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.

Comments

Geogradiant MKAL Part 1 - that was unexpected (spoilers)

Stephen West released the first MKAL clue on Thursday night. I started knitting it without looking at spoilers. When I got up on Friday he had sent through an "alternative" clue one. I then went and had a look at the spoiler thread to try to work out what was going on. Which was that some people thought the pattern looked like a "German hate symbol". I knit on anyway, since I was half-way through. Then he took down the original clue, replacing it with a mitred square in garter stitch. The Ravelry forums and Instagram are a complete shit-show, even though Rav is being moderated. It's been a bit disheartening, having something that is usually quite light and fun weighed down with all this. I admire Stephen's quick and sensitive response to this drama. I also feel that anything can look like anything if you squint. To me this looks like a Celtic knot. I think mine is pretty, and I'll knit on through all crises.

Linky Wednesday - the one with the drama

The drama about the Stephen West MKAL continues, and I can't be bothered with it. It's meant to be a fun, interesting, communal knit and and that's not what this year has turned in to. Stephen has done his best in a difficult situation, but I'm just not feeling it. Meanwhile, Israel is at war, and we (as a country) are going to vote "no" on a referendum that asks for basic consideration for Aboriginal and Torres Straight Islanders. So yeah, lots of turmoil here. It's very tiring. I'm knitting a sock and considering what happens next. Luckily the reading was dramatic in a good way. I'm reading a NetGalley review copy of Last Summer at the Lake House and it's great. Super dramatic family drama about three sisters who loose their father unexpectedly and then find out that the family has secrets. I 've nearly finished it and I don't know what I'm going to read next. I've got a bit of a break between review books, so maybe Sta

Mussleburgh musings

I made a Mussleburgh hat earlier in the year, and even though I thought I was following the directions exactly it did not come out quite right. It was a little bit loose. My head is 51 cm, my gauge was 7 stitches, so according to the pattern I knit the right size. It's also a little bit shorter than I would like it. Too long for a beanie, too short for a good turn-up. I couldn't work out why. I still wore it, but it was not quite right. When I decided to knit one for Elise I knew I wanted to make it longer, and tighter. After I finished Elise's (with 24 fewer stitches) I realised something about mine: Now, this is a knit tube. I know how to knit tubes. When I make sleeves or socks, they don't balloon out in the middle. So I decided to reblock it. The instructions actually specifically say to fold it inside each other after blocking, but I probably folded it and dried it on my head, because that's how I block my hats. Not this time: Now it's longer and thinner

What I made, by Sharon

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