Nonfiction

This Is Not A Book About Benedict Cumberbatch

This Is Not A Book About Benedict Cumberbatch

  • Downloads：6794
  • Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
  • Create Date：2022-12-20 04:52:55
  • Update Date：2025-09-06
  • Status：finish
  • Author：Tabitha Carvan
  • ISBN：1460760654
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Summary

If you feel that 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。


This is， as the title says， not actually a book about Benedict Cumberbatch。

In fact， it's a book about women and what we love， about what happens to women's passions after we leave adolescence and how the space for joy in our lives is squeezed ever smaller as we age， and why。 More importantly， it's about what happens if you subvert that narrative and simply love something like you used to。

Drawing upon her personal experience of unexpectedly falling for the British actor Benedict Cumberbatch while stuck at home with two young children， Carvan challenges the reader to stop instinctively resisting the possibility of experiencing pleasure。 Hers is clarion rallying cry: find your thing， whatever it may be， and love it like your life depends on it。

Funny， intelligent， transporting and liberating， this book is a total joy。

'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

'You know when you bite into a chocolate， and unexpectedly discover it's filled with delectable cherry kirsch that explodes into your mouth and oozes everywhere？ 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

'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

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Reviews

Alison Petchell ，

Aside from enjoying his performance as Alan Turing I really have had no exposure to Benedict Cumberbatch and am not especially a fan。 Despite the title， this is a book ALL ABOUT Benedict Cumberbatch。 So strap yourself in， there’s lots to learn - or skip。 But this is also a book about finding unashamed， unabashed joy in whatever is your jam - as opposed to whatever is supposed to be your thing。 Caravan deftly navigates passion， obsession and all the ways in which we， especially women， are encoura Aside from enjoying his performance as Alan Turing I really have had no exposure to Benedict Cumberbatch and am not especially a fan。 Despite the title， this is a book ALL ABOUT Benedict Cumberbatch。 So strap yourself in， there’s lots to learn - or skip。 But this is also a book about finding unashamed， unabashed joy in whatever is your jam - as opposed to whatever is supposed to be your thing。 Caravan deftly navigates passion， obsession and all the ways in which we， especially women， are encouraged not to pursue our loves - or at least not to declare them to the world around us。 I could have done with a bit less of the batch - but was worth navigating for the nuggets of gold。 。。。more

Barb Mayes Boustead ，

I read this book on the recommendation from some authors and book coaches I respect， and so I read it with an eye toward dissecting it from the perspective of a writer。 I am not a Cumberbatch fan， but I stepped into her plunge into the world， starting with a dip of a tiptoe and ending with a wholehearted full-body dive。 Up until Chapter 10， I thought the book was pretty good - I could see the construction of it， follow how she drew various threads into her hooks。 Then， in Chapter 11， I was absol I read this book on the recommendation from some authors and book coaches I respect， and so I read it with an eye toward dissecting it from the perspective of a writer。 I am not a Cumberbatch fan， but I stepped into her plunge into the world， starting with a dip of a tiptoe and ending with a wholehearted full-body dive。 Up until Chapter 10， I thought the book was pretty good - I could see the construction of it， follow how she drew various threads into her hooks。 Then， in Chapter 11， I was absolutely flabbergasted by her insights。 I finally GOT IT in that chapter， not about Cumberbatch but about her WHY and why all of this MATTERED to me， a middle-aged woman。 And I think it's a book that just about every non-man age 35+ needs to read （you can read it if you're younger， too， but you'll especially relate if you've got some time under your belt。。。 you'll also appreciate it more if you're in a parenting role）。 So good。 Read it， share it， and embrace whatever thing you love， even if it seems frivolous。 。。。more

Ang ，

This book mirrors what's happened in my own life the last 9 months。 Feeling seen， feeling vindicated， feeling。。。so lucky to have found it。（FWIW， my thing isn't Cumberbatch， but Asian Y-Series。） This book mirrors what's happened in my own life the last 9 months。 Feeling seen， feeling vindicated， feeling。。。so lucky to have found it。（FWIW， my thing isn't Cumberbatch， but Asian Y-Series。） 。。。more

Robin Low ，

A book to help you lean into what you love without feeling embarrassment or shame。 Hilariously written！！

Anne ，

One of life’s greatest joys is when a good friend buys you a book because they ‘loved it and think you will too’ and being the friend they are they’re 100% right。 I then loaned it to another friend who also loved it。 She then told one of her friends about it。 It’s one of those books！ This book came along at the perfect time for me， bringing together so many things I’ve been talking and thinking about。 It’s as if Tabitha Carvan has been eaves dropping on my long chats with friends， my therapy ses One of life’s greatest joys is when a good friend buys you a book because they ‘loved it and think you will too’ and being the friend they are they’re 100% right。 I then loaned it to another friend who also loved it。 She then told one of her friends about it。 It’s one of those books！ This book came along at the perfect time for me， bringing together so many things I’ve been talking and thinking about。 It’s as if Tabitha Carvan has been eaves dropping on my long chats with friends， my therapy sessions， stuff I’ve been reading in the internet and my inner most thoughts！ Any book that references both Brene Brown and Anne Helen Petersen is always going to be a winner for me， but it’s more than that。 It’s like having a chat with your smartest， funniest friend and feeling so pumped up at the end of it。 I laughed， I cried， I felt inspired。 I haven’t been able to stop thinking about it。 I can’t wait to read it again。 。。。more

Emily ，

I absolutely loved this book and I’m so glad Tabitha wrote it！ She takes us on a journey to witness her falling in love with Benedict Cumberbatch as a mother who’s lost herself， and all the delightful places that passion has now taken her。 She points out the gendered way society judges women’s hobbies and interests， how we’re mocked for them and told we need to grow up， when men can be rabid football fans with no judgment whatsoever。 She argues that leaning into these ‘weird’ things we love， tri I absolutely loved this book and I’m so glad Tabitha wrote it！ She takes us on a journey to witness her falling in love with Benedict Cumberbatch as a mother who’s lost herself， and all the delightful places that passion has now taken her。 She points out the gendered way society judges women’s hobbies and interests， how we’re mocked for them and told we need to grow up， when men can be rabid football fans with no judgment whatsoever。 She argues that leaning into these ‘weird’ things we love， trivial as they may seem， can lead us to our trusts selves and bring us more fun and joy than we could ever imagine。 Everyone needs something just for them， something that delights them to no end。This book is extremely funny—I was smiling and giggling throughout！ I loved her sense of humor and how she could be a bit self-deprecating without it coming across as cringey or sad。 The appendix， which is about Benedict Cumberbatch， was also delightful and hysterical。 。。。more

Susan ，

I didn’t finish it; I got bored about 1/4 of the way in。 Perhaps it would have become more interesting if I had stuck with it。

Kristen Finnegan ，

This book made me feel less guilty about all of the Harry Styles content I watch on TikTok 🤣

Nora ，

I find Benedict Cumberbatch （or Benjamin Cumbersnatch as I once overheard some ladies refer to him） intriguing。 This is an interesting book about leaning in to something you love。 I found it different and fascinating - sort of like Benedict Cumberbatch。

Andrea Lorenz ，

Absolutely delightful， especially in audiobook。 It helps to like Benedict Cumberbatch， but it is absolutely not necessary to enjoy this book。

Emma OKeefe ，

Loved。

Charlotte ，

This book should be mandatory reading。 I love it so much， I wish I could've read it when I was younger。 This book should be mandatory reading。 I love it so much， I wish I could've read it when I was younger。 。。。more

Nandini ，

both a thoughtful and entertaining read - highly recommend for any woman who has ever been made to feel any type of way about having interests

Thadeus Smith ，

I was very torn with my rating of this book。 Carvan is undoubtedly a talented， engaging writer - I read this book in a single sitting on a flight from St。 Louis to Seattle - and the discussions scattered throughout about women's relationships with play， hobbies， and parenting were powerful and challenged my conception and understanding of those issues。 I wish Carvan had engaged much， much more with the documented negative effects of parasocial relationships， though。 With the exception of a singl I was very torn with my rating of this book。 Carvan is undoubtedly a talented， engaging writer - I read this book in a single sitting on a flight from St。 Louis to Seattle - and the discussions scattered throughout about women's relationships with play， hobbies， and parenting were powerful and challenged my conception and understanding of those issues。 I wish Carvan had engaged much， much more with the documented negative effects of parasocial relationships， though。 With the exception of a single paragraph in the appendix about how Benedict Cumberbatch has dealt with stalkers and conspiracy theorists， much of the book serves to justify parasocial relationships and paint them， broadly， as a good thing。 I think this is best illustrated by the subtitle of the book itself - "The Joy of Loving Something - Anything - Like Your Life Depends on It。" Where I struggle with this is that Benedict Cumberbatch is not a "something" - He's a someone！ Virtually every other example Carvan brings up in comparison are groups or inanimate objects - sports teams， bands， model car racing。 I have a difficult time buying the comparative there， and it's made more difficult for me with the handwaving away of the objectification of actual people that accompanies these sorts of parasocial relationships。 Carvan writes that this is essentially okay because of the patriarchy and that the objectification of Cumberbatch is different than the objectification of someone like Scarlett Johansson。 This is probably true， but it's such a short discussion （two-and-a-half pages， by my count）， that I simply don't find it convincing。 Maybe my perception of the issue is skewed as a male rape victim， but it feels like a far too simplistic explanation。Of course， Carvan is open that she's mostly writing about her own experience， that the book is more memoir than research。 That probably counts for something too。 。。。more

Heather ，

A cute "self-helpy" book about finding joy in whatever the heck you want and not being embarrassed about it。 A cute "self-helpy" book about finding joy in whatever the heck you want and not being embarrassed about it。 。。。more

J Martin ，

Not a BC fan but this book had lots of interesting tidbits about being happy and pursuing your joy。 It is funny and autobiographical with an emphasis on women and motherhood that intrigued me。 I especially appreciated comparison between men's obsession with sports being so much more acceptable and noteworthy than a female interest in an actor although both actions have lots of paraphanelia proclaiming their interest。 I was expecting a book on writing and creativity and this one does get repetiti Not a BC fan but this book had lots of interesting tidbits about being happy and pursuing your joy。 It is funny and autobiographical with an emphasis on women and motherhood that intrigued me。 I especially appreciated comparison between men's obsession with sports being so much more acceptable and noteworthy than a female interest in an actor although both actions have lots of paraphanelia proclaiming their interest。 I was expecting a book on writing and creativity and this one does get repetitive。 I still liked the conclusion。 。。。more

Sarah Butterfield ，

Funny， poignant， and deeply insightful read about women's interests， obsessions， and passions。 Every chapter was as entertaining as it was thought-provoking。 I really enjoyed this one！ Funny， poignant， and deeply insightful read about women's interests， obsessions， and passions。 Every chapter was as entertaining as it was thought-provoking。 I really enjoyed this one！ 。。。more

Darian Paige ，

This was a fun look into fandom and the importance of joy regardless of where it comes from。 The catalyst for this book was the author's sudden development of what she considered to be an inexplicable， and somewhat embarrassing， fondness for Benedict Cumberbatch she thought she was too old to be having as a married adult woman with two kids。 This book focused a lot on the significance of female joy in particular and the importance of enjoying and loving things， despite how rational or trivial th This was a fun look into fandom and the importance of joy regardless of where it comes from。 The catalyst for this book was the author's sudden development of what she considered to be an inexplicable， and somewhat embarrassing， fondness for Benedict Cumberbatch she thought she was too old to be having as a married adult woman with two kids。 This book focused a lot on the significance of female joy in particular and the importance of enjoying and loving things， despite how rational or trivial they may seem to onlookers （especially as you grow older and enter later life stages）。 While I myself am not a fan of Benedict Cumberbatch and this book is not about him， I will say you will likely enjoy it a bit more if you are a fan of the aforementioned British actor。 。。。more

Lee ，

I’ve never seen another book quite like this， and I could definitely identify， having a celebrity obsession of my own that no one else understands。

Kailyn ，

This book was an absolute delight。 It may have Benedict Cumberbatch in the title and on the cover， but it's really about the joy in loving what you love， especially if there's no purpose to it。 It's an ode to joy， and I loved it。 This book was an absolute delight。 It may have Benedict Cumberbatch in the title and on the cover， but it's really about the joy in loving what you love， especially if there's no purpose to it。 It's an ode to joy， and I loved it。 。。。more

Julie Blitz ，

I loved this book。 Hilarious， amazing， and deeply feminist and thought-provoking。 Why is it that when men are obsessed with sports teams it’s a positive thing， but when women are obsessed with celebrities it’s shameful and a waste of time？ Why do we celebrate our sons loving trains and construction vehicles （he’s going to be an engineer or architect one day！） but when our daughters love purses and makeup and princesses， they’ve been brainwashed by the patriarchy and must be rescued？ Not to say t I loved this book。 Hilarious， amazing， and deeply feminist and thought-provoking。 Why is it that when men are obsessed with sports teams it’s a positive thing， but when women are obsessed with celebrities it’s shameful and a waste of time？ Why do we celebrate our sons loving trains and construction vehicles （he’s going to be an engineer or architect one day！） but when our daughters love purses and makeup and princesses， they’ve been brainwashed by the patriarchy and must be rescued？ Not to say that the patriarchy isn’t brainwashing us in myriad ways， but one of the ways in which they’re doing it is to shame us for loving the things they’ve worked hard to make us love， and to devalue anything that is attractive to young girls or women （ie boy bands aren’t real musicians， romance isn’t legitimate literature， and a Melissa McCarthy movie is a chick flick， but The Hangover is just a plain old comedy）。 I feel like this is required reading。 。。。more

Rebecca ，

I genuinely enjoyed this book。 Read as instalments during a busy work period， Tabitha Craven’s writing style is both familiar and chatty。 References to Sean Hughes， Wentworth Falls and Doug Anthony Allstars show both the author and I are a similar age and demographic （see， familiar）。 The concept of this book being hobbies and passions for a woman/mother/wife were what drew me in。 Ideally， I would love this book to be re-edited。 Reading an article in The Conversation by Alice Grundy about the rol I genuinely enjoyed this book。 Read as instalments during a busy work period， Tabitha Craven’s writing style is both familiar and chatty。 References to Sean Hughes， Wentworth Falls and Doug Anthony Allstars show both the author and I are a similar age and demographic （see， familiar）。 The concept of this book being hobbies and passions for a woman/mother/wife were what drew me in。 Ideally， I would love this book to be re-edited。 Reading an article in The Conversation by Alice Grundy about the role of editors， makes me wonder how this text would have been shaped and remodelled in the hands of another editorial team。Personally I’ve never seen a Benedict Cumberbatch film， but read and enjoyed this for the author’s passion and exploration。 More personal profiles and stories and studies。 This would make a great documentary。 。。。more

Trish Quirk ，

Such an unusual book。 I didn’t know obsessing over Benedict was a thing。 But this author delves into her obsession to find out why women feel embarrassed by having big feelings or passions about such things。 Finally she encourages us to find and flaunt our passions。 A worthwhile treatise。

Madison Krumins ，

I love this book so much--and I think I needed it。 In the past year， I've been on the surprisingly challenging journey of learning how to let myself love， how to let myself rest and feel joy and "let the soft animal of my body love what it loves" （and I love that Mary Oliver poem--its appearance in this essay made me smile）。 It's not easy when the messages surrounding play are about how silly or embarrassing it is， or how it's not "productive" （for whom？） and therefore not meaningful。 This book I love this book so much--and I think I needed it。 In the past year， I've been on the surprisingly challenging journey of learning how to let myself love， how to let myself rest and feel joy and "let the soft animal of my body love what it loves" （and I love that Mary Oliver poem--its appearance in this essay made me smile）。 It's not easy when the messages surrounding play are about how silly or embarrassing it is， or how it's not "productive" （for whom？） and therefore not meaningful。 This book is a very polite， very lighthearted middle finger to all that noise。 Here's to loving things， maybe even being obsessed with things？ yeah。 。。。more

Donna Jones ，

not for me。 I know it's really not about Benedict Cumberbatch， but there was way too much about Benedict Cumberbatch in it for me。 I don't think I am the target audience。 not for me。 I know it's really not about Benedict Cumberbatch， but there was way too much about Benedict Cumberbatch in it for me。 I don't think I am the target audience。 。。。more

Carmel ，

This is a really interesting book - it provided me with quite a few laughs along with some self affirmation at how aligned this authors views were with mine。 This is - as the author says - a book about joy and harnessing whatever it is that gives you joy …no matter how weird， unusual， all consuming or normal that “hobby” or “interest” is。 The author has a thing for Benedict Cumberbatch …she’s a “cumberbitch” as are many people in the world！ She uses this obsession/hobby as a device to drill down This is a really interesting book - it provided me with quite a few laughs along with some self affirmation at how aligned this authors views were with mine。 This is - as the author says - a book about joy and harnessing whatever it is that gives you joy …no matter how weird， unusual， all consuming or normal that “hobby” or “interest” is。 The author has a thing for Benedict Cumberbatch …she’s a “cumberbitch” as are many people in the world！ She uses this obsession/hobby as a device to drill down into why humans have passions， their importance to our wellbeing and their impact on the joy in our lives。 Sport obsessions are mainstream - how many people have their favourite sports teams photos hanging on their bedroom wall/imprinted on their coffee mugs/ tattooed on their bodies/ coloring their wardrobe and taking up hours of their tv or weekend viewing hours ？ Well lots and this book delves into why other hobbies - like being obsessed with a tv star - can’t take on the same format as more mainstream obsessions if it brings joy and does no harm。 An easy short informative and fun read。 。。。more

Denise ，

Interesting。 Makes me want to watch Sherlock again —for the 4th time。 🙃

Hanna Hamilton ，

Loved this book。 A must read for all women， those in relationships with women， and those bringing up girls/women。 Funny， but asked some great questions about how much we allow women to follow their passions。

Mae Tesh ，

How I love being a woman！

Susie ，

This was interesting and weirdly made me wish I WAS obsessed with something…

Reference

google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=This Is Not A Book About Benedict Cumberbatch

hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=This Is Not A Book About Benedict Cumberbatch&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft

The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,This Is Not A Book About Benedict Cumberbatch&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0