Cose Che Non Si Raccontano - Antonella Lattanzi

This is a book that I decided to read when I became line manager for 11 (reasonably) young women (and 1 man - who would have thought, the academic third space is ever so slightly female dominated...) and figured out I might as well read up on some of the challenges they might be facing. 

And wow, this was a tough read. I didn't even pay much attention to how well-written (or not) the book was, as its treatment of the author's medical and psychological issues was the only thing I could really focus on. 

A few chapters in, I quickly stopped mentally telling the author to be more resilient and/or get to the point, and actually came to appreciate her own openness and most of all the intellectual honesty with which she described her own physical and mental processes. 

I still don't quite know whether I "liked" the book or not, though I'd like to believe that it made me better at managing challenging conversations. 

Unsheltered - Barbara Kingsolver

Yet another author that I read because of my mother's recommendation (though admittedly she did win the Pulitzer, so I don't think my mom can be credited with discovering Barbara Kinsgolver!). 

Despite the fact that some of the more romanticized passages about the house and the locations of the novel bored me a bit, this was a truly pleasant read. 

Surprisingly, even the 19th century part of the plot kept me entertained, and brought to life the scientific debate of the time in a much more persuasive way than many other works of fiction. The optimism in the face of uncertainty that transpires through much of the contemporary part of the plot was at times a bit overdone for me, but hey, I acknowledge that the author might need to sell some books (and that she might feel optimistic about life in general...).