After a short hiatus last month, this month (and year!) my Reading List is back in full force and I can’t wait to read and discuss some brilliant books with you all.
I, for one, spent my Christmas break whizzing through my December books and planning my January reads with military precision. But before we get into the titles I’ve selected for the month, let’s recap December with some mini book reviews
To Die For: Is Fashion Outwearing The World? by Lucy Siegle
2019 was arguably the year of woke-ness. And it was pretty empowering to see people doing ‘good’ everywhere.
As somebody that works in the fashion industry, I already had a grasp of the incredibly damaging effects of fast fashion and I even included a chapter on it in my dissertation six years ago that was, oddly enough, a look into blogging and the changing fashion landscape.
Even so, I found it illuminating to reread Lucy Siegle’s explorative non-fiction that explores every aspect of the fast fashion world from material selection, production to marketing.
It’s pretty damming to discover that even though Siegle published this in 2011, much of the outcome hasn’t changed. Stacey Dooley’s recent documentary hammered that home to us all. Although lengthy for the average clothing consumer, this book will very much be your wake-up call and gateway to sustainable shopping and living.
The Book of Lost & Found by Lucy Foley
I discovered this title on a whim at the library back in November and loaned it as soon as I caught glimpse of it, because the hardback edition is just beautiful. Plus, the novel is set in three places: Hertfordshire (where I was born and bred), London and Paris, so I just had to delve in.
Kate Darling is grieving the loss of her mother, an esteemed, once-famous ballerina. And at the same time, her grandmother has fallen ill, bequeathing her with a portrait that bears striking resemblance to her mother.
Told in an alternating timeline between the ’80s (Kate’s time) and the ’30s (the portrait artist’s), Foley uncovers a stunning love story that is indulgent, romantic, laced with glamour and longing, and one that totally captivated me. It isn’t by any means predictable and there is just enough character development to truly