Bedside Books
I always have a couple of books sitting on my nightstand. These are usually books I want to read next or ones I can pick up and read sporadically, even when concentrating on another book. Here's what is currently in the stack.
Brazen: Rebel Ladies Who Rocked The World by Pénélope Bagieu. I've been working through this incredible graphic novel over the past few months. I'd pick it up when I had a few spare moments or in the evening as I settled into bed. Bagieu profiled incredible women from around the globe who challenged the norm and sparked change through their remarkable persistence and raised voices. I'm coming to the end of this book, and it's been nothing short of awe-inspiring.
Ducks: Two Years in the Oil Sands by Kate Beaton. This graphic novel (memoir) won the 2023 Canada Reads competition (placing one of my favourite books - Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel, in second place.) This one holds a place at my bedside, ready to replace Brazen as both an "up next" and the graphic novel genre being something I can read a bit at a time when I get in bed at night. Ducks chronicle Beaton's time in the Alberta oilsands, paying off her student loans, far away from her home on the East Coast. The pages look beautiful, and I am eager to begin.
Women Without Kids: The Revolutionary Rise of an Unsung Sisterhood by Ruby Warrington. This is a recent purchase for me after listening to an episode of Jameela Jamil's podcast "iweigh," in which she interviewed the author. They had an excellent discussion about the choice of parenthood, ranging from women who have decided motherhood is not for them to women's sexuality being tied to motherhood and how expectations and judgements permeate either decision women make. I have yet to start this book, but I am eager to explore more of Warrington's research and personal reflection. As a woman without children, I hope for some nuanced connection and validation that has historically been difficult to find.