Books A Plenty owners Scott and Sheree Brown reveal their all-time favourite books.

Heartstopper

By Alice Oseman

Hachette (Publisher)

It's the first day back at Truham Grammar High School. Charlie Spring, an openly gay year 10, is seated next to Nick Nelson, a Year 11 boy from the rugby team. After being assigned next to each other in the new vertical form classrooms, they're quick to become close friends. But with this closeness, Charlie develops feelings for Nick that he is unsure goes both ways.

It's not often I come across a book series that I would read in one sitting, but Heartstopper is definitely one of them. In these heartwarming novels, Alice Oseman achieves a positive representation of queer love. Telling a story not of tragedy but of acceptance and celebration in identity and sexuality. Depicting so many relevant topics and presenting them in a realistic way, these books can be incredibly comforting. Heartstopper can be your best friend, and can help you feel like you're not alone in your struggles.

Sheree’s pick

The Alchemist

By Paulo Coelho

HarperCollins (Publisher)

The Alchemist is about a boy named Santiago who travels from his homeland in Spain to the Egyptian desert in search of a treasure buried near the Pyramids. Along the way he meets a Gypsy woman, a man who calls himself king, and an alchemist who points Santiago in the direction of his quest.

A fantastic book full of wisdom and philosophy. The story bursts with optimism and shows that the journey to your destiny is as important as the destiny itself. I think this book is appealing because we all have dreams and sometimes we just want someone to tell us that they may come true. The Alchemist is a very exciting novel and it deserves a space on everyone’s bookshelf.

Hard Boiled Wonderland & the End of the World

By Haruki Murakami

Penguin (Publisher)

A narrative particle accelerator that zooms between Wild Turkey Whiskey and Bob Dylan, unicorn skulls and voracious librarians, John Coltrane and Lord Jim. This is science fiction, a detective story and a post-modern manifesto all rolled into one rip-roaring novel.

I found the method of story telling, with the use of parallel story lines, fascinating. The book’s chapters alternate between futuristic Tokyo (Hard-Boiled Wonderland), and an isolated town with a perimeter wall (The End of the World). As the story picks up, the reader begins to notice parallels between these two vastly different and far away worlds. 

Murakami unites East and West, tragedy and farce, compassion and detachment, slang and philosophy. Reading Murakami feels like experiencing a dream in book form.

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