 Hi everyone, welcome or welcome back to my channel. Today I'm coming at you with five more book recommendations and this time they are lovely, lovely classics. As always, I will leave a link to my playlist full of five book recommendations videos around so you can go and check that out after this video and get even more book recommendations. I really hope you all enjoy hearing these five classic book recommendations and something takes your fancy. I've tried to include a mix of books. So whether you want an older classic or a more modern late 20th century classic, whether you want something romantic or more social commentary-y or whether you want something a bit darker, hopefully I have you covered. First up is a recommendation by the best Bronte sister of all time, also known as my personal favorite Bronte sister of all time. That is The Tenant of Wildfell Hall by Anne Bronte. This is a Victorian classic following the story of a woman called Helen who flees her abusive husband with her young son to start a new life in a small village as an artist. Throughout the novel we get to learn about the community's reaction to Helen, in particular the reaction from a local farmer named Gilbert as well as Helen's past. This novel is so kick ass. In many ways it is exactly what you would expect from a Bronte novel written at this time. It has wonderful characters and a secret drenched romance. It has hints of the gothic with the wild maulins and the mysterious woman. It is packed with social commentary, exploring themes of gender and class. But this book is also so deeply bold and incredibly controversial for the time in which it was written. Anne Bronte presents and celebrates a single woman leaving her abusive husband to start an independent life. Absolutely smashing any idea that women should be submissive angels in the household. She does not perpetuate the idea that violent heavily drinking men are attractive, which quite a few of the other Bronte novels do. This novel also has a layered narrative, which is wonderful. We have letters written by Gilbert in the present day as well as diary entries from Helen that we get to read from when she was younger and falling in love. This really builds up a sense of intrigue throughout the book and allows you to slowly piece together this whole story. This novel has everything. It is a gem. If you enjoy Victorian classics at all and you haven't picked this up yet, then do it. The next recommendation today is Moon Tiger by Penelope Lively. This is more of a modern classic being written and primarily set in the 1980s. The novel follows the story of an old female writer named Claudia, who when the novel opens is in hospital coming to the end of her life. Claudia here decides that she is going to write her final novel, which is to be a history of the world as experienced by Claudia. I first discovered Penelope Lively a couple of years ago when I attended the Man Book of 50 celebrations in London, a prize which Moon Tiger was up for after it won the Book of Prize in the 1980s. And at this event, I actually heard Penelope Lively read aloud the first couple of pages of this book, which to this day is the best author experience I have ever had. It was so incredibly beautiful. So this is just a brilliant novel as Claudia throughout reflects on her life and her story. We jump around in time, focusing in on different points of significance, including interactions with people who Claudia now deems to be the most significant people in her life. This kind of retrospective view of a person's life from their own perspective, picking out the moments which they think made their life their life is so interesting. Of course, this is a very character-focused novel. So if that is something that you typically enjoy, then this is a masterpiece example. It also explores history. Claudia herself is a historian and a journalist. And the novel really revolves around this central idea that every individual has their own personal narrative. But together, we're all part of this much wider human history. It is constantly playing off the contrast and the connectedness of both of these stories and always allows them the same amount of attention and significance. This is just a stunning novel. It is mind-blowingly good. If you're looking for a modern classic, then definitely give this one a go. It's actually one that I really want to reread at some point soon too. Recommendation number three is North and South by Elizabeth Gaskell. So if, perchance, you have heard tons about Elizabeth Gaskell and how great she is, and she really seems like your kind of writer and you really want to give her a go. But for whatever reason, you are putting off actually picking up one of her books. I know this scenario very well. Just do it. You will not regret it. She is amazing. Alternatively, if you haven't heard much about Elizabeth Gaskell, but you were looking for a new Victorian classic, then look no further. Written and set in the 1850s, this novel tells a story of a young woman named Margaret Hale, who is uprooted from her comfortable life in the south of England when her family moved to a northern industrial town. Here, Margaret is made aware of the poverty and suffering faced by the mill workers and she embarks on a complicated relationship with a rich mill owner. This novel is everything. I adore this. It is the most wonderful, coming-of-age romance story ever. Margaret is such a fab character. She is selfless and stubborn and she learns and develops and grows so brilliantly throughout this novel, you will love her. This is a very political novel. Elizabeth Gaskell's most political I have heard, but I found it to be so in a very enjoyable and accessible way. If I wasn't massively confused by the talk of industry and capitalism in this book, then you won't be either. The writing in here is also so surprisingly readable. At least I found it to be so. If you haven't read many Victorian classics in the past and you are slightly apprehensive about the language, then I think this is a really good place to start. This is a wonderful, impeccably crafted novel, so, so enjoyable. Elizabeth Gaskell is worth the hype. Recommendation number four is I Capture the Castle by Dodie Smith. Another 20th century classic, this novel is set in the 1930s and it follows the story of 17-year-old Cassandra Mortmain who is living with her newly impoverished family in a crumbling castle in the middle of nowhere. Cassandra views this as a perfect opportunity to practice her writing skills and decides to write about this portion of her life in her journal. So this is just an utter, utter delight of a novel. Following Cassandra's story is such a ride. Her family is very eccentric. They are having a ton of money troubles. There is lots of mystery and tons of different disputes going on. Pair this with first-time love and you have got a cracking story. This book is witty and relatable and charming. You will fall in love with it and it's also super, super easy to read. I flew through this. I don't really want to say too much more about this one because I think you should just go into it and experience it for yourself. But if you are looking for something lovely to read this Christmas, then definitely give this a go. And my final recommendation for you today is Frankenstein by Mary Shelley. So this is a bit of a change of pace from the other books I have recommended today. It is less romance-y. It isn't particularly social commentary in the same ways. This is for somebody who is looking for something a bit more atmospheric and dark and strange. It is also the perfect time of the year to recommend this book, so how could I not? I am sure we are all well aware of what Frankenstein is about, but to recap, written in the early 1800s, this book tells the story of a man named Victor Frankenstein who is looking to create a new being out of bodies of the dead. This really is a brilliant novel if you haven't read it. I'm sure you have been recommended it before, but I really would urge you to give it a go. It is so captivating and interesting and haunting. It's very, very powerful. And it's also totally unique. This is unlike anything I have ever read before. One of the standout elements of this novel, at least for me, was definitely the writing. Mary Shelley has such gorgeous, vivid prose. The descriptions of the landscape and the weather, in particular in this book, is so stunning. It made a huge impression on me while I was reading. This book is lauded for a reason. It is very, very special. And it's currently Halloween, so why not give it a go? So there we have five more of my classic recommendations for you, lovely, lovely lot. I've actually just realized that all of these recommendations today were by female authors. Sorry, not sorry. I really hope you enjoyed hearing these recommendations. As always, please let me know what you think about these books down below. And also let me know if there are any classic recommendations that you have for me that I haven't read yet and you think I would like. Thank you so much for watching, everyone. I hope you're having really nice weeks and I will see you soon with another video. Bye.