Well that made me feel all warm and soppy inside. I've absolutely devoured this series, and I love when you can fall into a pure escapism series of books that provide a HEA and lots of snark and humour too.

Hijab and Red Lipstick is a coming of age novel that follows young Sara in her trials and tribulations as she moves from London to the Arabian Gulf just as she enters her teenage years and on into her twenties. The change of home brings a sharp cultural change into Sara's life as she comes into greater conflict with her super-strict Egyptian father. The change in home brings out a lot of conflict in Sara's identity and some incredibly difficult moments and decisions in her life that she has to overcome. And although the writing at times can be a little simplistic, perhaps due to the young-adult target market and being a debut book, I found Sara's voice to be honest and unwavering. I would also say the simplicity of the style in no way detracts from the enjoyment or the value I got from this book as I whipped through it in a couple of sittings.

It should be noted that the book has a trigger warning on the back and this book certainly tackles a lot of heavy subjects which some may find too difficult to read. It covers identity, consent, mental health, self-harm, sexual assault, rape, abusive relationships and more. However, I think for a young-adult book to tackle such issues and tackle these issues focusing on the Arabian Gulf is incredibly important and they were all so deftly handled. Yousra does caveat the book by saying this in no way represents all women's experiences and all Arab families, and that's clear whilst reading this book. However, this is still the reality of many women and story needs to be told.

Despite the heavy topics, I really enjoyed the book. I found Sara's character really easy to connect with. I saw something of my younger self in her teenage years as she battled insecurity, rebellion, and was driven by a need to fit in, and to fall in love. Her character has such incredibly spirit and she is the real strength of this novel.

I don't often read young-adult books but when Yousra asked me to participate in the blog tour I couldn't say no and I'm so glad I said yes. Hijab and Red Lipstick is a feminist and important read about a young woman growing up in the Arabian Gulf. I wish I'd read more books like this as teenager, but I'm glad I'm getting to read it now.

I read the 2018 updated version to Mary Beard's Women & Power which comes with a a second afterwards in light of the #MeToo era and more considerations on her initial thoughts.

The book itself is split into two core chapters and themes as it discusses the public voice of women and women in power. Both are compelling argued and raise many questions, which is the type of non-fiction I like.

Beard questions the institutes and structures of power and how from classical times society has been structured to silence women. She discusses the idea that for women to take power or to have a voice they have to become androgynous, dress in mail wear, lower their voices. She questions why women's voices do not have authority. This is not just about women in leadership roles, but how in all aspects of life the patriarchy seeks to silence women's voices.

However, the most compelling arguments for me were her questions about how we frame women's power, women's access to power and the language we use. The terms such as "breaking boundaries", "grabbing power" are actually more harmful when women are in these roles of power.

Beard supplements her studies with classical figures like Athena and Medusa, to Elizabeth I and Soujourner Truth, and finally more contemporary women like Angela Merkel, Diane Abbott and Hillary Clinton to show the ways in which women's power and voices are framed and attacked in the Western world.

In her afterwords Beard is incredibly self aware and reflective of the power of time on speeches and thoughts and I found this a short, but definitely worthwhile read.

"The Essex girl is not bound by geography, but is a type, metonymous for a very particular kind of female agency, and a very particular kind of disdain: she contains a multitude of women."

Sarah Perry in her short non-fiction piece goes in search of what it means to be an Essex girl and interrogates the traditional stereotype of an Essex girl. Some of you may be familiar with the term, others may be more familiar with the reality TV show The Only Way is Essex and Gemma Collins who has popularised the stereotype of a loud, bawdy, sexually promiscuous and well-made up Essex Girl. Others may not be familiar at all with the concept of an Essex girl as it's a very British regional concept.

Growing up as part of the generation that has only seen this stereotype strengthen and grow this was particularly interesting read for me. Perry grounds her narrative with lots of historical figures as she looks at the likes of Rose Allin a protestant martyr from the 1500s and several other women. This feels strongly guided by her historical interests and her comfort in historical fiction. However, it feeds into her narratives about the concept of the Essex girl as a dissident and disobedient woman. It crafts a legacy about the power of speech and confidence and challenges the misogynistic stereotype of the Essex girl.

Throughout the book she examines how the idea of the Essex girl connects with class, morality, faith, social conformity, political protest and more. Whilst it's not an in-depth exploration as it's a fairly short book, it's incredibly thought-provoking.

Perry also offers some interesting ideas as she questions the disservice we do to women in history by only branding them as exceptional or restricted, rather than focusing on their actions and achievements. How we have striven to mark historical women as ahead of their time when that is not necessarily the case.

I think those interested in British culture and feminism will be most interested in this little gem. Thank you to @serpentstail for the #gifted copy.

The Essex Serpent is a decadent and detailed piece of historical fiction that reads almost like a classic. Set in Victorian England it moves between London and Essex as the main protagonist Cora Seaborne, a recently widowed woman leaves London in search of greater freedom and fossils. Upon her arrival in Essex, Cora hears of the Essex Serpent, a beast supposedly haunting a local village called Aldwinter. In Aldwinter Cora finds greater freedoms in her life and meets a local parish priest Will and his family. She becomes immediately enamoured with Will and his family.

The novel itself has an incredibly slow pace and I think this makes the book the perfect pick for a buddy or book club read as it will encourage you onwards as the overall writing is enjoyable, it's just a very sedate pace. I can see why people found it difficult to make it through the book, but I actually quite enjoyed the pace and it reflected the mood of the book.

Cora herself was a very strong female character and I liked her determination to do as she wanted, to dress as she wanted and to not be judged by those around her.

In terms of the plot, I would argue that not a lot happens over the course of the novel and the focus is on the relationships crafted, the Essex Serpent and the mysteries of the countryside of Essex alongside the characters daily lives, health and relationships. It's not a sweeping period of historical fiction, but one that focuses on the everyday life aspects and the novel for me really captured that.

The languid pace and focus on the details makes this the perfect slow read for the dark cold nights of winter and autumn. I enjoyed reading this as part of @bristolianbooks buddy read group and whilst I didn't love it as much as everyone else, it was still an enjoyable read.