear a mask. So I thought I would share a list of books I read in lockdown.

Books I read in lockdown

In my self-isolation wrap-up, I talk about the books I read when I was in lockdown with my parents.

Books I Read in Lockdown

So here is a list of books – in order of reading – that I read during the lockdown.

1. Frenchman’s Creek by Daphne Du Maurier
2. Convenience Store Woman by Sakaya Murata
3. Olive by Emma Gannon
4. Weight by Jeanette Winterson
5. The Hundred-Foot Journey by Richard. C. Morais
6. Doom Rolled in Glitter by Leena Norms
7. Before the Coffee Gets Cold by Toshikazu Kawaguchi
8. Harry Potter & the Philosopher’s Stone by J.K. Rowling
9. The Lonely Fajita by Abigail Man
10. Harry Potter & the Chamber of Secrets by J.K. Rowling
11. The Vow by Debbie Howells
12. The Silence of the Girls by Pat Barker
13. Harry Potter & the Prisoner of Azkaban by J.K. Rowling
14. Anne of Avonlea by L. Maud Montgomery
15. Hamnet by Maggie O’Farrell
16. The Immortalists by Chloe Benjamin
17. Harry Potter & the Goblet of Fire by J.K. Rowling
18. Harry Potter & the Order of the Phoenix by J.K. Rowling
19. This Is How It Ends by Eva Dolan
20. Harry Potter & the Half-Blood Prince by J.K. Rowling
21. Harry Potter & the Deathly Hallows by J.K. Rowling
22. Scenes of a Graphic Nature by Caroline O’Donoghue
23. The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid
24. Tales of Beedle the Bard by J.K. Rowling
25. Pride & Prejudice by Jane Austen
26. Hollywood’s Eve by Lili Anolik
27. Heatstroke by Hazel Barksworth
28. Wine Girl by Victoria James
29. Frankenstein by Mary Shelley
30. Inside Out by Demi Moore
31. Cranford by Elizabeth Gaskell
32. The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes by Suzanne Collins
33. Home Work by Julie Andrews
34. Girl, Woman, Other by Bernardine Evaristo
35. The Best of Me by Nicholas Sparks
36. The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton
37. Animal Farm by George Orwell
38. The High Moments by Sara-Ella Ozbek
39. A Walk to Remember by Nicholas Sparks
40. Wide Sargasso Sea by Jean Rhys
41. Why I’m No Longer Talking to White People About Race by Reni Eddo-Lodge
42. I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou
43. The New Me by Halle Butler

This meme effectively summarises most of my lockdown experience.

My Favourite Lockdown Reads

A lot of these books were excellent, got to say. If you want a full run-down of my thoughts on each of them you can find them on my reading wrap-ups for each month.

My top favourite lockdown reads, however, definitely have to be:

Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen

I finally understand the hype! And I’m actually glad that I saved this book by reading all of her others first! Not only did I finally get around to reading it, but I can also officially say I have read all of Jane Austen’s completed novels. Quite a feat, if I do say so myself.

Before the Coffee Gets Cold by Toshikazu Kawaguchi

I picked this book up in a charity shop a few weeks before lockdown began and I thought it looked interesting. I loved it. It was the perfect lockdown read, complete with magical realism, gorgeous descriptions and great characters. Would happily re-read it.

Hamnet by Maggie O’Farrell

Oh my, this book. It lives up to the hype! It’s excellent, and the first Maggie O’Farrell book I’ve ever read. Utterly adored this historical fiction. It gives voice to Agnes Hathaway, wife of William Shakespeare, and it will break your heart. Incredible.

The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid

This was a book club read, and the second book by Taylor Jenkins Reid I’ve read this year. A gorgeous historical fiction story about a 1950s actress who marries multiple men – as the title suggests – but there’s a big twist throughout. It’s a wonderful love story.

The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton

A classic I’d never heard of but devoured in two sittings. This is another 1950s set historical fiction, that focuses on a group of boys who are part of a gang, but utterly devoted to one another a brotherhood. Heartbreaking, wonderfully emotional – unusual for a book solely about men – and gripping.

Cranford by Elizabeth Gaskell

And lastly, I finally got around to reading an Elizabeth Gaskell novel and I adored it. Cranford is one of my all-time favourite mini-series and the adaptation is pure perfection of this book. While there is no real chronology to the tales of the women in Cranford, the wit and humour were perfectly translated to screen. Gorgeous.

I definitely leaned towards classics and historical fiction while I was in lockdown. For me, I think contemporary fiction and re-reads weren’t holding my attention as much as I needed them to.

One thing is for sure, I escaped throughout this whole period into books and it was a wonderful journey. My parents were ever-patient with me and gave me the space I needed to relax and keep my anxieties at bay during the whole lockdown by leaving me alone to read.

What did you read during a lockdown? Did you lean towards any particular genres or authors for comfort? Let me know in the comments below.

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