This is a two week post – I didn’t have time to write one last week! I haven’t been reading quite as much lately, so there’s a bit less to report. I’m super stressed – renovations are ongoing and not going well (now part of the roof has to be replaced, yay) and we only have a couple of weeks until move-in date. So this may be the last of these posts for a month or so as I expect not to have much reading going on for a bit!
Just Shelved
I enjoyed all three of these, though I have to say that the stand out for me was Ten Steps to Nanette. I adore Hannah Gadsby. In case you haven’t discovered her yet (and here’s hoping you now will), she’s an Australian comedian who has shot to fame with her Netflix show called, as this title implies, Nanette. Her show is unique because, though it does have funny moments, it also confronts trauma she has experienced, societal issues and, at times, the audience. It was groundbreaking in this, and one I definitely have never seen anything like. But Gadsby herself is pretty remarkable. In this memoir she shares her whole life – her childhood in small town Tasmania, her difficult transition to adulthood, her late diagnosis as neurodivergent (she has autism and ADHD), her coming out, her introduction to the world of comedy, and her self-discovery. She’s a wonderfully brave, smart, witty, imperfect person, and I love that she is able to put all of it out there and makes those who have their own struggles, whatever they may be, feel seen and like they might just belong in this world too. Because while we are all flawed, very few of us are able to express ourselves as eloquently and hilariously as Gadsby. In case you can’t tell, I’m a huge fan of hers, and this book made me an even bigger one.
Currently Reading
I just started Amazing Grace Adams – it isn’t out yet, but I was lucky to get approved for it through Netgalley, so I’m excited to listen to it. I also started the audiobook of My Grandmother Asked Me to Tell You She’s Sorry (also known as My Grandmother Sends Her Regards and Apologises, but I don’t like that title as much). I’m loving it so far. It’s about a granddaughter and her grandmother, both of whom tend to be larger than life, adventurous, impulsive and have trouble sticking to the rules. One of the things I’m coming to appreciate about Backman’s books is that his characters are often coded as neurodiverse or dealing with mental health issues (bit example be in Ove in A Man Called Ove, who seems to me to be coded as autistic). It’s not stated, but it’s the impression I left with, and I loved it. As I started reading this one, it seemed to me that both the granddaughter and grandmother would fit into the ADHD set of behaviours. Now, there could definitely be some bias here as I’ve been reading a ton about ADHD lately, but it fits and it makes me feel all sorts of emotions to read. It captures some of the challenges people with ADHD have in being understood by those around them – particularly in a school setting – an how important having adults who do get it is. I haven’t picked up Safe in a while, but not because I’m not interested, but because any paper reading time I have lately is being spent on books about ADHD, so it’s gotten put aside temporarily.
Up Next
I’m going to keep these, though I really have no idea what’s up next, as always! But these still feel appealing, so I think they have a decent shot – at least until something I hadn’t even thought of yet comes across my screen and I go completely off-script!
So that’s my last couple of weeks of reading! What have you read recently? Have you read (or do you want to read) any of the books in my post 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.