[82] May 2020 Book Reviews

An informal solo series reviewing everything FBC founder Renee reads each month.
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Mentioned in this episode:

Maybe You Should Talk to Someone: A Therapist, Her Therapist, and Our Lives Revealed by Lori Gottlieb

Genres: Non-fiction, personal development
Read if you like: your therapist and want to know what she’s really thinking
Also of note: Tune into Lori’s episode of The Stacks podcast here.
FBC rating: 4.5 stars

Braised Pork by An Yu

Genres: General fiction with a touch of magical realism
Read if you like: Isabel Allende, Haruki Murakami, dream-like reading experiences
Also of note: Braised Pork was named a Best Book of 2020 by Stylist.
FBC rating: 3.5 stars

Full Support: Lessons Learned in the Dressing Room by Natalee Woods 

Genres: Memoir
Read if you like: Waiter Rant by Steve Dublanica, behind-the-scenes of retail jobs, touching stories about femininity
Also of note: Podcast interview with Natalee is coming soon!
FBC rating: 4.5 stars

This Spell Can’t Last by Isabel Sterling

Genres: Fantasy, YA, novella
Read if you like: These Witches Don’t Burn by Isabel Sterling, The Lost Coast by Amy Rose Capetta, queer teen witches
Also of note: This is the prequel to our April book of the month, These Witches Don’t Burn. The second book in the series just came out, too: This Coven Won’t Break.
FBC rating: 3.5 stars

How Much of These Hills is Gold by C. Pam Zhang

Genres: Historical fiction, Western
Read if you like: Sabrina & Corina by Kali Fajardo-Anstine, Westworld (TV show), Little House on the Prairie but wish it were darker, books with a strong sense of place
Also of note: Expect this title to be on all of the best of 2020 lists at the end of the year.
FBC rating: 5 stars

Wordslut: A Feminist Guide to Taking Back the English Language by Amanda Montell

Genres: Non-fiction, sociolinguistics
Read if you like: words in general, Because Internet by Gretchen McCulloch, Malcolm Gladwell books
Also of note: Podcast interview with Amanda coming soon!
FBC rating: 5 stars

Happy & You Know It by Laura Hankin 

Genres: Contemporary fiction
Read if you like: Big Little Lies by Liane Moriarty, Daisy Jones and the Six by Taylor Jenkins Reid, Feminarchy on YouTube (Laura’s comedy show!)
Also of note: Podcast interview with Amanda coming soon!
FBC rating: 4.5 stars

Forest of Souls by Lori M. Lee

Genres: High fantasy, YA
Read if you like: Lord of the Rings but wish it centered young women, Children of Blood and Bone by Tomi Adeyemi, Graceling by Kristin Cashore
Also of note: Podcast interview with Lori coming soon!
FBC rating: 2.5 stars

Fairest: A Memoir by Meredith Talusan 

Genres: Memoir
Read if you like: Redefining Realness by Janet Mock, The Body Papers by Grace Talusan (they’re cousins!), books that make you question everything you thought you knew about race and gender
Also of note: Podcast interview with Meredith coming soon!
FBC rating: 5 stars

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Renee Powers

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Renee Powers founded Feminist Book Club in 2018 to provide a space for intersectional feminists to learn, grow, and connect. When not reading or running the biz, you can find her drinking coffee and trying unsuccessfully to teach her retired racing greyhound how to fetch. Favorite genres: feminist thrillers, contemporary literary fiction, short stories, and anything that might be described as "irreverent"