There are as many ways to experience motherhood as there are mothers. Motherhood encompasses everything from pregnancy to miscarriage to abortion to birth to adoption to caring for grandchildren. And yet, there are elements to it that are universal. I’ve yet to meet a mother who doesn’t feel judged for her choices, like she’s
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WOMEN’S HISTORY MONTH + INT’L WOMEN’S DAY | BOOKS ON FEMINISM & EXPERIENCES OF WOMANHOOD
We are now in Women’s History month, and today is International Women’s Day, one of my favourite celebrations of the year. I think it’s so important for women – and men – to understand the ways sexism still affects all of us. From employment opportunities to salaries, domestic violence, childcare, medical attention, poverty –
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THE SUNDAY REVIEW | GIRL, WOMAN, OTHER – BERNARDINE EVARISTO
I was intimidated going into this book. It’s long, and it’s written in an experimental style of verse that doesn’t include periods or capitals. I was nervous I’d be unable to find my feet and that it would prove too difficult for me to get into. Not so. It took about 50 pages, but
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THE SUNDAY REVIEW | SMALL ANIMALS – KIM BROOKS
I feel like I’m taking my very life in my hands writing a review of this book, fraught as the topic is with judgement, opinions and our certainty that our own viewpoint is the correct one (if you want to see what I’m talking about, check out the comments on reviews of this book
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THE SUNDAY REVIEW | KID GLOVES – LUCY KNISLEY
As a new(ish) mom, I’m always on the lookout for books that share the intimate and less rosy parts of becoming and being a mother. This book is focused on the pregnancy itself, and promised to do just that. I’ve never read anything by Lucy Knisley before, though I have a couple of her
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THE SUNDAY REVIEW | ORDINARY PEOPLE – DIANA EVANS
I came across this book last fall while browsing titles online. I loved the cover, and even more the description of the book. First of all, it’s set in London, and you all know how much of a sucker I am for that particular setting. Second, it’s about two young couples with young children
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THE SUNDAY REVIEW | LIFE AMONG THE SAVAGES – SHIRLEY JACKSON
I discovered this book thanks to Acacia Ives, who mentioned it in one of her reading wrap-ups. I’d heard of Shirley Jackson, of course, but since most of her stories are of the terrifying variety, and I am a wimp through and through, I discounted her as one of those authors I’d never be
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THE SUNDAY REVIEW | DIETLAND – SARAI WALKER
It’s not hard to see why everyone has been talking about Dietland. This is a book that will challenge you. It’ll challenge you to think about your prejudices and pre-conceptions, it’ll make you uncomfortable, and it’ll even make you think about your ideas of wrong and right. Which makes it sound heavy and serious
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THE SUNDAY REVIEW | WE SHOULD ALL BE FEMINISTS – CHIMAMANDA NGOZI ADICHIE
In this personal, eloquently-argued essay — adapted from her much-admired TEDx talk of the same name — Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, award-winning author of Americanah, offers readers a unique definition of feminism for the twenty-first century, one rooted in inclusion and awareness. Drawing extensively on her own experiences and her deep understanding of the often
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THE SUNDAY REVIEW | FOREVER…. – JUDY BLUME
There’s a first for everything. When you build up something in your mind — really imagine it, wish for it — sometimes, when it actually happens, it doesn’t live up to your expectations. True love is nothing like that. Especially not for Katherine and Michael, who can’t get enough of each other. Their relationship
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BOOK REVIEW | COMPACTS AND COSMETICS: BEAUTY FROM VICTORIAN TIMES TO THE PRESENT DAY – MADELEINE MARSH
Back in the day (i.e. about 5 years ago) I took some Women’s Studies courses in college. One of the main things I learned that stuck with me was that the worse things are for society in general, the better they are for the relative status of women in that society. For example, during
