Due to quarantine last year, I refound a love for reading that hadn’t been present in my life for a few years. I fell back in love with books, both fiction and non-fiction, and rediscovered how at peace I feel with a book in my hand. So I thought, each month I would write my monthly reading wrap up, to help anyone wanting some reading inspiration during this time.
This month I read 6 books, varying from all different topics and genres, so hopefully at least one of this book fits your desired reading interest:
1. Where the Crawdads Sing – Delia Owens
The first book of this month is arguably probably my favourite book of the year so far. It followed Kya, a young girl who lives in a marsh just on the outside of a small town. The book follows the young woman’s life into adulthood, as she encounters endless amounts of challenges as she tries to tackle the world on her own. It’s so beautifully written and I physically couldn’t put it down. 5/5
2. White Fragility: Why It’s So Hard for White People to Talk about Racism – Robin DiAngelo
White Fragility was such an engaging, well-articulated book regarding race and racism in the USA. It speaks a lot on the rejection of race consciousness, as well as just an all-around encouragement for white people to acknowledge their privilege in their day-to-day lives. It was super educational and would definitely recommend it for anyone wanting to learn more about their racial privileges and prejudices they may hold. 3/5
3. America & The Pill – Elaine Tyler May
I’m currently in the midst of writing my final year dissertation at the moment, and whilst I thought it’s not necessary for me to include all the literature I’ve read recently regarding my topic (it’s boringly been too much), I really had to include this particular book. My research is a discussion on societal attitudes towards female sexuality as a byproduct of the development of contraception and the pill over the last 50 years, and this book was so engaging and so interesting regarding that topic. It was a fabulously written piece of work, talking about all the ways society has been and continues to be influenced by the influx of contraception usage. So, so interesting. 5/5
4. Holding Up The Universe – Jennifer Niven
After reading quite thought-provoking books recently, I thought I’d fall back to a cute young adult fiction, with the perfect amount of romance and angst. It was hilarious to read as a 20-year-old woman, however, it was easy and peaceful, and the characters were very loveable so it made the experience much better. The novel follows two young characters, Libby and Jack, as they fight against social pressures in school to be together. Like I said, very cute. 3/5
5. Frankenstein – Mary Shelley
Frankenstein has been on my tbr for the longest time, and whilst I’ve shamefully come to the conclusion as of late, that classics aren’t for me, I really enjoyed Frankenstein. The plot, as well known as it is, follows a young biologist who wishes to challenges the law of nature, creating a human-like being, who becomes vengeful towards his creature. It’s a great story about romance, love, revenge and science. Super interesting and definitely a favourite classic of mine. 3/5
6. The Yellow Wallpaper – Charlotte Perkins Gilman
I have regularly seen this novella on endless lists of recommendations, regarding both feminist and mental health literature, and during a spare hour I had a couple of days ago I thought I’d pick it up, and I regret nothing. The story follows a young woman who is secluded within a bedroom for 3 months by his psychiatric husband, who has medically decided that seclusion is the best way to solve her anxiety disorder. The story is very short, but so beautifully written and truly made me understand why the story was so renowned when it was written in 1892. 4/5