My top 7 Lockdown reads - and a few more...


 I figured that given a lot of us are in some kind of restrictive environment or lockdown, I would stick up some excellent books to read/peruse/put on your bookshelf and admire! 

Admittedly this is something I regularly do. I see a book that I KNOW will be a really good read. I hastily buy it, wait with mounting anticipation and when it arrives, baulk at the size of it, mutter 'I don't have time to read this at the moment' then stick it on the bookshelf and think 'that looks bloody great there'. 

But now I have no excuse... 

Stuck in lockdown with not much to do apart from write essays and watch Netflix, I figured now is a great time to start reading these books that have sat on the shelf for months/years. and too be honest, I am quite proud I have read so many of them over the past year. very few of them are light reading and require a pretty hefty level of concentration to read and more crucially, understand. 

So, following that ramble, here is my list of books that I would highly recommend reading. There isn't really a theme, other than they are all political in some sense. Happy reading! 

 

1. Dying to Win: The Strategic Logic of Suicide Terrorism - Robert A. Pape 

Amazon link: https://smile.amazon.co.uk/Dying-Win-Strategic-Suicide-Terrorism/dp/0812973380/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=dying+to+win+the+strategic+logic&qid=1588761549&sr=8-1

 



 

2. A Year at the Circus: Inside Trump’s White House – Jon Sopel

 

Amazon link: https://smile.amazon.co.uk/Year-At-Circus-Inside-Trumps/dp/1785944371/ref=sr_1_1?crid=UIV7JHQVASLV&dchild=1&keywords=a+year+at+the+circus&qid=1613130621&sprefix=a+year+at+the+%2Caps%2C315&sr=8-1

 

 

 


3. Collusion: How Russia Helped Trump Win the White House – Luke Harding 

 

Amazon Link: https://smile.amazon.co.uk/Collusion-Russia-Helped-Trump-White-ebook/dp/B0776Y47WL/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=collusion&qid=1613131793&sr=8-1


 


 

4. Rebel Ideas: The Power of Diverse Thinking – Matthew Syed

 

Amazon Link: https://smile.amazon.co.uk/Rebel-Ideas-Power-Diverse-Thinking/dp/1473613949/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=rebel+ideas&qid=1613131902&quartzVehicle=773-1212&replacementKeywords=ideas&sr=8-1

 


 



5. 88 Days to Kandahar: A CIA Diary – Robert L. Grenier 

 

Amazon Link: https://smile.amazon.co.uk/88-Days-Kandahar-CIA-Diary/dp/1476712085/ref=sr_1_1?crid=LFI5FV3V8L9R&dchild=1&keywords=88+days+to+kandahar&qid=1613131972&quartzVehicle=1820-796&replacementKeywords=days+to+kandahar&sprefix=88+days+t%2Caps%2C146&sr=8-1

 


 

 


6. Human Trafficking Handbook: Recognising Trafficking and Modern Slavery in the UK – Parosha Chandran

 

Amazon Link: https://smile.amazon.co.uk/Human-Trafficking-Handbook-Recognising-ModernDay/dp/1405765593/ref=sr_1_7?crid=3K5B8BSP8516H&dchild=1&keywords=human+trafficking+books&qid=1613132054&sprefix=human+trafficking%2Caps%2C156&sr=8-7

 


 

 

And finally… the one we all need in our lives: 

 




The 24 – Hour Wine Expert: Jancis Robinson 

 

Amazon Link: https://smile.amazon.co.uk/24-Hour-Wine-Expert-Jancis-Robinson/dp/0141981814/ref=sr_1_1?crid=3EQQU0GEE40ZX&dchild=1&keywords=24+hour+wine+expert&qid=1613132148&quartzVehicle=88-1160&replacementKeywords=24+hour+wine&sprefix=24+hour+win%2Caps%2C148&sr=8-1

 


 

I hope you learn as much as I have reading these books, from human trafficking investigatory practices to food-wine pairings and the demographic profile of modern suicide terrorist attackers, This should cover everything. And if, like me, you buy the books and then they sit on the shelf for months before being read, don’t be disheartened! There will come a time where a book catches your eye and you pick it up and BANG, you are engrossed in it for days. 

 

 

 

Here are a few other mentions that didn’t make the cut for the above list: 


 

Every War must End: Fred Ikle 


How the World Works: Noam Chomsky 


Culture Map: Decoding How People Think, Lead, and Get Things Done Across Cultures: Erin Meyer


Small is beautiful: E F. Schumacher 



Location: London, UK

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