I’ve been tagged by the lovely Emandherbooks to do this tag inspired by New Year’s Resolutions, but with a bookish twist. This tag was created by Mikaela Reads and it is very tricky!
All links are affiliate links – thanks for supporting my blog (at no extra cost to you).
1. Exercise More – name a book that has made you want to leap up out of your seat (for any reason).
I recently read ‘The Southern Book Club’s Guide to Slaying Vampires’ by Grady Hendrix, a book which made me jump in horror but also in frustration! Some of the horror was a lot more horror-y (yes, it’s a word!) than I was really comfortable with – let’s just say rats and insects and unconventional vampire eating methods and leave it there! However, it also made me kind of cross in places as the women of the book club (who I hoped would be lovely but fierce Southern ladies who had each others’ backs) just weren’t very united.
There’s lots in the book to enjoy – if you have a stronger stomach than me!
2. Get Organised – a book with an exceptional plot
I don’t think you can beat Agatha Christie for brilliant plotting. I’m reading ‘The Murder of Roger Ackroyd’ with my book group at the moment and it is absolutely brilliant. It is making me want to read and re-read other Christie novels – I’ve always had a soft spot for a Poirot book.
My favourite Christie book is probably ‘Dead Man’s Folly’ so I’ll choose that for this resolution.
3. Learn A New Skill – a book which taught you something
I read lots of non-fiction books with the vague hope that I’ll learn something – I always do, but unfortunately have a memory like a sieve so don’t actually retain much!
However, a few books I’ve read in the last year have really taught me to look at things differently and challenge my thinking. ‘Difficult Women’ by Helen Lewis made me think about how far the fight for gender equality has come (but how far there is left to go) while ‘How Not to be Wrong’ by James O’Brien got me to identify my own in-built prejudices and the possible reasons for them. On a lighter note, James Felton’s ’52 Times Britain was a Bellend: The History You Didn’t Get Taught at School’ gave me a new perspective on historical ‘truths’ (and made me laugh too!)
4. Live Life To The Fullest – a book which inspired you
I’m really not sure I read that kind of inspirational book!
However, Ruby Wax’s ‘And Now For The Good News’ gave me a shot of positivity that there are good people out there achieving amazing things. In the face of 2020, that was quite inspirational.
5. Save more money / spend less money – the most expensive book you’ve bought and was it worth it?
I once spent £50 on a book at the Hay Festival just so I could meet its author and get it signed. That author was Brian May and it was worth every penny! The book is fabulous too, by the way – ‘Queen in 3D’.
6. Spend More Time With Family and Friends – a character you would want to be best mates with
One of my absolute favourite books is ‘I Capture the Castle’ by Dodie Smith. From the second I first read it as a teenager, I was absolutely captivated by the eccentric and charming Mortmain family (especially Cassandra, our narrator).
7. Travel More – a book with a location you’d love to visit
I tend to read a lot of historical fiction, so it’s usually more about when I’d like to visit rather than where!
However, I remember being fascinated by the descriptions of Mesa Verde, Colorado in ‘The Professor’s House’ by Willa Cather. I read this book at university a long time ago and the setting really interested me because of the old cliff-dwellings. In the pre-Internet days (remember them?!), I couldn’t imagine these amazing houses built into the rock and always kind of hoped I’d get to go one day.
8. Read More – a book you are desperate to read this year
I’m really keen to read the new book by Elizabeth Macneal, ‘Circus of Wonders’. I loved her last book, ‘The Doll Factory’ and this one looks just perfect! The blurb had me at ‘Gothic Victoriana…’
There you have it! Hope you’ve enjoyed my answers and I’d like to tag anyone who fancies giving this a go – it is quite a challenge!
Header photo with thanks to Annie Spratt on Unsplash.
I read a lot of non-fiction books this year – regular visitors to the blog will know that I love history, popular culture, books about books, feminism and biography in particular.
So while I cannot possibly say I’ve read a huge variety of the fabulous non-fiction books published this year, I have found some real gems. In true ‘Top of the Pops’ style (yes, I am of that vintage!), here’s my countdown of the best in 2020’s non-fiction books from number 10 to 1…
Affiliate links are included – thank you for supporting my blog with any purchases (at no extra cost to you).
10 – ‘The Gran Tour: Travels with my Elders’ by Ben Aitken
If someone had told me that one of my favourite books of the year would be about a young man going on Shearings coach tours, I’m not sure I’d have believed you! Still, this is a witty, warm and wise story about Aitken’s travels with the older generation and is more focused on interesting people-watching than any real travel narrative. You can read my full review here.
I also read Aitken’s ‘A Chip Shop in Poznan’, an engaging tale of his year in Poland just as Brexit-fever took hold of Britain.
9 – ‘Practically Perfect: Life Lessons from Mary Poppins’ by Katy Brand
Having been raised on the glorious 1964 film of ‘Mary Poppins’, this book was a fabulously comfortable and engaging read. Brand is clearly a Poppins-obsessive and it is something I both recognise and respect! This book is packed with nostalgia, interesting facts and witty analysis. You can read my review here.
If this one floats your boat, Brand’s book about Dirty Dancing is also well worth a read (‘I Carried a Watermelon’).
8 – ‘Essex Girls: For Profane and Opinionated Women Everywhere’ by Sarah Perry
This is a brilliant re-evaluation of the stereotype of the Essex girl and a celebration of ‘profane and opinionated women’ through history. As a Southend-born and long-term Chelmsford resident, this one struck a chord with me. You can read my full review here.
7 – ‘This is Shakespeare’ by Emma Smith
I love a book about Shakespeare and I’ve read a lot! What I loved about this one was the fact that it contained so many new things that I hadn’t really thought about before, even for the plays that I consider that I know really well. You can read my review here.
If this is your thing, I can also recommend Kathryn Harkup’s ‘Death by Shakespeare’, a fascinating look at the deaths in Shakespeare from a scientific perspective. Dark but absolutely engrossing! (review here)
6 – ‘How Love Actually Ruined Christmas (or Colourful Narcotics)’ by Gary Raymond
A late entry into my favourites list but this one is hilarious! I am really not a fan of the film ‘Love Actually’ at all and I really enjoyed Raymond’s scene-by-scene evisceration of it. Thoughtfully-written and genuinely enlightening…and did I mention very, very funny?! You can read my full review here.
5 – ‘Dead Famous: An Unexpected History of Celebrity from Bronze Age to Silver Screen’ by Greg Jenner
This is a thoroughly enjoyable jaunt through the culture of celebrity. Jenner, who was historian for the BBC’s excellent ‘Horrible Histories’ TV series, is an engaging guide and brings together stories that are funny, interesting and also occasionally tragic. You can read my review here.
If you like the look of this, I can also recommend Jenner’s first book, ‘A Million Years in A Day’, a book focusing on the history of the things we do every day.
4 – ‘Difficult Women: A History of Feminism in 11 Fights’ by Helen Lewis
This is a history of feminism, but with a difference – it focused on the lesser-known figures and events so that it really feels fresh and engaging. You can read my full review here.
3 – ‘A Curious History of Sex’ by Kate Lister
I supported this book on the crowd-funded publishing site, Unbound, after following Dr Kate Lister on Twitter for a while. Her take on social (sexual) history is funny, feminist and always interesting. The book itself is eye-opening and fascinating, plus Lister donated a proportion of her profits to a sex worker charity. You can read my full review here.
2 – ‘More Than A Woman’ by Caitlin Moran
Moran’s books are always worth a read, but this take on what it means to be a middle-aged woman is brilliant. She is funny and confessional, relatable and quick with her razor-sharp observations. My review can be read here.
Moran’s earlier book, ‘How to be a Woman’, about being a younger woman, is also eminently readable:
1 – ‘A Tomb With a View’ by Peter Ross
OK, so a book ostensibly about graveyards and death might be a bit of an odd choice for my non-fiction book of the year, but hear me out! This is the book that I have talked about to people more than any other this year and it is an absolute treasure.
More than anything, it celebrates life and the people associated with graveyards and burial grounds and ossuaries: the historians, the mourners and the grave-tenders and those who carry out burial rites, as well as the departed. It is strangely comforting and absolutely compelling. Although sometimes sad, it isn’t depressing at all.
This is a brilliant book and one I strongly recommend. You can read my full review here.
I read a lot of non-fiction which tends to fall into several sub-categories – Victorians, social history, historical biography, women’s history, feminism.
For today’s post, I wanted to talk about some of the best in non-fiction books specifically about women and their lives – from historical perspectives to the modern day. These are the my top 5 picks from an awful lot of books so I hope you find something that catches your eye!
‘How Was It For You?’ by Virginia Nicholson
I love social history and anything with a feminist perspective, but I’ll admit that I knew very little about the 1960s before reading this book.
I think I’d bought into the vague modern notion of the ‘Swinging Sixties’, a time when societal expectations changed after the restrictive 1950s, a time of permissiveness and free love and hippies and Biba. The sixties as revolutionary but in a good way.
Nicholson goes some way to explode this myth about the decade often recalled with a sense of nostalgia by those who experienced it (my dad being a prime example!) She reveals the truth behind the ‘free love’ headline: this was not a great time for women. From illegal abortions to sexism at all levels of society, the 1960s were not always kind to the sisterhood. While seeming to be an age of opportunity and freedom (the pill, the opening of the job market to women, recreational drugs, the possibility of finding your ‘tribe’ of mods/rockers/hippies, and an exciting shift in popular music), the reality was that gender equality was not part of the deal.
Despite this overall message, the book is not pessimistic or depressing. Nicholson cleverly charts the decade chronologically, interspersing an account of the historical events with interviews with a range of women who lived through the 1960s. These range from the mother of a thalidomide baby to a campaigning feminist to a women who experienced teen pregnancy to Patricia Quinn (Magenta in ‘The Rocky Horror Show’ and a personal heroine of mine!) These women show that the sixties were an era of contradictions and complexities, of great change, of fun but also huge challenges.
The scope of the book is mind-boggling. It manages to cover personal stories from the interviewees and also the big news events of the day. In a fast paced narrative, we are whisked through huge cultural revolutions and major news stories: Beatlemania, Profumo, Playboy bunny girls, LSD, groupies, Mary Whitehouse, racism, Lady Chatterley, the moon landings, Carnaby Street, feminism…the list goes on.
There is so much packed into the book, yet the flow of the text never seems forced or unnatural; it is an absolutely engrossing read.
I recommend this to anyone interested in social history, feminism or women’s lives. Whether you remember the sixties or not, there is so much to learn from this engaging and thought provoking book.
‘Difficult Women’ by Helen Lewis
Thanks to Jen Theodore for sharing their work on Unsplash.
This is a book that I’ve talked about before on this blog, but it bears repeating. I have told everyone who will listen about this one!
I thought I was pretty good on my history of women’s rights and feminism, but found plenty in this eye-opening, thought-provoking and engaging book that was new to me. In the book, Lewis charts key moments in women’s history through 11 ‘fights’ – key moments in history when the titular ‘Difficult Women’ have stood up and made change happen in society.
These changes range from divorce laws protecting women’s rights to have access to their children and property, the availability of safe and legal abortions, gaining votes for women after World War 1, establishing refuges for victims of domestic violence, achieving equal access to education and the changing roles of the female workforce. Each of these struggles is a separate chapter, with Lewis introducing us to some of the ‘difficult women’ who led the various movements.
What I loved about this book was that the stories told weren’t the usual ones. For every Pankhurst in the chapter on votes for women, there were a whole host of lesser known but still fascinating women who played important roles in achieving the women’s vote in 1918. I felt that I’d learnt about a whole new cast of feminists and so many different perspectives on feminist ideology.
Lewis doesn’t try to convince us that these women were perfect – she tackles head on some of the contradictions of feminism and the internal disagreements, for example not shying away from Marie Stopes interest in eugenics or the suffragettes willingness to do violent and terrible things to achieve their aims.
I’d wholeheartedly recommend this book to anyone with an interest in women’s history or changing place in society. The book isn’t – and doesn’t claim to be – an exhaustive history of feminism, but it is lively and entertaining, well-researched and engrossing. The topics covered are fascinating and Lewis is a witty, perceptive and clear-sighted guide through some tricky subjects.
‘The Trouble with Women’ by Jacky Fleming
This is a book that seems to be a light read – it’s mainly illustrations – but the weight of the messages is immense!
I have a background in studying feminist literature and admit I was intrigued when I saw this book with it’s woman in a bubble (actually the Domestic Sphere – capitalisation essential – as we soon find out) on the cover and ironic title.
It’s an absolute gem! Lovely illustrations accompany an acerbic narrative of female history; traditional ideas about women aren’t criticised directly, but more shown to be ludicrous through the wording and illustrations (I especially loved the idea that women couldn’t stand up without corsets, alongside illustrated lolling women!) Men are Geniuses (with a capital letter, obviously), while women aren’t suited to anything that might damage their marriage prospects (including, but not limited to, art, science, writing, riding bicycles).
This book is an obvious choice for anyone interested in women’s history and feminism., and is one I’ll be sharing with my daughter when she is old enough.
However, it has much wider appeal than us card-carrying feminists! Indeed, this book should also be read by anyone who thinks that the fight for equality is over; there’s plenty of food for thought here about the messages we are still given about women’s role in history.
‘Moranifesto’ by Caitlin Moran
Regular visitors to the blog may have already spotted my love for Caitlin Moran who – I think – has one of the most original, funny and relatable voices in modern journalism.
She writes regularly for ‘The Times’ and ‘The Sunday Times’ but also has a number of books (both fiction and non-fiction) under her belt. Her new book, ‘More Than A Woman’ has just been released, but I’d like to point you towards ‘Moranifesto’ as being the book that perfectly encapsulates her quirky and humorous take on life.
Although I really don’t agree with her on some things (for example, her Beatles obsession), on the important things we are aligned. She writes engagingly and persuasively, whether it is about feminism, the Paralympics, the need for libraries or the wonderousness of Benedict Cumberbatch!
Although her writing is fundamentally feminist, she covers a massive amount of ground on some extremely wide-ranging topics and is always readable. She is also notoriously ‘over-sharey’ so there’s some hilarious and eye-opening content.
The other thing that’s great about this book is that Moran is a thinker. Although a lot of her musings may seem amusing or dealing with trivialities, she absolutely nails society’s problems (often to do with inequality and injustices) and offers a hopeful way forward – her ‘Moranifesto’.
I wish they’d put her in charge now!
‘Unmentionable: The Victorian Lady’s Guide to Sex, Marriage and Manners‘ by Therese ONeill
Those who know me know that I love funny books and anything about Victorians. This is both and yet gives an engaging social history on how women lived in the Victorian era.
I do tend towards a romantic view of the Victorian era whilst also knowing that this is ridiculous – the statistics on child mortality, life expectancy and poverty should dispel that myth. However, I was keen to know about the reality of being a Victorian woman which is why I picked up this book.
The key thing to note is that this is about being a Victorian lady – a very small percentage of the population, as most women did not have the disposable income or time to meet the exacting standards of the etiquette guides (that ONeill uses as the basis for her fascinating book).
The book includes some really interesting social history on women’s clothing, bathing options, treatments for ‘hysteria’ (a condition only experienced by white, upper class women!) and contraception, among other things.
It is also really very funny and so makes my list easily!
Here are some others from my (to be honest – terrifyingly huge) TBR…
‘The Five’ by Hallie Rubenhold
‘Rise Up, Women!’ by Diane Atkinson
‘Bloody Brilliant Women’ by Cathy Newman
‘She-Merchants, Buccaneers and Gentlewomen: British Women in India 1600-1900’ by Katie Hickman
‘Square Haunting: Five Women, Freedom and London Between the Wars’ by Francesca Wade
‘Outsiders: Five Women Writers Who Changed the World’ by Lyndall Gordon
‘Maiden Voyages’ by Sian Evans
Header photo with thanks to Gabrielle Rocha Rios for sharing their work on Unsplash.
