White Feminism: From the Suffragettes to Influencers and Who They Leave Behind by Koa Beck (★★★★☆)
Audiobook • Spotify • Nonfiction • 2021
Short synopsis: Mainstream feminism has long been defined by parameters dictated and sanctioned by the white women they most benefit. In White Feminism, Koa Beck details the conventions that marginalized genders have needed to adopt to be recognized and exposes how they have been overlooked to champion a different feminist narrative.
I really enjoyed this book. It’s both a history of feminism and a call to action, reminding us of all the ways white women have failed to recognize the plight of our BIPOC community when standing up for feminist causes. I felt convicted at times and astounded at others, and feel a renewed vigor to have an intersectional worldview especially when it comes to feminism. I really appreciate Koa Beck for writing this book and being so brutally honest about white feminism and the danger it can pose. It’s not an easy read, but it was an important one for me to read.
This Time Next Year by Sophie Cousens (★★★☆☆)
Print • Library • Contemporary Fiction • 2020
Short synopsis: Quinn and Minnie are born on New Year’s Eve, in the same hospital, one minute apart. Their lives may begin together, but their worlds couldn’t be more different. Thirty years later they find themselves together again in the same place, at the same time. What if fate is trying to bring them together?
We picked this book for our January book club and I was really looking forward to it. It had a cute premise, so I settled in for a sweet, romantic story. Unfortunately, that’s not what I got. Instead, the story was slow and hard to follow at times because we kept dipping back and forth in time. I did love the characterization of Minnie and being in a place where she feels like a disappointment and keeps trying to move forward in life, only to keep falling backward. She was so relatable to me. I thought Quinn was one-dimensional and, quite frankly, a bit of a jerk and Minnie deserved better. It’s not a book I’d recommend, but I was the contrarian opinion in book club so you may enjoy it as much as they did!
The Honest Enneagram: Know Your Type, Embrace Your Challenges, Embrace Your Growth by Sarajane Case (★★★★☆)
Print • Owned (Amazon) • Nonfiction • 2020
Short synopsis: Find a way to bring out the best in yourself with this heartfelt, informative, and approachable guide to all things Enneagram.
Learning everything I can about the Enneagram is a niche interest of mine, so I bought Sarajane Case’s book on a whim and finally cracked it open this month. It’s a beautiful book filled with gorgeous illustrations and really simple explanations of each Enneagram type. She goes into the characteristics of each type, their wings and lines and subtypes, and then talks you through some of the ways you can better embrace who you are and find ways to grow by knowing your Enneagram type. I found it an approachable, easy to digest collection, and if you want to know more about the Enneagram, (or even just your type specifically!), pick up this book.
What are you reading?
Minnie deserved better. This made me laugh because I think this SO MUCH about SO MANY romance novels. It’s crazy that women authors can’t even really think of a way to make men better because *waves hands wildly* of the patriarchy.
I’m reading Emily Wilde’s Encyclopaedia of Faeries. I’m not 100% sure how I feel about it. Dog character. Check. Interesting female protagonist. Check. Sort of snooze-inducing. Check. Mixed bag.
We need better male characters in romances, that’s for damn sure!
A book I didn’t read recently was for my book club–I read so much, but my record with the book club choices is not good! This time it was West with Giraffes and I got 100 pages in and thought, eh. But six other people read it and loved it, so YMMV.
Ah, so you definitely understand being the dissenting opinion at book club! I’m always glad OTHER people enjoyed it… and they give me the space to vent about why I didn’t like it, haha.
Interesting that This Time Next Year was a contrarian read! I was in your camp. Only I didn’t care for Minnie too. LOL.
I have that Enneagram book and really need to read it!
I am reading Wellness.
I was grateful that Mikaela also didn’t like it so we got to be the sole dissenting opinions. It just wasn’t very good, blergh.
I DNF’s This Time Next Year at a very early point – I think before 10%! But I was so confused and didn’t feel motivated to slog through the confusion. Sounds like DNF’ing was the right decision.
My reading has been a bit “meh” this week. I finished a non-fiction marrigage book called “hold me tight – 7 essential conversations’ or something like that. I don’t even remember how it ended up on my hold list but it was a bit of a slog and just not super relatable as the stories she shared from patients she has worked with were so over the top dramatic. I guess I need a book for really practical, pragmatic people of German descent that don’t fight but want to strengthen their bond? This book was not that! Then I started Ed Yong’s book “Immense World” after Kayte raved about it on Currently Reading but then I was not in the mood for a really long non-fiction book. I was find things interesting but I did want to read like an hour+ long chapter about the sense of sight in the animal kingdom? I guess my attention span is not so great right now! Now I am reading “Exit Interview” which is a memoir about a woman’s experience working at amazon. It’s already giving me vibes from my time at Target.
Ugh, I hate when I go through a slog of DNFs/just okay reads. Sounds like you need something that’s fast-paced and more light-hearted, so hopefully that Amazon book did the trick!
My birthday is December 31st, and I perked up at This Time Next Year, but based on your review (and the comments) I will skip it. Too bad, it had a promising premise!
I just finished Small World, by Laura Zigman, which I really liked.
I’m listening to Eileen, by Ottessa Moshfegh, which is very interesting
I just started Mika in Real Life, by Emiko Jean, which I am enjoying so far
Hey, you may like This Time Next Year! Almost everyone in my book club did. But it just didn’t work for me.
You’ve got some good books on your docket!
I agree: some romance novels are just so annoying when it comes to the main character. I just def one after two pages because the male guy was insufferable.
I di put down the other two books on my TBR, we’ll see if I ever manage to read them though.