As someone with a history degree, one of the most irritating questions I get asked is along the lines of “why do you care about history, it happened so long ago, what’s the point?” I could write an entire book answering this, but instead, I’ll throw a copy of In Defense of Witches: The Legacy of the Witch Hunts and Why Women Are Still on Trial by Mona Chollet at you and tell you to read it instead.
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“Decision-making is a complex, messy activity that can lead to significant stress. But it doesn’t have to. One of the goals of this book is to remind us not to fall prey to the numerous social forces that increasingly turn making a decision into an unnecessarily anxious process.”
A book specifically about women’s sexual health? YES, FINALLY! As soon as I saw the description for Vagina Problems: Endometriosis, Painful Sex, and Other Taboo Topics by Lara Parker, I knew I had to read it.
“Life is not a series of crises to be endured. Life is to be enjoyed.”
Friends, I recently read another collection of personal essays, and oh my GAWD, this one was GOOD. I really enjoy books like this, but I’ve never read one that hit so close to home before. Buy Yourself the F*cking Lilies by Tara Schuster was like looking into a mirror, if a book can be a mirror. Does that make sense? I don’t even care.
“This is a book about hope. It is a story about everyday people defending the water resources of their communities and protecting the broader human right to water by ensuring it is now and forever a public trust, one that must not be allowed to fall under private, for-profit control.”
Whose Water Is It, Anyway? by Maude Barlow is equal parts educational and frustrating. I know, that sounds weird, but I’m not quite sure how else to describe a book that goes over water privatization and commercialization, and how people are fighting back to access clean, fresh water.
“The witches are coming, but not for your life. We’re coming for your lies. We’re coming for your legacy.”
Last year I read Lindy West’s memoir, Shrill, but didn’t review it because there were no words I could think of to describe how wonderful it was. I recently finished The Witches Are Coming and have similar feelings, but I’ll try my best to describe how wonderful this collection of essays is.
In this edition of Books with Friends, I chatted with Natasha from Natasha Devine Photography about Smoke Gets in Your Eyes & Other Lessons from the Crematory, by Caitlin Doughty. I’d seen a couple photos of this book before, but never really gave it much thought. After hearing Natasha talk about it though, I’m hoping I find time to read it for myself one day!
Death has always been a scary topic for me, and I’ve been trying to come to terms with it more because, well, it’s inevitable. One of my uncles is also a funeral director, and my Dad works part-time with him now too, so the funerary business isn’t exactly foreign to me. However, I still found some of these topics to be new and weirdly interesting, and hope you do too.
Anyone who knows me even a little bit knows that I love dinosaurs, so when I received a copy of The Dinosaur Artist: Obsession, Betrayal and the Quest for Earth’s Ultimate Trophy, by Paige Williams, I was ecstatic. This book contained so many things that I like: dinosaurs, journalism, natural and political history; how could I not read it?
My pal Chelsea took some time out of her hectic schedule for the latest edition of Books With Friends! Earlier this year we went to a used book sale together, and both filled up boxes with stories to take home. It was awesome. One of the books I got was Not Yet: A Memoir of Living and Almost Dying, by Wayson Choy. Chelsea actually put it in my pile for me, and told me I had to read it. I haven’t yet, but it is high on my TBR pile! In the meantime, I wanted to chat with Chelsea about why she adores this memoir so much.
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