This round-up includes some Advance Reader Copies (eARCs) from publishers via NetGalley. These books are marked with an *. No affiliate links used. Read my full disclosure policy here.
I’ve been dealing with annoying and time-consuming health issues, a knock-on effect of which is that my concentration has deserted me. While I finished five books in March, I started and abandoned many more. And I still have a pile of books I began in February but didn’t finish! This is not a comment on the quality of the books I picked up because I intend to return to them once this bout of brain fog lifts.
Hysterical: Exploding the Myth of Gendered Emotions by Dr Pragya Agarwal
In Hysterical, Dr Pragya Agarwal, a behaviour and data scientist, unpicks the history of emotions and the persisting notion that women are more emotional than men.
Most of the research cited is focused on cisgender women and cisgender men, which isn’t surprising. Dr Agarwal emphasises that trans women, trans men, and non-binary people’s experiences are sorely lacking from the science, research, and study of emotions from a gendered perspective. Where research includes trans and non-binary people, Dr Agarwal highlights this, which is a welcome addition to the text.
If you have ever been told that you are ‘too loud’, ‘too much’, or ‘too emotional’, Hysterical reminds us that society hasn’t moved as far away from diagnosing women with hysteria as we like to think we have.
I started listening to Hysterical on audio but needed to rewind parts more than once to understand the research thoroughly. I switched to my Kindle, which made reading it easier.
The Invisible Orientation: An Introduction to Asexuality by Julie Sondra Decker
I downloaded The Invisible Orientation on audio from Borrowbox after reading Claire’s review on Instagram, and I am so glad I did. Julie Sondra Decker does a brilliant job of exploring asexuality in a way that is accessible to asexual people, people who think they may be asexual, and people who want to be better allies of the asexual/ace community.
While The Invisible Orientation is necessarily fact-heavy, it never feels too academic. Decker draws a clear line between our sex-focused society and the damaging idea that asexuality is not a sexual orientation, so there is something medically wrong with asexual people. I particularly appreciated the perspectives of the ace people quoted throughout the book.
Foster by Claire Keegan
Foster is my second time reading Claire Keegan, and as with Small Things Like These, I wished Keegan wrote full-length novels instead of novellas. Again, Keegan’s decision to end the book where she does left me feeling disconnected from the story.
Leaving the reader wanting more isn’t unusual, and I cannot fault Keegan’s writing, which is exquisite in its exploration of daily life. But the connection that many others felt with the story wasn’t there for me placing Foster in the ‘I liked but didn’t love’ category.
Cursed Bread by Sophie Mackintosh
I’ll have a longer review of Cursed Bread* as soon as I figure out how to write about this evocative, atmospheric, and strange novel without giving too much of the plot away. Pacing issues aside, I adored this story of obsession inspired by a mass poisoning in the French town of Pont Saint-Esprit in the 1950s.
Elodie is a character that will stay with me. And I’d happily read a version of this story told from Violet’s point of view.
The Year of Miracles: Recipes About Love + Grief + Growing Things by Ella Risbridger
Last year I read and loved Ella Risbridger’s Midnight Chicken. I feel the same about The Year of Miracles, Risbridger’s cookbook memoir about slowly rebuilding your life while grieving. Risbridger writes beautifully about difficult experiences, and Elisa Cunningham’s illustrations are gorgeous.
I don’t use affiliate links, but if you enjoy my book reviews, you can show your support by buying me a coffee here.