libraryoflanelle's reviews
749 reviews

Wages for Housework: The Story of a Movement, an Idea, a Promise by Emily Callaci

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Did not finish book. Stopped at 41%.
I’ll start by saying that this book is clearly incredibly well researched and in reading you can tell it was a real labour of love for the author. Sadly, this book was not what I was personally expecting so I ended up DNFing around 30% after finding myself having a hard time feeling motivated to pick it back up. 

I enjoyed the introduction and first few sections and amongst the information I was familiar with I definitely learnt a few new things. I personally found the sheer density of the historical detail incredibly difficult to push through and remain focussed on. Yes, this is a book by a historian so that is the point, it just sadly wasn't for me. If you are a reader who enjoys detailed historical accounts and are interested in this topic then I am confident you will love it!

I truly hope Emily Callaci finds her audience once this book is out in the world because it seems like it could be an essential text on the topic for many years to come.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the e-arc. All opinions are my own.
Binti by Nnedi Okorafor

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4.5

Gathering Moss: A Natural and Cultural History of Mosses by Robin Wall Kimmerer

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5.0

Sister, Maiden, Monster by Lucy A. Snyder

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challenging dark mysterious tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.25

Sister, Maiden, Monster is a gory and unsettling tale exploring the nightmarish means that humanity will go to save itself. This book is equal parts a wtf did I just read, wild disgusting ride and a stellar commentary on the terrors of surveillance and control that feel all too real in today’s world.

Major trigger warnings for graphic gore, body horror and cannibalism. Be aware that there is also a brief reference to a grown man grooming and ‘dating’ a teenager. See further trigger warnings below. 
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Our Sister Killjoy by Ama Ata Aidoo

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adventurous challenging dark funny informative inspiring reflective tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

Wow. I have not stopped thinking about this book since I finished it a week ago. If you’re able, I highly recommend reading it in one or two sittings.

In the introduction, Ayesha Harruna Attah writes of this book: ‘I would wager that her book was ruffling the dainty feathers of her male author friends.’ If that isn’t reason enough to pick up this short yet thematically rich and essential work of art, I don’t know what is.

Our Sister Killjoy by Ama Ata Aidoo was first published in 1977, and this edition is part of the collection of ‘rediscovered gems’ from Faber & Faber. I’m so grateful to have come across this beautiful little book thanks to Faber Editions, made even more special by an introduction from Ayesha Harruna Attah that I found myself rereading and appreciating even more after finishing the novel.

From Ghana to Germany to London and back, we follow Sissie as she navigates the baffling ignorance and unchecked privilege of white Europeans, alongside the sheer shock of witnessing the realities of some from her own diaspora. Aidoo offers searing and unapologetic commentary on the duplicity of colonialism and reflections on implicit racism, both violent and veiled, all woven through sharp observations on the often unfathomable nuances of human relationships.

Perhaps the most striking aspect of this book is the way Aidoo seamlessly shifts between prose and poetry, with many of the poetic sections carrying immense power even when read in isolation. Wow.

Timeless, profound, and vital, Our Sister Killjoy is an essential read. Thank you to the Faber Editions team for bringing this gem back into the world. I can’t wait to get my hands on a physical copy to annotate, share, and revisit time and time again.

Thanks to NetGalley and Faber & Faber for the e-arc. All opinions are my own.
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Natural Beauty by Ling Ling Huang

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challenging dark emotional informative mysterious reflective tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.5

‘The first thing they teach me at the store is how to be my best self. It requires constant self-surveillance to steadily improve. My coworkers relate it to pruning a bonsai. Painful but necessary for refinement. What starts as an enthusiasm for improvement becomes an all-consuming infatuation. Caution becomes paranoia and, eventually, fear. Is there anything more comforting in life than knowing what to fear? At Holistik, they teach me what I need to be afraid of to become beautiful.’

In Natural Beauty, we follow an unnamed Chinese American narrator as she learns firsthand about the privilege, toxicity, and horrors of the wellness industry from within its walls. As readers, we join her on a journey from her childhood as a piano prodigy, through the tragedy of her parents' accident, and into a seemingly unrelated job offer in adulthood. A job that initially seems too good to be true quickly leads her into the grip of the health and wellness industry in ways she could never have predicted.

This debut novel is an outstanding critique of the growing consumerism and cultural appropriation that pervades the ‘wellness’ industry. It delivers incredibly powerful and wide-ranging social commentary, tackling the toxicity of Western beauty standards rooted in white supremacy, surveillance capitalism, and so-called ‘health-motivated’ self-surveillance.

The decision to leave the narrator unnamed, only for her to later be forced to adopt a workplace name for easier assimilation, further underscores the novel’s powerful commentary on the erasure of the immigrant experience and the role capitalism plays in perpetuating it. Throughout the story, the so-called health and wellness ‘treatments’ push her closer to the Eurocentric ideal of beauty, deepening the critique of this toxic system.

I particularly appreciated how Ling Ling Huang also weaves in themes of queer longing and confusion, emotions that become increasingly entangled with the overarching chaos of the wellness industry and the demands of assimilation.

The narrative is filled with visceral body horror and references to the narrator’s lack of bodily autonomy within the context of toxic consumerism. Be sure to check content warnings before jumping in, as alongside many other triggers, the novel includes depictions of sexual abuse, both within and outside the workplace. Though I missed it initially, I have been made aware that towards the end of the book there is also some ambiguity around possible trafficking and CSA.

This is an incredibly impressive debut. I cannot wait to get my hands on Ling Ling Huang’s next novel.

Thanks to NetGalley and Canelo for the e-ARC. All opinions are my own.
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The Lamb by Lucy Rose

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adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.75

‘I wondered why we couldn’t fit together like other mamas and their kits. I wondered if we were born with something broken inside us. Maybe it was in the deepest marrow of our bones, some place we couldn’t see or touch. Maybe that’s why we couldn’t love each other the way we were supposed to.’ 

In The Lamb, we follow Margot as she navigates her increasingly fraught and grievous relationship with her Mama. Mother and daughter live together in a cottage in the woods, luring in ‘Strays’ to feed Mama’s insatiable hunger. When things begin spiraling beyond their already unconventional life, 11-year-old Margot has no choice but to take matters into her own hands, whenever and however she can.

Part coming-of-age narrative, part unsettling folktale, The Lamb does not shy away from its commentary on complex mother-daughter relationships, particularly within an individualistic, family-unit-oriented society.

Please note that this is a strong “mummy issues” narrative told from the perspective of a child, with frequent on-page verbal and physical abuse. There are a whole host of other trigger warnings worth checking before diving in.

I am astounded by Lucy Rose’s ability to craft a narrative that is simultaneously heartfelt and skin-crawling, with twists I truly did not see coming. From the very first sentence to the final reflection, this book is one that can easily be devoured in a single sitting. I personally went into this story knowing very little and enjoyed the experience all the more for it.

I had an incredibly memorable time reading The Lamb and cannot wait to read more from Lucy Rose.

I’ll end by saying this: we must protect Steve. At. All. Costs.

Thanks to NetGalley and Orion Publishing Group for the e-ARC. All opinions are my own.
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The Science of Racism: Everything you need to know but probably don't - yet by Keon West, Keon West

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3.5

As the title suggests, The Science of Racism is a chronicle of the science behind racism. In Keon West’s own words from the introduction: “Our values are the blueprint for the world we’d like to live in. Our politics are the roadmap directing us to that world. That much, I will leave up to the reader to sort out for themselves. But science is the best way we have of understanding the world as it is. Over the course of this book, I ask the reader to leave that to me.”

With each chapter, Keon West asks and answers some of the biggest scientific questions about racism. While the depth of research can occasionally feel a little dense, West balances this with well-placed humour and a few interactive elements where he invites readers to take part in imagined scenarios inspired by - or directly pulled from - some of the studies he outlines.

As a white person who is constantly seeking opportunities to learn, unlearn, and become more intentionally anti-racist, I am grateful to add this book to my toolkit and recommendation list. For fellow UK-based readers, I would recommend this book alongside Black and British: A Forgotten History by David Olusoga and Why I’m No Longer Talking to White People About Race by Reni Eddo-Lodge. While these three books overlap at times, each stands firmly on its own in approach, perspective, and takeaways.

I was personally drawn to this book due to its UK-centric perspective, although Keon West also delves into research from across the globe. I appreciated West’s ability to remain grounded in research while being unapologetically honest about the realities of implicit racism. That said, I was disappointed by his discussion of one particular study, and I would be remiss not to mention it here. When discussing a study conducted in Occupied Palestine (note: the author uses the country name of the colonisers), West makes a pointed decision to withhold “personal opinions” and discusses the study in the context of the “conflict.” While this choice may have been outside the author’s control, I couldn’t help but feel discomfort at West’s willingness to comment on other atrocities of racism and colonisation, rooted in hard fact, while shying away from the unequivocal reality of the colonisers’ relentless genocide of the Palestinian people.

One final note is that this book does not deeply explore intersectionality. However, the author does address this in detail in the afterword, ending with the following: “It would be a piss-poor form of anti-racism that only benefited middle-class, able-bodied, heterosexual, cisgender, non-immigrant men of colour.”

As stated above, The Science of Racism is a valuable contribution to the ever-growing library of anti-racist resources, and I am grateful to Keon West for sharing this wealth of knowledge with a world that is very much in need of it.

Thank you to NetGalley and Picador for the e-ARC. All opinions are my own.

Disappoint Me by Nicola Dinan

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challenging emotional tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.0

In February 2024, a bookstagram friend recommended Bellies to me. I ended up absolutely devouring it in one evening. Later in the year, I passed on the Bellies love to another friend and joined her for a re-read. Bellies quickly became one of my all-time favourite books. Flash forward to the end of summer 2024: I’m now long-distance besties with the aforementioned bookstagram friend, and Disappoint Me appears on NetGalley. I pressed that request button possibly faster than I ever have, and, excitingly, my friend managed to get her hands on a copy too. Flash forward again to December 2024, a month before the release date, and I’m being read to from Disappoint Me by the same bookstagram friend, except now she’s my girlfriend, and we’re reading together in the same place. All that to say, I had high expectations for this book, and it saddens me so much to say that I felt incredibly let down…

Disappoint Me follows a trans woman, Max, and her cis boyfriend, Vincent, as their relationship develops and they confront their respective pasts and futures. As readers, we follow both Max and Vincent’s perspectives, alternating between 2023 London and 2012 Thailand.

As we saw when reading Bellies, Nicola is astoundingly skilled at writing real, messy, and relatable characters that you truly can’t help but become invested in and fall a little in love with. The characters in Bellies hold such an incredibly special place in my heart, but sadly, I can’t say the same for all the characters in this book. I greatly appreciated the found-family aspects and the overarching characterisation, but my goodness, we spent far too much time and energy inside Vincent’s cis male brain. Much of the time spent with Vincent was incredibly uncomfortable (not in a good way) and often rife with transphobia. This was not only hard to read but also detracted from the focus on Max. I would have loved to have heard more from Max (and Alex, who is introduced later). I almost DNF’d this book purely because of how much I couldn’t stand Vincent’s perspective.

The inclusion of certain transphobic comments (usually within Vincent’s perspective) often felt misplaced and did little to support the overall story arc, not to mention how triggering they may be for some readers. I found myself craving the balance and nuance we saw in Bellies. I also need to mention that I was incredibly disappointed by the Harry Potter reference made in passing in an entirely uncritical way.

I want to end by acknowledging that I still love Nicola Dinan’s writing style and her ability to so seamlessly turn incredibly real and powerful experiences into fictional accounts so vivid that you forget you’re reading fiction. I will definitely continue to read everything Nicola writes and although Disappoint Me wasn't for me, I will forever hold Bellies close.

I’ll conclude by saying that if you loved Bellies and have been excited to read more from Nicola Dinan, then by all means, go for it! Many other reviewers seem to love it. Just be sure to keep the transphobia content warning in mind.

Thanks to NetGalley and Doubleday for the e-ARC. All opinions are my own.
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Sister Outsider by Audre Lorde

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5.0