More about the book — Tabitha Carvan

Daily Telegraph Summer Reading Guide 2023 (Australia)
Chat 10 Looks 3 Best Books of the Year 2023 (Australia)
Good Housekeeping Summer 2022 Reading List (US)
PureWow 20 Best Beach Reads of Summer 2022 (US)
425 Magazine Best Books of 2022 (US)
MPR News Best Books of 2022 (US)
BookPage Best Books of 2022 (US)
BookPage Best Audiobooks of 2022 (US)
Booktopia Best Books of 2022 (Australia)
Canberra Times Best Books of 2022 (Australia)
Canberra Critics Circle Awards 2022 (Australia)

“[W]inningly effervescent… an aria of joyous discovery at the shedding of an obsolete inhibition… To read This Is Not a Book About Benedict Cumberbatch is to follow Carvan on a path to overcoming her shame and reveling in the sheer frivolity of her love for the Sherlock star alongside the women (many of them middle-age and older) who share it with her. Once she does, she proclaims, ‘it felt so good—you would not believe how good!—that I didn’t mind if it made me the biggest weirdo in the world.’ She almost makes you feel as good as that when she gets there.” - Slate

“[T]he real subject of [this] wonderfully fresh take on fandom is the unabashed, self-aware embrace of joy… Tabitha Carvan, now long out of adolescence, wrestles bravely with an embarrassing addiction to the former Sherlock, but also, considers the way we treat women who feel deeply: ‘When a lot of women love anything, that’s all we need to know about it.’ Subversively important stuff.” - The Chicago Tribune, Books for Summer 2022

“A bloody great book. I could not have loved it more.” - Chat 10 Looks 3

“Carvan's self-aware approach wrings the absurdity out of her story to hilarious effect while touching on the realities of motherhood and fandom: ‘It's not just about what we love, but how that love figures in our lives, and how it makes us feel.’ The result is a weird-in-the-best-way account of self-discovery that brims with humor and insight.” - Publishers Weekly, starred review

“[A] clever and charming debut… Carvan’s candid revelations about the ways in which passion, bias, identity and motherhood intersect are hard-won and insightful, not to mention humorous… She makes an excellent case for taking time to figure out what you like and embracing the delight it brings—no shame allowed. . . [A] funny, thought-provoking memoir.” - BookPage, starred review

“With spot-on comedic timing, narrator Tanya Schneider perfectly conveys Carvan’s self-deprecating tone. She deftly delivers Carvan’s sparkling prose, which gracefully flows from laugh-out-loud to heartfelt to inspirational… Part feminist essay, part memoir, this compassionate and utterly hilarious testament to the value of all passions and hobbies, no matter how niche, will offer much needed encouragement to mothers and non-mothers alike.” - Library Journal, starred review of audiobook

“In a culture that still presses girls to be the ‘mature ones,’ women to aspire to be ‘not like other girls,’ and mothers to find both recreation and fulfillment in work and homemaking, Carvan argues for ‘pure leisure’, something just for herself, something that wastes her time… Carvan’s loving but unapologetic manifesto is one to carry proudly on your next sojourn into the melee of backstage autograph seekers.” - Booklist, starred review

“This year’s most hilarious self-help book.” - The Daily Mail

“[A]n excellent account of [Carvan’s] passion for a particular British actor… It’s not really about Benedict, she concludes. It’s about opening yourself to life, about treasuring your own tender heart. It’s about the right, in an over-burdened world, to indulge a pointless passion.” - Richard Glover, The Sydney Morning Herald

“It is a memoir that interrogates the underappreciated labour of motherhood but is also a masterclass in cultural criticism.” - The Canberra Times

"[A] hilarious, joyful read.” - Australian Women’s Weekly

“[This book] has surprised me… [A] funny, honest memoir about shame and loving the things we love… [Carvan] explores her thoughts on finding a new passion, why we feel embarrassed about loving some things, and how we need to break out of our shame and grab on to the things we enjoy for dear life.” - BookRiot

“When new mom Tabitha discovers a passion for Benedict Cumberbatch, she soon realizes her obsession isn't really about the actor at all but the joy of frivolous interests and the sense of self that can come from them. Part memoir, part self-help, this one will empower you to rediscover your own obsessions. And yes, Google image search the Sherlock actor, too.” - Good Housekeeping, 20 Best Summer Books 2022

“The title alone inspires a smile, but the book itself is hilarious, and wise… [Carvan’s] story is really about the joy that comes with rediscovering and indulging youthful passions and pleasures.” - AARP

“Intimate, self-deprecating ... like an Australian Caitlin Moran or Dolly Alderton ... an easy, lighthearted read about serious subject matter: feminism, passion, relationships and creativity, and owning the strength of the passions felt in childhood and adolescence.” - Books+Publishing

“What can be seen at its simplest level as another book about a woman discovering herself and her joy is in fact a well-researched philosophical treatise on gender and society… It’s a book that pulls the reader along with ease.” - Riotact

“I fell head over heels for [this book], which was such a validating exploration of fandom and female joy in a world desperate to snuff it out.” - Meanjin

“It’s a book that I think will surely resonate with many who love things deemed too ‘girly’ or lowbrow, or for anyone who's been told that they're ‘too old’ to have certain fixations… a much-needed reminder that it's OK to love for the sake of loving.” - CNN Philippines

“In This Is Not a Book About Benedict Cumberbatch, Carvan explores what happens to women's desires after we age and why the space in our lives for pure, unadulterated joy is squeezed smaller and smaller over the years.” - PureWow, 20 Best Beach Reads of Sumer 2022

“I love this book so, so, so, so much and I’m going to force it on every human being.” - #AmWriting podcast

“This book would totally make you think, but I think you would enjoy doing it… We need to love the things we love. It's good and right and important, and also it's so happy-making.” - What Should I Read Next? podcast

“It’s written with such humor, strength, and delight. Every story, every page, every word taught us to not be ashamed of our joy in life, but rather embrace it.” - Fangirlish

“[A] very powerful, astonishingly incisive view on feminism and the patriarchy… There’s this beautiful, powerful, oh-my-gosh-that’s-so-right-and-true social commentary but she’s also wildly funny.” - Sorta Awesome podcast

“To describe the book merely as ‘funny’ is a disservice to the author because [the] reader starts to appreciate that what Carvan is attempting to reconcile is a woman’s place and growth in the world… I hope I am always a reader who can appreciate a book like this one.” - Fredericksburg Free-Lance Star

“I implore you to read this book.” - Galah magazine

“This book was better than it had any right to be. It was a totally unexpected five stars… It’s funnier than hell. I laughed out loud multiple times and I’m not the kind of person who usually does that.” - Feminist Book Club

“It’s joyful, hilarious and ridiculously uplifting.” - Her Canberra

“My favourite nonfiction book of the year. I absolutely loved it. It's really funny, it's very clever. I just utterly adored it and I've recommended it to many people.” - Leigh Sales, author of ANY ORDINARY DAY

“Charming, tender, and deeply relatable for those of us who’ve found ourselves slightly lost in midlife. The sort of book that makes you want to be best friends with the author.” - Meg Mason, author of SORROW AND BLISS

“This is the best book about writing that I have read in a very long time… [It] made me want to stand up and cheer. It made me want to press the book into the hands of a long list of friends and writers. It made me want to write a book about similar topics because it made me realize how much I care about them. This book made me think and it made me desire, and that is what the best books do.” - Jennie Nash, CEO of Author Accelerator

“It’s a book about how we pretend not to love things we love, and feel bad about loving them, and hide our real selves and what we think (sounding familiar?) and how those things are often devalued, especially if they are ‘girl things’. And also how we have a hard time doing things just for fun - things that make us happy, hello, again familiar - because we just don’t think we should. This book made me happy and I bet it will you, too.” - KJ Dell’Antonia, NYT bestselling author of THE CHICKEN SISTERS.

“Witty, erudite and fierce in its message - that women should seek joy and find fun. Happily, this book provides both in abundance. I loved it.” - Jacqueline Maley, author of THE TRUTH ABOUT HER

“This really isn't a book about Benedict Cumberbatch. It's about so, so much more: Losing yourself and finding yourself, oppression and emancipation; sadness and joy. Tabitha Carvan's memoir will make you think and make you cackle. It’s the most delightful book I've read in a long time.” - Melinda Wenner Moyer, author of HOW TO RAISE KIDS WHO AREN’T ASSHOLES

“Remember that feeling you had as a kid, when you loved things wholeheartedly, boldly, and loudly? If you feel a sense that there is something missing from your life, some gap between who you are on the inside and who you are on the outside, then this is the book for you.” - Eve Rodsky, author of FIND YOUR UNICORN SPACE and FAIR PLAY

“This is a book that will have you honking with laughter. True LOLs. But it’s more than that… Find that weird thing that makes your heart sparkle and never let it go. Reading this book was perfect timing for me. I rate it five celestial stars sparkling in Benedict’s eyes!” - Sally Thorne, author of THE HATING GAME

“In her warm, witty and unputdownable new book, Tabitha Carvan writes with seemingly effortless clarity about the vast and unexpected power of allowing ourselves to feel joy without shame. I read nodding along in recognition of how taking pleasure in the things we love can change our lives. Bravo!” - Holly Ringland, author of THE LOST FLOWERS OF ALICE HART

“I cannot recommend this funny, feminist, joyful book ENOUGH. You will close it and immediately go do something important for yourself that you've been putting off for too long.” - Nancy Davis Kho, author of THE THANK-YOU PROJECT and host of Midlife Mixtape podcast.

“I LOVED this charming, funny, insightful book!!! Get it on audio if you can! A delight—with some deep thoughts about embracing joy, and rediscovering play, and living our best lives!!” - Katherine Center, NYT bestselling author of THE BODYGUARD

“You know when you bite into a chocolate, and unexpectedly discover it's filled with delectable cherry kirsch that explodes into your mouth? That's this book. Original, highly entertaining, fast-paced, personal read that contains unexpected revelations at every corner. It's funny, it's smart, it's compelling. But most of all, it's a battle cry: sit up, pay attention and follow your heart and find joy. After all, our time on this earth is short. C'mon. The clock is ticking.” - Ginger Gorman, author of TROLL HUNTING