March was yet another month when I ignored my ever increasing TBR and read mostly library books instead, it was also another month where I read more non-fiction than fiction.

Scatterbrain by Shaparak Khorsandi

I’ve been reading lots of non-fiction but chose this expecting it to be a bit more light hearted than other topics I’ve been reading lately. Shaparak Khorsandi is an Iranian-British comedian who was diagnosed with ADHD in her 40s, and this is her autobiographical attempt to understand the impact that ADHD has had on her life from her education and career to friendships, relationships, and constant battle with clutter. It’s quite a short autobiography but one that’s amusing, relatable and poignant.

Welcome to the Hyunam-Dong Bookshop by Hwang Bo-Reum

This was a buddy read with two good friends, and we had the loveliest afternoon discussing the book and catching up over wine and freshly baked sourdough bread. A gentle and meandering story translated from Korean about a woman who risks societal disapproval when she gives up her career and marriage to run an independent bookshop. This does provide some interesting insights into South Korean expectations around marriage and work, but it’s a slice of life story about the little community that forms around the Hyunam-Dong Bookshop.

In My Mother’s Footsteps by Mona Hajjar Halaby

The second autobiography I read last month was an emotional insight into the Palestinian refugee’s diaspora. On 14 May 1948, Mona Hajjar Halaby’s mother packed a small suitcase and left her home and everything in it to stay with family in Egypt, expecting to return in a few weeks once the conflict between the Zionists and Palestinians had ended, but it would be 60 years before she would return and then only as a tourist. Mona was given the opportunity to teach at a school in Ramallah in the West Bank for a year, and this is her unflinchingly honest experience of her time in occupied Palestine navigating checkpoints and work visas, and the erasure of Palestinian history as she tries to find out more of her family’s story.

The Queen of Distraction by Terry Matlen

I had high hopes for this book, but it failed to deliver. If you love Bullet journaling or filofaxes, then this is the book for you, but if (like me) you find admin tasks tedious and overwhelming then a lot of the suggestions in this seem like making extra work for yourself. No amount of post-it notes, index cards, alarm clocks or colour-coded wall calendars will help me to stop procrastinating, be on time for appointments or keep on top of the housework, and some of the other suggestions are laughable, like employing a private chef if you struggle with cooking dinner or putting your kids to bed in the clothes they’re supposed to wear the next day to avoid rushing in the morning.  Most of the ideas in this book seem needlessly complicated, when the only thing that has ever worked for me is simplifying and minimizing. This book does a good job of explaining ADHD and how it affects people in ordinary situations but the writer doesn’t really explore any other ways to manage ADHD symptoms other than medication in any detail.

Have a lovely weekend. X