100 Books Like A Girl Is a Half-formed Thing

I first read Lolita when I was 14 and have read it every few decades since, learning something new each time.

I love the first-person immediacy of it and the way it is a crime novel in reverse: the narrator is already imprisoned but not for the crime he describes. It is a love story turned on its head: what the narrator says is love is in fact abuse.

It is a road trip across the vastness of the US, like one I took when I was a student.

A nonfiction book that tells the story of three unrelated women and their unique but universal struggles; I loved it because of the author’s incredible talent for articulating the everyday lived experience of being female, the subtle and overt judgments, and the fact that women are held to different standards, even by other women.

"‘Even when women fight back, they must do it correctly. They must cry the right amount and look pretty but not hot." Many times while reading, I recognised myself, my sister, my mother, and my friends.

All three stories are highly engaging, but the truly compelling story is Maggie’s, a troubled girl from a difficult family who is preyed upon by her teacher, a married man with a family. The subsequent effect on her life is just devastating (remember, folks: this is nonfiction.)

This book is a haunting and provocative exploration of power, manipulation, and the lasting scars of trauma. Kate Elizabeth Russell masterfully delves into the nuances of coercion, consent, and the ways in which trauma can shape identity, crafting a deeply unsettling yet unforgettable narrative that lingers long after the final page.

When I finished this book I had to sit in the dark and just process my thoughts. My next thought was to read the book again and to be seared all over again by the events. For an exploration of sexual abuse, it never succumbs to any gratuitous or cheap trick scenes. A book that needed to be written.

It’s a very clever, very funny novella about a talented literary editor, Quin, told alternately in his own voice and by a long-term friend of his, Margot.

Margot defends and normalises his behaviour towards women until she is forced to reassess his actions in the light of numerous accusations, all of which fall short of actual assault or rape, sex, or even touching. Is he an abuser? Or is he just a playful, overgrown manchild who thrives on emotionally intense and intimate friendships with women?

I loved the book because it refuses to answer the question definitively.

This book is a funny and heartbreaking road trip story about the strength of family.

Though a cross-country trip in an RV is a nightmare for the main character, Charlie, who thrives on consistency, I didn’t want my journey with this cast of characters to end. Charlie is a loveable kid with a strong voice, and the portrayal of his OCD came through as authentic. Charlie clings to his list of bird sightings as a sign of hope that everything will turn out okay, and the anticipation of seeing him check off his sightings kept me turning the pages!

The cover made me buy it, and the writing made me love it. An unexpected amateur sleuth, a mere teenager trying to find his missing sister, is the crux of this story filled with captivating characters and constant go-go-go. The entire plot blew my mind with its twists and tensions and completely unexpected angles. I highly recommend this revered mystery/thriller/suspense novel set during the Age of Aquarius—1968 in Laguna Beach, California. 

As a young researcher Michael S. Gazzaniga studied people afflicted with epilepsy. A recent discovery was that they fare better when the corpus callosum – the nerve fiber bundle that connects the left and right hemispheres of the brain – is cut, disconnecting the organ's two halves. Amazing insights can be gleaned from these split-brain patients, Gazzaniga demonstrated, as he explains in this book. His most famous experiment involved patient P.S. 

Gazzaniga used a machine to flash the image of a chicken claw to P.S.'s right eye (which was processed by his left hemisphere, where the speech center is located) and the image of a hut surrounded by snow to the other eye (which was processed by his right hemisphere). Then came the surprise, as Gazzaniga showed P.S. some pictures of a chicken and a shovel and asked him to match them with the images he'd seen. (This time he… show more.

A book written after decades of research by a leading neuroscientist to share his love of the brain with the general public. An ideal starter book for those of you who want to get a sense of all the different parts of the complex organ that comprise the human brain. In a series of chapters on the many different parts, regions structures, and brain processes this book provides a succinct yet comprehensive overview of the brain. It explains what the different parts do to make your brain work and how they work together they make us do what we do and makes sense of what we are.

I came across this “comic” book while researching my own book, The Brain Defense, and was immediately seduced by the terrific graphics and simple storytelling that takes readers on a journey through the brain via dreamy neuro landscapes including forests and caves populated by various creatures, beasts, and a giant squid. I enjoyed reading this and marveling over the images with my young son.

I have viewed The Spiritual Brain as a fascinating exploration of spirituality in a manner similar to my own investigations of neurotheology.

Beauregard bridges the gap between science and spirituality presenting a range of neuroscientific research studies that explore the neural correlates of spiritual experiences. Beauregard draws from various spiritual traditions, including Christianity, Buddhism, and Native American spirituality, to support his arguments.

By incorporating a range of perspectives, he emphasizes the universality of spiritual experiences across different cultures and traditions. He also delves into questions about the nature of consciousness, free will, morality, and human nature. Beauregard argues for the existence of the soul and presents a non-reductive view of consciousness that acknowledges the spiritual dimension of human experiences.