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Emma Inch @emmainch.bsky.social · 09/11/2025

Alison Bechdel - The Secret to Superhuman Strength (2021) Like many lesbians of my age, I discovered @alisonbechdel.bsky.social through her Dykes to Watch Out For comic strip & the ever-relevant Bechdel Test. This is her 3rd memoir; a story of aging & searching that really hits home. Love it.

A book: Alison Bechdel - The Secret to Superhuman Strength

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Emma Inch @emmainch.bsky.social · 09/11/2025

Kate Summerscale - The Peepshow: The Murders at 10 Rillington Place (2024) A fascinating, almost forensic, account. Through painstaking research, Summerscale manages to evoke the atmosphere of the time in ways so rich you can almost smell the rain hitting the Notting Hill pavement.

A book: Kate Summerscale - The Peepshow: The Murders at 10 Rillington Place

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Emma Inch @emmainch.bsky.social · 09/11/2025

Tracy King - Learning to Think (2024) A raw, sometimes shocking, always compelling memoir of adversity & (ultimately) survival. Filled with both pain & hope, I enjoyed every page of it. @tracyking.bsky.social

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Emma Inch @emmainch.bsky.social · 09/11/2025

Fashionably late as usual, here’s my regular round up of the best books I’ve read this month - October 2025 Only three this month, but each one represents a very different way of telling a true story. #booksky

Three books piled on top of one another on a kitchen surface.

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Emma Inch @emmainch.bsky.social · 01/10/2025

And I loved this account of a young Damien, aged just 6, finding a wild hop growing at the roadside & discovering for the first time the beauty & aroma that this magical plant holds. ‘It was sugary-sour. It smelled like something precious. I wanted to lock it up somehow & take it back with me…’

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Emma Inch @emmainch.bsky.social · 01/10/2025

Damien Le Bas - The Stopping Places (2018) As someone with distant Gypsy roots of my own & a love of travelling the country in my campervan, I thoroughly enjoyed this honest & insightful account of one man’s journey through some of the Traveller stopping places of old. So many stories seldom told.

A book: Damien Le Bas - The Stopping Places

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Emma Inch @emmainch.bsky.social · 01/10/2025

David Mitchell - Slade House (2016) It’s always good when you find a book by one of your favourite writers in a charity shop. I scooped up this pleasantly creepy little novel & read it in a couple of sittings. Bargain.

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Emma Inch @emmainch.bsky.social · 01/10/2025

Chloe Dalton - Raising Hare (2024) The only time I’ve ever seen a hare, it appeared in the road like a bad portent during a somewhat terrifying nighttime drive through France, but this fascinating & personal book has shown me the beauty of this misunderstood animal. @chloedalton.bsky.social

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Emma Inch @emmainch.bsky.social · 01/10/2025

For the first - and possibly only - time this year, here’s my regular round up of the best books I’ve read this month - September 2025 On some days it was warm enough to read outside, on others I had my central heating on high, but these books have seen me through the change in seasons. #booksky

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Emma Inch @emmainch.bsky.social · 21/09/2025

With a Trump flag hanging just a few hundred yards from where I live, and now the shelves of my local Tesco Express completely devoid of houmous, it’s hard not to feel personally targeted as a lesbian at the moment…

A Trump flag and a Union Flag on a lamppost in East Brighton

An empty shelf in Tesco where the houmous should be.

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Emma Inch @emmainch.bsky.social · 08/09/2025

Elliot Page - Pageboy (2023) Meandering memoir by the actor, Elliot Page that gives an insight into his own transition & the wider, sometimes toxic, world of Hollywood.

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Emma Inch @emmainch.bsky.social · 08/09/2025

Matt Rowland Hill - Original Sins (2022) Given the subject matter, I did not expect this book to be as funny as it was but it had me laughing aloud at some points. A deeply personal, honest account of addiction & forgiveness with one of the best opening chapters I’ve ever read.

A book: Matt Rowland Hill - Original Sins

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Emma Inch @emmainch.bsky.social · 08/09/2025

Kieran Yates - All The Houses I’ve Ever Lived In (2023) A powerful memoir of home & an intelligent & timely account of how the housing system in the UK fails so many of us.

A book: Kieran Yates - All The Houses I’ve Ever Lived In

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Emma Inch @emmainch.bsky.social · 08/09/2025

Yael van der Wouden - The Safekeep (2024) Shortlisted for the Booker Prize & winner of the 2025 Women's Prize for Fiction, this is also in the running for my own personal book of the year. An absolute masterpiece of a novel & a lesson in history everyone should learn. Read it.

A book: Yael van der Wouden - The Safekeep

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Emma Inch @emmainch.bsky.social · 08/09/2025

Fashionably late, as always, here’s my regular round up of the best books I’ve read in the past month - August 2025 One novel & three - very different - memoirs have kept me company. #booksky

A pile of 4 books on a table with a patterned tablecloth

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Emma Inch @emmainch.bsky.social · 30/08/2025

Just so you know, I fixed my printer this morning so I’m gonna have a go at world peace later. #NotAllHeroesWearCapes

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Emma Inch @emmainch.bsky.social · 06/08/2025

Kit de Waal - Without Warning & Only Sometimes (2022) Fascinating memoir of a childhood lived at the meeting point of different worlds. Painful at times but filled to the brim with courage. Wonderful. @kitdewaal.com

A book: Kit de Waal - Without Warning & Only Sometimes

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Emma Inch @emmainch.bsky.social · 06/08/2025

Greg Marshall - Leg: The Story of a Limb & the Boy Who Grew From It (2023) Wonderfully entertaining & incredibly intimate memoir of disability & queerness. Loved it.

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Emma Inch @emmainch.bsky.social · 06/08/2025

Jeremy Atherton Lin - Gay Bar; Why We Went Out (2021) I first heard of this writer when he came to do a talk at Kemptown Bookshop. This book is a romp through gay bars from SanFran to Soho. Informative & uplifting, occasionally challenging & undeniably queer. @kemptownbookshop.bsky.social

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Emma Inch @emmainch.bsky.social · 06/08/2025

Many days late, here’s my regular round-up of the best books I’ve read in the past month (or 2!) - June / July 2025 I’ve read hundreds of thousands of words this summer but most were for a big project I’m working on. This has left little time for reading for pleasure but here are the best! #booksky

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Emma Inch @emmainch.bsky.social · 15/06/2025

Joining in the national #CheersToBeer for #BeerDayBritain with these specially brewed beers from Vocation! [thanks to the brewery sending samples]

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Emma Inch @emmainch.bsky.social · 15/06/2025

Happy Beer Day Britain everyone! In the absence of a breakfast beer (an oversight on my part, obvs), I’m heading out to the pub in a bit to meet Beer Day Britain founder, @schoolofbooze.bsky.social herself, for a Sunday roast…& perhaps the odd beer or two. #CheersToBeer #BeerDayBritain

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Emma Inch @emmainch.bsky.social · 01/06/2025

Caroline Litman - Her Name Is Alice (2025) This will stay with me forever. Written by her mother, it’s the story of Alice Litman who died by suicide in May 2022 having already waited 1023 days for her first GIC appointment. A beautifully written call to action. @alicemydaughter.bsky.social 🏳️‍⚧️🏳️‍⚧️🏳️‍⚧️🏳️‍⚧️🏳️‍⚧️🏳️‍⚧️🏳️‍⚧️🏳️‍⚧️🏳️‍⚧️

A hand holding a book: Caroline Litman - Her Name is Alice

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Emma Inch @emmainch.bsky.social · 01/06/2025

Samantha Harvey - Orbital (2023) I’d been looking forward to this but found it quite a difficult read. Explored some very interesting (sometimes mindblowing) concepts & was very skilfully written, but it didn’t grab me as much as it obviously grabbed the Booker Prize judges.

A hand holding up a book: Samantha Harvey - Orbital.

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Emma Inch @emmainch.bsky.social · 01/06/2025

Colm Toibin - Long Island (2024) Beautiful follow-up to Brooklyn. A closely-observed tale of love revisited & the complications that come along with it. I don’t read many novels but I totally lost myself in this one.

A hand holding a book: Colm Toibin - Long Island

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Emma Inch @emmainch.bsky.social · 01/06/2025

Stephen King - On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft (2000/2024) Part-memoir, part-best book about writing you’ll ever read. So much to learn here from one of the very best storytellers there is. @stephenking.bsky.social

A hand holding up a book: Stephen King - On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft

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Emma Inch @emmainch.bsky.social · 01/06/2025

Maxine Beneba Clarke - The Hate Race (2016). Really powerful memoir about growing up black in white, suburban Australia. An essential discussion of the impact racism has on a child. @maxinebenebaclarke.bsky.social

A hand holding up a book: Maxine Beneba Clarke - The Hate Race

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Emma Inch @emmainch.bsky.social · 01/06/2025

Pinch punch & all that. Here’s my regular round-up of all the books I’ve read this month - May 2025 #booksky

A pile of books on a brick wall (the rest of the thread explains which books).

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Emma Inch @emmainch.bsky.social · 02/05/2025

Massively pleased to open up my monthly email from @kemptownbookshop.bsky.social this morning & find this message at the top of it. Support your trans friends. And support your local bookshop.

A picture of the front of the bookshop with a trans flag flying accompanied by the statement: ‘Love & solidarity with the trans community, today and every day.’

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Emma Inch @emmainch.bsky.social · 01/05/2025

Mark Hodkinson - No One Round Here Reads Tolstoy (2022) A rousing celebration of the working class & the liberating power of books. Like many people, I suspect, I could relate hugely to Hodkinson’s journey through reading & writing.

A book held in a hand: Mark Hodkinson - No One Round Here Reads Tolstoy

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Emma Inch @emmainch.bsky.social · 01/05/2025

Evan Rail - The Brewery in the Bohemian Forest (2014/2021) Interesting tale of a forgotten brewery (now sadly closed) that includes an unforgettable encounter with Anthony Bourdain. Immediately had me wanting to drink foaming pints of Czech lager 🍺 @evanrail.bsky.social

A book held in a hand: Evan Rail - The Brewery in the Bohemian Forest

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Emma Inch @emmainch.bsky.social · 01/05/2025

Nigel Slater - Toast: The Story of a Boy’s Hunger (2003) A deceptively clever memoir of Slater’s 1960s childhood through food. Made me laugh out loud. Wonderful. @nigelslater.bsky.social

A book being held by a hand: Nigel Slater - Toast

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Emma Inch @emmainch.bsky.social · 01/05/2025

George M Johnson - All Boys Aren’t Blue (2020) Johnson describes this as ‘memoir manifesto’. It’s the story of a queer black boy growing up in New Jersey. It’s currently the most banned & challenged book in the USA which makes it more vital than ever to be read & shared. @iamgmjohnson.bsky.social

A book held in a hand: George M Johnson - All Boys Aren’t Blue

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Emma Inch @emmainch.bsky.social · 01/05/2025

Suleika Jaouad - Between Two Kingdoms: What Almost Dying Taught Me About Living (2021) Incredible memoir about illness, recovery & an inspirational road trip. (Jaouad’s ‘Book of Alchemy’ was released last week + you may have seen part of her story in the Netflix doc ‘American Symphony’)

A book being held in a hand: Suleika Jaouad - Between Two Kingdoms

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Emma Inch @emmainch.bsky.social · 01/05/2025

On this sunny May Day (✊up the workers!), here’s my regular round-up of the best books I read this month - April 2025 🧵

A pile of paperback books on a table in a sunny garden (the rest of the thread explains which books).

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Emma Inch @emmainch.bsky.social · 19/04/2025

I can’t join the protests in Brighton / London this afternoon (I’m rigid with pain & off my face on codeine due to hurting my back), but I still have my banners from Trans Pride & I am so full of rage that hopefully my voice will carry as far as Westminster. #TransWomenAreWomen #TransMenAreMen

2 homemade Trans Pride banners: one saying ‘LGB with the T always’ and one saying ‘Whippets for trans rights’.

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Emma Inch @emmainch.bsky.social · 13/04/2025

I’ve cracked the lens cover on my phone whilst on holiday but I kinda like the effect it’s having on my photos.

A pint of Dorset Brewing Co. Jurassic Ale at The Greyhound in Corfe Castle.

The van looking like it’s arrived from another dimension.

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Emma Inch @emmainch.bsky.social · 10/04/2025

First pint of the holiday is always the best.

Motorhome parked up in the Purbeck Hills

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Emma Inch @emmainch.bsky.social · 06/04/2025

Taking the motorhome to a new level this summer with a drop down screen & projector. Films & games on the road…

Inside of my motorhome with a screen showing Mario Cart.

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Emma Inch @emmainch.bsky.social · 03/04/2025

Perfectly poured Czech beer at @brighton-brick.bsky.social yesterday afternoon. And some rather wonderful jewellery modelled by none other than @schoolofbooze.bsky.social

A glass of Czech beer looking wonderful on a pub table. A hand can be seen lifting up another glass of the same beer. The hand is wearing rather splendid rings.

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Emma Inch @emmainch.bsky.social · 02/04/2025

I have this hanging above my fireplace (the picture, not the beer).

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Emma Inch @emmainch.bsky.social · 02/04/2025

Phil Mellows & Kate Simon - Beer Breaks in Britain (2025) Finally, this book makes the connections between place & pint in a way that so many articles on terroir have failed to do. If you like exploring a new city through its beer, this is your book. @philmellows.bsky.social @beerbreaks.bsky.social

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Emma Inch @emmainch.bsky.social · 02/04/2025

Samra Habib - We Have Always Been Here: A Queer Muslim Memoir (2019) An inspirational tale of identity & hope that spans Pakistan, Canada and the most mystifying country of all, the family.

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Emma Inch @emmainch.bsky.social · 02/04/2025

Percival Everett - James (2024) Two novels in one month? Unheard of for me! But this re-imagining of The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn told from the perspective of Huckleberry's friend, Jim, the escaped slave, is a masterpiece. If you read one book this year…

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Emma Inch @emmainch.bsky.social · 02/04/2025

Amy Liptrot - The Instant (2022) A perfectly-crafted memoir of love & loneliness, intimacy & yearning. What’s not to like?

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Emma Inch @emmainch.bsky.social · 02/04/2025

Kate Atkinson - Death at the Sign of the Rook (2024) I read mainly nonfiction, so this was my first novel of the year. This mystery plays with Christie-esque tropes & was the perfect distraction whilst I was laid up with a cold.

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Emma Inch @emmainch.bsky.social · 02/04/2025

A couple of days late, but here’s my regular round-up of the best books I read this month - March 2025 🧵 #booksky

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Emma Inch @emmainch.bsky.social · 31/03/2025

Everyone in my house counts themselves as a trans ally. Sending love to trans people everywhere on Trans Day of Visibility #TDOV🏳️‍⚧️

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Emma Inch @emmainch.bsky.social · 20/03/2025

The bathroom sink in my hotel room has some great beer cooling in it. But, more importantly, the bathroom sink in my hotel room is bright red.

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