marketingondemand

  • Who we are
  • What we do
    • Strategy
    • Delivery
    • Operations
  • Work with us
  • Services
    • Consulting
    • Copywriting
    • Social Media Packages
    • The case study writers
  • Clients
  • Blog
  • Contact us
    • Cookie Policy
    • Privacy Policy

6 June, 2021 By Sarah Wood Leave a Comment

May 2021 reads

Books I read in May 2021

The Vanishing Half, Brit Bennett

5 stars

Insightful and empathetic, the book weaves the story of twins who are split apart by circumstances and who live their lives one white, one black as they find themselves far away from their beginnings. The book covers so much ground, has many characters in disguise and hiding their origins, that it opens up questions of choice, family and belonging. Love the fact the book is totally non-judgemental, bringing different characters to the fore to touch on but not to define the reasons for their actions and reactions.

It’s a book that highlights many issues, covers some better than others, but has the same gentle touch of respect and restraint that is inspirational.

The Startup Wife, Tahmima Anam

4 stars

This is a lovely light read, a funny and clever and life-affirming read in the face of apocalypse. Asha meets Cyrus, unrequited crush from school, and straight away quits her PhD thesis to start an exciting new venture, along with Cyrus’s friend Jules. Along the way we see the power balance between the three shift and change, and as their success grows they question whether all the effort and the thrills of start up life is worth fighting for.

 

Some super insights into women in tech, working with close friends and family, and the excitement of doing what you love all the time, with all the highs and sometime frightening lows.

Infinite Country, Patricia Engel

4 stars

The moving story of a family fractured by migration, as the members of a family are scattered between the US and Colombia due to migration, deportation and different citizenship status.

This is a delicate and well-told tale of family, belonging and displacement, mixing the realities of life in Colombia and the US with the older ties of ancestors and myths. Told from the viewpoint of one daughter who is living  without papers in the US, the novel looks at how all the family are affected over time, from the fierce grandmother to the child with US citizenship brought up in Colombia who goes home to a foreign country age 15.

It’s a very subtle and thought-provoking story that examines the impact of migration on all members of the family and offers hope for a better and more united future.

Uki and the Outcasts and Uki and the Swamp Spirit, Kieran Harwood

4 stars

These are two lovely stories in a series I’ve carried on reading even though the children have grown out of them. The stories follow on from the Podkin One Ear stories and are full of fantastical adventures within adventures, with a whole dangerous rabbit world imagined and in need of saving from demons.

The Souls of Clayhatchee, Anthony Todd Carlisle

4 stars

“When James reluctantly agrees to his mother’s last wish to be buried in her hometown of Clayhatchee, Alabama, his notions about southern relatives are turned upside down as he makes long-hidden discoveries about his parents. His father did not migrate north, he escaped. His mother kept an even deeper secret, one of rage and beauty.” A very satisfying read. This is a deftly told story that covers a lot of social history through the lens of a particular family, giving a considered view of a black family split apart and ultimately brought back together through family secrets, loyalty and love.

Junk, Melvin Burgess

4 stars

This is an intriguing book, that may have shocked 25 years ago but now seems quite  nostalgic for a different world we live in. The writing still has the power to shock, from the innocence of Gemma’s arrival with Tar and their slow but inevitable corruption in the squats of Bristol, to the unresolved and uncertain endings for many of the characters,

A hard read, but also an important one in getting across an authentic message about the dangers of drugs, drink and families.

 

No related posts.

Filed Under: books

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Search

Follow us on Twitter

Tweets by @SarahWood7

You may have missed:

June 2021 reads

The Sweetness of Water Nathan Harris This is a very powerful book, telling very moving stories from the end of the American civil war. It’s a slow-paced and moving story about lives affected by the freeing of slaves and the effect this has on whole communities. George and his wife Isabelle, the freed slaves they […]

May 2021 reads

Books I read in May 2021 The Vanishing Half, Brit Bennett 5 stars Insightful and empathetic, the book weaves the story of twins who are split apart by circumstances and who live their lives one white, one black as they find themselves far away from their beginnings. The book covers so much ground, has many […]

April 2021 reads

Books I read in April 2021 First Person Singular Haruki Murakami 5/5 Reading these Murakami stories is at once coming home to familiar ground and at the same time being taking in a new direction by each story. The stories deal with the usual Murakami topics, and each one is like a drink of fresh […]

Previous posts

What we blog about:

  • content creation
  • content marketing
    • blogging
  • digital strategy and operations
  • effective e-business
  • family
    • books
    • silent sunday
  • social

Copyright © 2022 MarketingonDemand · PRIVACY POLICY · COOKIE POLICY · info@marketingondemand.co.uk · +44 (0)1491 614404

This website uses cookies to improve your experience. We'll assume you're ok with this, but you can opt-out if you wish.Accept Reject Read More
Cookie Policy

Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
Necessary
Always Enabled
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.
Non-necessary
Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website.
SAVE & ACCEPT