Clearing up the review books

I currently have only 7 books waiting for review from NetGalley. They were all given to me as eBooks in exchange for honest reviews. My NetGalley ratio is 94 percent - for those of you who do not use NetGalley, they recommend keeping your ratio of books received to books read above 80 percent. So I'm doing fine, but of those 7 books there are 4 that I should have reviewed already, and I've been a bit stuck. None of them are my usual fiction, they are a variety of non fiction and one example of "why did I request this when I knew I would have to review it" situations.

So here are my reviews, in publication date order:

The Shortest History of Democracy by John Keane.

The Shortest History series is the opposite of the Object Lessons Series. Objects Lessons takes a very narrow topic and, in a very short book, drills down into it often including an element of memoir or gonzo journalism. The Shortest History series cover really large topics, in relatively short volumes. In this case short is 277 pages. I really struggled to engage with this book, but I don't know if it was the broadness of the topic, my attention span this winter, or that the review book was only available through the NetGalley app - not able to be read on Kindle. I would not have requested it if I have realised that, since I really don't read well on my tablet. Which is all to say that I didn't finish it, but I don't really think it's the book's fault.

Best Women's Erotica of the Year, Volume 8

I read erotica, but I don't really want to talk about it. Why did I request this book? Because I wanted to read it. In private, if you know what I mean. Did I enjoy it? Yes, some stories more than others. That's what I like about these types of anthologies - variety, discovering new authors and having some fun. But I still don't want to talk about it on the internet.

Nourishing Vegan Everyday by Amy Lanza

I'm not vegan, but I would like to eat less meat. This book is beautifully presented and has a range of dishes for breakfast, lunch dinner and celebrations. It's straightforward enough, some of the ideas are inspiring, and some I have come across before. This book is a good resource.

Fit Nation, by Natalie Petrezella

I first came across Natalie through a podcast she did about the Chippendales, and then I followed her on Instagram and signed up for her mailing list, so i was thrilled to receive an Advanced reader Copy of this book, and it did not disappoint. Petrezela approaches her topic with a gender, class and privilege at the forefront of her research. This book is accesable, sympathetic and most of all - interesting.

Now I'm all caught up. I have three more books (two novels and one Object Lesson) outstanding from NetGalley. hopefully I will find some more review books, because I do enjoy being a reviewer.

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