April Reading Wrap Up

Hello everyone!

I am incredibly late to writing & posting this article because, as you know, a lot has been happening in the world these past few months and I needed to take a break from writing/producing my own content to focus on consuming and reflecting. I almost decided against posting this as it seemed so trivial, however, as said before I really do enjoy sharing my reads, so here is my April reading wrap up! I will share May and June as soon as I can as well.

The Silence of the Lambs by Thomas Harris

You all know this one. The Silence of the Lambs is the second novel of Harris’ Hannibal Lecter series, which follows FBI trainee Clarice Sterling who is charged with profiling the cannibalistic serial killer, Hannibal Lecter. The FBI’s real motive, however, is to use Lecter’s help to catch another serial killer, nicknamed Buffalo Bill, who kills and skins overweight women.

This is a tough one to review. Although I had read Red Dragon years ago I had somehow never read the sequel (but am obviously familiar with the film). I am a huge fan of the character of Hannibal Lecter and the world that Harris has created, NBC’s Hannibal series is, after all, my all-time favourite show (I have seen it about six times now). However, I did not enjoy this book. I am aware that it was written in the eighties but this story is quite fatphobic and transphobic and that is simply not something that I can easily overlook today. Furthermore, after being used to both Dr. Bloom and Freddie Lounds as women in the series, the book just feels so boringly masculine (yes, even with Clarice as the protagonist). I am glad that I read this as I do love the series and enjoyed getting lost in this world again, but sadly, I was quite disappointed by it.

How to Do Nothing: Resisting the Attention Economy by Jenny Odell

I received this as a gift and judging from its title I thought that it would be a self-help book. This is not a self-help book, it is much more than that. How to Do Nothing critiques our current attention economy and capitalism, and explains the benefits of resisting both. It asks what exactly “productivity” and “usefulness” mean today and how we can change our perspective on both of these terms. It also offers some examples of past groups who have tried to live “off the grid” to get away from the world but makes it clear that this is not the solution. How can we live in the modern world without it harming us too much? How do we reconnect with nature, whilst not ditching social media and technological advancements altogether?

This was a very educational read but this book does not know what it wants to be: is it a self-help book? an educational book? A collection of academic essays? Unclear. Odell also has a knack for going on tangents and sounding a little too smug (taking weeks off work to go birdwatching in the woods might not be accessible to everyone, Jenny). There were parts of it that I loved and parts that I could not get through. The core message is important but Odell’s way of sharing it is a little all over the place.

Lost Connections: Uncovering the Real Causes of Depression – and the Unexpected Solutions by Johann Hari

Four stars! A beautifully well-written non-fiction book that discusses depression in a way that I hadn’t read before. I heard Johann Hari speak on the Feel Better, Live More podcast and immediately knew that I had to read this book.

Hari, who suffers from depression himself, had been told his entire life that the problem was in his brain. However, this explanation is not the full story and there are many cultural and social aspects linked to depression, which is something we need to talk about more. This is what this book is about. It explores what causes depression and how we can begin to battle it. It is a very educational read and I highly recommend it. Even if you have never suffered from depression, I believe we all struggle to find meaningful connections in this day and age – to others, to nature, to our values, our community, ourselves – this book is helpful for everyone.

The Animals at Lockwood Manor by Jane Healey

This might be the first fiction book I read this year that completely transported me to another world. After having read quite a lot of non-fiction, my mind felt desperate to get lost in a story like this one. The Animals at Lockwood Manor is Healey’s debut novel and follows the story of Hetty Cartwright, who is charged with overseeing the mammal collection of the Natural History Museum during WWII. The animals have been taken out of London to Lockwood Manor in order to be saved from possible bombings, but what awaits them at the manor might be just as dangerous. Hetty is not prepared for all of the strange happenings at the manor, and she certainly isn’t prepared to meet the enigmatic Lucy Lockwood.

This was a wonderful read. Although it uses many well-known Gothic stereotypes it never felt overdone. It is a wonderful homage to the classic genre with the lesbian relationship as the cherry on top. The story takes place during WWII but feels much older, time seemed to have stopped in the manor which brings up a constant feeling of uneasiness. Moreover, Hetty’s fascination with Lucy reminded me of Rebecca and the presence of Lockwood Manor of We Have Always Lived in the Castle (two of my favourite novels). The Gothic genre has always been queer but Healey made it explicit, and I love her for that.

Women by Chloe Caldwell 

UGH. I hated this book. I am torn between writing an entire rant on why this story was horrible, or writing nothing at all in order to not infuriate myself further. Anyways, let’s try a middle ground.

Women is a novella that explores a straight woman’s experience as she falls in and out of love with a confident, older, soft butch (who, by the way, already has a girlfriend). Their relationship moves quickly and becomes all-consuming and harmful for both of them early on, and reading this feels like going on an emotional rollercoaster. It is an intense and quick read so by the end, you are drained. This could be a good thing, of course, but in this case, it was not.

Both characters are incredibly annoying and lack self-awareness, and the worst thing is, so does the author. I love an unreliable and unlikable character as much as the next one, but only as long as the author themselves know what they’re doing. This book does deal with realistic and important topics; lesbian relationships often move quickly and can be very intense and toxic (codependency is a huge issue). However, this book does not try to raise awareness or explain the problem but rather excuses the behaviour. It portrays the gay relationship as a passing addiction in this straight woman’s life: it is naive, self-indulgent, and I didn’t care for it at all.

Marion ☾