Welcome to Litsy!

It's been a long time since a book brought this many tears to my eyes. I'm not sure I could have read it when my children were younger. But it was also a real eye opener with a lot of fascinating information about medical history and innovations. A remarkable story featuring a lot of ordinary people showing remarkable compassion.
The #WomensPrize for non-fiction list was really strong again this year, and this is a worthy winner.

#WomensPrizeNF

I love it when a book gives me really interesting information about something it had never occurred to me to think about. I am now officially a fan of hares. I really didn't think that a book about a woman's lockdown project of looking after a hare would be all that interesting, but it really was.

#WomensPrizeNF #WomensPrize
#14books14weeks book 1

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#WomensPrizeNF It‘s obvious Summerscale has done the research and thoroughly explored all aspects of the case, including the time period. Apparently a notorious case in England, these murders of women in the 1950s illuminate the hardships for women and the misogyny that permeated society. The trial and aftermath of the case are explored, and I kept feeling like this took place way longer ago than just the 50s because things have changed so much.

I thought Neneh Cherry's memoir sounded like a niche choice for the #WomensPrizeNF shortlist, but you don't need to be a fan to get a lot out of this book. It's a time capsule. It's the emerging music scene and countercultures of NYC in the 70s and London in the 80s. It's Jazz history. It's about being bi-racial and with family ties to three continents. It's about food, friendship, addiction, the AIDS epidemic, art, and an unconventional life.

This was great! I have little interest in the French Impressionists, and knew very little about Gauguin (most of which turned out to be inaccurate), but this was highly interesting and superbly entertaining as well as informative. What a character! What a life! The book also includes a lot of prints and photos of artwork, on high quality paper. I'm sad this didn't make the shortlist for the #WomensPrizeNF

Very interesting and informative, but a bit technical at times.

The TL;DR summary:
People are the worst. We destroy everything with our greed and short sightedness. But not all is lost, and some people are doing awesome things. To save the oceans (and our future) we need to work together globally, but also give the local people of each area a say. And we need to cut carbon emissions. By a lot. Immediately.

#WomensPrizeNF #shortlist

Description of Bergen, Norway c. 1200. Can confirm that 800 years later, this part is still the same 😂

#WomensPrizeNF

If this wasn‘t shortlisted for the #womensprizeNF I wouldn‘t have been in a rush to read it but I‘m so glad it was as it‘s such a poignantly and beautifully written memoir. I loved listening to the author read her story herself. Brilliant 🖤 #nonfiction2024 (Born a Crime)

I was thinking of this book even when I wasn‘t reading it. I love that the author uses the cloth as a starting point to write about/give us perspectives from people who couldn‘t always leave a record of their lives/feelings. It will definitely stay with me. #womensprizeNF #nonfiction2024 (The Bluest Eye)

My current #audio
Really interesting and a lot more accessible than I expected.

#WomensPrizeNF