There Is No Good Card for This: What To Say and Do When Life Is Scary, Awful, and Unfair to People You Love by Kelsey Crowe
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
I have really enjoyed receiving cards by one of the authors of this book, and always wanted to read the book. Found it on a cheap kindle deal, and have really enjoyed reading it whilst sat in hospital waiting rooms! A mix of the humorous and so ‘on point’ images, and tongue in cheek but solid advice on how to deal with people facing life-changing life-events, including cancer, new children, etc.
The authors encourage you to think about ‘your own oxygen mask first’, and that you can’t be all things to all people, and that it’s better to offer what you can actually do, rather than offer the world, and then not be able to follow through (especially if not close family/friends). The authors emphasise the need to listen, and also offer a number of examples of things not to say, and suggest things to say instead. Overall, it’s important to recognise that usually saying something is better than avoidance, but thinking before you put your foot in it – especially saying things that seem to blame the person for their diagnosis (if e.g. cancer) – are important to avoid!
Friend Request by Laura Marshall
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
I read this over 3 evenings, and if I’d not been so tired, probably would have read it faster as it was very engaging. It was one of those books that you want to know what’s happening, and has a good twist at the end (though I started to guess at it earlier)… the book was a bargain on Kindle – very easy to read.
Anyone who knows me will get my irritation throughout the book in which technology is kinda blamed for stuff – but it makes sense in the narrative!
1984 by George Orwell
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Not the easiest of books to read, but very timely (alongside other texts such as The Handmaids Tale). Missed out on reading this at earlier levels of education (for which I’m grateful – there’s a lot of complex ideas in there, esp the second half with extracts from Goldstein’s ‘book’), but had read bits for an article I was writing on ‘thought police’, and found lots of relevant material to content from my PhD (The Ministry of Information in WW2 was in Senate House upon which Orwell based his Ministry of Truth). Knowing that it was written in 1949 brings a lot of insights into what he was getting at, but it feels very pertinent now too!
Doing Qualitative Research Online by Janet E Salmons
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
I found this a really useful book – I’m sure there are gaps, but for Masters students on the digital marketing MSc this gives a really helpful and understandable insight into some of the difficult terms they have to grapple with, and for academics undertaking research in the digital sphere lots of useful practical questions.
I was sent a free copy of this book by Sage for the purposes of review/potential for new edition.
Runaway Bride by Jane Aiken Hodge
My rating: 3 of 5 stars
A bit of easy reading, by one of the authors of a biography of Georgette Heyer (whose books I love!). It’s not up to the standard of Heyer, but it was a straightforward enjoyable read!
