19) My Name is Why by Lemn Sissay I was first introduced to Lemn Sissay when I was at university doing a poetry course, and I loved his direct, passionate and poignant poems; and I bought copies of several of his collections. What I had no idea about was the story that lay behind him getting… Continue reading Year 5 / Book 19: My Name is Why
Category: memoir
Year 5 / Book 7: Maid
7) Maid by Stephanie Land The subtitle of this non-fiction memoir is 'Hard Work, Low Pay and a Mother's Will to Survive', which gives you a pretty strong indication of what this is about. Stephanie Land is a single mother in America with little or no family network to support her, which means she raises… Continue reading Year 5 / Book 7: Maid
Year 5 / Book 5: I Am, I Am, I Am
5) I Am, I Am, I Am by Maggie O'Farrell Maggie O'Farrell is best known as a writer of fiction, and I confess to having read none of it, though I know quite a few people who speak highly of her work. I'm not sure why this non-fiction book, about her 'seventeen brushes with death',… Continue reading Year 5 / Book 5: I Am, I Am, I Am
Year 5 / Book 3: All My Cats
3) All My Cats by Bohumil Hrabal When the team were all putting up what they liked and didn't like ahead of Secret Santa in the office, I put 'Likes: books, cats', and so here we are: a book about cats. Although not quite as fluffy as one might be expecting. The only previous book I'd… Continue reading Year 5 / Book 3: All My Cats
Year 4 / Book 52: Turn the Ship Around!
52) Turn the Ship Around! by David Marquet So the last book of 2019 (finally caught up on reviews!) is a book by a submarine captain about how he turned round the worst fleet in the US Navy. Of course, it's actually a leadership / business / management book which shares those lessons in such a… Continue reading Year 4 / Book 52: Turn the Ship Around!
Year 4 / Book 41: Corrupt Bodies
41) Corrupt Bodies by Peter Everett The subtitle of this (non-fiction) book is 'Death and Dirty Dealing in a London Morgue' which gives you some sense of what to expect from the contents. It's also co-written by my friend Kris Hollington, who kindly sent me a copy to read, and I think he's done a… Continue reading Year 4 / Book 41: Corrupt Bodies
Year 4 / Book 26: Liar’s Poker
26) Liar's Poker by Michael Lewis Michael Lewis is now one of the foremost non-fiction chroniclers writing today, particularly as concerns business. I've read The Big Short, Flash Boys, Boomerang, The Blind Side and Moneyball. And if you haven't read the books, then you've probably seen at least one of the films. He has a… Continue reading Year 4 / Book 26: Liar’s Poker
Year 4 / Book 24: The Things I Would Tell You
24) The Things I Would Tell You ed. Sabrina Mahfouz The subtitle to this collection is 'British Muslim Women Write', and it's a varied collection of short stories, poetry, essays and play scripts all written by Muslim women in Britain. And an extremely interesting and powerful collection it is too - with a wide range… Continue reading Year 4 / Book 24: The Things I Would Tell You
Year 4 / Book 11: Educated
11) Educated by Tara Westover This memoir was a feature in best-of lists and non-fiction bestsellers last year, and it's been a pleasure to come to it, even if behind many others ('others' includes Barack Obama & Bill Gates, whose recommendations carry a decent amount of weight). The summary version is that Tara Westover grows… Continue reading Year 4 / Book 11: Educated
Year 4 / Book 6: Poverty Safari
6) Poverty Safari by Darren McGarvey The subtitle to this book is 'understanding the anger of Britain's underclass', which gives you some sense of what its pages contain. It is a journey (a safari, perhaps) through lives in poor communities, and particularly McGarvey's own in Glasgow - in that sense it is part-memoir, part-polemic and… Continue reading Year 4 / Book 6: Poverty Safari
