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This Is Not A Book About Benedict Cumberbatch
This Is Not A Book About Benedict Cumberbatch | Tabitha Carvan
10 posts | 12 read | 20 to read
If you feel that sense that there is something missing from your life, some gap between who you are on the inside and who you are on the outside - then this is the book for you. This is, as the title says, not actually a book about Benedict Cumberbatch. In fact, it's a book about women and what we love, about what happens to women's passions after we leave adolescence and how the space for joy in our lives is squeezed ever smaller as we age, and why. More importantly, it's about what happens if you subvert that narrative and simply love something like you used to. Drawing upon her personal experience of unexpectedly falling for the British actor Benedict Cumberbatch while stuck at home with two young children, Carvan challenges the reader to stop instinctively resisting the possibility of experiencing pleasure. Hers is clarion rallying cry: find your thing, whatever it may be, and love it like your life depends on it. Funny, intelligent, transporting and liberating, this book is a total joy. 'Witty, erudite and fierce in its message - that women should seek joy and find fun. Happily, this book provides both in abundance. I loved it.' Jacqueline Maley 'You know when you bite into a chocolate, and unexpectedly discover it's filled with delectable cherry kirsch that explodes into your mouth? That's this book. Original, highly entertaining, fast-paced, personal read that contains unexpected revelations at every corner. It's funny, it's smart, it's compelling. But most of all, it's a battle cry: sit up, pay attention and follow your heart and find joy. After all, our time on this earth is short. C'mon. The clock is ticking.' Ginger Gorman 'Intimate, self-deprecating ... like an Australian Caitlin Moran or Dolly Alderton ... an easy, lighthearted read about serious subject matter: feminism, passion, relationships and creativity, and owning the strength of the passions felt in childhood and adolescence.' Books+Publishing 'A surprise midlife obsession with British actor Benedict Cumberbatch provides the occasion for musings on passion, aging, and identity in this spirited debut. . . Carvan's self-aware approach wrings the absurdity out of her story to hilarious effect while touching on the realities of motherhood and fandom: "It's not just about what we love, but how that love figures in our lives, and how it makes us feel." The result is a weird-in-the-best-way account of self-discovery that brims with humor and insight.' Publishers Weekly, starred review 'Remember that feeling you had as a kid, when you loved things wholeheartedly, boldly, and loudly? If you feel a sense that there is something missing from your life, some gap between who you are on the inside and who you are on the outside, then this is the book for you.' Eve Rodsky, author of Find Your Unicorn Space and Fair Play 'This really isn't a book about Benedict Cumberbatch. It's about so, so much more: Losing yourself and finding yourself, oppression and emancipation; sadness and joy. Tabitha Carvan's book will make you think and make you cackle. It's the most delightful book I've read in a long time.' Melinda Wenner Moyer, author of How to Raise Kids Who Aren't Assholes
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MrsMalaprop
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Well that was a rollicking good time. I never would have picked this one up, but @Jeg put it in my hand (by taking the time to give it to a friend to pass on to me, with a little note 🥰). What a funny and thought-provoking read. And I am most definitely NOT a Cumberbitch - I had to look him up 😂.

Jeg If I hadn‘t found it in an op shop after seeing it in book shops I‘d never have read it. I learnt a few things along the way and at the end thought who might enjoy this, and I thought of you. (edited) 4mo
Rissreads I love Benerdict Cumberbatch as he is in one of my all time favourite shows Sherlock (the British version). Sooooo good! You should give it a go! 4mo
41 likes2 stack adds2 comments
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Jeg
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Delightful. I had no idea BC was so popular.Author explores her obsession with BC and comes up with some interesting insights .
I'm delighted to be a Cumberbitch.
I've also discovered fan fiction!
I do recommend even if not a BC fan.
A quotable book in lots of places.

CarolynM Really, Joy! You, a Cummerbitch? I never would have thought it😱🤣 6mo
TheLudicReader Fandom. Such a weird and wonderful place. And fanfiction, a rabbit hole from which there is no return. 6mo
Centique I totally believe in the need to be a “fan” of something. Its something i gave myself permission to do some years ago and its so freeing! For me the object/subject of my fandom changes every few years but its such a source of fun. Currently im into Kpop - Litsy is probably a bit of a book fandom as well! 5mo
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ChasingOm
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I have stuck with my resolution to spend the day in pajamas reading! 😄

This was the perfect book to finish during a day like this - a book about joy and fun and how we (especially women) are taught to “mature” beyond the things that light us up, into the things that society expects of us. On that note, I‘m going to crank my kpop playlist, meal prep breakfast for the week, and then settle in with my next read. 💜

Suet624 Sounds like a great plan. 1y
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Chelsea.Poole
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Totally charmed by both the message & delivery of this audiobook. Carvan describes her fascination with Benedict Cumberbatch as an older woman and interviews others in the fandom after being caught off guard by how much it is impacting her life, making a case for jumping into whatever brings us joy in life. I found this delightful and learned so much about Cumberbatch, though this truly isn‘t ALL about him 😆 I‘ve even decided to watch Sherlock!

Yuki_Onna Benedict Cumberbatch! 💕 My hero! 2y
Soubhiville Oh, Sherlock is brilliant! Enjoy it! 2y
aa_guer2021 What a brilliant premise! 🤣🤣 Sherlock is phenomenally well done, and he is also great as Alan Turing in the Imitation Game! ❤️ 2y
See All 9 Comments
erzascarletbookgasm Interesting! 2y
Chelsea.Poole @Yuki_Onna this book certainly made me interested in him! 🤩 2y
Chelsea.Poole @Soubhiville thanks! I‘m excited! 2y
Chelsea.Poole @aa_guer2021 I just watched the Imitation Game…so good!! (Watched after hearing how amazing Cumberbatch is so had to see for myself) loved it! 2y
DivineDiana This sounds like fun! Stacked! 2y
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Honeybeebooks
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Funny, irreverent, change that; funny, reverent (towards BC and his parts at least) look at fandom. For some, an irrepressible love of something/one can bring unexpected joy. The object of Carvan‘s obsession is B. Cumberbatch. (Full disclosure: I am part of the BC as Sherlock fandom.) Taken aback by her fall into obsession, Carvan looks into the science and realizes it is OK to adore from afar. But let‘s be real. It is all about Benedict. ⭐️⭐️⭐️+

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bookstakatie
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So - it feels really weird to have my first post here to be something that isn‘t romance… but here we are! I don‘t even know how this book popped onto my radar but once I saw the sun-title? Had to have it - because the joy reading romance and loving BTS has brought me? Immeasurable. I can‘t wait to get farther in 💜

MyBookCalledLife Great title😂 2y
bookstakatie @MyBookCalledLife isn‘t it though?! 2y
wanderinglynn Welcome to Litsy! 👋🏻 2y
11 likes4 comments
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Eyelit
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Noticing a slight autumnal color scheme theme in some of my current reads 😂🤩

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sarahgreatlove
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Loved this book 🌼 The author perfectly encapsulates the loss of identity experienced in early motherhood and the bizarre often embarrassing ways it reasserts itself years later. In her case, with an obsession with Benedict Cumberbatch, which means this book isn‘t a depressing tome about Why Women Feel Sad but instead SO FUNNY. I loved the musings on how we feel about what we love. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
(thank you to NetGalley for the digital review copy😻)

sarahgreatlove Pretty picture taken from the authors Instagram 😬 2y
6 likes1 comment
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Bookboss
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I have been a Benedict Cumberbatch fan since the first Sherlock series, but this is not a book about the actor. It is a book about embracing the things in life that bring you joy. As long as your passion doesn‘t bring harm to others, revel in it without shame or embarrassment. I learned this lesson in my mid-thirties, and stopped trying to dismiss my love for Star Trek, Star Wars, comic books, and literature. Joy is rare; appreciate it.

Karisa Hear! Hear! 👏👏👏 2y
45 likes2 stack adds1 comment
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GerardtheBookworm
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Call me a Cumberbeeyotch and I'm ready for my Benediction! Okay, in all seriousness. These series of essays of fangirling actor Benedict Cumberbitch is really about the author's appreciation for a celebrity and finding a sense of fulfillment and purpose for something that bring Joy's to anyone's mundane life. Quirky, funny, and endearing, this was a great relief to reading something enjoyable instead of the heavies I've read lately.

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