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Dec 14

Handwritten Girl’s Top 12 Books Of 2020

Top 12 Books Of 2020It’s fair to say that 2020 has been a strange old year. For some of us, we either lost our reading mojo and for others, we discovered a new passion that helped us escape the chaos of the world.

For me, my reading dipped regularly. Sometimes, I couldn’t be found without a book in my hand and other times, I left a pile of half read books in my path unable to find one to catch my attention.

If you’re looking for book ideas for yourself or for others for Christmas, check out my top 12 books of 2020, for some ideas.

Click on the links to read my thoughts on the books and why these books might appeal to you.

‘The Dilemma’ by ‘B.A. Paris
‘The Minute I Saw You’ by Paige Toon
‘The Other Passenger’ by Louise Candlish
‘Grown Ups’ by Marian Keyes
‘My One True North’ by Milly Johnson
‘The Last Charm’ by Ella Allbright
‘My Dark Vanessa’ by Kate Elizabeth Russell
‘Just My Luck’ by Adele Parks
The Lockdown Diary of Tom Cooper’ by Spencer Brown
‘The Flipside’ by James Bailey
‘Invisible Girl’ by Lisa Jewell
‘After The Silence’ by Louise O’Neill.

Although these books are available on Amazon, please consider buying from an independent bookseller to help supporting local businesses during this time.

Nov 16

The Lockdown Diary of Tom Cooper By Spencer Brown

'The Husband's Confession‘The Lockdown Diary of Tom Copper’ is the latest book by Spencer Brown.

I spent Saturday reading this book and it genuinely is a laugh out loud story that does the heart good.

2020 was supposed to be a great year. Unfortunately, Tom Cooper, like the rest of the world, is going to be spending the next few months trapped in the middle of a pandemic. Stuck inside a small flat with sole responsibility for his two single-digit children, Tom is plunged into a world of homeschooling, supermarket feuds and alfresco workout sessions, not to mention trying to keep tabs on ageing parents who won’t stay home. Faced with the problems of cash-strapped tooth fairies, buying a rat trap online, and an NHS-supporting arms race with an elderly neighbour, Tom realises he must rise to the occasion, but when his girlfriend asks for an erotic photo of his rapidly deteriorating body, it might just be one step too far.

The story is seen through the witty and hilarious narrative of single parent Tom Cooper adapting to lockdown life with his 2 children Carrie and Arthur as he tries to juggle homeschooling, work as well as Joe Wicks workouts and trying to keep his new long distance romance alive.

The story is so relatable to real life, the chaotic stock piling of toilet rolls, the weekly clap for the NHS as well as the fear of not everyone adhering to social distancing rules. Spencer addresses each of these fears and situations with comedic flair and one liners that made the first lockdown seem to be almost fun.

I loved Tom, he’s a fantastic character who’s constantly getting himself into crazy situations that made the book a joy to read. From competitions with his neighbour about the best NHS posters to trapping rats, this book was hilarious. I particularly enjoyed Tom’s chats with his friend Mark, who’s line about Covid-19 being the gift that keeps on giving almost made me fall out of my bed!

But for all its one liners, this book also delves into the fear of the illness and it coming to your door and this makes for sobering reading at times, as Tom has to deal with the possibility of losing a loved one.

I cannot recommend this book enough, it’s the perfect tonic for life right now. Light hearted, funny and warm, ‘The Lockdown Diary’ of Tom Cooper’ is the perfect antidote to a crap situation!

You can buy ‘The Lockdown Diary of Tom Cooper’ from Amazon and is available to buy from good bookshops.