Landfolk Recommends: 5 wonderful books to lose yourself in

Here are five recommendations from some of the bookworms on the Landfolk team. Five different books with five different stories and themes. Perfect to pack for your summer house trip. Take a deep breath, grab a cup of coffee, and read a good book.

1. ‘The Outline Trilogy’ by Rachel Cusk

Even if you might not have time to read an entire trilogy during winter break, you can at least start this fantastic trilogy. ‘Outline’ was written by Canadian author Rachel Cusk, and the trilogy gave her her long-awaited international breakthrough.

The first book in the series, ‘Outline,’ follows the author Faye as she travels to Athens to teach a writing course. With complex stories, interesting narratives, and worldviews from the students that are completely different from her own, Faye’s story is portrayed in a subtle and at times unsettling way.

A thoroughly well-written novel in which the tension between the first-person narrator’s observations and the dialogues leaves the reader wondering: is it all happening in her head?

2. Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens

The story of Kya, the orphaned girl from the marshes, is a slow-paced tale of a life far removed from modern existence in a safe little country. The story takes place in the 1950s in the swamp forests of North Carolina, where the small, indomitable girl lives in close harmony with nature. Her intellectual and at times naive and sensitive inner self is followed through the hardships of her childhood, through her youthful explorations, and finally through the rest of her days.

This beautiful story portrays harshness, slowness, longing, and love in a distinctly delicate way, and the detailed descriptions of the marshland’s natural beauty can only make you fall even more in love with the book.

3. ‘One Life, One Time, One Person’ by Morten Albæk

Morten Albæk’s take on “new new management” is brought to life in his book ‘One Life, One Time, One Person’ through anecdotes and a refreshing look at the modern person’s work-life balance. The focus here is on embracing the whole person and doing what creates value. We shouldn’t just go to work for the sake of going to work.

This 202-page, engaging book is written from a leadership perspective, but the many facets of work life, life in general, and the meaning behind them also offer other insightful angles and perspectives. The book may not be what we’d call a page-turner, but it’s not strictly a textbook either. The language is elegant, easy to read, and spiced with philosophical reflections on existence.

4. ‘Based on a True Story’ by Delphine de Vigan

‘Based on a True Story’ is Delphine de Vigan’s follow-up to the magnificent novel ‘Everything Must Give Way to the Night,’ and once again we get right under the skin of the French author. The narrative depicts the period following the success of her first novel; her thoughts and expectations about now being an internationally recognized author; and her immediate family’s reactions to the public exposure of the private matters that form the plot of the first book.

In the story, we meet our protagonist, whose life is entangled in a jumble of emotions, truths, and lies. Some are real and others are not, and that is precisely what makes the story hair-raisingly exciting. You won’t want to put the book down until you’re finished.

5. ‘The Little Bakery on the Beach’ by Jenny Colgan

‘The Little Bakery on the Beach’ is a sweet love story about a badass woman named Polly. Polly breaks up with her boyfriend, and in her search for a place to live, she ends up pursuing her dream of starting something from scratch—all on her own.

Together with the locals, Neil the budgerigar, and her own incredible determination, she builds a life for herself on the small tidal island in the southwestern corner of England. The story is funny, heartwarming, and captivating, and you’ll easily find yourself swept up in the tale of a life that needed a change.