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Reading lists

8 books to help you survive and thrive

A Woman, Some Waves, and the Will to Swim

Leap In

I wanted to dive into water as I want to dive into life: filled with joy, curiosity and the knowledge that there may be dangers – but that they’re not daunting enough to make it not worth doing. 
 
All I needed to do was learn to swim.

A joy to read . . . another triumph for Heminsley, a champion of sport in the truest sense, and a wonderfully compassionate voice.

This is a book that turns out to be about everything in life that cannot be calculated. Heminsley responds to life’s uncertainty by becoming decisive: “The grit was in the oyster now. It was the sea versus me…” It sets a remarkable example, and by the end it could not be more obvious: the true grit is not in the oyster but in Heminsley herself.

Alex Heminsley has the rare gift of being able to take a sport - running or swimming - that most of us find a bit daunting and fill the reader with enthusiasm for it. She comes to sport from the position of the ordinary person - and yet shows that it can change your life in an extraordinary way.

Inspirational and thought-provoking, Leap In is the perfect accompaniment to your New Years Resolutions.

A great entry point to the sport, it’s also a searingly honest personal story as she finds solace in the water when faced with tricky times.

The ‘woman-versus-sea’ narrative makes the book a page-turner. Heminsley tackles head-on the uncomfortable truth that it’s hard for an adult to get rid of the fears of decades.

Leap In celebrates the glory of swimming.

This is a candid and empowering book. I recommend it.

An honest moving account of marriage, personal loss and living life to the full.

Plaudits will arrive faster than an incoming tide.

In her memoir Leap In, Alexandra Heminsley gives an eloquent exposition of the painful, powerful but ultimately exhilarating effects of wild swimming throughout the winter.

'Remarkable' Observer 
'A joy to read' Daily Telegraph 
'Soaringly beautiful' Sunday Times Magazine 
'Genuine and persuasive' Guardian 
 
Alexandra Heminsley thought she could swim. She really did. 
 
It may have been because she could run. It may have been because she wanted to swim; or perhaps because she only ever did ten minutes of breaststroke at a time. But, as she learned one day while flailing around in the sea, she really couldn’t. 
 
Believing that a life lived fully isn’t one with the most money earned, the most stuff bought or the most races won, but one with the most experiences, experienced the most fully, she decided to conquer her fear of the water. 
 
From the ignominy of getting into a wetsuit to the triumph of swimming from Kefalonia to Ithaca, in becoming a swimmer, Alexandra learns to appreciate her body and still her mind. As it turns out, the water is never as frightening once you're in, and really, everything is better when you remember to exhale. 
 
 
What Hemmo's readers are saying: 
 
‘This book is funny, engaging, entertaining, informative, suspenseful, motivating, and inspiring... I've never read anything quite like it’ 
 ­– Nina on Goodreads, 5 stars 
 
 ‘Just like Running Like a Girl, this was an absolute joy to read. A beautifully written story of swimming, family and being a woman’ 
 – Violet on Amazon, 5 stars 
 
‘Fantastic book… Entertaining – often laugh-out-loud funny – and full of really useful advice’ 
 – J. Edwards on Amazon, 5 stars 
 
‘A fabulous book that’s beautifully written’ 
 – Nik on Goodreads, 5 stars 
 
‘I can't recommend this book enough! I absolutely love Alexandra Heminsley's writing, her attitude towards exercise and her passion for swimming’ 
 – Sarah on Goodreads, 5 stars 
 
‘an inspirational and encouraging read’ 
 – Stephanie on Goodreads, 5 stars 
 
‘the author’s enthusiasm is contagious… one cannot help but yearn to join in. … A thoroughly inspiring book with a likeable narrator unafraid to share her personal life’ 
 – Eleanor on Goodreads, 5 stars 
 
 ‘This is a delightful book, a pleasure to read… Unbelievably well written, it flows like the water she loves’ 
 ­– Bobby on Amazon, 5 stars

Running Like a Girl

Funny and honest, this is the story of how an ordinary, curvy woman ended up running five marathons.

If you've ever wept "Why do I want to run?", your answer is here.

Caitlin Moran, author of HOW TO BE A WOMAN

Her honesty is winning ... What's truly excellent about this book, though, is its generosity. Heminsley wants to help other women to run and she has provided a practical section at the back, where she explains how to overcome injury, how to buy the right gear (particularly the correct bra), exactly what you will need if you build up to running marathons – surprisingly fascinating even if, like me, you have no plans to do so.

Candid, funny and inspiring, this is part personal journey, part “how to” guide for female runners.

The new memoir from Alexandra Heminsley is a meditation (slash romp) on running, life and love. Penned in her own inimitable style, the book is a funny tread through the raft of body insecurities and mental anguish we all go through when we put on our trainers.

This book is an emotional whirlwind split into two perfect halves. First is the story of Heminsley’s own running journey – from being certain that she wasn’t a runner at all, to completing five marathons . . . The second half offers the most practical advice on ‘how to run like a girl’, invaluable, as once you finish the book, even the most unenthusiastic of sportswomen will be longing to pull on the Lycra and run for the hills.

_____________________________ 
'If you've ever wept, "Why Do I Want To Run?", your answer is here.' CAITLIN MORAN 
 
Alexandra Heminsley had high hopes: the arse of an athlete, the waist of a supermodel, the speed of a gazelle. Defeated by gyms and bored of yoga, she decided to run. 
 
Her first attempt did not end well. 
 
Six years later, she has run five marathons in two continents. 
 
But, as her dad says, you run with your head as much as with your legs. So, while this is a book about running, it's not just about running. 
 
You could say it's about ambition (yes, getting out of bed on a rainy Sunday morning counts), relationships (including talking to the intimidating staff in the trainer shop), as well as your body (your boobs don't have to wobble when you run). But it's also about realising that you can do more than you ever thought possible. 
 
Very funny, very honest and very emotional, whether you're in serious training or thinking about running for the bus, this is a book for anyone who after wine and crisps for supper a few too many times thinks they might . . . just might . . . like to run like a girl. 
_____________________________ 
Here's what people are saying about Running Like A Girl - and what it's inspired them to do! 
 
'This book has changed my attitude, I loved it from page one and found it totally relatable for the normal woman... A real inspiration' - Clairol on Amazon, 5 stars 
 
'I adored this book... this is a must read' - Emily on Amazon, 5 stars 
 
'really opened my eyes and inspired me to continue running, fantastic read' - Kiyone on Amazon, 5 stars 
 
'I was so happy to start reading this fabulous book and realise that there was someone else out there who thought exactly as I did about 'not being a runner'' - J. Watson on Amazon, 5 stars 
 
'It's not often I find a book that I can't put down and this is the first for ages! ... this book echoes so many of my own limiting beliefs constructed around this subject and it was a delight to hear how Alex faced up to her own demons and finally freed her running spirit. Even if you never want to be a runner this is a fun read and an inspirational journey.' - Joy on Amazon, 5 stars 
 
'Inspirational... Would recommend this book to anyone thinking of running! Very well put together and has lots of information and tips' - Maria on Amazon, 5 stars 
 
'I laughed out loud... for anyone wanting to get into running you will be thinking of Alexandra when you are out there taking your first few strides, and you will be grinning!' - J. Dunne on Amazon, 5 stars 
 
'The best thing about it is how inspiring the journey it is, how much it makes you want to get out there and run yourself. Such a fantastic aid to the beginning of your running journey' - Emma on Amazon, 5 stars 
 
'I have been fighting with my running demons for over 12 months and had convinced myself that I couldn't run. This book has inspired me to put my trainers on, join a club and enter three events' - Chimaera on Amazon, 5 stars 
 
'Laugh-out-loud funny in places but real, genuine experience of the world of running from someone who's been there, picked up the battered trainers and just run with it' - Helen on Amazon, 5 stars 
 
'hilarious - it just kept me hooked!' - Denise on Amazon, 5 stars

Alexandra Heminsley

Jaw-dropping... This is an extraordinary, kind, and generous book about what it means to live in a woman's body and the questions you ask yourself along the way.

Staggering... Heminsley is unflinching in her exploration of her feelings.

Heartbreak and happiness sit in tandem in Alexandra Heminsley's wise and generous book.

Generous, calm and thoughtful... Some Body to Love argues cogently for greater openness and understanding towards different gender expressions...also page-turningly compelling

A vital call for compassion and awareness...a hugely hopeful and deftly written book - and one that might encourage greater empathy in how we respond to all kinds of difference

This insightful memoir covers some hefty subjects -- gender identity, body image, infertility, divorce -- with wisdom and grace

Breathtakingly honest, warm and generous, Some Body To Love is a testament to how family and love can be whatever shape we want them to be

A treatise on empathy and grace in extraordinary circumstances

This memoir is going to change a lot of people's lives, and I think it's going to change the conversation

A brave, thoughtful and timely book -- calming and inspiring on our different relationships with our bodies, and vitally compassionate on trans rights

It took my breath away . . . It's such a beautiful book, so full of compassion and kindness even in its furious honesty . . . You are going to love it

A book about how a personal crisis caused someone to open up rather than shut down  . . .  really admirable and carefully done . . . on bodies, families, gender identity, bravery

Wise, kind, funny, sad and beautifully written. Everyone who occupies a human body should read it

Fabulous . . . Sensitively and cleverly written . . . remarkable

The most moving and real account of a person's relationship with their body I have ever read... A book with a wild, deep, joyous, tender love of people at its heart

A much needed clarion call for greater empathy, compassion and respect for humanity

A sensitively written, wise and joyful look at the way that families can crack apart and then reconfigure... [Heminsley's] telling of their family tale is so warm, observant, and kind, and perfectly illustrates how malleable love can be

A gorgeous open-hearted read but also a vital, instructive one

A raw, heartbreaking, uplifting memoir about reinvention, being a woman and love in all its forms. An important book, beautifully written

Kate Davies, author of In at the Deep End

Alexandra Heminsley understands what it is to be a woman in a world that judges us, our bodies, and the experience of these bodies, in every way and at all times... Charting her journey to her own body through loss, heartache and trauma, alongside love, friendship and hope, she suggests that each of us might find our own way to embody our deepest truths, and that we might do so with generosity to others on their own journey

[Heminsley] writes with unflinching clarity

Bracingly honest...big-hearted... [and] page-turningly compelling

Some Body To Love is an honest and thoughtful memoir that touches on difficult contemporary topics . . . Incredibly moving and very, very powerfu

A powerful treatise on pain and love, this is an honest, moving and authentic examination of the end of a relationship, and the way our lives can fracture and recover from sudden, seismic shifts. Heminsley's writing is sharply resonant - you don't have to share her experiences to be struck by her observations about letting go with love, and how we can find strength in self-love too

A Family Story

'A treatise on empathy and grace in extraordinary circumstances' Jojo Moyes 
 
What does it mean to be a woman? To live in a woman's body? 
 
Alexandra Heminsley thought she knew, but then her world turned inside out. Having just resurfaced from fertility issues, childbirth and early parenthood, she was told her then-husband was going to transition. 
 
Some Body to Love is Alex's profoundly open-hearted memoir about losing a partner but gaining a best friend, and together bringing up a baby in a changing world. By baring her own unique scars, Heminsley makes a vital manifesto on the unifying resilience that can be found in modern motherhood. 
 
______________________ 
 
Praise for Some Body to Love: 
'Insightful and wise, generous and kind' David Nicholls 
'A brave, thoughtful and timely book' Naomi Alderman 
'A testament to how family and love can be whatever shape we want them to be' Red 
'It took my breath away' Bryony Gordon 
'A book with a wild, deep, joyous, tender love of people at its heart' Emma Jane Unsworth

Alexandra Heminsley

Books by Alexandra Heminsley

Articles featuring Alexandra Heminsley

8 books to help you survive and thrive

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