Suddenly, it’s summer and we’re trying to do all the things all the time. It’s fun and exhausting. We had our first barbecue of the year. I started reading in the garden at lunchtimes and after work.

Yay for sunshine and friends. Happy summertime.

Books read

The Gilded Ones by Namina Forna
I thought I’d give modern fantasy fiction another try as this title had been recommended as a good feminist take on some of the common tropes. It’s set in a world where all women must undergo a “purity” test at 16, and those who fail are killed or taken from their families and recruited into a special army. It certainly has some interesting twists and I did enjoy it, but I’m not sure I’ll continue with the rest of the series.

I Am Malala: The Girl Who Stood Up for Education and Was Shot by the Taliban by Malala Yousafzai with Christina Lamb
Does this memoir need an introduction? Malala Yousafzai is so thoroughly famous now it’s hard to recall a time when she wasn’t a household name. But this is much more than just her own story; it’s a recent history of Pakistan, and in particular the Swat Valley. Yousafzai and Lamb clearly show how the Taliban took advantage of political and religious divisions, and natural disasters, to get a foothold in a region not historically given to fundamentalism.

Spring by Ali Smith
I do like Ali Smith’s playful prose style. This third part of her Seasons Quartet follows two characters: a semi-retired film director mourning the loss of a friend, and a young woman who works in security at a holding facility for asylum seekers. The spectre of Brexit is ever present, with its increasing anti-immigrant rhetoric. Smith manages to find humanity in all the characters while making it clear she finds the prison-style detention of refugees abhorrent.

The Patriarchs: How Men Came to Rule by Angela Saini
Angela Saini is such a good non-fiction writer. Here, she brings a scientist’s eye to history, attempting to unpick when and how human society became predominantly patriarchal. The answer isn’t straightforward and Saini is unafraid to say when there is nuance and uncertainty. I highly recommend this.

Behold the Dreamers by Imbolo Mbue
A novel about a Cameroonian couple living in New York City, trying to make ends meet while they await the outcome of their immigration case. This does a great job of explaining why people want to migrate outside of war or political persecution. Plus it’s funny and touching.

Demons by Kang Hwagil
Translated from Korean by Mattho Mandersloot
In this short story a young single mother struggles with anxiety. Is everyone against her or is she imagining it? This is dark and abstract.