We here at Written Off completely understand the pain and anxiety of choosing your next read. Particularly after just finishing a mammoth novel or being in a bit of a reading rut, finding the next read can seem daunting.

Whenever I’m in need of a reset or want to find something new, I turn to short-form fiction like poetry or short stories! It’s a fantastic way to dive into a new world and find themes and texts you wouldn’t have considered otherwise.

So, I have helpfully compiled a few texts that you can purchase right now on our website, which could be the exact text you need to jumpstart the next era of your reading journey!

Without further ado, here are:

Books for Big Feelings

Sometimes, you need a book that perfectly captures your feelings, or one that is completely disconnected from your stresses. Either way, Written Off has something for the highs and the lowest lows of life.

1. A young adult, feeling a bit unsure of what you’re doing.

‘All the Rot begins in the depths of dirt, and grows like a determined houseplant, until we end on the quietly joyful images of a tea cup and a takeout order - reminding us that sometimes burying can simply be a planting, a sewing.’

2. In the lows of post-break up feelings

‘It is a spiritually introspective look at the role relationships play within the sentience of human beings, and how emotions are the most powerful sensation of our collective experience.

It is an open-letter, a true story, and a cathartic release – a love language for Romantics.’

3. Wanting to learn more about the origins of Written Off

‘Crash & Learn is a collection of poetry written between October 1st and New Year's Day 2022, as Rebecca recovered from her injuries and learned to live with the massive changes the accident had made to her life. It explores the complex process of recovery, both physical and mental, and how a person learns to adjust to a new normal following a traumatic and life-changing event.’

Books for Quiet Moments

When you feel quiet, reflective, lonely, or peaceful, a good book can be precisely what you need. Here are some books for when you want to lock yourself in a room, light a candle, and curl up.

Feeling homesick

‘Drawing on traditions, memories and special occasions, Home Baked is a collection of poems that effortlessly and seamlessly blend homeliness, familiarity, sensuality and indulgence; its words look closer at those special moments that make us feel we truly belong — be it in the bath, in the playground or in someone’s arms — and places them into treasured moments to be devoured.’

2. feeling calm and reflective

‘Intimate, compelling and stark, the tale within these pages will offer you sustenance, guidance and, ultimately, the freedom to accept yourself - so come on in, settle down, and enjoy the show.’

3. Looking for an accessible, relatable read

‘Much like life itself, it is something for all to enjoy: to share our sorrows and highs, our loves, our politics, sex and mutual experiences. A snapshot of both the intimate day-to-day lives and the great pressing issues of our current English climate are on display, from tales of Northern family life, teenage laughs and angst to first jobs, dilapidated town centres and hard conversations – It’s Like This provides an unflinching look at modern England.’

Books that Challenge you

These books are for when you want something new, exciting, and dangerously good.

Looking for something unlike anything you’ve read before

*God Leaks Out of Your Armpit*

by Quigley Cryan Brockbank

‘Organ tours, drowning on land and mouths in unexpected places: God Leaks Out of Your Armpit is a striking debut that resists easy categorisation. At times darkly funny, at others tenderly shocking, Quigley Cryan Brockbank’s first short story collection explores the horrible freedom of transformation and all that we do to suppress it.’

2. Feeling like an outsider

‘In this unabashedly horny and experimental ride through gender identity, chronic illness, sex and the self, poet and activist George Parker digs into what it means to exist and how a person moves through a world that doesn’t always understand - or want to understand - life outside the binary.’

3. Sick of the system

‘In a collection about forging your own path, Echolalia longs for freedom.Through poetry that varies in style, playing with rhyme and form, poet Steph James devastates in their debut collection: an existential contemplation about how it’s possible to live side by side with death when all the systems are set up against you.’

Hopefully, this list has sparked your interest. For more, visit the Written Off shop for our full collection. Happy reading!

Choosing your next read

Books for Big Feelings

1. A young adult, feeling a bit unsure of what you’re doing.