SUMMER READS 2016

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I like the kind of books that your grandma would probably hate. The sort of gritty, British ones that don’t blur the edges of real life but, instead, hone in on them to try and make me cry. If you also enjoy a slice of non-fiction from time to time, read on for a run-down of my most recent reads.

Ctrl Alt Del 

Emma Gannon. Probably a name you’re seeing online A LOT these days but many of you won’t be sure why. Well, she’s a sort of jack of all trades of the online world, regularly tweeting, blogging, podcasting (is that a thing?!) as well as being an amazing writer, social media mogul and general whizz-kid. This year, she published her first book and I couldn’t be more proud – bit weird considering I’ve never even met her but the Internet world is a bit like that, isn’t it? Perhaps it’s because it’s a major dream of mine, to write a book? Perhaps it’s because I interviewed her last year and feel like I know her. Anyway, this Millennial memoir of life growing up alongside the Internet is hilarious (to say the least). If you, like me, grew up with MySpace, MSN messenger and a Nokia 3310, then this is one for you. Gannon touches on pretty much all of my teenage trials and tribulations in a way that no one has before and I promise you that Ctrl Alt Del will fill you with nostalgia for the days of dial-up Internet and an urge to dig out old photographs and SIM cards before remembering that that might be the worst idea you have ever had. People think times are bad now? The early years of the Internet, for a teenager, were very dark days indeed and Emma tells us why. Hilarious, cringe-worthy and a completely necessary read for 27-year-old females across the UK.

Becoming: Sex, Second Chances and Figuring Out Who the Hell I Am 

As a fan of Laura’s blog, I am not sure why I was so surprised by the honesty of this one. All I kept saying as I flicked through the pages of this painfully open account of one woman’s becoming was how brave she was for putting herself out there because – aside from tales of one-night stands and summer flings – the crux of this story is that Laura has found good in the fact that her boyfriend left her and went on to marry her best friend. Like, what? How do you even get over that, let alone turn it into a positive? The fact is, Laura survived and lived to tell the tale, which is something that fills me with so much courage on this sometimes trying journey of life and love. Let’s be honest, we’ve all had our hearts smashed to smithereens by someone or another, so it’s nice to hear that you’re not alone in that every once in a while. What major event led to your becoming? I would love to know.

Mindset 

This book changed my life. You might think I am being dramatic. However, as someone with 3 As at A Level from a top Catholic school in London, a 2.1 from Exeter uni, a successful blog and the most supportive network on the planet? Man oh man, I know how much that means diddly squat when you don’t believe in your own greatness – but this book snapped me out of that. I used to spend each day telling myself that I couldn’t do something if I hadn’t done it before rather than just allowing myself the space to learn. I had sort of forgotten that I didn’t achieve those grades and grow this blog because I was born knowing what pathetic fallacy was or how to use WordPress. I have learnt everything I know and will continue to learn everything I will know because someone has taught me how or I have spent hours teaching myself. This will be the case until the day I die. This book taught me to realise that it’s fine if I don’t know how to do something. It reminded me that I can do pretty much anything as long as I am open to learning and if I ask questions. Post-childhood we put so much pressure on ourselves to “just know” things for fear of looking stupid in the workplace or amongst friends and this book banishes this mindset. I urge anyone who doubts themselves (even a little bit) to read it.

The Last Act of Love

I brought this book along with me on holiday to Spain and read about two chapters, writing it off as too depressing – even for me! – for a group holiday in the sun. A week later, sat on a sun lounger in Portugal a week later with only a bottle of beer for company and I flew through the pages. A really not-very-light-hearted but effing honest account of a freak accident that changed the lives of one boy and his family forever, this book reminded me that there will rarely be conclusions, round edges, closed chapters or clean cuts in life – and that’s okay. It also reminded me that family is everything and it’s important to let your loved ones know that.

Waiting on my bedside table to be read?

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