Teenage me never enjoyed reading, because I was never still. I was literally running from one thing to another, with school, friends, family, sports practices (I had to be on literally every team going), church, and part-time work, I just didn’t see the need for it and I thought it would be mean having to read ‘boring’ books like my bookworm sister. I managed to pass a whole GCSE in English Literature with an A, by only reading what we ever read in class.
Jammy?
Perhaps.
But now as someone who loves to read, I again, have to make sure that I make the time for it as life is still as busy, just in different ways. But when I get into a book, I just want to devour it, which was definitely the case with Katie Portman’s debut book ‘A Little Pick Me Up.’
I am definitely a fan of fiction, but perhaps it is me getting older, but I really am finding I am more of a non-fiction fan. My latest books that I have been reading consist of Tan France’s memoir, Celeste Barber’s hilarious autobiography, Elizabeth Smart’s second book on hope, and Russell Brand’s recovery book, not to mention ‘A Little Pick Me Up’. I think biographies and books in the self-help genre are my thing. I ain’t mad about it.
To start off with, I think Katie’s book sums it up perfectly when you read the blurb:
Since the beginning of time, women have been made to feel bad about themselves. From our dress sizes to our careers, from our parenting skills to simply having an opinion, modern women come under immense, relentless pressure to look and behave in certain ways.
I don’t know if it is because of my job as a blogger, being a fairly young mother, or just being female, but I really resonated with just that statement and knew this would be the book for me. Feeling like I’m not enough is a feeling that I often have.
The book goes through different emotions that we all feel from time to time, and Katie goes through relatable life experiences that she has had, especially with those emotions, and then the things she has learnt along the way, all summed up in bite-size chunks at the end of each chapter. I found that I was able to relate to what Katie was saying and have even started implementing some of those things into my life.
On the chapter about guilt Katie talks about having the same hours in a day as Beyonce. And yes, she does have help along the way, as naturally money does, but how we need to use our time more wisely in order to avoid the guilty feelings. I have been reprioritising my day, as I used to always put off some copywriting that I do until last thing at night. I really don’t enjoy it, so it would take me a long time, I’d dread it, and then I’d end up getting to bed late, leading to a cycle of being exhausted the next day, and of course, guilty feelings for being tired, and so on. I have started to do that work first thing after school drop off to get it out of the way, and it has been one of the best things I could ever have done! I’ve really noticed the difference that it makes. So the points made in the book are totally actionable, and have helped me so far. She’s a wise one.
The book is well written and put together, with all of the chapters being cohesive and making sense. It is a fairly light read, in that it isn’t a deep and dark self-help book, but some humour in there too. For today’s modern woman, I think it is really relatable, reads well, and is enjoyable to read. Though as one of the male Amazon reviewers has said, the kinds of demons relate to everyone. So if you need a boost and some actionable tips to help you to feel more empowered and that you are good enough, then I couldn’t recommend Katie’s book enough.
I have been a follower of Kate’s on social media for a while, and she is always so positive, productive, and considered, with some wonderful nuggets and some powerful campaigns that she’s been involved with. You can get her book on Amazon.
*I was gifted the book in exchange for review, but I would only recommend something that I would genuinely be happy to buy myself.
