The House of Islam – Ed Husain

Blurb:The House of Islam seeks to provide entry to the minds and hearts of Muslims the world over. It introduces us to the fairness, kindness and mercy of Mohammed; the aims of sharia law, through commentary on scripture, to provide an ethical basis to life; the beauty of Islamic art and the permeation of the…

Beartown – Fredrik Backman

****Spoiler Alert****Trigger warning: rape, misogyny, homophobia, abuse. Blurb:People say Beartown is finished. A tiny community nestled deep in the forest, it is slowly losing ground to the ever encroaching trees. But down by the lake stands an old ice rink, built generations ago by the working men who founded this town. And in that ice…

The Best We Could Do – Thi Bui

First read of 2021! Blurb:This beautifully illustrated and emotional story is an evocative memoir about the search for a better future and a longing for the past. Exploring the anguish of immigration and the lasting effects that displacement has on a child and her family, Bui documents the story of her family’s daring escape after…

Dear Ijeawele A Feminist Manifesto in Fifteen Suggestions – Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

Blurb:How do you raise a child to be a feminist? Here are fifteen compelling, direct and perceptive suggestions to empower a daughter to become a strong, independant woman. Together they start a new and urgently needed conversation about what it really means to be a woman today. My Thoughts: This book is short but contains…

Mindhunter – John Douglas & Mark Olshaker – #20booksofsummer

So close! This is my 9th book of 10 in the 10booksofsummer challenge hosted by Cathy at 746books. Blurb:John Douglas is a former FBI Special Agent and expert in criminal profiling and behavioural science. He made a career of looking evil in the eye - and understanding it. No wonder that he was the inspiration…

The Handmaid’s Tale – Margaret Atwood – #20booksofsummer

This is my 5th book in th #20booksofsummer reading challenge hosted by Cathy at 746Books. Blurb:I believe in the resistance as I believe there can be no light without shadow; or rather, no shadow unless there is also light. Offred is a Handmaid in The Republic of Gilead, a religious totalitarian state in what was…

The Hate U Give – Angie Thomas – #20booksofsummer

Thug Life - The Hate U Give Little Infants F*cks Everyone Blurb:Sixteen-year-old Starr lives in two worlds: the poor neighbourhood where she was born and raised and her posh high school in the suburbs. The uneasy balance between them is shattered when Starr is the only witness to the fatal shooting of her unarmed best…