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Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin
Usually, when I read a book I know how I feel about it—whether I loved it, really liked it, thought it was just okay, or disliked it—and I have an idea of how to articulate my feelings. Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow is one of those rare books that has me really torn up and…
1980s, 1990s, 2000s, 20th century, 3 STARS, abortion/miscarriage/bodily autonomy, academia, Adult, age gap, America, anxiety, asian american, big books, books that make me mad, California, cambridge (us), class, coming of age, Contemporary, DEATH, DEPRESSION, different styles (1st/2nd/3rd povs), disabilities, drama, female authors, friendships, Gabrielle Zevin, gay side characters, GRIEF, growing up, GUILT, Harvard, HISTORICAL FICTION, horrible friends, Jewish, korean american author, lgbtq+ side, LITERARY FICTION, loneliness, los angeles, m/m side, Massachusetts, mental health, nostalgic reads, Not Like Other Girls, orphans, published in 2022, queer side characters, ROMANCE, Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow, toxic relationships, trauma, UNIVERSITY/COLLEGE, unrequited love, videogames, work culture -
These Impossible Things by Salma El-Wardany
“Their laughter split the air and, in a heartbeat, lightness was back. It’s always easier to laugh about things than to cry about them.” These Impossible Things an engrossing novel that would make for a great summer read & book club pick. Salma El-Wardany’s prose, which is by turns lively and poignant, is utterly absorbing.…
2010s, 3 STARS, 3rd pov, abortion/miscarriage/bodily autonomy, ABUSIVE RELATIONSHIPS, Adult, adulthood, bad love, belonging, Contemporary, cultural dissonance, drama, egypt, Egyptian Irish Desi author, england, female authors, female friendships, friendships, gay side characters, heartbreak/breakups, lgbtq+ side, LONDON, Muslim rep, published in 2022, read in 2022, Religion, ROMANCE, Salma El-Wardany, sexual assault/abuse/rape, social issues, These Impossible Things, toxic relationships, UNIVERSITY/COLLEGE, womanhood/femininity -
Kaleidoscope by Cecily Wong
“I’ve found that loneliness has a way of feeling significant, no matter how frivolously the hours are spent.” What could have been a poignant exploration of the complex bond between two sisters is ultimately undercut by an underwhelming cast of characters, an uninspired romance & an uneven storyline. While there were scenes within Kaleidoscope that…
2.5 STARS, abortion/miscarriage/bodily autonomy, Adult, America, asian american, asian diaspora, China, chinese american author, Contemporary, DEATH, different styles (1st/2nd/3rd povs), drama, family, female authors, GRIEF, India, LITERARY FICTION, NEW YORK, Oregon, published in 2022, read in 2022, ROMANCE, SISTERS, travel, wellness culture -
Dele Weds Destiny by Tomi Obaro
This is one of those cases where the blurb for novel spoils said novel. Rather than giving us a broad-stroke summary of the story, the blurb reveals almost every plotline in the story, so while I was actually reading the novel myself, and I kept expecting something ‘new’ to happen, well, I ended up feeling…
1980s, 3 STARS, 3rd pov, abortion/miscarriage/bodily autonomy, Adult, age gap, America, Black & Black heritage authors, class, Contemporary, Dele Weds Destiny, divorce/separations, drama, eating disorders, female authors, female friendships, friendships, MARRIAGE, mothers & daughters, Nigeria, nigerian american author, published in 2022, read in 2022, self-harming, Tomi Obaro, UNIVERSITY/COLLEGE, wedding drama -
What’s Mine and Yours by Naima Coster
Riding the coattails of Little Fires Everywhere and The Vanishing Half, What’s Mine and Yours not only tells a blow-by-blow predictable tale but one that failed to entertain or elicit any feeling other than frustration in this particular reader. What’s Mine and Yours, ya basic. To call the writing in this novel ‘prose’ seems misleading…
1990s, 2 STARS, 2000s, 2010s, 3rd pov, abortion/miscarriage/bodily autonomy, affairs, America, American, Black & Black heritage authors, BOOK REVIEW, BOOK REVIEWS, Booklr, cheating, class, Contemporary, Dominican American author, drama, f/f side, family, female authors, FRANCE, HIGH SCHOOL, HISTORICAL FICTION, lesbian side characters, lgbtq+ side, MARRIAGE, MELODRAMA, motherhood, mothers & daughters, My reviews, Naima Coster, North Carolina, Paris, published in 2021, RACE, read in 2021, reading, SISTERS, social issues, weak prose, What's Mine and Yours -
Queenie by Candice Carty-Williams
How to describe Queenie? Cringe comedy without the comedy meets misery porn? Unfunny caricatures galore? Low-key offensive towards ethnic minorities? Look, I knew that Queenie would not be like Bridget Jones, and to be honest, that is a plus in my books (i watched the film adaptation when i first moved to britain and i…
1st pov, abortion/miscarriage/bodily autonomy, abuse, Adult, anxiety, bad love, Black & Black heritage authors, BOOK REVIEW, BOOK REVIEWS, Booklr, British author, Candice Carty-Williams, Contemporary, contemporary malaise, drama, england, female authors, LONDON, MELODRAMA, mental health, millennial, My reviews, office, published in 2019, Queenie, RACE, read in 2021, sex, social issues, toxic relationships, trauma, work culture -
The Mothers by Brit Bennett
“Grief was not a line, carrying you infinitely further from loss. You never knew when you would be sling-shot backward into its grip.” The first time I picked up The Mothers was back in 2017. After reading a few chapters I set aside thinking that it was not for me. And then came the advent…
2010s, 3 STARS, 3rd pov, abortion/miscarriage/bodily autonomy, affairs, America, American, AMERICAN AUTHOR, beautiful prose, Black & Black heritage authors, BOOK REVIEW, BOOK REVIEWS, Brit Bennett, California, cheating, Christianity, Contemporary, f/f side, family, favourite authors, female authors, female friendships, friendships, greek chorus, GRIEF, GUILT, lesbian side characters, lgbtq+ side, LITERARY FICTION, love triangle, motherhood, mothers & daughters, My reviews, problematic, published in 2016, read in 2021, reading, Religion, SMALL TOWN, suicide, The Mothers -
Interpreter of Maladies: Stories by Jhumpa Lahiri
“Still, there are times I am bewildered by each mile I have traveled, each meal I have eaten, each person I have known, each room in which I have slept. As ordinary as it all appears, there are times when it is beyond my imagination.” Jhumpa Lahiri’s restrained storytelling is a pleasure to read. I…
1990s, 4 STARS, abortion/miscarriage/bodily autonomy, affairs, age gap, America, American, BOOK REVIEW, BOOK REVIEWS, Booklr, BOSTON, cold tone, collection of short stories, Connecticut, cultural dissonance, different styles (1st/2nd/3rd povs), favourite authors, female authors, HISTORICAL FICTION, identity, India, indian american author, intergenerational, Interpreter of Maladies, LITERARY FICTION, loneliness, MARRIAGE, Massachusetts, My reviews, Pulitzer Prize, pulitzer prize winners, short stories -
Milk Blood Heat by Dantiel W. Moniz
“She was of that special age where she knew both nothing and everything, and no matter where or at whom she looked, she saw her own reflecting glimmering back like a skim of oil. She could be anyone, still.” Milk Blood Heat is a promising debut, one that I’m sure will be well-received by readers…
3.5 STARS, abortion/miscarriage/bodily autonomy, Adult, affairs, America, American, AMERICAN AUTHOR, Black & Black heritage authors, CHILDHOOD, collection of short stories, coming of age, Contemporary, Dantiel W. Moniz, different styles (1st/2nd/3rd povs), family, female authors, FLORIDA, friendships, girlhood, identity, illness, LITERARY FICTION, lyrical prose, MARRIAGE, mental health, Milk Blood Heat, motherhood, netgalley, published in 2021, RACE, read in 2020, SEXUALITY, short stories -
The Dragon Keeper: A novel by Mindy Mejia — book review
The Dragon Keeper tells a very specific type of story. This the third novel I’ve read by Mindy Mejia and it certainly has a unique premise. Mejia’s books differ in style and subject-manner, yet genre distinctions aside, each one of her story is underlined by a tense atmosphere. Most of The Dragon Keeper takes place…
3.25 stars, 3rd pov, abortion/miscarriage/bodily autonomy, Adult, America, American, AMERICAN AUTHOR, animals, BOOK REVIEW, Booklr, break-ups, cheating, environmental, female authors, labs, LITERARY FICTION, loneliness, Mindy Mejia, minnesota, motherhood, nature, parenting, published in 2012, read in 2020, science, The Dragon Keeper, work culture, zoos
luce [is reading] 