Nessie McInness

Meet Satan. Well, not the actual Satan. His name is Solo, but since he's so mischievous, we've started calling him Satan when he was naughty, and now that's the only name he answers to.

I have also, ever since, I call all cats Satans. 

(Please don't be offended by this, I don't mean it as a religious insult, it was just the word that me and my husband came up with when he started being naughty).

So I thought it was time for the internet to meet Satan. Although sometimes he doesn't behave very well, most times he is cuddly, friendly and very.... licky. He will lick your face and your hands. He will also come running in the room if you whistle. And come to you if you say his name.

Come to think of it, Satan probably thinks he is a dog.

But anyway, he decided to sit on my reading armchair (he wanted to keep the Human company), so he now has his portrait with the book I'm currently reading.

Talking about the book, I'm only about 30 pages in, but I'm already hooked. "Sleeping Giants" was a cover buy (which I do all the time), but I decided to bump it up the to-read pile because of the synopsis: a girl wakes up in a pit of mysterious artefacts that emit a strange blue light without any visible source of power. Did I mention this is an epistolary novel? (They're my absolute favourite). So far it resembles "The Three" by Sarah Lotz, one of my favourite books, so I'm very excited to continue reading!

What are weekends for? Forgetting patients exist and doing two of the best things in the world: reading and playing Star Wars The Old Republic.

That being said, I have finished a couple of books today, and I am keeping both. Because they were awesome (sorry Mary Kondo, ALL books spark joy!). Here's a couple of reviews, enjoy!

"Girl Up", by Laura Bates

This is the second book I read by Laura Bates, and she still doesn't disappoint. Although aimed at teenagers, this books should be read by absolutely everyone, with much needed information that I wish I had when I was a self conscious teenager and that old-fashioned people should be updated with (and by old-fashioned, I mean sexist).

One of the things Laura Bates talks about in this book is the media. The media and their influnce on what is "beautiful" or "attractive". She also points out that girls start to feel self conscious about their body shapes at age five. Personally, all I remember from those days was watching Empire Strikes Back ten times a day and learning to read being the most amazing thing that happened. I do however remember feeling self conscious about my body at age 9. Something as simple as my wavy hair (which I now love), all because I couldn't get it to be straight "like the girls on TV". (I also remember that was the year I made my parents spend a fortune on cinema tickets because they remastered Empire Strikes Back for its 20 year anniversary, so that didn't change).

The "hair issue" escalated to the hair on my arms, then to my very slender figure, then to a slightly gummy smile and a few years back it ended with fat deposits on my bottom. So the problem I had at 13 - being too thin - had now changed to being too fat, at age 25?! As my husband and everyone around me pointed out: I wasn't too fat, the girls in magazines and on TV were starving themselves and exercising like an athlete, And I was never too thin as a child, I was just that, a child.

So now, almost 30, I really don't care about what other people think of my body. I try to make it healthy, I try to feed it good things, I keep it clean and functional. I will even put on a nice frock and some make up if I had a bad day and want to make myself feel better. Key word here: MYSELF.

"The Girl of Ink and Stars", by Kiran Millwood Hargrave

My husband gets me the best books. He works in a bookshop, and comes home at least once a week with a new book he knows I will like (talking about enabling a habit!).

This is one of those books. He was absolutely right as the cover and even the pages are just stunning. I didn't even need to read the blurb to know I needed to start reading it straight away. Because of this thirst to start a new story, I didn't realise this was a children's book. I only found out because I noticed it was published by Chicken House (they do books for young people). That didn't stop me AT ALL from enjoying this book, especially since the story was making me itch for more: an island you can't leave, borders you can't cross, magical maps, mystery round every corner and a character that risks her life for her best friend...
The story follows a young girl, daughter of a cartographer, trapped in an island full of secrets. When her best friend goes missing, she has to venture into the forbidden areas of the island and face its terrifying mysteries.
I wouldn't say this is a typical book for children, as it deals with delicate things such as death and parent disilusion, among other less pleasant things. (But hey, maybe that's just me! I grew up reading The Princess Diaries, so what do I know!)
It is, however, a very beautiful book. Just look at it!

The first time I noticed that being a woman meant I was a "second class" Human Being, was in university, when I was told by my surgery lecturer to "grow a pair" when I was too scared of doing too much pressure during an extraction. It got me thinking, even after I got home. "Grow a pair". Obviously, to be successful in my career, I needed to grow testicles. 

After a day in surgery, I got in the shower (because, eek) and realised that this was a rather odd expression to say: having courage was associated with being male. On the contrary, being cowardly and weak was associated with being female ("don't be such a pussy", "crying like a girl" or doing things like a girl in general).

I don't know about you, but I used to do a lot of thinking in the shower. It eventually led to overthinking, and now I have a really nifty penguin shaped radio, and I now synchronize my daily cleanse with the radio dramas. This particular shower was like an epiphany: women are worth less than men. I certainly didn't feel less than anyone else, I personally never saw men and women as different "species". Sure, I know there are anatomical differences, but in my head everybody was just a person. Sure, women have been oppressed, but this is the twenty first century, surely I'm over reacting. 

But... Am I? 

Maybe feminists aren't the weirdos the media makes the, with armpit hair and burning their bras. Maybe I was a feminist and we're in desperate need of more feminists.

The more I thought of it, the more this became obvious to me. Here is a very small list of things that sounded unfair to me:

and the most recent one:

Going to the supermarket (at 7am, consumed by a cold from hell, desperate for my temperature to go down so I could show up at work), and hearing this from the cashier (a man): I know you, don't I? You're my dentist! You should really put some make up on for your patients, you might even look pretty!). 

The funniest thing about that last one is, after I replied "Would you have said that if was a man?", the cashier just smiled and said "Oh, don't get offended! I meant it as a compliment!".

Feminism is a vital necessity. Women need to be treated as equals.

For the budding feminists, here's an great way to spend your time and expand your mind:

Caitlin Moran's "How to be a Woman"

This was my very first "feminist" read. I bought it when I worked at a bookshop and fell in love with the cover and blurbs: everything made so much sense!

After I started, I couldn't put it down. This book made such great points AND it was hilarious. I related to Moran's thoughts and ideas, and this was my very first encounter with the word "Humanist". An absolute must read.

Laura Bates's "Everyday Sexism"

I am very grateful for Laura's existence. She is one of the most important women today fighting for gender equality, and this book should be given to every single Human Being to read. It opens your eyes to the reality of being a woman in today's society, and also about being a minority AND a woman. The best thing about this book? She points out some very important facts about sexism that affects men. I'm not just a supporter of women's rights but men's rights too!

Various Authors: "Are Men Obsolete?" 

This is a great book that shows you very different points of view on Feminism. This is the book version of the Munk debate. I think that, not only men are NOT obsolete, they are vital. They are just as important as women. And (to me), that's the meaning of feminism. It is, however, very interesting to read the opposing opinions of these women. And Caitlin Moran's in it, so this is a must read just for this lady's amazing thoughts and ideas.

Laura Bates's "Girl Up"

My husband bought me this a few weeks ago. He knows that anything by Laura Bates or Caitlin Moran needs to be bought immediately. I haven't finished this book yet, but it's already proving to be an interesting read. Possibly aimed at the teenagers, it has lots of pictures, humour and important ideas that should be read by everybody. I was waiting at the doctor's reading this, and a picture of a dancing female vulva (top hat and cane included) popped up and I got some sinister looks from the old man sitting next to me. Maybe he just needed to Girl Up.

Rebecca Solnit's "Men Explain Things to Me"

Another book I'm currently reading (yes, I start SEVERAL books at the same time. I'm one of those freaks). Very short, so I must keep it in my bad for "on the go" feminism. This is a very sad book, strongly about misogyny. And because I don't like feeling down, I have bumped up other books on my "to be read" pile.

To read list:

There are so many other books on my to read list, and I am especially interested in the mid twentieth century feminism. But more on that later!