feminism

Book Review – The Wolf Den by Elodie Harper

books, reviews

Rating: 3.5 out of 5.

I’m pretty sure that I bought a copy of this on my first holiday after Covid. I picked it up on a whim when I was in Waterstones. Mostly so we could take advantage of their special offer. It wasn’t something that I knew a lot about before I walked into the shop. It was just one that they happened to be recommended. I don’t even think I properly looked at the cover before I bought it. I just went in blind. It’s definitely the kind of book that appeals to me though, so no doubt I would have picked it up anyway. As ever, it sat on my shelves for ages without being read. Somewhere along the way, I also bought an audiobook copy of it. No doubt it was part of an Audible daily deal or something. One of the many reasons that I’m glad I don’t have a subscription anymore. As I’m trying to reduce the number of unread books on my Audible account, I decided to listen to it last week. As the book is about a Roman brothel, it probably wasn’t the most appropriate choice for work but never mind.

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Book Review – A Thousand Ships by Natalie Haynes

books, reviews

Rating: 4 out of 5.

2023 is turning out to be the year of Greek myths and their different retellings. I hadn’t meant for this to happen but I’ve just found myself in a bit of a cycle that I’m not intent on breaking. Thankfully there are so many recent books that I can read. Publishers are relishing the resurgence of mythology and it feels like every week we get a feminist rewriting of one of the most famous myths. Natalie Haynes is one of the most celebrated, so I felt that it was only fair that I give this book a chance. I guess it also helped that I’ve already refamiliarised myself with the events of the Trojan War thanks to Stephen Fry. Plus, it just happened to be available on my library app. Why not listen to it as I was working? Hearing the plight of all those women might make me feel better about my dull job.

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Book Review – Ariadne by Jennifer Saint

books, reviews

Rating: 2.5 out of 5.

This recent trend of feminist rewritings of myths and legends isn’t going away any time soon. It feels like every single book being published at the moment is based on some poor figure in Greek mythology. Don’t get me wrong, I’m all for it but do we need quite so many at the same time? People regularly moan about the lack of originality i the film industry but what of publishing? It feels as though the only books getting a green light right now are either mythology retellings or cosy crime. Flooding the market with these types of books just means that quality declines. Yes, The Song of Achilles was great but not everything can be the same. Ariadne is one of those books that I’ve heard so many good things about. Although, it was also nominated for a GoodReads award in 2021 which is often a worrying sign. I was interested to see what it would be like but also kind of scared to start it. This week, I finally took the plunge.

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Book Review – The Secret Lives of Church Ladies by Deesha Philyaw

books, reviews

Rating: 4 out of 5.

I picked this up on a whim when I was browsing the January sales. I hadn’t heard of it before and was probably only interested in the cover. Thankfully, it also sounded like exactly the kind of book that I enjoy reading. Although, I’ve never been a massive fan of short story collections. I always find that they’re too, for lack of a better term, short. I’m a greedy reader and want the chance to get to know a character first. Short stories give us too brief a glimpse into their worlds and they end just as I’m getting excited. Still, I was willing to give this a chance and I figured it would be a good read during a pretty busy time. It was good to be able to dip into a short story of two a night without worrying about keeping track of a longer narrative thread.

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Book Review – The Surface Breaks by Louise O’Neill

books, reviews

Rating: 2 out of 5.

I was expecting to write my review of The Bullet That Missed today but, as I’ve been struck down with a cold, I still have a few pages to go. So, I did what I always do in these situations and borrowed an audiobook from the library. Which one? The first one I could find that I could listen to during my shift. It’s a system that hasn’t always worked for my but it has also opened my eyes to some great books I wouldn’t have read normally. This book isn’t one that I would have cared about. Young adult fantasy isn’t my thing anyway but especially when it’s the retelling of a fairy tale. Although, it’s a feminist retelling and I’m always up for teaching young women to speak up for themselves.

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Book Review – Secret Suffragette by Barbara Mitchelhill

books, reviews

Rating: 4 out of 5.

So, my week’s holiday is over and, after an initial success, my reading went downhill pretty rapidly. Meaning I was in an all too familiar situation for this week’s second book review. I had nothing. Thankfully, my first day back was full of repetitive and dull tasks which allowed me to listen to a quick audiobook. After my previous read, I was in the mood for something that didn’t set women back several decades and one that elevated women. So, this feminist historical novel seemed perfect.

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Film Review – Cinderella (2021)

films, reviews

Rating: 1.5 out of 5.

You might be wondering why I’m reviewing this Cinderella remake in April. It’s a good question. I wasn’t meant to be reviewing this film this week. In fact, I wasn’t even planning on watching this film. I was meant to be going to the cinema with a friend of mine this weekend and watching either Sonic or Mobius. In the end, she bought us tickets to the latest film in a magical trilogy written by She Who Must Not Be Named. I wasn’t intending on watching that film or discussing it on this blog. I’ve explained why in a previous post. After watching the film, I had plenty of thoughts but I don’t want to enter into this dialogue in any way. So I quickly watched this film instead.

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Book Review – Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus

books, reviews

Rating: 5 out of 5.

Sometimes you just get a feeling about a book. That you know it’s going be a new favourite even before you’ve opened it. I felt like that about Lessons in Chemistry. I requested it on NetGalley because it sounded incredible. I pre-ordered a hardback copy before I’d even started reading the ARC. I was so confident that I’d love it enough to want to own a copy. But I’ve been fooled before. Could this possibly be as good as everyone sad? As good as it sounded? We’d have to see.

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Book Review – Nightbitch by Rachel Yoder

books, reviews

Rating: 4 out of 5.

I had a pretty successful reading month in October, so it’s been pretty disappointing that November seems to be starting off so slowly. I was really excited to get into this one but it just took me so long to read. I had to have a huge reading session yesterday in order to get through it in time. Still, I managed it and that’s the main thing. I’ve just been so tired lately. It’s not as if this is a particularly boring story. In fact, fat from it. It’s just not the kind of book that could keep me awake at night. Thankfully, I had plenty of time this weekend to get it finished.

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Tuesday Review – Promising Young Woman (2020)

films, reviews

Rating: 5 out of 5.

In light of all of the Covid nonsense, I’ve really not been keeping track of awards season this year. I’ve barely watched any of the nominees. Or at least I’m pretty sure that I haven’t because I don’t even know who all of the nominees are. I’ve just lost my way with films and decided that there were other things to focus on this year. Plus, it isn’t really the same when you can’t head out to the cinema. Despite my Oscars blackout, I was still overjoyed to wake up to the news that this year’s ceremony had made history. Anthony Hopkins became the oldest person to ever win for acting. Daniel Kaluuya picked up the best supporting actor and became the first Black British actor to win an Oscar. Then there’s Chloé Zhao who became not only the second woman to win Best Director but also the first woman of colour. It’s quite the positive step for the Academy. Emerald Fennel was given recognition for her screenplay and became the first person since 2007 to win. This was only one that I was really invested in. I was desperate for Fennel to win. Why? Not only was the film important and original but I’m becoming obsessed with Fennel. She seems like a fantastic human being with a unique creativity. This was one film that I knew I had to see as soon as possible.

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