January – A Great Month For Books!

We’re almost through the first month of the year already which, let’s be honest, is welcome for many of us (anyone else crawling towards payday?). That said it’s been an absolutely brilliant month for books, in total I’ve read 13 books at the time of writing in this month (!!).

I don’t quite know how I’ve managed so many this month but I’m happy with it, especially as 8 of them were 4 and 5 star reads. So, why not share them with you and hopefully you can get some great recommendations and it’s a varied lot for you all.

Love, Hate & Other Filters – Samira Ahmed 

A wonderful debut about growing up and balancing cultures in the US today. This was a wonderfully written novel and tackles Islamaphobia head on. You can read my review here.

Night – Elie Wiesel

Deemed a classic piece of Holocaust literature I wanted to read this. It’s an absolutely heartbreaking novel and reiterated the horrors of the camps.

Promise Me, Dad – Joe Biden 

I read this after watching an interview with Joe Biden and Stephen Colbert. Joe seemed like a genuinely nice guy who cared a lot about his country. I listened to the audiobook of this and hearing the emotion in his voice broke my heart. A truly unique look at dealing with the loss of a loved one.

Only Child – Rhiannon Niven 

This is going to be a bestseller and if it’s not there’s something wrong with the world. This is brilliantly written and emotional novel, from the perspective of a child who survived a school shooting, losing his older brother in the process. An incredibly emotional read. Look out for my blog tour post on the 22nd Feb!

Everything I Know About Love – Dolly Alderton 

A brilliantly funny but also open look into the life of Dolly Alderton. This was a great read and I feel like it talks to twenty-somethings about similar experiences. I was lucky enough to receive an advanced copy of this book and my review will be coming up on Thursday!

The Secret History of Us – Jessi Kirby 

I was sent this by the lovely people at Harper 360 and wow, wow, wow. Memory loss, complicated relationships and trying to rebuild after trauma. Loved it, review to come in Feb!

A Court of Thorns and Roses – Sarah J Maas

I’m kicking myself for not picking this up before. I’d seen the ACOTAR books being raved about all over the internet and I just decided to go for it. This was incredible, if I didn’t have it in my hands I was thinking about it, a week after I finished I was still thinking about it. When I saw the next in the series I had to buy it. So, so, so good.

50 Queers Who Changed The World – Dan Jones 

I always want to learn more, I found this in Foyles on a trip to London and it seemed interesting. This was a brilliant look at Dan Jones’s perspective of figures of importance in the LGBTQ community. The illustrations were brilliant too!

 

How was your reading month? Let me know in the comments below!

Why I’m HALVING my Goodreads Challenge in 2018

For the last few years I have set myself the challenge of reading 100 books in a year and in 2016 and 2017 I managed it, which is a really impressive accomplishment for anyone. I love to read, love, love, love it BUT in the last few months of the year I became obsessed with getting to that number and didn’t read books because of their size.

I’m my toughest critic and I am also incredibly competitive with myself. That comes in handy sometimes because I push myself but not in terms of reading. While the challenge has made me read more short story collections, anthologies and poetry collections I want to just read things because I want to, not because of a number.

That said, as I write this the thought of actually reducing that number fills me with dread. Complete and utter dread. On the flip side though I am going to be more picky about what I read. If I’m reading a book and within a few chapters I really don’t care about it, I’m not going to finish it. I did that a lot last year and can’t believe I wasted SO MUCH time on books that, honestly, I couldn’t have cared less about!

So, there we have it, I’m halving my Goodreads challenge  in 2018. What about you guys? Do you use the challenge? Are you thinking about dropping it to read more books you enjoy? Let me know in the comments below!

My December Book Haul!

Hello fellow book lovers!

I know that normally I only post the books I received in my monthly wrap-ups BUT as it was Christmas and the sales I thought it would be worth my book haul getting its very own dedicated blog…because there are so many! So, let’s get stuck in!

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Harry Potter – A History of Magic

I asked for this for Christmas as I was visiting the exhibition at the end of the month. This really goes into another level of detail about the world of Potter and history of magic itself.

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Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban Illustrated Edition – J.K Rowling 

The boyfriend did good on this one, these illustrated editions by Jim Kay are something else. These illustrations are so beautiful and you can tell they’ve been born from imagination rather than the films.

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Fantastic Beasts Illustrated Edition – J.K. Rowling 

This is illustrated by a different artist but is, again, so beautiful and unique. With the Fantastic Beast films coming out every few years this is a perfect companion and there is so much detail in these illustrations.

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A History of Britain in 21 Women – Jenni Murray 

Hearing about kick-ass women who made the country? Of course, I wanted this so on my Christmas list it went. My parents picked this up for me for Christmas, I can’t wait for even more inspiration from reading this.

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Hello, Goodbye, Hello – Craig Brown

I saw someone recommend this on Youtube and the premise of this is fascinating. This links 101 meetings between interesting figures in history and connects them all in a very satisfying circle.

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Sleeping Beauties – Stephen King & Owen King 

Confession, I’ve never read a Stephen King book. This is because I am a wuss and cannot watch a horror film, but books are different. This really intrigued me, although it is absolutely huge. It considers what the world would be after women are infected with a virus, making them feral and violent, sign me up.

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The Stepford Wives – Ira Levin 

I loved the film of this as a teenager and thought it was only proper that I read the book too, I can’t wait to see how it compares.

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Rosemary’s Baby – Ira Levin

I’d heard about this novel before and it was in the offer with the above, so it was worth picking up.

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Animal Farm -George Orwell

I read this when I was at school, I must have been about 13 (I’ve just realised that’s 10 years ago and I feel so old). I absolutely loved this novel and what it stood for but think it’s going to be fascinating to read it all these years later.

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Down and Out in Paris and London – George Orwell 

I’ve only ever read Animal Farm cover to cover, so why not read another of Orwell’s works?

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Night – Elie Weisel

I haven’t read this before and found it in a cheaper bookshop for only £3 and I know it’s a classic piece of Holocaust literature. It’s something, I believe, we need to read about and remember so that so many can be remembered.

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Fools and Mortals – Bernard Cornwell

I was offered a copy of this book for free, so of course, I said yes. This is set in Elizabethan times and focuses on William Shakespeare’s younger struggling actor brother.

Are any of these on your TBR for the year, or maybe you’ve read one? Let me know in the comments below!

My Top 10 Books of 2017!

We’ve finally got to the end of the year! Well, it has been a long one but I’ve had plenty of books to get me through it, hitting my goal of 100 books today, but what about the top 10?

I have to say it hasn’t been my greatest year in terms of 5-star reads BUT there have been some absolute crackers, which means it has been hard to narrow it down…are your favourites in my top 10?

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Turtles All The Way Down – John Green 

I got into John Greens books when The Fault in Our Stars came out but then read them very quickly. I didn’t think we’d get a new novel so of course, I started this the second I got my hands on it. John Green is incredible and you could definitely tell this was written from the perspective of someone who has struggled with mental illness. Review here.

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The Sun and All Her Flowers – Rupi Kaur

Rupi Kaur came back with another cracking collection and I’ve really got into my poetry this year. This was another beautiful collection, exploring the evolving stages of relationships as well as a tribute, I felt, to her mother. Review here.

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Making Faces – Amy Harmon

This was an ARC that I received and I absolutely loved it. This broke my heart but gave me hope. Set in the aftermath of 9/11 it looks at the impact on young people, as well as looking at the idea of popularity and beauty. Review here.

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How Not To Be a Boy – Robert Webb

This surprised me, of course, I’d watched Robert Webb growing up on the TV but not thought much about him. It was only after I heard an interview I picked this up. A really interesting look at depression, gender and growing up. Review here.

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It Only Happens In The Movies – Holly Bourne

Holly Bourne came back after her wildly successful Spinster Club series and made me fall in love all over again. In true Bourne style, we have a kick-ass protagonist that decides love isn’t like the movies especially after her parents marriage crumbles as well as her own relationship. Review to come but you can find out more here.

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Good Night Stories For Rebel Girls – Elena Favilli

This was amazing, with beautiful illustration and tales about women that I’ve never heard of as well as women who I definitely have. This is for children but I think you’ll fall in love with it.  Review here.

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My Lovely Wife – Mark Lukach

It’s refreshing to read about mental illness from the perspective of family members. Mark Lukah marries the love of his life after meeting at eighteen. What neither of them knew at the time was that their later marriage would be tested to the limit as Giulia is hospitalised for severe mental illness. I loved this so much, especially as it is so honest and looks at relapse, the struggles and stresses of dealing with hospitals. So, so good. Review to come, but you can find out more here.

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My Shitty Twenties – Emily Morris

The title was enough to make me pick up this book. When Emily unexpectedly falls pregnant as a student the father responds by telling her to enjoy her ‘shitty twenties’, I know what a charmer. This goes through Emily’s journey as a young Mum and is full of honesty but also has a sense of humour. Review here.

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Nina Is Not Okay – Shappi Khorsandi

You might have seen Shappi on I’m A Celebrity but did you know she was a brilliant author? For me, this put Young Adult Fiction on another level. It’s not a light read but it is so worth it and it’s the first time I’ve seen a young person depecited as actually having a drinking problem. Review to come, more information here.

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The Diary of Anne Frank

Reading this as an adult made it more remarkable and more heartbreaking. Anne would have had such potential, she had such an incredible talent as you can see in her writing from such a young age. Review to come, more info here.

Note: I have not included anything that will be released in 2018! These will be included in my 2018 wrap up!

 

Blogmas Day 22: What I’ve Read In 2017 so far…

Of course, this was coming! My annual Goodreads challenge is still going and there’s still 9 days to go. So far I’m at 98 books, yep 98. Last year I managed 120 and the year before I managed 80-something? I read, I read a lot. So I wanted to share with you all the books I’ve read in 2017… here we go! Also, links to any I’ve reviewed too!

January 

The Art of the Film: Fantastic Beast and Where to Find Them

Bitch Planet, Vol. 1: Extraordinary Machine by Kelly Sue DeConnick

Illuminae – Jay Kristoff and Aimee Kaufman

February

Heartless – Marissa Meyer 

Falling Awake – Alice Oswald

Back to the Future: Untold Tales and Alternate Timelines – Bob Gale

How to Murder Your Life – Cat Marnell How to Murder Your Life – Cat Marnell 

Bad Feminist – Roxanne Gay

March: Book One – John Lewis

Amazing, Fantastic, Incredible: A Marvelous Memoir – Stan Lee

Behind Her Eyes – Sarah Pinborough 

Here We Are: Feminism For The Real World – Kelly Jensen

Bullet in the Brain – Tobias Wolff

Happy Mum, Happy Baby: My Adventures in Motherhood – Giovanna Fletcher 

March

Without a Doubt – Marcia Clarke 

One of The Boys – Daniel Magariel 

Something in Between – Melissa De La Cruz

I Feel Bad. All Day. Every Day. About Everything. – Orli Auslanda

Nasty Woman – 404 Ink

April

The Princess Saves Herself In This One – Amanda Lovelace

Zenn Diagram – Wendy Brant 

Off Colour – Jackie Kay

Anne Boleyn: The Last 24 Hours – Marcell Mayfair

The Dead Inside – Cyndy Etler

In Contempt – Christopher Darden

We Should All Be Feminists – Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

Supergirl Rebirth – Steve Orlando

Cheer Up, Love – Susan Calman

The One – John Marrs 

The Best Awful – Carrie Fisher

Seriously…I’m Kidding – Ellen Degeneres

May

A Book For Her – Bridget Christie

Wildflower- Drew Barrymore 

Raising My Rainbow – Lori Duron

Brain On Fire: My Month of Madness – Susannah Cahalan

Doing It – Hannah Witton 

What Would Beyoncé Do? – Luisa Omielan

June

Mad Girl – Bryony Gordon

Nutshell – Ian McEwan

What the F*** is Normal?! – Francesca Martinez

The Girl Who Beat ISIS – Farida Khalaf 

Imperial Phase 1 – Kieron Gillen

The New Girl – Rhyannon Styles 

Alice in Brexitland – Lucien Young

All Things Kardashian – Kris Jenner

July 

You Can’t Touch My Hair: And Other Things I Still Have to Explain – Phoebe Robinson

A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms – George R. R. Martin

Dreadnought – April Daniels

One of Us Is Lying – Karen M. McManus

Men Explain Things to Me – Rebecca Solnit

Big Little Lies – Liane Moriarty

My Grandfather Would Have Shot Me: A Black Woman Discovers Her Family’s Nazi Past – Jennifer Teege

August 

Don’t Worry, It Gets Worse: One Twentysomething’s (Mostly Failed) Attempts at Adulthood – Alida Nugent

Our Super American Adventure – Sarah Graley

My Shitty Twenties – Emily Morris

Good Night Stories for Rebel Girls: 100 Tales of Extraordinary Woman – Elena Favilli & Francesca Cavallo

Diana Her True Story, In Her Own Words – Andrew Morton

September 

The Wrong Knickers: A Decade of Chaos – Bryony Gordon

Fully Functioning Human (Almost) Living In An Online/Offline World – Melanie Murphy

Depression & Other Magic Tricks – Sabrina Benaim

My Lovely Wife: A Memoir of Madness and Hope – Mark Lukach

See You in the Cosmos, Carl Sagan – Jack Cheng

Making Faces – Amy Harmon

How Not To Be a Boy – Robert Webb

Riot Days – Maria Alyokhina

Feel Good 101 – Emma Blackery

October 

The Sun and Her Flowers – Rupi Kaur

Raising Ryland – Hillary Whittington

How To Be Champion – Sarah Millican

Turtles All The Way Down – John Green

Female – Sujata Balaram

Final Girls – Riley Sager

The Tattooist of Auschwitz – Heather Morris

Lumberjanes Vol. 1. – Noelle Stevenson

November 

Wild Embers – Nikita Gill

A Trump Christmas Carol – Lucien Young

I Wrote This For You – Iain S. Thomas

Helium – Rudy Francisco

Rabbit: A Memoir – Patricia Williams

It Only Happens in the Movies – Holly Bourne

Still Can’t Do My Daughters Hair – William Evans

Nina Is Not Okay – Shappi Khorsandi

Selling Manhattan – Carol Ann Duffy

Unqualified – Anna Farris

A Pearl For My Mistress – Annabel Fielding 

It’s All in Your Head A Guide To Getting Your Shit Together – Rae Earl

Christmas Poems – Wendy Cope 

Making Cocoa For Kingsley Amin – Wendy Cope

December

The Diary of Anne Frank

Serious Concerns – Wendy Cope

Leave This Song Behind – Various

Recovery: Freedom From Our Addictions – Russell Brand

Family Values – Wendy Cope

What I Know For Sure – Oprah Winfrey

How to be a Bawse – Lily Singh

Love, Grief and being Mum & Dad – Rio Ferdinand

The Ladybird Book of Mindfulness

Sex Object – Jessica Valenti

 

More to come…

Blogmas Day 10: Books to Give This Christmas

Giving books is one of the best things about Christmas for me. If I can find a book for someone, I will. So how about some ideas that I can personally recommend to you all? These are all books that I’ve read this year and should be available in all good bookshops.

 

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Poetry

This is Rupi Kaur’s second collection and was even better than the first, which I didn’t think was possible. The collection can also work as a stand-alone collection if the person your buying for hasn’t read the first. You can read my review here.

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Young Adult 

One of the biggest superstars came back after 6 years away with a cracker. Turtles deals with the complexities of living with OCD as well as a missing mystery billionaire. You can read my review here.

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Autobiography 

This isn’t something that I would have just picked up off of the shelf, it was only after hearing an interview I decided to give it a go. This goes far beyond an autobiography it talks about gender, sexuality, loss and depression. It was really eye-opening. Review here.

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Historical Fiction

It has been a long time since I’ve read a good Historical Fiction novel. Set in the 1930s and featuring an LGBTQ protagonist this is a must-read. Review here.

Memoir 

I couldn’t just pick one these were both amazing. My Lovely Wife is about a families struggle with Bipolar Disorder through the eyes of a partner. My Shitty Twenties is the memoir of Emily who unexpectedly fell pregnant in her early 20s and what it was like to have her life change so unexpectedly, review here.

 

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Contemporary Fiction

This is super weird but really enjoyable. Told from the perspective of an unborn foetus this looks at the world in a truly unique way. I absolutely loved it and would read it again and again.

 

IMG_5143 (1)Fantasy 

If you have someone in your life who loves Game of Thrones and is having withdrawal symptoms this is perfect. This is set before A Song of Ice and Fire but it’s just as engaging and a lot shorter than the songs in the series.

 

Have I missed any great reads? Let me know in the comments below!

 

 

This post is not sponsored in any way.

This or That: Books Edition!

I found this great tag over on Jenny in Neverland’s blog and thought it would be something fun to try! So, let’s give it a go.

Audiobook or textbook?

I love having a physical book in my hands as much as possible, that said, I absolutely love listening to audiobooks on the go, especially autobiographies.

Paperback or hardback?

I’m a huge fan of paperback books, but, I fully appreciate a nice hardback.

Fiction or Non-Fiction?

It definitely depends on my mood. Sometimes I like reading about real lives and people but at other times I want an escape so I read fiction.

Harry Potter or Twilight?

I’m a die-hard Harry Potter nerd I love everything about the Wizarding World (I’ve even subscribed to the Loot Crate). That said, I did have a Twilight phase in my teens and loved the books (the films, not so much).

Bookshop or online?

You can’t beat a good bookshop trip, can you? If I ever won the lottery I’d head straight to Waterstones Picadilly and go absolutely mad.

Standalone or trilogy?

Standalone, I’m not that keen on trilogies.

Sweet and short or heavy and long?

Sweet and shot, definitely.

Cosy read or reading in the sun?

Cosy reading every time, blankets or a duvet, comfy clothes. Bliss.

Hot chocolate or coffee?

Hot Chocolate om nom nom.

 

What do you think? Let me know below or do your own post!

September Favourites!

I don’t quite know how it’s October tomorrow. This month I’ve had a very quiet one, Ali went off on tour on the 3rd, so I’ve spent a lot of time chilling at home and reading. So, this might not be the busiest favourites month but here they are!

Birthday! 

This month I turned 23! I went out a few days before with a few of my closest friends for dinner and drinks (more than a few drinks) before spending the actual day with my family and having the surprise of a Bose speaker delivered from Ali!

Books 

When it’s just me I read a lot. And I mean a lot a lot. I’ve read 8 books this month, around 2 a week! This month I’ve started getting back into reading fiction slowly. There were some really great reads and some I felt were a little disappointing. Making Faces and Fully Functioning Human  were two of my favourites and reviews this month!

 

General

And down to my general choices. I’ve spent the month trying to meet up with friends or seeing family, so that I don’t spend all my time alone! This included friends from my time at uni, my godchildren and family. It’s also been a good month for deliveries including a haul from Typo and my Ginny Weasley Barnes and Noble exclusive Pop Vinyl, as well as my first Wizard World Loot Crate! I think the best part has to have been getting a visit from Ali, even if it was only for 28 hours  and baking for the guys on tour.

My Favourite Posts: 

Long Distance Love

23 Things I’ve Learned in 23 Years 

How Is My Mental Health Right Now?

Goodbye 22 – Looking Back on a Weird Year

Feminist Friday: 10 Things You Can Still Do & Still Be A Feminist 

Using Food as a Crutch

 

Book Review: Big Little Lies – Liane Moriarty

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“Mothers took their mothering so seriously now. Their frantic little faces…Ponytails swinging. Eyes fixed on the mobile phones held in the palms of their hands like compasses.”

When a parent’s night at the local school ends in death questions need to be asked, was it an accident? Was it murder? The masks of perfection that parents have been wearing all year are starting to slip, but it all started long before.

Now, this isn’t my normal read, I’ll put that out there to start. I was part of a book club and this was the book of choice. I’d tried another Liane Moriarty book in the past and struggled with the characters, so I was a little apprehensive when starting but hearing everyone rave about it, I gave it a go.

This is very much a book about the wars Mums have in the playground, the stuff that is in my nightmares. The novel focuses on three women, each very different. Madeleine is battling with bringing up her teenage daughter, her son and the fact that her daughter is in the same class with her ex-husband’s new daughter. Celeste has a life that seems perfect with her twin boys and charming husband, but demons are lurking beneath the surface. And finally, we have Jane, a young mother who has moved to town with her son Ziggy to start a new life. All three become friends and help each other get through the school year.

Now I know, I know so many people loved this novel but the unnecessary drama drove me absolutely mad. This Mum was bickering with this one and this child was accused of this. I think if it wasn’t for knowing someone was going to be murdered I would have stopped and put the book down a few chapters in. While I was intrigued by the trio, in particular, I found them all to be quite stereotypical. It might be because I haven’t experienced it myself but I just struggled to care about the whole ‘he said, she said’  situations within in novel.

That said, I will admit that the mystery of the death drew me in. Moriarty uses twists throughout to keep your attention, which is something I personally needed. While some, I worked out quite early on others, such as the big twist toward the end really threw me (so much so my best friend took a picture of me at that moment). So, in that respect there is a reason to read.

Overall, I think that there is reason to read the novel but I give fair warning that if you don’t want to read about unnecessary drama, this isn’t the novel for you. There are some serious themes touched on throughout, but for me personally, it took too long to get to those.

I gave this novel 3 stars. Admittedly, it did engage me eventually but I just felt it took a little too long and if I had just picked it up from the library I would have probably not gotten to the end! That said, I would quite like to watch the television series as I feel this would play out much better on screen rather than in a novel!

Book Review: Goodnight Stories for Rebel Girls – Elena Favilli and Francesca Cavallo

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It’s well known that there are a lot of kick ass ladies in history who aren’t taught about or who are looked over. It’s also well known that little girls need people to look up to. So, let me introduce you to a book that covers both of these things. A book that has been raved about online, and I completely understand why.

I just need to say I absolutely adore this book and want to give it to every little girl I know and plan to always have a copy in my home.  Although this is aimed at children I learned so much from it about women I’d never even heard of and I feel like I should have.  There is also great diversity in this book women from across the world with many different achievements, backgrounds, and goals are included.

I did see some complaints online that there wasn’t enough to the stories or they didn’t give that much info but we need to remember that some of these stories didn’t play out so well and this is aimed at children. To me, this was more of a snapshot, I imagine if a little girl, or boy, found someone really cool from this book they might look into them more or ask questions. That’s one of the most beautiful things about this book, it invites thinking and questions and intelligence.

Each woman chosen has their own unique portrait alongside the piece about them and they are stunning. Illustrated in different styles and colours no two looks the same. Additionally, there is a quote from every woman within the illustration to really sum them up as a person, which was a really nice touch.

If you haven’t guessed already, I gave this five stars. I’m in love with it, I would recommend it to absolutely EVERYONE because I honestly think there’s something for everyone to learn from it. There are all these amazing women from all over the world who have done incredible things for humanity, it’s about time they are all celebrated and that’s exactly what this book does.