Back to School Reading Recommendations

Lovely Readers – the seasons are changing, the kids are back at school and while we’re all frantically writing names on clothing labels, here are some reading suggestions from Team Bookends to help you escape the madness and dismiss those end-of-summer blues!

Escape the back-to-school mayhem with some musical mindfulness.

Already in to the fray of busy morning commutes, school runs, 9am meetings? Take some time out of your day to listen to a piece of classical music. BBC Radio 3 presenter Clemency Burton believes that a regular dose of mediation and mindfulness, such as classical music, will inspire, nourish and enrich our lives in unexpected ways. Find out more in her up coming book Year of Wonder: Classical Music for Everyday  

Revisit your own school days with The Most Dangerous Place on Earth – start for the nostalgia, stay for the drama.

You might be feeling nostalgic for the days of walking school halls, sitting befuddled in an algebra class, gossiping with your friends. After reading The Most Dangerous Place on Earth you might rethink that!

‘With a stunning constellation of characters’ voices and a fiercely compelling story, it’s impossible to put down, or to forget.’ – Megan Abbott

‘I read The Most Dangerous Place on Earth in two chilling gulps. It’s a phenomenal first book.’ – Anthony Doerr, New York Times bestselling author of All the Light We Cannot See

Still dreaming of those summer days on the beach? Let us take you back there with Keep me Safe.

There’s no doubt – it is tough coming to terms with September. Kids are back to school and the office is back in full swing. Beat your back-to-school blues with this heart-warming, atmospheric read set in the remote island of Seal in West Scotland. In search of a new start, a mother and daughter embark on a journey to the island. Falling in love with the locals and the landscape, they start to build themselves a new life in a loving community. Don’t let that morning commute get you down – get stuck in to Keep Me Safe!

Move over Hygge, we’re all about Ikigai now!

Kids back at school means one thing: more time for you! Spend that newfound freedom channelling your inner Japanophile and discovering your Ikigai. The Little Book of Ikigai is a fascinating insight into the Japanese concept of Ikigai (which means ‘your purpose in life’) and will teach you how to find and perfect yours. It can be as complex and intricate as creating a beautiful lacquered rice bowl, or as simple as packing a lunch box for your children. To find out more, check out our blog post here.

To Siri With Love

Has the start of school left you actually missing those little bundles of noise and mess that have been driving you mad all summer? Then this is the book for you! Based on the New York Times viral sensation, To Siri With Love is the uplifting story of a mother, her autistic son and the kindness of machines. Equal parts funny and touching, this is a book that will make your heart brim, and then break it. Warm, wise and always honest, Judith Newman shows us a new world where artificial intelligence is beginning to meet emotional intelligence — a world that will shape our children in ways both wonderful and unexpected.

‘To Siri with Love is a beautifully honest and illuminating love letter to Gus, your typical atypical nonneurotypical human.’ Jon Stewart

‘A moving and witty memoir with a big heart.’ Nigella Lawson

‘An uncommonly riotous and moving book [that] will make readers laugh – yes, out loud – before sweeping them, finally, into a soul-spilling high tide.’ – New York Times

If you enjoyed these recommendations, stay tuned for our pick of the top Autumn reads coming soon!