Non-fiction book reviews part 14 - three books that release in September

 Welcome to part 14 in a series of non-fiction book reviews, originally based on the idea that the books I request tell you everything you need to know about me. I have, after 13 chapters of this series, realised that all these posts say about me is that have eclectic taste and endless curiosity. Today we have hiking in America, a book about sex and lego. All they have in common is that they all release on, or around, the 13th of September.

Hiking Hidden Gems in America's National Parks by Ted Alvarez  (Releases 17 September

 2024).

If you have been around here for a while, you know I hike. And we often hike less popular or well know routes - less people, less booking drama fewer fees, so I was quite drawn to this book, even though I'm not planning to hike in America any time soon. This is a stunning, inspiring book for more experienced hikers. It gives a great overview of a range of less publicised American National Parks and the hikes within them. The photos are pretty, and anecdotes amusing. If I was looking for hike in America, looking through this book would be an inspiring start to the planning.

The Secret Life of LEGO® Bricks: The Story of a Design Icon by Daniel Konstanski (releases 24 September 2024) 

I'm not sure why I requested this one. I played with Lego as a child, but it's not something I continued. I remember having a box of Lego pieces at my grandparents. My brother and I stayed there every second Friday night, and it lived in the cupboard of the bedroom we shared. Having now read this book, I don't think I'm the target audience. It's a fascinating, but very deep dive into Lego for adult fans. This book is beautifully put together, with illistative photos It's quite technical, while still being interesting. The author is clearly (and transparently) a fan of the product. One interesting thing is this book is completely non-political. While there is some discussion on ethical supply chains, there is no interrogation of  (for example) the gendered expectations of play, or the move from wooden crafted toys to plastic injected ones. that's not the purpose of this book. The point of this book is to examine, in great detail, the development and success of Lego including individual peices and styles, from a technical point of view. If that sounds like your sort of thing, this book is for you.

You Are Not Broken: Stop "Should-ing" All Over Your Sex Life by Kelly Casperson (releases 10 September 2024)

I might not be that target audience for this book. It's got some great advice, but to me it was a bit repetitive. That may be because TO ME, these ideas are not particularly new. I've read The Menopause Manifesto: Own Your Health with Facts and Feminism by Jen Gunter and I listen to Dan Savage, so a lot of the things discussed here are not new to me. The author (who is a surgeon) has a great tone - it's light and conversational and straightforward, even as she underlines her statements with data and research. The book is sound, and I got some good ideas from it, which I'm not going to discuss here, because I've suddenly come across all shy.