Welcome to part 29 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 so many chapters of this series, realised that all these posts say about me is that this was just a place to put these reviews! I can see how broad my non-fiction reading is, and how many interesting, good (and sometimes not-so-good) books and topics I've had a chance to explore. Today we are going truly diverse, with Leonard Cohen, lipstick and menopause.
The World of Leonard Cohen by David R. Shumway (publishing 29 January 2026)
Leonard Cohen's artistic career is unique. Most poets and novelists do not become rock stars. No other rock star's career peaked in their eighth decade as Leonard Cohen's did. Cohen's popularity is still growing five years after his death. In The World of Leonard Cohen, a team of international scholars and writers explore the various dimensions of the artist's life, work, persona, and legacy to offer an authoritative and accessible summation of Cohen's extraordinary career. His relation to key themes and topics – Judaism, Buddhism, Christianity, Zen and the East, the Folk tradition, Rock and roll, Canadian and World literature, film –are all addressed. The World of Leonard Cohen offers a comprehensive, uniquely informed and wholly fresh account of this iconic songwriter and artist, whose singular voice has permanently altered our cultural landscape.
This book is structured as a series of essays by different writers, all focussing on Leonard Cohen and an aspect of his life, music and the broader context of these.
Each chapter (essay) is written by a different person, focussing on a different theme. This can lead to a slightly repetitive feel, as each author must make sure we know the facts relevant for their essay, which may overlap with the facts of a previous essay.
It's also nearly all tertiary sources, so we have Nick Cave talking about Leonard Cohen, or Carli Simon or some singer I've never heard of. I have no idea why the author(s) chose that quote, from that person, in that context. There is a really funny bit early on where the writer is talking about a photo, and then they describe the photo, like it's not 2025 and we can't reproduce photos in books.
I may have enjoyed and absorbed information from any one of these essays, if I'd come across them as a standalone article, but together they are too much for me. I'm neither academic enough, nor enough of a deep fan, to fully appreciate this book as a whole.
Lipstick (Object Lessons) by Eileen G'Sell (publishing 5/02/2026)
From Revlon to Glossier, from Marilyn to Gaga, lipstick is as shape-shifting and unwieldy as femininity itself.
Who wears lipstick today—as a matter of routine? And for those who do, is it out of obligation to a strict feminine standard, or some other reason entirely? Lipstick reconsiders the beauty world's most conspicuous—and contentious—tool of artifice. Tossing expired ideas about femininity like so many tubes of melting wax, Lipstick explores how self-adornment can be a source of play, pleasure, and transformation, as well as how lipstick can knock gender norms off balance.
Object Lessons is described as a series of short, beautifully designed books about the hidden lives of ordinary things. I've read a large number of them, they tend to be a mix of focus on the object itself and the author's relationship with the object. In this volume Eileen G'Sell does discuss her relationship with lipstick, but focusses more on placing her object in it's broader historical context. It is not about the physical object of lipstick - we learn very little about how lipstick is made, and only a touch about how the object is presented. It is about lipstick as a cultural object. The book addresses the role of lipstick through time and places it firmly is racial, gendered and cultural terms.
This book reproduces relevant photographs and advertising material, which strengthens it's arguments, breaks up the text and helps to keep it interesting. Sometimes with these books, even if they basically interesting they can feel like a bit of a slog. This one was quite compelling.
Menopause Mended: The Proven Truth About Bioidentitcal Hormone Therapy, Women's Health, and the Business of Midlife by Jerrold H. Weinberg (publishing 14/04/2026)
Nearly one hundred million women in the United States are currently peri- or postmenopausal-and most of them are struggling with the symptoms. Yet less than half are receiving hormone treatments because of baseless fears of side effects spread by years of misinformation. It took Dr. Jerrold Weinberg two decades to prove that compounded transdermal estradiol and progesterone (sometimes called "bioidentical hormones") can improve a woman's quality of life during and after menopause. These medications are safe and effective, even for women in their sixties, seventies, and eighties.
Blending conventional menopause medicine with lifestyle medicine, Dr. Weinberg has created a winning strategy to help women reduce hot flashes, sleep through the night, think clearly, reclaim energy, live longer, and feel sexy again. He has offered this simple, successful, and safe menopause protocol to thousands of his patients and has tracked their successful health outcomes. In addition to shedding light on issues within the menopause industry that stand between women and the health and vitality they deserve, Menopause Mended offers practical and effective solutions for women dealing with menopause symptoms to (finally!) feel like themselves again.
It's hard to know who to trust in the health space. I requested this book after being prescribed what is basically the drug regime recommended in this book. This made Dr Weinberg's arguing that the protocol is revolutionary, or not widely supported or fringe interesting, since my General Practitioner, on my first discussion on menopause recommended exactly what this doctor is stating is hard to get. Maybe we are more advanced in Australia. Putting that aside, the book has some interesting medical thoughts. I found the format a bit annoying - letters from women he has helped have nothing to do with me, or medicine. It seemed a bit self aggrandising, rather than focussing on the matter at hand. This book questions Big Pharma, acknowledges conspiracies and skates (sometimes only just) onto the side of sceptical science. He provides interesting summations on non-hormonal care, and then moves into general menopausal health advice. This book was a good start for me, and definitely provided me with more information about a medical path I had already decided to follow.
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