Monthly Book Stack Review August
Do you ever feel completely overwhelmed by the ideas of how many books there are that you will never get the chance to read?
Just me?
I had aspirations about August. Visions of long slow summer days in the garden, at the beach, all with a book in hand and a spare in my bag. The books were carried, but the reading time never materialised. Here are some of the pages which did pass my way.
You Are Enough by Harri Rose
Consider this the little book of loving motivation.
Harri Rose takes the reader on a quick tour of all the things we say, we believe, and we think about our bodies, from fatphobia, the diet culture, health myths, and the way we physically consume our food. She challenges you to look at why you think and behave the way you do in relation to your body, urging a change of perspective that may just be life-changing and liberating.
This is a book for anyone who has ever looked in the mirror and needed a quick reminder of why hating themselves isn’t the answer.
Small Cures by Della Hicks-Wilson
A beautiful collection of feelings and moments captured in simple words. Direct but comforting, Della has managed to weave fragments created over years into one narrative. A single poem that contains a song of remembrance to what it means to truly love.
Dead to Her by Sarah Pinborough
This was an odd book. It felt like the combination of 3 styles in one, and while it gripped me and kept me guessing right to the last chapter I’m still not certain I liked it!
Well written and very clever, there are sections of beautiful writing which reveal the characters with such intimacy you can see yourself and those you know echoed in their images so clearly. Yet, for me, the jump from YA to adult relational thriller (possibly a term that doesn’t exist) was too big. I wanted something different and this was definitely it. A story of two women who have managed to enter an elite social circle and living lives they have long dreamed of, only to find it’s not so easy to maintain is possibly just not for me.
Notes On A Nervous Planet by Matt Haig
I loved Reasons To Stay Alive and Notes is just as good. Matt takes us on a mission to understand the interconnected nature of the world around us and its impact on our anxiety, depression, and continual state of overwhelm.
He urges the reader to view social media, the never-ending news streams, and modern ways of communicating with each other as the nervous system of the planet. One which directly feeds into our emotional state and keeps us out of balance and reactive.
As always his writing reads like you are having an engrossing discussion with good friends over a drink, and as such, makes you laugh, makes you think, and gives you more than a few aha moments. He gives anxiety a language and a framework that not only makes it easier to understand and tackle but stands as a warning that we had all better heed.