Culture
January Reading List by Danielle founder of Lala Books
09.01.2026
We’re fascinated by the curious ritual of reading, and how carving out time and space for it can become an anchor, especially in January. We spent five minutes with Danielle, founder of Lala Books, the joyfully casual independent bookshop in Camberwell that feels more like a friend’s brilliantly chaotic home library than a traditional store. Guided by instinct and a love of the unexpected, Danielle shares what customers are craving right now (shorter novels with bite, humour, and no grimness), her sacred(ish) reading habits, and the books she can’t stop recommending.
Interview with Danielle, Founder of Lala Books
How do you decide what to stock at Lala - is it instinct, obsession, customer requests, or a mix?
It’s very much instinct, but driven by a strong desire to offer something a little unexpected. The shop is deliberately casual, designed to feel more like a friend’s very good home library than a traditional bookshop. There’s coffee, cheap boozy cocktails in the summer, friendly staff, and books messily stacked everywhere. I want people to feel comfortable, take the time to pick the books up, and leave with something that feels surprising or special.
What’s the most common “type” of recommendation people ask for in January?
Right now many people come in expressing a desire to get back into reading, often to break their doomscrolling habit. This often means that they want a shorter novel, and something that has a little bite or humour - nothing too grim.
If January were a genre, what would it be?
Post-hedonist realism
Do you believe in a “first book of the year” tradition - and if so, what makes a perfect one?
Not personally, but I might suggest going into an independent bookstore with an open mind and asking for a recommendation.
What’s one book you’ve recommended so many times it practically lives in your hand?
The past year it’s been To Rest our Minds and Bodies by Harriet Armstrong - a canny, strange, and whipsmart debut novel by a very exciting new voice in British fiction.
What’s a book you wish more people asked for?
I’m astonished by how rarely we sell Bring Up The Bodies by Hilary Mantel. It’s the size of a brick, but it’s a masterpiece well worth reading.
Where’s your favourite place to read (at home or out)?
I love to read on the bus. It’s so much nicer than being on your phone, and makes those one hour trips across London go by quickly.
What time of day is your sacred reading time?
When I’m home in the evenings, I always try to put my phone down after 9.30pm and pick up a book. But nothing is sacred if there’s something to do or friends to see! As much as I love reading it’s not a substitute for living your actual life.
Are you a one-book-at-a-time reader, or a stack person?
I much prefer one book at a time, but I’ve become much better at ditching books halfway through that I’m not enjoying. Life is too short and there’s nothing heroic about struggling through a drudge of a book.
What’s your ideal reading set-up: blanket, coffee, pencil, silence…?
A strong cocktail and sufficient lighting is all I need.
What’s on your bedside table right now?
A frighteningly large stack of books sent to me by publishers, the dregs of a posh essential oil blend I bought in a sale three years ago, a candy tin for my jewellery, scrunched up tax receipts and given I danced until 4am on New Years Eve, several empty ibuprofen packets.
What’s on your bedside table right now?
A frighteningly large stack of books sent to me by publishers, the dregs of a posh essential oil blend I bought in a sale three years ago, a candy tin for my jewellery, scrunched up tax receipts and given I danced until 4am on New Years Eve, several empty ibuprofen packets.
What do you love about being a small independent shop, especially right now?
The opportunity for real life, human connection. I’ve gotten to know so many people - some now my closest friends - through conversations first struck at my shop. I know couples and best friends who met at Lala. Small bookshops can be an amazing place to strike up a conversation with a stranger.
Quick fire recommendations
Recommend a January book for someone who wants to feel more creative.
You Dreamed of Empires by Alvaro Enrigue
Recommend a January book for someone who wants to feel more grounded and present.
The Need for Roots by Simone Weil
Recommend a January book for someone who wants to shake off their phone addiction.
The Employees by Olga Ravn
Recommend a January book for someone who wants to laugh.
Living Things by Munir Hachemi
Recommend a January book for someone who wants to feel inspired
The Overstory by Richard Powers
Recommend a January book for someone who wants to travel.
The Log from the Sea of Cortez by John Steinbeck
Recommend a January book for someone who wants to get into reading again.
Assembly by Natasha Brown
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GLASSETTE READING CORNER
Quick fire questions
Dog-ear pages or bookmarks?
Dog-ear, although so many people ask for our bookmarks I now realise I’m a total thug.
Hardback or paperback?
Paperback (sorry, publishers)
Fiction or non-fiction - if you had to choose?
Not difficult at all - fiction all the way
A book you wish you could read for the first time again?
The Brothers Karamazov by Fyodor Dostoevsky
The book you always recommend (and never get bored of)?
My Friends by Hisham Matar
A book that feels like January in one sentence?
On The Calculation of Vol 1 by Solvej Balle - are we just stuck living the same day on a time loop?
A writer you’ll read anything by?
Percival Everett
A book that made you feel most understood?
Hunger Makes Me A Modern Girl by Carrie Brownstein
Your perfect January afternoon (in three details).
Afternoon chips and a gin and tonic with my husband and dog at the pub, cooking up a huge vat of soup to last a few days in our kitchen while listening to music, and finally, settling in front of the fire to read a great book.
Danielle is especially proud of Lala’s literary and community events - 25 in their first year, from monthly poetry evenings and intimate author conversations (including International Booker Prize winner Banu Mushtaq and BBC’s Chief International Correspondent Lyse Doucet) to summer acoustic music nights, book clubs, zine launches and creative workshops.
2026 events kick off again in late February - everyone’s welcome. Discover more on Lala's website here.