Bookish Bron

True story :: non-fiction books & memoirs

This month I'm participating in Book Riot's photo challenge #riotgrams over on Instagram and today's photo prompt is 'True Stories'. To be honest, I've really only started reading non-fiction, including memoirs and biographies, pretty recently - and mostly thanks to tasks in the 2016 and 2017 Book Riot Read Harder Challenges.

Today's photo prompt got me thinking about some of the non-fiction I have really loved reading over the past 6 months or so, and so I thought I'd share here three of the best non-fiction books I've read recently(ish)...

The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks

I actually read this one almost exactly a year ago! The story of Henrietta Lacks is horrifying and heartwarming, sad and fun, and simply amazing. I thought that Rebecca Skloot's telling of it was flawless - both in terms of telling Henrietta's story and also the narrative around her own experience of meeting Henrietta's family and researching the book. I rated this 5 stars and told everyone I know to read it. I did manage to miss the TV movie adaptation - and would be interested to know whether it is worth hunting down?

March (1-3)

I'm the first to admit I know very little about US politics, and I really didn't have much of an idea about the civil rights movement at all. I definitely didn't know who Congressman John Lewis was, but when I started reading bits and pieces about him in the media in January I wanted to find out more and borrowed all three graphic novels in his March series from the library. These books, and (obviously) his story are beyond amazing. I had no idea a graphic novel could be so powerful and moving. Like I said, I borrowed these from the library but they are now on our 'to buy' list.

For me the timing of reading these fit really well - I'd read Henrietta Lacks, and the Underground Railroad, stuff was happening in the US, and shortly after I saw Hidden Figures, to which March gave me a lot of context.

Breaking the Mould

One of the tasks in the 2017 Read Harder Challenge is to read a book about sport - I'm not going to lie, I thought this was going to be kind of boring! But I loved it - Pippos does a great job of walking the reader through a history of sexism in sport, and also shows where things are starting to change for the better. This could be really dry, but the writing is super accessible, and often feels conversational, so it really was fun to read.

I'd love to get recommendations for non-fiction books you've enjoyed! I have Mary Roach firmly on my to read list, but who else should I add?

X Bron

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, by Bron

In review, young adult

Review :: The Impossible Vastness of Us :: Samantha Young

India Maxwell hasn’t just moved across the country — she’s plummeted to the bottom rung of the social ladder. It’s taken years to cover the mess of her home life with a veneer of popularity. Now she’s living in one of Boston’s wealthiest neighbourhoods with her mum’s fiancé and his daughter, Eloise. Thanks to her soon-to-be stepsister’s clique of friends, including Eloise’s gorgeous, arrogant boyfriend Finn, India feels like the one thing she hoped never to be seen as again: trash.

But India’s not alone in struggling to control the secrets of her past. Eloise and Finn, the school’s golden couple, aren’t all they seem to be. In fact, everyone’s life is infinitely more complex than it first appears. And as India grows closer to Finn and befriends Eloise, threatening the facades that hold them together, what’s left are truths that are brutal, beautiful, and big enough to change them forever…

I wasn't really sure what to expect from The Impossible Vastness of Us - I am just starting to get into contemporary YA And it felt bit clichéd and maybe a bit self indulgent at the start (although maybe that was just our teen protagonist, India), but by halfway I was pretty hooked and invested in the story line.

Throughout the book a number of issues that can be important to teens are raised, and I feel like they were pretty well dealt with (in a Degrassi, or vintage 90210 kind of way). That said, these are the kind of issues that could use some trigger warnings, so if this is something you look out for I'd suggest finding out a bit more before you read.

Given how quick a read this was I thought that the character growth was really good - the kids go through some stuff and really seem to learn from it, and to get an appreciation for others' point of view. In particular I felt like India was much more likeable by the end of the book.

I gave this 3.5/5 stars

The Impossible Vastness of Us by Samantha Taylor is out now from Harlequin Books. I received an e-book copy in exchange for an honest review, but only chose to read it because it sounded like something I would enjoy (life's too short to read books we don't think we'll enjoy). All opinions on my blog are my own, and I wouldn't tell you it was good if I didn't really think so. =)