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pickThis is a fascinating memoir. It's really interesting to hear how the author reconciles his Catholic faith - which is neither blind nor unquestioning, but something he thinks deeply about, has studied and debated, and is a source of strength and comfort to him - with the institutionalised homophobia of the Church hierarchy. It's funny and moving, and beautifully told.
Absolutely devastated to hear that Jackie Hagan passed away yesterday. It was a privilege to know her and the world is a better place for her having been in it.
pickThis is a fascinating book, and feels like it could have been specifically written for someone who sat their Sociology A Level in 1999. It's incredibly broad in its scope, covering music, film, TV, sports and politics, and it rightly gives popular culture equal weight to geopolitics. I really enjoyed this.
pickThis is a superb, beautifully written novel. It follows the intense and complicated friendship of Lila and Lenu through their childhood and adolescence in post war Naples. It depicts the poverty and violence, and the complex social dynamics, vividly. I'm really looking forward to reading the next book in the quartet.
pickThis is a fascinating contemporary account of Annie Kenney"s life and her tireless work in the Suffragette movement. Someone of her views (especially on race) are quite "of their time", but it's a great first-hand insight into the sacrifices and efforts made to win women the vote.
Next up. My husband got me the Neapolitan novels for my birthday cos we're hoping to go to Naples this year.
pickThis is a beautiful, uplifting collection of poems reflecting on grief/love (and how intertwined they are), activism and hope. Blue Boat Mother was especially moving. Exactly what I needed.
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pickThis is a brilliant memoir by a brilliant woman. Beth Mead is open and honest about her struggles with anxiety and self doubt, & the challenges she's faced. She speaks warmly about her family and how much their support means to her, & the chapters about her mum's illness are heartbreaking (I don't recommend reading the last one about her mum when you're on your lunch break and have to go back to work, esp if you're recovering from a bereavement).
pickThis is a brilliant memoir and a brutally honest insight into Fern Brady's experience as an autistic woman. I hope the snobby posh bastards who she went to uni with read this and feel inferior and shit. Definitely recommend listening to it on audiobook.
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This is a brilliant history of Section 28, the bigotry and homophobia that led to it, the fight against it and its impact and legacy. It‘s very well researched and detailed, and Paul Baker‘s dry sense of humour makes it great fun to read. I really enjoyed this.
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This is a brilliant history of Section 28, the bigotry and homophobia that led to it, the fight against it and its impact and legacy. It‘s very well researched and detailed, and Paul Baker‘s dry sense of humour makes it great fun to read. I really enjoyed this.
Came to Oxford for the weekend to watch Oldham play Oxford City. The match was terrible, but it was absolutely worth it to see Lyra and Will's bench.
pickThis is a really interesting exploration of th power of women's anger, how it has been historically weaponised against them, and how personally invigorating it can be.
Aw. Andy got me the Neapolitan novels as pre holiday reading for my birthday.
pickThis is an incredibly powerful collection. Roy argues, backed by extensive research, that foreign policy and various attempted 'peace processes' have consolidated the hugely unequal power dynamic between Israel and Palestine, and left Palestine weaker and dependent on aid. She describes how, since 2005, Israel has isolated Gaza from the West Bank, shattered its economy and collectively punished its population. This didn't start on October 7th.
Early birthday present. I have the best friends.
pickThis is a fascinating exploration of gender identities throughout history and across various cultures, challenging the idea that trans and gender-nonconforming identities are a modern ‘trend‘ or ‘fad‘. You may not agree with everything that Kit Hayem argues, but it‘s thought provoking and incredibly well researched.
pickThis is a beautifully written memoir, and an enlightening insight into the LGBTQ+ Muslim community we're often led to believe doesn't exist. Lamya describes moving to the Middle East as a child then moving to the USA, how she draws strength from her faith, the pitfalls of dating/'not-dating', and of finding community where she can be her true self.
Next up #lgbtqhistorymonth
pickThis is as brilliant and funny as I hoped it would be. Rob Delaney is a superb writer, and hearing him relate his life story with brutal honesty (graphically and hilariously so when describing a range of bodily functions) is so enjoyable.
Book post is best post
pickThis is a brilliant book. A beautiful, vivid portrait of the visceral pain of grief, and of the joy of learning to love life again.
pickThis is a brilliant collection. Powerful, radical, eclectic. There are a lot of classics that you'll probably be familiar with here (I don't recommend reading Do Not Go Gentle Into That Good Night by Dylan Thomas in a cafe a week after you've watched a parent die btw) but, like all good anthologies, there were new discoveries that I want to follow up.
Sometimes poetry and vodka is the only thing that's gonna make you feel any better #BooksAndBooze
Oof. This poem is hitting hard right now. My mum passed away last Saturday after being ill for a few months with lung cancer and my God, did she rage against the dying of the light.
pickAnother brilliant collection from Shaun Fallows. Witty, honest, often funny reflections on the frustrations of managing in a world built for able bodied people, politics, loneliness, the forthcoming robot war, and the Rothwell incident. Thought provoking and good fun.
(by the way Shaun, rugby was NOT better when Wigan used to win the league every year, I sincerely hope those days aren't returning.)
Awwwww. I asked Andy to get me this but I didn't think he would, we're VERY opposite politically and he's not a fan of Jeremy Corbyn and Len McCluskey. All the best everyone, I hope you got the books you wanted xxx
pickOh God, this is such a beautiful, heartbreaking book. A visceral outpouring of grief and love.
New e-book from the library
