All The Books I Read This Year (So Far) - Part 3

This is meant to be a quarterly article but then I ran out of space so here is June and July's reading list

Welcome to my quarterly list of everything I am reading at the moment. As an author myself, I have been reluctant to be honest about books on the internet. I am very sensitive to my own reviews and therefore I do not like talking negatively about books when the author could potentially see it and that’s why… this has become a paid feature. If you would like to see what I’m reading, you can become a paid subscriber for as little as £1.65 a week with an annual subscription and if money’s tight right now, become a free subscriber anyway and you can get a peek at 2 of my reviews out of the 11 in this list. As a free subscriber, you’ll still get an article a week as well as the ability to join in on our Friday Forums so it’s worth joining this community! Hit the button below.

Straight Expectations - Calum McSwiggan

This book was just delicious. I got totally swept up in it and fell in love with the characters and how intentional Calum had been to be inclusive. I just adore books that make you feel safe and young-adult books in particular. It was smart in how it turned things commonly said to queer people on its head to make you realise how truly absurd you sound and how a beautiful story arc about how when you wish for something, it has an unforeseen knock-on effect that is often larger than the specific thing you wish for. Hidden within that arc is a really beautiful message about not wasting time on regrets.

Womb: The Inside Story Of Where We All Began - Leah Hazard

Wow, Leah Hazard has done it again! Disclaimer: I was sent this book as an early copy as we shared an agent. Leah has a way of packing her books full of information and research without making it feel heavy. She delivers it in such an accessible way that I whizzed through the book and was also fascinated to learn SO many things. I won’t lie, this book made me more scared of childbirth, having known very little about it previously, so if you are about to give birth imminently maybe don’t read this book just yet but also, maybe it’s things I need to know especially as I do want to have children one day. This book left me with a feeling of optimism of how many women are in the field creating new techniques and tests due to their own negative experiences and whilst I would never wish that on anyone, it is hopeful to know that we seem to be prioritising maternal and female health in general.