Sussex

Hello! Another book that you might wish to mention is ‘Doughnut Economics’, by Kate Raworth. It gives us hope that post COVID-19 things can be better and that we can develop thriving communities and learn to live within the limits of the planet on which we live and depend upon.

<h2 class="wp-block-heading">Editor-in-Chief&nbsp;Hero is reading…&nbsp;The Chiffon Trenches&nbsp;by André Leon Talley</h2>



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Is there anything more fun as a magazine journalist than reading juicy behind-the-scenes gossip about the fashion elite? If there is, I haven’t found it. If you devoured the Vogue documentary&nbsp;The September Issue&nbsp;like I did, then you’ll likely love this autobiography from fashion editor supreme André Leon Talley, which documents his life and career in the fashion world (and most notably, his fraught relationship with Anna Wintour). It’s by turns philosophical and bitchy, and just the thing to transport you to the golden age of magazines.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">Hero is also reading…&nbsp;The Mirror and The Light&nbsp;by Hilary Mantel</h2>



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Okay, this one is cheating as I’ve technically already read it, but it’s the kind of book that sticks in your head and makes you want to re-read – I’m thinking of nicking my copy back off my mother so I can do it all again. I was a massive fan of the first two books in the Wolf Hall series, and this is an excellent ending to the triology (although much harder going, in my experience). It’s hefty too, at over 800 pages, so there should be enough to keep you going here until the end of lockdown.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">Sussex Editor Cathy is reading&#8230;.Wilding: The return of nature to a British Farm by Isabella Tree</h2>



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We&#8217;ve stayed local, shopped local, now I&#8217;m reading local! This book by Knepp Estate co-owner Isabella Tree has been on my &#8216;to read&#8217; list for a shamefully long time, but I tore through it in a day and it&#8217;s left my head in a spin. There&#8217;s something incredibly special about the amount of recognisable local names and references, and something even more special about what&#8217;s been achieved at Knepp through conscious rewilding and allowing nature to take its course. You&#8217;ll never look at conservation, or &#8216;wild places&#8217;, in the same way again.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">Norfolk Editor Helen is reading… F***ed at 40: Life beyond Suburbia, Monogamy and Stretch Marks by Tova Leigh</h2>



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For any 40+ women feeling over/under whelmed by life, this&nbsp;honest and raw account of middle age is an identifying read. Tova has some&nbsp;funny yet valid obervations on love, body image, parenting and sexuality. Open marriage anyone? I’ve left it on the other half’s bedside table for a little enlightenment.&nbsp;It’s a total binge read and if you’re left wanting more – check out her&nbsp;satirical TikTok videos and Tova News on instagram.&nbsp;



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">Northants editor&nbsp;Emma is reading…&nbsp;Hamnet&nbsp;by Maggie O’Farrell</h2>



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You can’t get much more famous than&nbsp;Hamlet, but how much do you know about Hamnet, Shakespeare’s son, who died at just 11 years old? Maggie O’Farrell’s novel is a fictional reimagining of the life of Hamnet and his mother Agnes (Anne Hathaway’s real name). The characters and setting of 16th century Stratford-upon-Avon are so richly drawn that you’ll be completely swept away. Warning: you might also shed a little tear.



 Emma is also reading…&nbsp;Girl, Woman, Other&nbsp;by Bernadine Evaristo



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If you want a book that is going to make you feel uplifted and inspired while also being a totally unputdownable page-turner, then This could be it. Booker Prize-winning&nbsp;Girl, Woman, Other&nbsp;is like a kitchen sink drama, but with more life, smartee humour and better clothes; a slicing open of British attitudes towards race and gender but without being didactic or dull. Bernadine Evaristo has a fresh, ambitious style and you’ll be left feeling invigorated when you finally put it down.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">Berkshire editor&nbsp;Rachel is reading…&nbsp;So Lucky&nbsp;by Dawn O’Porter</h2>



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For me, a stonking holiday read has three things: great characters, filthy humour and a plot so immersive you never want to put it down.&nbsp;So Lucky&nbsp;ticks all the boxes. Dawn O’Porter’s second novel, this&nbsp;Sunday Times&nbsp;bestseller tells the story of three women, Lauren, Beth and Ruth, who on the surface have it all. As we poke around their lives, we discover perfection is as illusive for them as it is for the rest of us – each wrestling with their own demons. It’s only when Lauren, Beth and Ruth’s worlds collide that it goes full-blown badass.&nbsp;If you enjoyed&nbsp;The Cows, you’ll LOVE this book.&nbsp;Timely, funny and very entertaining, it’s bubblier than a glass of pink Champagne. In fact,&nbsp;garçon, pour me another.



Herts &amp; Beds editor Sophie is reading…&nbsp;Rootbound: Rewilding a Life&nbsp;by Alice Vincent



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If you didn’t know it already then let me fill you in at once – gardening, once the preserve of pensioners and allotment fanatics, is now officially cool. Very cool. And with 30k+ Instagram followers, urban gardener Alice Vincent, or&nbsp;<a href="https://www.instagram.com/noughticulture/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">@noughticulture</a>, is at the forefront of this green revolution. Her second book,&nbsp;Rootbound, tells of her experiences with all things green, and, specifically, how planting helped Alice find stability and happiness in a chaotic world.

The best ‘holiday’ reads for lockdown

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