“3 books ahead of schedule” – Goodreads~
Remember to stay up to date with the world, listen to those facing atrocities and help spread awareness/donate where you’re able to.
February is the shortest month of the year, not by much, but I decided to read some shorter books to make myself feel better by the end.
And it worked!
I read 7 books and at least 5 of them were relatively short. This was also a non-fiction heavy month. As February is LGBT+ History Month in the UK (we do have a Black History month, however, it’s in October) I read some of the owned voices non-fiction on my tbr.
Overall, it was another great reading month ♥ I hope you had a great month too!
The Mysterious Case of the Alperton Angels; Janice Hallett
rating: ⭐⭐⭐
Everyone knows the story of the Alperton Angels: the cult-like group who were convinced one of their member’s babies was the anti-Christ, and they had a divine mission to kill it – until the baby’s mother, Holly, came to her senses and called the police. The Angels committed suicide rather than go to prison, and Holly – and the baby – disappeared into the care system.
Nearly two decades later, true-crime author Amanda Bailey is writing a book on the Angels. The Alperton baby has turned eighteen and can finally be interviewed – if Amanda can find them, it will be the true-crime scoop of the year, and will save her flagging career. But rival author Oliver Menzies is just as smart, better connected, and is also on the baby’s trail.
As Amanda and Oliver are forced to collaborate, they realise that what everyone thinks they know about the Angels is wrong, and the truth is something much darker and stranger than they’d ever imagined.
Goodreads
I went into this book with too high expectations. I liked Hallett’s other two books “The Appeal” and “The Twyford Code”, both of which I read last year.
The premise of The Alperton Angels is really interesting and I think I expected too much of the investigation to be about the cult itself, when that wasn’t exactly the case. Those characters, did kind of feel a little flat.
And talking of characters, I did not like either Amanda or Oliver. I somewhat understood Amanda and her motivations, but she wasn’t a great person. And with Oliver, his whole personality just kind of grated on my nerves.
The other characters weren’t very well explored and while the plot went in surprising directions and I did enjoy several of the twists. Overall though, it was just okay. I finished the book with questions and being a little disappointed.
I really like that all Hallett’s novels so far are epistolary. This element always makes the novel more engaging and works really well for the mystery/crime genre as it adds a faster pace to your reading. This one has messages, emails, book and script extracts and all these different elements do make the reading experience more fun.
No One Is Too Small to Make a Difference; Greta Thunberg
The groundbreaking speeches of Greta Thunberg, the young climate activist who has become the voice of a generation, including her historic address to the United Nations
Goodreads
In August 2018 a fifteen-year-old Swedish girl, Greta Thunberg, decided not to go to school one day in order to protest the climate crisis. Her actions sparked a global movement, inspiring millions of students to go on strike for our planet, forcing governments to listen, and earning her a Nobel Peace Prize nomination.
This is one for my non-fiction challenge in my “Blog Plans for 2023” post (as are the next two books in this wrap up) and the edition I have is teeny tiny at around 110 pages!
I didn’t rate this one as a lot of the speeches are very similar as the vital information Greta relays from scientists to the general public and governments around the world will only change for the better if government’s do something about it, which is what Greta is fighting for. There were some changes to the information later on, simply because she was also learning more and because of inaction statistics were changing for the worst.
It’s interesting, but it’s a book that will take a while to read as reading more than one or two speeches at a time was a bit of a struggle for me.
Gender Explorers; Juno Roche
In this life-affirming, heartening and refreshing collection of interviews, young trans people offer valuable insight and advice into what has helped them to flourish and feel happy in their experience of growing up trans.
Goodreads
This is another book I didn’t choose to rate. As the synopsis says, this book is a collection of interviews taken by Juno Roche (who identifies as trans and non-binary) at two separate events held by the UK charities Mermaids and Gendered Intelligence. Some of these children are very young and while their interviews are charming and sweet, I don’t want to rate a child’s experience of being themselves.
Along with the children and young adult interviews, we do get interviews from the parents as well. Those were more in-depth and it was lovely to see parents accepting and embracing their children’s identities.
We also got insight into Juno Roche’s history and how they have grown to embrace themselves. Juno does a mock interview with her child self which was sweet.
I Hate Men; Pauline Harmange
Translator: Natasha Lehrer
rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
The feminist book they tried to ban in France
Women, especially feminists and lesbians, have long been accused of hating men. Our instinct is to deny it at all costs. (After all, women have been burnt at the stake for admitting to less.)
But what if mistrusting men, disliking men – and yes, maybe even hating men – is, in fact, a useful response to sexism? What if such a response offers a way out of oppression, a means of resistance? What if it even offers a path to joy, solidarity and sisterhood?
In this sparkling essay, as mischievous and provocative as it is urgent and serious, Pauline Harmange interrogates modern attitudes to feminism and makes a rallying cry for women to find a greater love for each other – and themselves.
Goodreads
This is one of my favourite books of the year so far. It’s insightful, fun, meaningful and passionate. I highly recommend!
The Cat Who Saved Books; Sosuke Natsukawa
Translator: Louise Heal Kawai
rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Natsuki Books was a tiny second-hand bookshop on the edge of town. Inside, towering shelves reached the ceiling, every one crammed full of wonderful books. Rintaro Natsuki loved this space that his grandfather had created. He spent many happy hours there, reading whatever he liked. It was the perfect refuge for a boy who tended to be something of a recluse.
After the death of his grandfather, Rintaro is devastated and alone. It seems he will have to close the shop. Then, a talking tabby cat called Tiger appears and asks Rintaro for help. The cat needs a book lover to join him on a mission. This odd couple will go on three magical adventures to save books from people who have imprisoned, mistreated and betrayed them. Finally, there is one last rescue that Rintaro must attempt alone.
Goodreads
While this is less adventure driven than I had assumed going in, I still enjoyed the narrative. This is definitely a book for book lovers. A lot of Rintaro’s and Tiger’s sentiments about books and reading come from a place of love and it’s easy for us to understand and appreciate.
It’s also an interesting look at how, even though some things do seem simple, they can have great consequences, but even so we need to push through to see the beauty and reality around us.
Love in Colour; Bolu Babalola
rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
In her debut collection, internationally acclaimed writer Bolu Babalola retells the most beautiful love stories from history and mythology with incredible new detail and vivacity. Focusing on the magical folktales of West Africa, Babalola also reimagines Greek myths, ancient legends from the Middle East, and stories from long-erased places.
With an eye towards decolonizing tropes inherent in our favorite tales of love, Babalola has created captivating stories that traverse across perspectives, continents, and genres.
Goodreads
I realised that despite it being February, I was very much lacking in the romance department (story of my life lol), so I picked up Love in Colour, which is a short story collection inspired by different couples in mythology and history.
Babalola has such a beautiful writing style. It’s very emotive and immersive, which is great for love stories that in quite a few cases have an otherworldly element or source.
I had a lot of fun with these bite-sized love stories! I also love how Babalola let us in on her parent’s love story. In the audiobook, Bolu Babalola and her mother read the last story and it’s wonderful ♥
Gender Euphoria
rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
buzzword: Emotions
So often the stories shared by trans people about their transition centre on gender dysphoria: a feeling of deep discomfort with their birth-assigned gender, and a powerful catalyst for coming out or transitioning. But for many non-cisgender people, it’s gender euphoria which pushes forward their transition: the joy the first time a parent calls them by their new chosen name, the first time they have the confidence to cut their hair short, the first time they truly embrace themself.
In this groundbreaking anthology, nineteen trans, non-binary, agender, gender-fluid and intersex writers share their experiences of gender euphoria: an agender dominatrix being called ‘Daddy’, an Arab trans man getting his first tattoos, a trans woman embracing her inner fighter.
What they have in common are their feelings of elation, pride, confidence, freedom and ecstasy as a direct result of coming out as non-cisgender, and how coming to terms with their gender has brought unimaginable joy into their lives.
Goodreads
It’s so important that we allow marginalised voices to express their love and euphoria with being who they are. Gender Euphoria is a selection of short essays from Trans and Non-Binary individuals where they allow the audience to learn about the moments in which they felt free, accepted, loved and comfortable as themselves.
It’s a heartwarming, funny and sweet read.
What are your thoughts on these books? Let me know what you read in February!
Thanks for reading!
I hope you’re having a lovely day and staying safe ♥
DramaRambles 🌸 