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The Magician’s Assistant by Ann Patchett
Quietly meditative yet incredibly evocative. I find it difficult to pick favorites when it comes to Patchett’s work but The Magician’s Assistant has my heart. Published in 1997 Ann Patchettโs third novel, The Magician’s Assistant is her most underrated work to date. Like with any other novel that I hold dear to my heart, I…
1990s, 3rd pov, ABSOLUTE FAVOURITE, abuse, Adult, aids/hiv, America, AMERICAN AUTHOR, ANN PATCHETT, atmospheric, beautiful prose, California, Contemporary, DEATH, dreamlike quality, Dreams, f/f, favourite authors, female authors, friendships, gay side characters, GRIEF, illness, introspective, lgbtq+, LITERARY FICTION, Longing, los angeles, m/m side, MAGIC, MAGICAL REALISM, magicians, melancholy, MEMORY, Nebraska, published in 1997, queer, re-reads, read in 2016, read in 2017, read in 2022, restrained prose, sapphic, SLICE OF LIFE, SMALL TOWN, strong sense of place, The Magician's Assistant, travel, unrequited love, WINTER -
Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin
Usually, when I read a book I know how I feel about itโwhether I loved it, really liked it, thought it was just okay, or disliked itโand 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 -
Bliss Montage by Ling Ma
โIt is in the most surreal situations that a person feels the most present, the closest to reality.โ An ingenious and effervescent collection of surreal stories that will definitely appeal to fans of Kevin Wilson, Helen Oyeyemi, and Hiroko Oyamada. Ling Ma has a knack for blending realistic dynamics and issues with absurdist ones, and,…
4 STARS, ABUSIVE RELATIONSHIPS, Adult, America, asian american, asian diaspora, belonging, Bliss Montage, books about writers, California, China, chinese american author, collection of short stories, Contemporary, creative writing seminars, different styles (1st/2nd/3rd povs), dreamlike quality, existentialism, female authors, heartbreak/breakups, interconnected stories, Ling Ma, LITERARY FICTION, loneliness, los angeles, MAGICAL REALISM, motherhood, NEW YORK, office, parenting, playful style, portal fantasy, pregnancy, published in 2022, read in 2022, short stories, surreal, toxic relationships, unnamed country, weird -
Fiona and Jane by Jean Chen Ho
Fiona and Jane is yet another one of my most anticipated 2022 releases that left me wanting. While the author is certainly a decent writer, I found myself dissatisfied by the friendship that was meant to be the core of her book. Their relationship did not feel complex or nuanced, in fact, it did not…
2.5 STARS, ABUSIVE RELATIONSHIPS, Adult, America, American, asian american, BISEXUAL/PANSEXUAL, BOOK REVIEW, BOOK REVIEWS, Booklr, California, cheating, collection of short stories, Contemporary, contemporary malaise, conversational style, different styles (1st/2nd/3rd povs), f/f side, female authors, female friendships, fiona and jane, friendships, girlhood, growing up, GUILT, horrible friends, interconnected stories, Jean Chen Ho, lgbtq+, los angeles, My reviews, NEW YORK, published in 2022, queer, read in 2022, reading, ROMANCE, short stories, style over character, taiwan, Taiwanese American Author, toxic relationships -
Mom Jeans and Other Mistakes by Alexa Martin
Mom Jeans and Other Mistakes is an exceedingly average chick-lit novel. While I appreciated that it was very much a novel about friendship, as opposed to romance, and that the author does incorporate more serious issues within her otherwise light-hearted story, I found many scenes to be cringey (unintentionally so) and towards the end, things…
1st pov, 3 STARS, addiction, Adult, Alexa Martin, America, American, AMERICAN AUTHOR, Black & Black heritage authors, BOOK REVIEW, BOOK REVIEWS, Booklr, California, Contemporary, divorce/separations, drama, female authors, female friendships, friendships, HUMOR, influencers, light reads, los angeles, millennial, motherhood, mothers & daughters, My reviews, published in 2021, read in 2021, reading, romcom, summer reads, toxic relationships -
Devil in a Blue Dress by Walter Mosley
that sex scene was ๐ Having enjoyed two of Mosleyโs latest novels (Trouble Is What I Do and Blood Grove) I was looking forward to delving into his earlier work. Devil in a Blue Dress is the first book in his Easy Rawlins series and, while it has many of Mosleyโs best traits, overall it…
1940s, 1st pov, 3 STARS, Adult, America, American, AMERICAN AUTHOR, Black & Black heritage authors, BOOK REVIEW, BOOK REVIEWS, Booklr, California, CRIME, DETECTIVE, Devil in a Blue Dress, Easy Rawlins, HISTORICAL FICTION, los angeles, male authors, missing persons, missing women, My reviews, MYSTERY, Noir, private investigator, published in 1990, RACE, read in 2021, reading, THRILLER, Walter Mosley -
Fifteen Hundred Miles from the Sun by Jonny Garza Villa
โAnd I think about how Dad gave me everything I could need. Except for the one thing that shouldn’t have terms or conditions. That should be a given. That should be so easy. Acceptance.โ Written in a simple conversational style Fifteen Hundred Miles from the Sun is a tender love story, equal parts funny and…
1st pov, 3.5 STARS, abuse, America, American, bi side characters, BOOK REVIEW, BOOK REVIEWS, Booklr, California, coming of age, Contemporary, fathers & sons, found family, friendships, gay, HIGH SCHOOL, latin american, latinx author, LDR, lgbtq+, LGBTQ+ Author, los angeles, m/m, My reviews, published in 2021, queer, read in 2021, reading, SEXUALITY, social issues, Summer, summer reads, texas, uplifting reads, YOUNG ADULT -
We Play Ourselves by Jen Silverman
โWorse than being evil, you have been made embarrassing. A punch line, again and again, for a joke that just keeps telling itself. The joke is success. And the punch lineโevery single timeโis you.โ We Play Ourselves is a surprisingly gratifying and shrewdly observed debut novel. Jen Silverman presents her readers with a resonant character…
1st pov, 4 STARS, actors, Adult, affairs, America, American, AMERICAN AUTHOR, ART/CREATIVITY, ARTISTS, bi side characters, books about writers, California, coming of age, Contemporary, contemporary malaise, existentialism, f/f, female authors, film industry, friendships, gay side characters, GUILT, identity, introspective, jealousy, Jen Silverman, lesbian side characters, lgbtq+, LGBTQ+ Author, LITERARY FICTION, loneliness, los angeles, m/m side, NEW YORK, queer, read in 2021, sapphic, SEXUALITY, summer reads, theatre, unrequited love, We Play Ourselves -
Blood Grove by Walter Mosley
โLife is one long side street with about a million crossroads, Sorry used to tell me when I was a boy. Every hour, sometimes every minute, you got to make the choice which way to go. Some of them turns donโt matter but donโt let that fool ya. The minute you start to think that…
1960s, 1st pov, 20th century, 4 STARS, Adult, America, American, AMERICAN AUTHOR, Black & Black heritage authors, BOOK REVIEWS, Booklr, California, CRIME, DETECTIVE, HARD-BOILED, HISTORICAL FICTION, los angeles, male authors, MYSTERY, Noir, place as character, private investigator, prostitution, published in 2021, read in 2021, SOCIAL COMMENTARY, terrific prose, THRILLER, war related ptsd -
Milk Fed by Melissa Broder
(heads up: this review contains mentions of eating disorders and body dysmorphia as well as explicit language) While I doubt that Milk Fed will win many awards, I sure hope that it wins the Bad Sex in Fiction Award. It 100% deserves to. โWas it real freedom? Unlikely. But my rituals kept me skinny, and…
1st pov, 2.5 STARS, Adult, ALIENATION, all of the trigger warnings, America, American, AMERICAN AUTHOR, bad love, BISEXUAL/PANSEXUAL, body dysmorphia, California, Contemporary, contemporary malaise, dark humor, eating disorders, f/f, female authors, film industry, graphic content, illness, incest-y, introspective, Jewish, lgbtq+, los angeles, Melissa Broder, mental health, Milk Fed, mumblecore, navel gazing, netgalley, published in 2021, queer, read in 2020, Religion, sapphic, sex, toxic relationships, trigger warning, work culture
luce [is reading] 