6 Memoir Recommendations
If smart, funny, poignant and engaging writing is your thing then here are six memoirs you will love. What they all have in common are women who aren’t afraid to be themselves, even if they haven’t always known exactly who that is.
Ctrl Alt Delete: How I Grew Up OnLine by Emma Gannon
I don’t remember exactly when I first came across Emma Gannon’s blog, Girl Lost In The City but I know I spent ages reading back through every post.
When she announced she was writing a book about her experience of growing up online I pre-ordered it as soon I could.
I read it in one sitting. From discovering chat rooms in her early teens, to thoughts on internet porn, being a social media addict and the role the internet plays in her working life Ctrl Alt Delete is smart, funny and accessible. A must read for social media lovers!
Girl on the Net: How A Bad Girl Fell In Love by Girl on the Net
When you think of Girl on the Net you think of NSFW often kinky sex stories with a side of feminism, right? These all feature in How a bad girl fell in love, but the book is also about being in a relationship and figuring out how to make your sexual desires work with each other.
What I wasn’t expecting, but will be eternally grateful for, is how “Sarah” opens up about the all encompassing ways anxiety affects her life.
Fat Chance: My Life In Ups, Downs And Crisp Sandwiches by Louise McSharry
I read Fat Chance in one sitting and haven’t been able to stop thinking about it since.
Covering everything from growing up with a mother who was an alcoholic to not being the “cool” one at school to figuring out what she wanted to do career wise to being diagnosed with and treated for cancer to getting married and body positivity; Fat Chance by Louise McSharry is an emotional read. I laughed, I cringed and I cried. All in the best possible way!
Sex Object by Jessica Valenti
Co-founder and former Executive Director of Feministing, Jessica Valenti is currently a columnist for the Guardian US where she also hosts a podcast called What Would a Feminist Do? I’m a fan of Valenti’s work, but knew very little about her personal life so I went into Sex Object unsure what to expect.
What I got was a frank and oftentimes funny memoir about street harassment by men simply for being a woman (something that starts when Valenti, like most, is still a girl), abortion, addiction, anxiety, motherhood, online harassment, and imposter syndrome.
Sex Object left me angry at the fact that we, as women, are still objectified as we go about our daily lives. But it also left me hopeful about the future of the feminist movement as we work to end rape culture. And that’s the biggest compliment I can give it.
Shrill: Notes From A Loud Woman by Lindy West
Dealing with rape jokes and rape culture, abortion, online harassment and meeting the troll who set up a Twitter account using her dead father’s name, finding her voice and learning to appreciate her body the way it is Shrill: Notes from a Loud Woman by Lindy West is a smart, funny and frank memoir about what it’s like to be an outspoken fat woman in a world that, so often, tells women to sit down and shut up.
Becoming: Sex, Second Chances & Figuring Out Who The Hell I Am by Laura Jane Williams
After being dumped by her childhood sweetheart, the man she thought she was going to marry, Laura Jane Williams turns to excess in order to deal with heartache. Drink? Check. One night stands? Check. Having a good time is nothing to be ashamed of. But what happens when you are no longer having a good time? What happens when you realise that you haven’t really dealt with the fact your ex-boyfriend is marrying your friend? What happens when you realise that you don’t really like who you’ve become?
These questions are at the heart of Becoming: Sex, Second Chances and Figuring Out Who The Hell I Am. Laura decides to take a vow of celibacy, one year without sex or dating. A year where she can focus on processing the emotions she’d previously been fighting against, however messy those emotions may become.
Laura’s writing is raw, honest and often times heartbreaking. Her ebook The Book of Brave had a profound effect on me, so I was looking forward to reading Becoming. I wasn’t disappointed. Becoming is poignant, thought-provoking, funny, heartbreaking and above all an exploration of the work that’s sometimes involved in truly liking yourself.
Sugar And Snails By Anne Goodwin
Sugar and Snails by Anne Goodwin. Advance Reader Copy included. You can read my full disclosure policy here.
When Anne Goodwin sent me the blurb of her novel Sugar and Snails and asked if I would be interested in reviewing it I was intrigued. It deals with issues that are important to me; mental health and LGBTQ+ experiences. I enjoyed Sugar and Snails so much I’m pleased to take part in the blog tour to celebrate the first anniversary of its release.
A trip to Cairo changed Diana Dodsworth’s life when she was fifteen. A change that has resulted in Diana keeping people at a distance ever since. This was working until she met Simon Jenkins. He’s heading to Cairo soon and wants Diana to fly out for a visit. Diana doesn’t want to return to Cairo, but she can’t tell Simon the reason why.
It’s difficult to talk about this novel fully without giving too much away. Although set in the present, the inclusion of flashbacks to Diana’s adolescence and the fateful trip to Cairo give the reader a broader picture of Diana. Even if they don’t yet fully understand what happened. Telling the story this way allows the reader to pick up on clues before the big reveal. The big reveal isn’t the end of the story. It is very much the beginning of a new chapter in Diana’s life.
Anne Goodwin’s writing is clever, a couple of times I thought I had things figured out but was proven wrong. When the penny did drop I was impressed with the layers Goodwin wrapped the plot in. It’s possible that different readers will guess what’s going on at different points throughout the novel. Some may not figure it out for themselves. Either way, Sugar and Snails is a novel that while slow moving grabs your attention and doesn’t let go.
To say Sugar and Snails is a coming-of-age story doesn’t quite do it justice, but it’s the closest comparison I can think of. Anne Goodwin writes about LGBTQ+ experiences and mental health with great empathy and insight and Diana Dodsworth is a character that lingers long after you’ve turned the final page.
About the author
Anne Goodwin’s debut novel, Sugar and Snails, about a woman who has kept her past identity a secret for thirty years, was published in July 2015 by Inspired Quill and longlisted for the 2016 Polari First Book Prize. Her second novel, Underneath, about a man who keeps a woman captive in his cellar, is scheduled for publication in May 2017. Anne is also a book blogger and author of over 60 published short stories. Catch up on her website: annethology or on Twitter @Annecdotist.
I don’t use affiliate links, but if you like what I do you can show your support by buying me a coffee here.
The Museum Of You By Carys Bray
The Museum of You by Carys Bray. Advance Reader Copy (eARC) from the publisher via Netgalley included. You can read my full disclosure policy here.
“When you grow up in the saddest chapter of someone else’s story, you’re forever skating on the thin ice of their memories.”
Clover Quinn was raised by her Dad. Her mother died when Clover was a baby and Darren has done his best to be everything his daughter needs. Their relationship is close, but Clover doesn’t want to upset him by asking too many questions about her mother. She has lots of questions. Questions that cut to the heart of who she is and whether her birth really was the pleasant surprise her Dad says it was.
In a search for answers, Clover decides to spend the summer sorting through the second bedroom which is full of her mother’s belongings. Darren never quite managed to get rid of them and the room as remained untouched for years. Clover hopes to discover the type of person her mother was. She’s looking for the full story about her parents’ life and relationship before she was born. She’s trying to figure out what kind of person she will become.
The chapters switch between Clover and Darren’s points of view. This works really well and adds a depth to the father – daughter relationship that’s often missing from other depictions. They’re fully formed characters in their own right. As a reader you’re invested in them both. You want things to work out alright, even when you’re not quite sure what an alright outcome looks like.
The Museum of You is a thoughtful exploration of grief, family, mental ill-health and the role that memories play in our lives. Carys Bray’s writing is funny, clever, tender and at times heartbreaking. Clover is a character that will linger in my mind for a long time.
Lying in Wait by Liz Nugent
Lying in Wait by Liz Nugent. Advance Reader Copy (eARC) via Netgalley included. You can read my full disclosure policy here.
“My husband did not mean to kill Annie Doyle, but the lying tramp deserved it.”
Now, there’s an opening line that packs a punch and it’s just the beginning. Lydia and Andrew Fitzsimons appear to have it all; good money, a lovely home and son who wants for nothing.
Andrew is a respected judge; a judge who loses the family money and in an effort to avoid bankruptcy agrees to a scheme thought up by his wife. A scheme that leaves them with a body to conceal.
Lydia is hell bent on protecting her social status, her home, the reputation of her husband and her son. No matter what the cost. As the years pass, Lydia proves just what lengths she will go to in order come up smelling of roses.
Told from multiple points of view; Liz Nugent skilfully weaves a web of deceit, showing the fallout one incident has for two families. Just when you think you’ve figured everything out, Nugent takes the story in a different direction.
Lying in Wait holds the reader’s attention right to the end. Liz Nugent has once again written a world full of complexity, depravity, secrets and the central question of whether ‘badness’ is a case of nature or nurture.
Lying in Wait is an engrossing psychological thriller that is sure to feature on a number of best books of 2016 lists. It has certainly earned a place on mine.
I don’t use affiliate links, but if you like what I do you can show your support by buying me a coffee here.
The Woman In Cabin 10 By Ruth Ware
The Woman in Cabin 10 by Ruth Ware. Advance Reader Copy (eARC) via Netgalley included. You can read my full disclosure policy here.
Travel journalist Lo Blackwood is heading off on what many people would deem the press trip of a lifetime; seeing The Northern Lights on-board a boutique cruise ship.
The assignment couldn’t have come at a better time. Lo’s flat was broken into a days earlier and she’s pretty shaken up. Time away is just what she needs.
When Lo witnesses the aftermath of a murder, she is informed that no guest ever checked into that cabin and no no-one is missing from the ship.
Lo Blackwood is a woman full of complexities, which shouldn’t be surprising considering most of us are but sometimes this leads to fictional characters (mainly women) being described as “unlikeable” as if likability is the only thing women should aspire to. Lo is relatable, even during the moments when you might not agree with her actions.
Like Distress Signals by Catherine Ryan Howard, The Woman in Cabin 10 uses the difficulties with investigating crimes on a cruise ship to its advantage. What happens when a crime occurs on a cruise ship? What happens when even the ship’s security team doubt your version of events? How can you catch a killer when you’re in the middle of the ocean and no-one else believes a murder took place? Ruth Ware has crafted an Agatha Christie-esque style whodunit; a group of people in a confined space meaning the killer must be amongst them.
Full of tension and at times claustrophobic, The Woman in Cabin 10 is a clever thriller that sucks the reader in right from the get-go. This is one for the to-read list, especially if you’re a fan of crime fiction.
I don’t use affiliate links, but if you like what I do you can show your support by buying me a coffee here.
My Girl By Jack Jordan
My Girl by Jack Jordan. Advance Reader Copy (eARC) via Netgalley included. You can read my full disclosure policy here.
Paige Dawson’s addiction to alcohol and prescription painkillers is slowly killing her. But it’s the only way Paige can deal with her grief. Ten years ago her 14-year-old daughter, Chloe, was murdered. All they found was her arm. And now Paige is a widow, her husband having died by suicide.
During her moments of lucidity Paige notices that strange things are happening. Someone has put her husband’s things away and then they disappear completely. All his belongings are gone and his face has been scratched out of every photo. Paige confronts her mother-in-law, the only other person with a key, who insists it wasn’t her. Paige must have done it while drunk and high, right? But surely she would remember doing something so important. She would remember, wouldn’t she?
I’m a fan of unreliable narrators. I enjoy second guessing what a character has told me. In this instance, there is a lot of second guessing as Paige seems to further lose her grip on reality.
Judging by the reviews I’ve seen so far, I’m in the minority but I much preferred the first section of My Girl. Instead of being the psychological thriller about one woman’s struggle to get over the murder of her daughter and the subsequent death of her husband, My Girl became much more shock and awe.
There are elements of the storyline that do not require nuance. Things become pretty clear cut, in terms of who the perpetrator is. That doesn’t make it any easier to read, content wise and it doesn’t make it any less one dimensional in places. The depth I loved in the initial section disappears completely.
My Girl is a thriller with potential. Jack Jordan’s writing is clear and concise. Jordan has shown he can write with incredible depth. While My Girl lost its way in parts, Jack Jordan is definitely a writer to keep an eye on.
I don’t use affiliate links, but if you like what I do you can show your support by buying me a coffee here.
Distress Signals By Catherine Ryan Howard
Distress Signals by Catherine Ryan Howard. Advance Reader Copy (ARC) from the publisher included. You can read my full disclosure policy here.
Things are finally looking up for Adam Dunne. There has been some interest in his script and he can’t wait to celebrate with Sarah, his girlfriend, when she returns from a business trip to Barcelona. But Sarah doesn’t return and Adam’s life begins to fall apart.
A few days later, Sarah’s passport arrives in the post with a note that reads “I’m sorry – S”. An already worried Adam becomes even more concerned for Sarah’s safety. The police, however, conclude that Sarah chose to leave and they won’t investigate any further.
Adam realises that it’s up to him to find Sarah and he’s prepared to do whatever it takes.
Catherine Ryan Howard is a master storyteller. She beautifully crafts a narrative full of tales of relationships gone wrong, missed opportunities, secrets and intrigue.
As events unfold, the depth of Howard’s skill is showcased beautifully. On numerous occasions I thought I’d figured out what happened to Sarah only to be proven wrong. Yet, nothing about Distress Signals seems forced or unnecessary.
Distress Signals is well paced and full of tension; what makes it stand out is the significant role the cruise ship plays. What happens when a crime happens on a cruise ship? Which country has jurisdiction and how many resources do they actually dedicate to crimes committed miles from land? These are the issues that Adam finds himself up against. These are questions that add an extra layer of intrigue to Catherine Ryan Howard’s confident fiction debut. Distress Signals is a must read for fans of crime fiction.
I don’t use affiliate links, but if you like what I do you can show your support by buying me a coffee here.
The Girls By Emma Cline
The Girls by Emma Cline. Advance Reader Copy (eARC) via Netgalley included. You can read my full disclosure policy here.
It’s the summer of ’69 and 14 year-old Evie Boyd is trying to figure out where she fits in. Then she meets Suzanne. Suzanne is the otherworldly cool girl and Evie is drawn to her in ways she doesn’t fully understand. When Suzanne introduces Evie to Russell and everyone else who lives at “the farm” Evie’s life is changed forever.
The Girls is an exploration of longing, pleasure, love, obsession and the lengths people will go to satisfy others. It is about the relationships between teenage girls, the things they do for men and the roles they play for each other.
Emma Cline’s writing is lyrical and brilliantly captures the tone of a teenage girl who, above all else, wants to be noticed.
The story is told retrospectively. We meet Evie in middle age; we know how her story ends almost before we fully understand what the story is. This removes some of the tension from the latter stages of ’69 section.
When in the company of present day Evie I wished I was back in 1969 with teenage Evie. Modern day Evie felt like an unnecessary distraction. The sense of place wasn’t as strong.
There has been a lot of hype surrounding The Girls, so by now you’re probably aware that Cline’s debut novel is inspired by the Manson Family and the murder of Sharon Tate, her unborn child and her friends.
It’s not hard to see why Cline was inspired by these horrific real life events. Trying to understand why people are drawn to figures like Manson is a breeding ground for exploring obsession and morality.
I don’t use affiliate links, but if you like what I do you can show your support by buying me a coffee here.
The Accidental Life Of Greg Millar By Aimee Alexander
I read The Accidental Life of Greg Millar by Aimee Alexander (the pen name of bestselling author Denise Deegan) last year when it was on special offer on Kindle, but it’s released in paperback on April 26th so now seems like the perfect time to review it.
Lucy Arigho is not the kind of person to be swept off her feet, but that all changes when she meets Greg Millar. She is drawn to him in a way she didn’t expect, especially after the death of her fiancé Brendan. But when Greg talks about getting married, Lucy doesn’t immediately say no but she does want to take things a bit slower.
At first I thought this was going to be a standard romance novel, but alarm bells soon began to ring about Greg. He was impulsive and manipulative, I fully expected him to turn abusive.
Instead what unfolds is a sensitive, yet realistic look at how mental illness affects not only the person with the illness but everyone around them.
Alexander writes with great empathy and fully understands the complexities of the world she has created. There are no one dimensional characters here, which is a relief when it comes to topics like mental illness.
I was left teary-eyed more than once and genuinely wished things would work out for Lucy, Greg and their families.
I don’t use affiliate links, but if you like what I do you can show your support by buying me a coffee here.
The Madwoman Upstairs By Catherine Lowell
Samantha Whipple is the last remaining descendent of the Brontë family, a connection she isn’t exactly thrilled about. Following the death of her father, it falls on Samantha to protect the Brontë legacy. A legacy the world assumes includes a grand inheritance, an abundance of diaries, paintings, letters, and early novel drafts passed down from the Brontë family. Samantha has never seen this alleged estate; to her it is as fictional as the Brontë novels themselves.
Everything changes when Samantha moves to the UK to attend Oxford. Objects from her past start turning up in mysterious circumstances, novels belonging to her father that should have been destroyed in the fire that killed him. Samantha soon finds herself on a scavenger hunt, where her only clues are hidden in the pages of the Brontë novels.
Things I like about The Madwoman Upstairs; the literary theory that is dotted throughout the story. The discussions about the role of the reader versus the author in interpreting literature are fascinating and thought-provoking. I could happily have read many more of these.
Things I dislike about The Madwoman Upstairs; I’ve never been to Oxford, but this reads like a one dimensional portrayal of the place written by an author who hasn’t been there either. Yes, we’re supposed to be experiencing things through Samantha’s eyes as she explores Oxford for the first time but this is all surface level stuff. There is nothing to make you feel like you are actually there.
The relationship between Samantha and her professor, Dr. James Orville III, is frustrating in the extreme. It’s also damaging. It’s emotionally abusive, except we’re not supposed to see it like that because it’s romantic. Their relationship is very Brontë-esque, but that’s not an ideal to strive for.
There is no denying The Madwoman Upstairs is a page-turner. A frustrating one, but a page-turner nonetheless.
I don’t use affiliate links, but if you like what I do you can show your support by buying me a coffee here.
Nowhere Girl By Susan Strecker
Nowhere Girl by Susan Strecker. Advance Reader Copy (eARC) via Netgalley included. You can read my full disclosure policy here.
When Cady (Cadence) was in high school her identical twin Savannah was murdered. Now Cady is a bestselling crime novelist, who spends her time researching and interviewing killers. With each interview Cady hopes to better understand what happened to her sister and how the murderer has never been caught.
Despite Savannah’s death, the bond between the sisters has never fully been broken and Savannah still comes to Cady via dreams. Cady is sure that Savannah is trying to help her find the truth about Savannah’s death and catch a killer. However, the clues Savannah sends don’t fully add up and it’s not until Cady is researching her latest book that things begin to fall into place.
Things I like about Nowhere Girl; the sense of loss and the inability of Cady and her brother to fully move on without knowing what happened to Savannah was woven into the story really well. Cady’s actions, in particular, may not always seem rational but you understood the drive behind them.
Things I didn’t like about Nowhere Girl; the ending. I saw elements of it, but not all of it, coming. After getting sucked into Cady’s need to find Savannah’s killer it felt like a letdown.
Overall, Nowhere Girl is a well written page turner with an ending that I suspect will divide opinion. Or I could be entirely on my own by disliking the ending. That’s the beauty of books; everyone has different opinions about them.
I don’t use affiliate links, but if you like what I do you can show your support by buying me a coffee here.
It’s Not Me, It’s You By Mhairi McFarlane
Life is going well for Delia Moss, until it isn’t. She proposes to her boyfriend, he says yes but doesn’t exactly seem enthusiastic about it. Delia soon discovers why. He has been sleeping with someone else.
Heartbroken and unsure whether the relationship is salvageable, Delia decides to move to London. For how long she isn’t sure, but it’s time to get out of Newcastle and figure out exactly what she wants from her life.
Things I like about the book; it’s littered with moments of humour that genuinely made me laugh out loud.
Things I didn’t like about the book; I didn’t like any of the characters, not one of them. I didn’t find Delia relatable at all, more than once I wanted to shake her while asking “what the hell did you think you was going to happen?” or “how did you not realise that sooner?” These questions aren’t about the break-up, but much of what Delia does afterwards.
So much of how you read a book depends on your connection to the characters. In It’s Not Me, It’s You we’re supposed to want the best Delia honestly, though, I really didn’t care who she ended up with or how her the situation with her job panned out.
Maybe I expected too much from It’s Not Me, It’s You, but various people told me this was different from your average “chick lit” novel. It all became a bit predictable for me. It’s Not Me, It’s You is well written, it just didn’t capture my attention.
I don’t use affiliate links, but if you like what I do you can show your support by buying me a coffee here.
Find Her By Lisa Gardner
Find Her by Lisa Gardner. Advance Reader Copy (ARC), from Headline, via Bookbridgr included. You can read my full disclosure policy here.
Flora Dane was kidnapped and kept captive for 472 days before she was found. Much of that time was spent in a wooden coffin. Flora has spent the five years since her release readjusting to her life. This isn’t easy because everything has changed. Flora isn’t the same person she was before she disappeared. She is a survivor.
Flora knows that the world is full of predators and she is determined to do everything she can to stop them. When she disappears for the second time Detective D.D. Warren is left asking whether, this time, Flora is a victim or a vigilante.
What happens over the course of almost 400 pages is an emotional roller-coaster of a chilling, creepy and twisted tale. The claustrophobia, the fear, the physical and psychological damage felt by kidnapping victims is laid bare.
What lengths will a victim go to in order to survive? What lengths will a survivor go to in order to ensure no-one else has to endure what they did? Can Detective Warren and her colleagues connect the pieces and find Flora and the other missing women before it’s too late?
Find Her is the eighth book in Lisa Gardner’s Detective D.D. Warren series, but they work as standalone novels. Find Her is a tense, well paced, disturbing and compelling read.
I don’t use affiliate links, but if you like what I do you can show your support by buying me a coffee here.
Hot Feminist by Polly Vernon
Hot Feminist by Polly Vernon. Advance Reader Copy (ARC), from Hodder & Stoughton, via Bookbridgr included. You can read my full disclosure policy here.
Hot Feminist written by journalist Polly Vernon is part memoir, part fashion guide and part wannabe guide to modern feminism. Polly Vernon’s main premise is that it’s possible to be a feminist and be interested in how you look. It is possible to be feminine and a feminist. But we knew that already, right?
Hot feminism is a version of feminism, in which women believe it is possible to be a feminist while also displaying femininity, being sex positive and doing things that previous generations of feminism were seen not to be in favour of. Sound familiar? That’s because there is little new here, hot feminism is basically lipstick feminism or stiletto feminism by another name. A name Polly Vernon feels more comfortable with.
From the outset Vernon makes clear that she has no time for the smaller issues that modern day feminism spends its time on. She has no time for call-out culture and online rage just for the sake of it. To her feminism is about the gender pay gap, the number of girls and women being raped and sexually assaulted and the growing attempts by the anti-choice movement to limit the right to legal and safe abortion. Everything else is just noise.
I agree that these are three vital issues for feminism, but I’m not sure everything else can be dismissed. Rape culture is real, prevalent and needs to be tackled. Rape culture is the reason why society spends so much time blaming women and excusing men for violence.
Unlike Vernon, I can’t switch off the knock on effects of everyday things (jokes, TV shows etc.) that feed into a notion that violence against women is normal. Can it be infuriating? Yes. Can it be draining? Yes. But that doesn’t mean we should stop striving to do better.
I also don’t think every act of calling someone out for problematic things they’ve said or done is outrage for the sake of it. We learn by listening to others. We learn by hearing other people’s experiences. Even women have different experiences based on their race, sexuality and/or socio-economic background.
Is social media always the most conducive environment for discussions about intersectionality? No. Again, that doesn’t mean we should stop trying to do better though.
Hot Feminist reminded me of reading Be Awesome: Modern Life for Modern Ladies by Hadley Freeman, they’re both style over substance. There were moments in them that made laugh and moments that had me nodding my head in agreement, but they barely scratch the surface of what feminism is and there is hardly an intersection in sight.
While I agree with Polly Vernon’s underlying theme that we should all be a little bit kinder to ourselves and to others, overall Hot Feminist left me feeling a bit flat and frustrated. It is a very singular view of feminism, a view that I can’t wholly subscribe to.
I don’t use affiliate links, but if you like what I do you can show your support by buying me a coffee here.
All the Rage By Courtney Summers
Romy Grey is doing her best to simply get through the days. Romy has been raped. She has also been branded a liar by almost everyone in town. School is unbearable. Her escape is her job at a diner outside of town, where no one really knows her.
When something happens after a big party, the town is left in shock and Romy must decide whether to stay silent about her past or speak up and do her best to fight.
But just because something starts out sweet doesn’t mean it won’t push itself so far past anything you could call sweet anymore. And if it all starts like this, how do you see what’s coming?
All the Rage by Courtney Summers deftly deals with the issues of consent, rape culture, victim blaming, the politics of teenage girls and ultimately what happens when an entire town turns a blind eye.
It is aptly titled. I was left shaking with rage when I finished it and I know Romy Grey is someone I’ll find myself thinking about for a long time to come.
Like Asking for It by Louise O’Neill, All the Rage may not be an easy read subject wise, but it is a necessary one. Go read it and make sure every teenager you know reads it as well. The conversations it will start are essential.
I am often asked why I read Young Action Fiction and books like All the Rage are why. It’s a powerful look at serious issues affecting the lives of young girls and women. That it’s aimed at young people makes it all the better.
I don’t use affiliate links, but if you like what I do you can show your support by buying me a coffee here.
Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can’t Stop Talking By Susan Cain
There’s zero correlation between being the best talker and having the best ideas.
I first watched Susan Cain’s The Power of Introverts TED Talk a few years ago and have re-watched it many times since. It played a significant part in my acceptance of being an introvert and dealing with everything that entails. As a result, I was really looking forward to reading Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can’t Stop Talking.
Quiet is an in-depth look at how society undervalues introverts. Cain argues that introverts are necessary and should be encouraged instead of being forced into activities and rolls that are geared towards extroverts. Combining facts, statistics and case studies Cain shows that people can be successful in their own field because of their introversion and not in spite of it.
I liked the book and would recommend it to introverts as well as extroverts, but I didn’t find it as engaging as Cain’s TED Talk. I found the writing a bit too dense. There is so much information in these pages that some of it could easily get lost, which is a shame because it’s an important read.
Quiet is definitely a book to savour. I needed time to digest the information in each chapter and reflect on it.
Don’t think of introversion as something that needs to be cured.
I don’t use affiliate links, but if you like what I do you can show your support by buying me a coffee here.
The Versions Of Us by Laura Barnett
because he is old enough now to know happiness for what it is: brief and fleeting, not a state to strive for, to seek to live in, but to catch when it comes, and to hold on to for as long as you can.
The Versions Of Us by Laura Barnett is a story about fate and love. What if the moment two people meet never actually happens? Will their paths cross further down the line?
Barnett takes these questions and weaves them through three alternative narratives for Eva and Jim. If you’re thinking of Sliding Doors, you’re on the right track.
Eva meets Jim when her bicycle wheel is punctured by a nail. Jim, a passer-by, offers to fix it. They go for a drink. They fall in love. Eva breaks up with her boyfriend, David, and she and Jim eventually get married.
Eva’s bicycle narrowly misses the nail. Eva and Jim never meet. Eva marries her boyfriend, David.
Eva’s bicycle wheel is punctured by a nail. Jim offers to fix it. They go for a drink. There’s a connection between them, but Eva does what she thinks is the right thing and marries David, her boyfriend.
Throughout the alternate stories Barnett skilfully focuses on the mundane, the domestic and the little things that make sustaining long-term relationships difficult. On the surface not a lot happens, but this is a complex novel and it soon becomes obvious that sometimes the little things are the most important things.
The Versions Of Us is a book best read in the physical form. I read the Kindle edition and found not being able to flick back and forth, when I needed to remind myself which timeline I was in, incredibly frustrating.
Despite struggling to keep track of timelines toward the end, I enjoyed The Versions Of Us, I’m just not sure I’d read it a second time.
I don’t use affiliate links, but if you like what I do you can show your support by buying me a coffee here.
This Is Where It Ends By Marieke Nijkamp
Told through the eyes of four students This Is Where It Ends by Marieke Nijkamp is an unflinching look at what it’s like to be caught up in a high school shooting. As the tagline states, everyone has a reason to fear the boy with the gun.
The lives of Autumn, Claire, Sylv, and Tomas are already intertwined but there is no escaping their connections once Tyler Browne starts shooting. Their lives and the lives of the wider community will be changed beyond recognition by his actions.
Spanning 54 minutes, This Is Where It Ends is both fast paced and never ending, which is how I imagine being caught in a traumatic situation feels. Every moment feels like a lifetime, yet things are actually happening quite quickly.
We never see things from Tyler’s point of view. As destruction and devastation is going on around them various characters try to understand what lead to this point, but we never really learn the truth.
I respect this; I read it as Nijkamp’s way of showing that we don’t get to understand the reasons why something so awful happens. Sometimes there’s a concrete reason. Sometimes there isn’t. Sometimes the real reason is never truly known or understood. Sometimes all we are left with is a bunch of speculation and what ifs.
Nijkamp’s storytelling is simplistic yet powerful, she doesn’t shy away from difficult topics or diverse characters. Here we have LGBTQ+ characters, people of colour and people with chronic illnesses. This may seem like a lot when written down as a list, but that’s because these characters are so often missing from other stories. Some characters work better than others, just because for me some were better developed than others.
There is no doubt that some people will view This Is Where It Ends as a controversial book. I think it’s a compelling and necessary read.
Best Books of 2015
I made a conscious decision to read more books written by women this year, so it’s hardly surprising that my best books of 2015 list is comprised solely of women.
I’ve read and enjoyed many books, both fiction and non-fiction, but these six affected me the most. Some made me laugh. Some made me cry. Some did both. They all made me think. They all made me want to seek out people who had read them so we could discuss the stories at length. They are all books I know I will re-read and that’s the sign of a great book for me.
Spill Simmer Falter Wither by Sara Baume
Sara Baume’s debut novel is about one man and his dog, except it is about so much more than that. It’s a haunting look at loneliness, isolation and ageing in our society. Spill Simmer Falter Wither broke my heart in the best possible way.
One by Sarah Crossan
I don’t read books out loud, but I would make an exception for One by Sarah Crossan. Written in glorious free verse this tale of conjoined twins, Grace and Tippi, is a moving look at sisterhood, friendship, love and identity.
About Sisterland by Martina Devlin
In Sisterland women and men live separate lives. Every woman has their role within Sisterland and men are necessary only for hard labour and breeding. But when your thoughts and emotions are tightly controlled just how perfect can this world be? About Sisterland explores the devastating effects of extremism and Martina Devlin’s words will stay with you long after you’ve turned the final page.
Blackout: Remembering The Things I Drank To Forget by Sarah Hepola
Blackout by Sarah Hepola affected me in ways I wasn’t fully expecting. I finished reading it a few weeks ago and I’m still thinking about it. Hepola’s memoir is the story of a woman who realised that she should probably have stopped drinking long before she actually did. It balances humour with honesty making for a compelling read.
Tender by Belinda McKeon
Tender is an exploration of friendship, youth, love, obsession and sexuality. Catherine Reilly and James Flynn are my favourite characters of the year. I don’t always agree with their actions, but I want to spend time with them. Belinda McKeon’s writing manages to be both raw and nuanced.
Asking For It by Louise O’Neill
Everyone needs to read Asking For It, particularly teenage boys and girls. Louise O’Neill painfully and skilfully explores the aftermath of a gang rape in the age of social media. It may be a difficult read, subject wise, but it is essential. The conversations it will lead to about consent, rape culture and victim blaming are extremely important.
The Miseducation of Cameron Post by Emily M. Danforth
I was doing my little stand-up shtick, the one I did for pretty girls, so they’d like me quickly and wouldn’t try too hard to actually get to know me beyond my role as wisecracking Cameron the orphan.
The Miseducation of Cameron Post by Emily M. Danforth tells the story of Cameron Post, a 12 year-old who lives in a small town in Montana. Cameron’s relationship with her best friend Irene becomes more than friendship, leaving Cameron feeling confused and excited. When her parents are killed in a car crash Cameron’s first thought is that at least they won’t find out that their daughter is gay.
Divided into three parts; Summer 1989, High School 1991-1992 and God’s Promise 1992-1993, we follow Cameron as she explores her sexuality, falls in love and faces the consequences of being from an ultraconservative community.
Those consequences are being sent to God’s Promise by her aunt Ruth. God’s Promise is a religious conversion camp that is supposed to “cure” Cameron and its other attendants of their homosexuality.
I found the depiction of the religious conversion camp the most uncomfortable aspect to read. So called gay conversion therapy is a dangerous practice that is detrimental to LGBTQ* people. There are no two ways about it. You cannot simply pray away the gay.
Cameron and the friends she makes know the camp is bullshit, but they still have to survive there. So they construct facades to convince their “counsellors” they are making progress in realising the error of their ways. When something happens to one of the camp attendants everyone is shaken to the core.
Overall, The Miseducation of Cameron Post felt like a short story that had been extended. There were whole pages that didn’t add anything to the progression of the story. Don’t get me wrong, it’s all well written but it dragged on and as a result I didn’t connect with Cameron as much as I would have liked.
Upon reading the acknowledgements I discovered that Danforth had originally devised the idea as a short story. I think I would have preferred it to remain in that format.