Books To Get You Thinking

Verity – Colleen Hoover

I’m such a Colleen Hoover fan and this is a great example of why. Her versatility and ability to keep you guessing until the end and then even still have you thinking long after the book is finished.

When a struggling writer is offered the opportunity of a lifetime just when she needs it the most, writing for an ill fated and adored author who no longer has the capacity to do it herself. She endeavours to get it right and do any necessary research to do the work justice. But justice can be a complicated word. It’s hard to know the truth when the person who knows the truth is dead.

What can be very scary is the human mind, frailties and insecurities. A thriller within a thriller within a thriller.

 

Lessons in Chemistry - Bonnie Garmus

So deliciously progressive and inspiring regardless of the era in which is was set. The message was there, the indomitable spirit was there, as was the intellect. It was and is women like Elizabeth Zott, regardless of this book being fiction, that break down barriers and incite women to be who they can and should be. There was a reason women were given boundaries to try and keep them in a powerless lane - a rubbish and male dominated fearful one (or many more like it!).

Quirky, fun, heartbreaking, inspiring and a great reminder of how we have come without ignoring the contribution of some great men too. Chemistry rocks!

Lady Sapiens - by Eric Pincas, Jennifer Kerner, and Thomas Cirotteau.

Breaking down Stereotypes About Prehistoric Women.

Modern archaeology is trying to catch up with modern techniques and provide us with revised information while debunking male concocted depictions of homo-sapiens as superior in part of our evolutionary history or of being the ‘main provider’. Knowledge that has formed popular opinion to suit old tropes and been developed in the media created by and for men. Ideas that we have all adopted as assumed knowledge, but lady sapiens provides us with the ethnographic evidence to support a different version of events. A richer narrative that doesn’t just make male dominant assumptions and in cases of where the gender roles cannot be accurately assigned due to conflicting evidence, it is realistically stated as such. Open ended questions are better than assumptions based on biased information.

An enlightening and refreshing approach to looking at our evolutionary history from the pre-historic era.

Enlightened as Hell: How to Be Spiritual and Not Be a D**k - Dr Tony Ortega

Intriguingly titled -  Enlightened as Hell: How to Be Spiritual and Not Be a D**k. Obviously this peaked my interest and not just because I’ve read his previous books. There is an ever increasing need to engage with our mind-set, improve our focus and wellbeing by being more present and more aware of who we are and our actions. But there are many preconceived ideas of how to achieve this. For some the concept is too far removed from who they think they are and what they may be capable of, for others it is about how you receive this help to realise this element of you. For those of you who are not sure how woowoo you can go, Dr Tony Ortega in his inimitable way has created a straight talking and engaging way to be as enlightened as hell but staying true to yourself.

 

 

 

Ooh ooh, more books:

 “The more that you read, the more things you will know...”