Survival & Other Surprises by Casper E. Falls

Rating:

5 Stars

Themes:

Poetry, Disability

Thoughts:

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily. I thought this book would be great for me as a chronically ill individual myself who doesn’t get exposed to many other experiences in real life and this was a great immersion. However, I didn’t expect it to have my eyes watering to the point of near tears feeling such a strong connection and representation to myself, despite having a different condition to the author. It’s a great warts and all depiction of chronically ill lives, exploring flares, being a spoonie, cog fog, mental illness, and the worth of disabled lives. There is also some other interesting topics such as ignored genocides, being misgendered, and capitalism making it more than just a book about disability and survival. Some of my personal favourites are Another Day, Furby, I Am Done Hating My Body, The Weight of the Fallen, My Disabled Body, Ariel's Goodbye, and Broken Branches.

Favourite Quote:

I want all of it to survive

even if the world declares

that every space the sick take

every pound they add

makes me less worthy

of life

I'd rather be alive

than a beautiful dead thing

worthy of it

With thanks to BooksGoSocial and Netgalley for my advanced digital copy of this book.

Comments

Mint and Murder by Carly Winter

Rating: Stars Themes: Short Story, Cosy Mystery Thoughts: Thoughts: I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily. I had to read this book, seeing it was available, after reading Pipers Piping and Puppies last year. I did read it as a standalone (it’s not the first time I’ve read a series out of order and likely won’t be the last) I managed to follow along fine although I’m sure I’d have understood the relationship dynamics better had I read it in the correct order. I found the story great and as for the mystery I was guessing myself right the way through until Sam figured it out. Sam is a strong female main character who feels worth investing in so I may have to go search some more of the Heywood Herbalist series out. I enjoyed seeing Sam interact with her friends as they had great chemistry and it felt real, and also really liked Sam’s interactions with Doug as it added another layer of humanity to her and reality to the town. I would love ...

Porn is Not Sex Ed! by Jessica Melendez

Rating: 3 Stars Themes: Non-Fiction, Young Adult Thoughts: I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily. In the age of lessening sex education this book could be a great tool to help bridge the gap. I appreciate the talk to an adult bits that can encourage children to start to have conversations that are important but they often think are cringy. The note to trusted adults bit at the end is great too and there’s quite a few useful activities to help the messages really sink in. Some of the points here such as fetishisation and body image are really important ones that I never learned that young (which could be the reason I had such poor body image as a teen) and for the most part the book talks to kids on their level although some areas may feel a little immaturely worded for older teens. With thanks to Hachette UK and Netgalley for my advanced digital copy of this book.

The War of Sober by Edward Rand

Rating: 4 Stars Themes: Non-Fiction, Self-Help, Addiction, Psychology Thoughts: I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily. This is a great book not just for addicts trying to establish and maintain their sobriety but also psychologists, counsellors and the people working with them. It approaches the experience of addiction from the perspective of going to war and may help those who can’t get along with the 12 steps, contingency management or other forms of therapy traditionally used. It’s also helpful to have Edward detail his own experiences and approaches throughout so it feels less clinical and shows he does know what he’s talking about when he mentions the difficulties so it comes across less patronising than some self-help addiction books. Favourite Quote: "It doesn't matter what happened yesterday. Win or lose, if we are still alive, we must decide to be different today and then make the correct choices today, because friends, ...

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