Summer Reading Wrap Up | Non Fiction

[@amylynnm324]

Your review of The Salt Path was spot on. I felt the same way about it.

[@chrisbookishcauldron6381]

I absolutely loved the savage review of The Salt Path. I feel like it’s been a while since we’ve been treated to a Mercedes take down of a book haha. That sounds like an awful book. No way I could have continued on once they started calling themselves homeless after turning down social housing.

[@AthynVixen]

I had a few problems with it too. All the way through I kept reading it and feeling sad that her husband was terminally ill and about to die. I kept expecting it to end with his passing. When it did not I researched into this and discovered that Moth is not only still alive and questionably appearing fit and well but they have undertaken and planned to undertake several other epic walks. The Author lost all credibility to the extent I now believe this was something cooked up to sell books. When frankly just the walk itself could have made a very entertaining read

[@MercysBookishMusings]

Hahah, I do love doing a savage review!

[@LaurenAndTheBooks]

Loved reliving your vague and unspecific thoughts on The Salt Path. Raynor Winn has a new book out just in time for Christmas, don't forget to put it on your list! xx

[@TheNovelSanctuary]

I am such a huge fan of Akala and have always had this like intellectual crush on him so I can't wait to read this

[@myreadinglife8816]

I would listen to you rant about The Salt Path all day! Love it! I am currently reading Caste by Isabel Wilkerson which reminds me a lot of your last book. Excellent read so far.

[@Wolfhailstorm]

That rant was fantastically explained!

[@juditkovacse]

I've been expecting the Salt Path review ever since it was mentioned in one of Lauren's cozy reading night stream months ago. Was totally worth it. :D

[@FMsukina]

Thank you so much for the review of "The Salt Path"! I was thinking about reading it but wouldn't touch it with a ten-foot pole now!

[@YourTrueShelf]

A mind spread out on the ground is going onto my wishlist. I read & loved I am not your baby mother & natives last year. As a doctor I found the health inequalities particularly shocking in Candice's book, and also that part with the bugaboo pushchair really sticks in my mind. I own the salt path, and I've enjoyed yours, Charlotte's & Sian's reviews so much that I really want to read it now!

[@kirsty2730]

I agree with you on The Salt Path, she moaned all the time! If you like nature writing I have some recommendations - Waterlog by Roger Deakin is wonderful (I don't even like swimming, but I loved this, and all of his others actually), Afloat by Danie Couchman is another canal book, Neil Ansell's The Last Wilderness, A Journey into Silence, I like Melissa Harrison's nature anthologies .... also not nature but looks at the Cornish housing problem - Catrina Davies' Homesick: Why I Live In A Shed.

[@MercysBookishMusings]

Thanks for the recommendations :)

[@bilan8509]

You are one of the most considered readers/ humans I’ve ever witnessed. Thank you for sharing as always.

[@MercysBookishMusings]

Thank you for such a lovely comment!

[@dorothymcdowell1871]

I love your attitude ....I agree totally with your review of The Salt Path!

[@lesleylickley2207]

Omg I love the review of The Salt Path. I started it but she got on my wick, so I dnf'd it. She needs to realise how privileged they are even though her husband is ill. She's a total snob, at one time it was something to be proud of living in a council house and many people started their lives in one. I applaud you for getting to the end!

[@booluther]

Danez’s previous poetry collection is my favourite of his

[@sharanyavenugopal8977]

I LOVE your savage reviews! It's THE BEST. You are so honest, which is rare. As always, really enjoy all your book recommendations.

[@karenkatz5260]

Hi Mercedes, I love your honesty! Your review of The Salt Path made me literally lol. I am listening to it on audiobook from the library so thankfully no money wasted. The part in the book where the dog knocks her over and she let's the owner call her a tramp and talk to her like dirt really wound me up. I googled the author and was astonished to find she's not old at all! Why would people constantly make comments about her age when you can see lots of hikers in their 60s & 70s. Like you I'm finding it a really negative telling of what could have been an interesting story. Not sure if I'll dnf, I'll see how it goes, but like you I have no qualms in not finishing a book.

[@aliasuleman8023]

the rant we NEEDED for The Salt Path. what a load of shit that was. Love your perspective and honesty with your reviews.

[@AlyssaReids]

Awesome wrap up!!! 😁♥️♥️♥️

[@generous1star943]

I loved your review of The Salt Path!! I havent read it I'm sure I would have agreed 100%

[@alisonbell3475]

Wow the Salt Path was such a different experience for me. Love your channel. X

[@mattpen]

Jon Meacham has a new book on Lewis. I haven't read it yet but I've enjoyed a couple of his other history books. Might be good if you want a more chunkier fiction.

[@MercysBookishMusings]

Thanks for the recommendation 👍

[@thuntz29]

I have Danez’s previous collection from the Southbank Online Poetry Library, need to get to it... 😊 They also have Homie, so I will be reading it! Hidden Nature sounds so good! I have a book about Waterways in Britain for my nonfiction November tbr.

[@katrinaandallthebooks7993]

I liked a The Salt Path but loved your review of it which was spot on, certainly a privileged approach to their situation and I kept getting mad when they’d arrive in Cornish tourist towns and buy some overpriced pasty rather than heading to Lidl.

[@crazybooklady8682]

Ever since I spotted The Salt Path I didn't feel like picking it up. Maybe I ever will, but it's definitely not a priority

[@TheQuietMidden]

I must get to Homie soon! I appreciate the rant about The Salt Path. I felt similar after reading The Soul of an Octopus. It made me so angry in ways you felt about TSP. So I'll likely pass on TSP. I felt the same same about AMSOOTG: Good but not challenging except the last essay. Sigh, Gone sounds interesting. Always enjoy hearing your thoughts.

[@hayleyc5594]

I have Natives to listen to on audio as well. Looking forward to getting to it at some stage particularly as I am in Australia and as we all know Australia is a British colonisation.

[@CUBS83]

Lovely video! I wondered if you might share some titles of books that went "a bit further" on the myriad of topics of Alicia Elliot's book. That'd be so helpful! Cheers.

[@MercysBookishMusings]

I'd highly recommend The Inconvenient Indian by Thomas King.

[@CUBS83]

@@MercysBookishMusings Thanks so much!!

[@BooksUnstitched]

omg HOT TAKE on the salt path. I read it about a year ago and I’m now racking my brains trying to remember and reanalyse it to see how I missed everything you said?? I didn’t *love* it but I don’t think I was noticing all the things you pick up on here. Love it when we get to watch you KO’ing a book hahah I read Melissa Harisson’s All Among the Bareley and thought it was really bad and decided not to like her, but then I came across her podcast The Stubborn Light of Things all about nature and I absolutely loved that, maybe you would too :)

[@MercysBookishMusings]

Ohhh, I didn't know she had a podcast - I've subscribed! Hahah, I do love to KO a book every now and again!

[@BooksUnstitched]

@@MercysBookishMusings literally just watched the latest offering of mercedes KOs 👏👏

[@pastorytime2683]

Bert recommends Kim Addonizio as a poet for you to try! Must get Homie! The Salt Path review was an absolute joy 😂 it's my worst book of the year for sure. Both me and Bert loved March. And good to hear you talk about the Alicia Elliott - feel exactly the same.ooo I have the Akala - I'll add it to next months TBR. Xx Siân xx

[@darkacademiacafe8238]

"Sigh, Gone" was definitely one of my favourite non-fiction books I've read during this year. I really appreciated how you talked about the importance of the parents in this novel, I believe that to be the strongest feature of this whole novel. I felt as if the author was really capable at describing that one specific and heart-breaking emotion you feel when you realise your parents aren't the superheroes you thought to be, the superheroes you hoped they could be for you. Even though I read it about five months ago now, I still remember the specific part at the beginning where Phuc asks his father about something and he can't provide him with an answer. That was the breaking point for me in terms of what the author did with trying to describe the mistakes a human being that's raising another human being can make. I also particularly liked the way he explored trauma and violence, how they can be normalised and how harmful that can be for a whole family tree, but I also do believe something was missing and ended up giving it 4 stars as well. It's always such a pleasure to listen to your videos and your opinion on them

[@MercysBookishMusings]

I'm glad to hear your thoughts on Sigh, Gone. I agree that the sections re the normalisation of violence in the family were brilliant and very well considered. Glad you enjoyed the video :)

[@ameliareads589]

I dnf'd The Salt Path after 40 pages. I just couldn't stand it. If I hear you reviewing it, it reflects the same impression I had right from the start.

[@FHMS97]

i listened to Sigh, Gone on audiobook because you were enjoying it so much and i ADORED it (it was a full 5 stars for me). i really recommend checking out Phuc Tran's Instagram page - he has so many photos from his childhood and high school days on there plus hes a tattoo artist now so he also posts all his amazing tattoo art!! 👌

[@Aston1H]

Absolutely agree with you about the salt path. Really didn’t enjoy it and felt that Raynor came across very arrogant, I couldn’t understand the rave reviews at all

[@Alice-zs3eh]

Ah noo - I’ve had The Salt Path waiting for me to listen to on audible for ages and now I don’t want to read it 😂

[@readingwithlaurane2490]

A lot of people are making plans for Non-fiction Novembre and you bring out a video discussing the Non-fiction you read in the past months. Very smart! Loved the sound of those last three memoirs! Let's see if my library has one... I also see you have The Binding out from the library (?). Hope you like it. I thought it was a huge disappointment, very slow and predictable despite the promising premise. I dnft it and am still angry I didn't do it sooner.. Actually kinda would love to hear you bash it because you would do it so much better than I did in my head. But at the same time, I can't wish a bad reading experience on people, that's not kind now is it 🙈🙈

[@MercysBookishMusings]

Haha, I know what you mean! I'm more intrigued to read it now I've heard you bash it to see if I feel the same way!

[@wordsofclover]

I'm really glad that someone else didn't like The Salt Path. I read it a few years ago and just didn't like it at all and recently seeing people love it, I just didn't get it!

[@FlyingElectra]

Love your face when you're about to start your rant about The Salt Path. I would have had the same issues with you ! Can't believe the publisher didn't see that.. at a time when privileged people are supposed to take a step back and acknowledge it. I can't believe you actually didn't DNF it !

[@MercysBookishMusings]

I only carried on because buddy reading it and slagging it off was such a laugh, haha

[@sandra7319.]

March 2 and 3 fill out that picture of the civil rights movement ....reading just one is only the start.

[@zs4673]

Poet recommendation: ELLEN BASS

[@Laiyina]

I've been wanting to read the salt path due to the beautiful cover for a while. Will probably give it a pass as I get enough of priviledged middle class people whinging about money at work. Don't think I need it in my books too.

[@booksoverbreakfast]

Oh god The Salt Path sounds excruciating. The made up struggles of privileged people are one of my pet peeves. Thanks for the warning!

[@sandeesandwich2180]

The John Lewis book is geared to kids, which is probably why it did not go into as much depth as an adult book would. His book "Walking With the Wind: A Memoir of the Movement" might be a better choice. Or possibly "Across That Bridge: Life Lessons and a Vision for Change" which is the most recent adult book.

[@knaveofhearts5659]

The advertisement interruptions ruin your wonderful reviews. Please keep the ads at the start and end if possible

[@MercysBookishMusings]

The ads are placed at the least disruptive points possible 👍