Another decent reading week with some books I really enjoyed! Joanna Cannon’s new book about mental illness was definitely a stand-out, and one I learned from and enjoyed (if you can say that about a book on this topic). I’m feeling particularly restless this week so I’m not sure if I’ll continue what I’m reading or actually get to any of the up next picks, but I’ll still include them for now.
Just Shelved
I finished Samantha Irby’s book at the beginning of the week, and I liked it a lot. Some of it made me feel uncomfortable, which I hadn’t expected, but then that was the point. It was certainly intentional. It was honest, reflected real life, shared what it’s like to live with chronic illness, and was really funny. London’s Number One Dog-Walking Agency was a completely random pick. It was on sale through one of the audiobook services I use, so I gave it a shot. And it was actually really enjoyable. It had that lovely mix of everyday people living normal lives, some whimsy, some dreams, some challenges, and lots of love. Even a bit of humour. A great feel-good memoir. Likewise Diary of a Bookseller also chronicles the day-to-day life of a bookseller in a small town in Scotland, along with an interesting cast of characters and some entertaining anecdotes. Nothing too complicated, but that’s exactly what I wanted from it. And finally Will You Read This, Please is Joanna Cannon’s newest endeavour. She edited this one (wrote part of it as well) with the goal of giving voice to the experiences of a widely varied group of people suffering from different mental illnesses. These are people who wouldn’t have had their stories told, except for this project where Cannon paired up authors and interviewees. The result is a beautifully written, deeply moving, incredibly raw and important look at what it’s like to live with mental illness from the inside. I cannot recommend it enough.
Currently Reading
I’ve just started That Was When People Started to Worry (what a fantastic title) because after Joanna Cannon’s book, I remembered that this has been on my TBR for ages and I haven’t gotten around to it. So far it’s good, but not quite as engaging as Cannon’s book. I plan to continue with it, though. I’m still chipping away at a few other books as well.
Up Next
Clearly I’m not sticking to my plans at all, but these are still possible. Who knows. I’m feeling extra fickle at the moment!
What about you guys? What did you read this week? Any books you’re enjoying or itching to start? Have you read any of the books on my list this week?
A weekly post that encourages bloggers to share what they have read in the past week, what they’re currently reading and books they’ve recently added to their TBRs. Originally started by Sheila at Book Journey, it is now hosted by Kathryn at The Book Date.
Katherine May’s book has recently come to my attention. I’ll be surious to read what you think of it.
Yeah, it looks interesting! I read her book Wintering and it wasn’t perfect or the most insightful book I’ve read, but it did come at the ideas of mental health and self care from a different angle and gave me a lot to think about. Enough that I definitely want to at least give this one a try!