Review: Bad Girls: A History of Rebels and Renegades

Bad Girls: A History of Rebels and Renegades by Caitlin Davies
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

A thought-provoking history of the notorious woman's prison. It shows that while Holloway was a deeply flawed place, it did have its merits and its closure perhaps caused more problems than it solved. Importantly, it again raises the issue that prison may not be the best way to deal with women who break the law and that female prisoners have different needs from male ones.

What I felt Davies does very well is not to pass judgement on either the prisoners or the whose who worked at Holloway. Instead, she focuses on how Holloway's problems were complex and that they often the fault of the penal system rather than particular individuals.

My one regret is that I read the ebook version. I volunteer for a library for homeless people and I think this is exactly the type of book that they would want to read (even if they've never been in trouble with the law, they've probably been the victim of an unfair system). So, it's a shame I am not able to donate my copy to the library.

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Review: Kind of Coping: An Illustrated Look at Life with Anxiety

Kind of Coping: An Illustrated Look at Life with Anxiety by Maureen Marzi Wilson
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

A sweet little book about living with anxiety. I read it in an hour on my commute home, so it's easy to flick through. Will definitely be picking it up again the time I feel anxious for a bit of support.

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Review: The Dreamers

The Dreamers by Karen Thompson Walker
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I think the cover (the UK one at least) and the title of this book are misleading - I thought it was going to be some modern fairy tale. Well, I suppose it is a fairy tale (I am not sure the "sleeping sickness" that people contract is medically possible) but it is a very dark one. There's a creeping sense of horror as more and more people become ill; nobody knows who is going to become ill next or what will happen to those who become ill. For me the book is less about what the "dreamers" are dreaming about but more about what happens to society when there's a plague. Essentially, it breaks down as people start to focus on survival.

Overall, The Dreamers is hard to classify. It's sort of young adult, sort of fantasy and sort of science fiction. It's not bleak enough to be described as dystopian but not exactly feel good either. I appreciated this book but I can't say I enjoyed it. I feel a definite need to now read something a bit more comedic/light hearted!

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Review: The Ravenmaster: Life with the Ravens at the Tower of London

The Ravenmaster: Life with the Ravens at the Tower of London by Christopher Skaife
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

An entertaining tale of the history of the ravens at the Tower of London by the "Ravenmaster" Christopher Skaife. I mostly listened to the audiobook version, which I think is probably the best way to read The Ravenmaster. Skaife's enthusiasm for the ravens, the Tower, and his job comes across much more strongly when he's the one telling the story. You can well imagine him regaling tourists at the Tower with a tale or too (no doubt embellished here and there all in the name of telling a good story).

I could have done without hearing about his life as solider, but that's a personal preference thing. And, it's not randomly thrown in to be fair - it's often to draw parallels between the challenges his faced as a soldier and those he faces looking after the ravens.

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Review: Their Eyes Were Watching God

Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

A lot of the reviews for Their Eyes Were Watching God seem to focus on the "lyrical writing", which is impressive. But, what made me love this book were the characters - none of them felt one dimensional. Janie, of course, is my standout favourite. Hurston could so easily have made her a "victim" or an "inspirational figure"; Janie is neither - she is a woman who is just trying to understand herself and the world she lives in.

Apparently, after her initial success, Hurston faded into obscurity in later years and her recognition as, according to the blurb in the Virago edition, "one of the most influential African American writers of the 20th century" came after she died. I cannot imagine that a white male author with Hurson's considerable talent would have been forgotten in such a way.

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