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The Human Zoo by Sabina Murray
Written with compelling self-assurance The Human Zoo focuses on Ting, a Filipino-American journalist in her late forties whose marriage is close to collapse. Ting decides to go to Manila, where she seeks refuge in her Tita Rosa’s house, who still dotes on her like she was a child. Ting’s motivations for this journey are ambiguous,…
1st pov, 4 STARS, Adult, affairs, ambivalent mood, atmospheric, books about writers, class, colonialism, Contemporary, DEATH, divorce/separations, female authors, filipino american author, gay side characters, history, identity, introspective, journalism, lgbtq+ side, LITERARY FICTION, navel gazing, philippines, place as character, politics, PRIVILEGE, psychological, published in 2022, queer side characters, re-reads, read in 2022, read in 2023, rich people, Sabina Murray, SOCIAL COMMENTARY, social issues, strong sense of place, The Human Zoo, trans side characters -
Babel, or The Necessity of Violence: An Arcane History of the Oxford Translators’ Revolution by R.F. Kuang
“Languages aren’t just made of words. They’re modes of looking at the world. They’re the keys to civilization. And that’s knowledge worth killing for.” Babel, or The Necessity of Violence: An Arcane History of the Oxford Translators’ Revolution is an fierce indictment against colonialism. Within this superbly written slow-burner of a bildungsroman, R.F. Kuang presents her…
1820s, 1830s, 19TH CENTURY, 3 STARS, 3rd pov, 4 STARS, abuse, academia, Adult, ALIENATION, alternate history, anxiety-inducing reads, atmospheric, babel, Babel or The Necessity of Violence: An Arcane History of the Oxford Translators' Revolution, belonging, BOOK REVIEWS, Booklr, brothers, child abuse, CHILDHOOD, China, chinese american author, class, cliques, colonialism, coming of age, cultural dissonance, dark academia, DEATH, england, FANTASY, fathers & sons, female authors, friendships, great storytelling, growing up, GUILT, HISTORICAL FICTION, history, identity, India, language, lgbtq+, LONDON, loneliness, Longing, MAGIC, morality, MURDER, muslim side characters, My reviews, MYSTERY, orphans, oxford, philosophical, politics, PRIVILEGE, psychological, published in 2022, queer undercurrents, R.F. Kuang, RACE, read in 2022, reading, revenge, secret societies, secretiveness, ship, SOCIAL COMMENTARY, social issues, strong sense of place, SUSPENSE, teachers, terrific prose, tragedy, travel, UNIVERSITY/COLLEGE, URBAN FANTASY, war -
Conditional Citizens: On Belonging in America by Laila Lalami
Drawing from her own experiences as a Moroccan immigrant living in the States, in Conditional Citizens: On Belonging in America Laila Lalami presents us with an impassioned and thoughtful social commentary. With piercing clarity, she touches upon Islamophobia, xenophobia, racism, and sexism. She reflects on the many flaws and conditions of citizenship, specifically American citizenship,…
1st pov, 2000s, 2010s, 4 STARS, America, American dream, belonging, BOOK REVIEW, BOOK REVIEWS, Booklr, books about writers, Conditional Citizens, Conditional Citizens: On Belonging in America, cultural dissonance, ESSAYS, female authors, history, identity, Islam, Laila Lalami, MEMOIR, migration/immigration, Moroccan American author, morocco, Nonfiction, politics, published in 2020, RACE, read in 2022, reading, SOCIAL COMMENTARY, social issues -
Lightseekers by Femi Kayode
Lightseeker is a propulsive thriller that combines a who/whydunnit with a thought-provoking social commentary. Set in Nigeria, Lightseeker is predominantly narrated by Dr. Philip Taiwo, an investigative psychologist who has recently returned to Nigeria after having spent years in the United States. A husband and a father of two, Philip struggles to readjust to Nigeria’s…
3 STARS, Adult, affairs, Black & Black heritage authors, BOOK REVIEW, Booklr, CRIME, cults, cultural dissonance, DEATH, different styles (1st/2nd/3rd povs), Femi Kayode, graphic content, Lightseeker, male authors, MURDER, My reviews, MYSTERY, Nigeria, Nigerian author, politics, PSYCHIATRISTS & THERAPISTS, published in 2021, read in 2022, reading, SMALL TOWN, small town crime, SOCIAL COMMENTARY, social issues, THRILLER, UNIVERSITY/COLLEGE, violence -
Rouge Street: Three Novellas by Shuang Xuetao
Rouge Street presents its readers with three novellas by Shuang Xuetao which have been translated by Jeremy Tiang who once again has done a stellar job. The prose of these novellas is smooth and engaging, contrasting with the sometimes stark realities experienced by the characters populating these stories. The backdrop to most of these stories…
3 STARS, Adult, BOOK REVIEWS, Booklr, China, chinese author, collection of short stories, Contemporary, different styles (1st/2nd/3rd povs), family, intergenerational, MAGICAL REALISM, male authors, My reviews, NOVELLA/SHORT STORY, politics, Poverty, published in 2022, read in 2022, reading, Rouge Street, Rouge Street: Three Novellas, short stories, Shuang Xuetao, social issues, surreal, TRANSLATED FICTION -
The Embassy of Cambodia by Zadie Smith
This is the first story I read by Zadie Smith that I actually didn’t hate. In fact, one could even say that I quite liked The Embassy of Cambodia. Smith’s adroit storytelling is characterised by a razor-sharp social commentary and a trenchant sense of humor. While I was overall able to appreciate this short story,…
3 STARS, 3rd pov, Adult, Black & Black heritage authors, British author, class, Contemporary, england, female authors, LITERARY FICTION, LONDON, migration/immigration, NOVELLA/SHORT STORY, politics, PRIVILEGE, published in 2013, RACE, read in 2021, rich people, satire, short stories, sitter/au pair/governess, SOCIAL COMMENTARY, The Embassy of Cambodia, ZADIE SMITH -
Noor by Nnedi Okorafor
Earlier this year I read and loved Nnedi Okorafor’s Remote Control, which is a truly wonderful novella. Because of this, I was looking forward to Noor as I’m a fan of Okorafor’s take on Africanfuturism and of the way she seamlessly fuses folkloresque fantasy elements with sci-fi ones. While Noor certainly delivers on the Africanfuturism…
2.5 STARS, 3rd pov, Adult, afrofuturism, arc, Black & Black heritage authors, BOOK REVIEW, BOOK REVIEWS, Booklr, dystopia, FANTASY, female authors, FOLKLORE, My reviews, netgalley, Nigeria, nigerian american author, NNEDI OKORAFOR, noor, politics, published in 2021, read in 2021, reading, SCI-FI, SPECULATIVE FICTION, subject over characters/story -
Good Talk: A Memoir in Conversations by Mira Jacob
Mira Jacob’s Good Talk is a small gem of a memoir. Jacob combines different media to discuss a number of issues and topics. Jacob transports to the page the difficult conversations she’s had with her son about race, while also recounting her own experiences growing up as a first-generation Indian-American. Much of Good Talk takes…
2000s, 2010s, 4 STARS, Adult, America, American, AUTOBIOGRAPHY, BOOK REVIEW, BOOK REVIEWS, Booklr, colorism, Contemporary, dialogue heavy, family, female authors, Good Talk, Good Talk: A Memoir in Conversations, Graphic Novels, India, indian american author, MEMOIR, migration/immigration, Mira Jacob, mothers & sons, My reviews, Nonfiction, politics, published in 2019, RACE, read in 2021, reading, Sequential Art, social issues -
Three Daughters of Eve by Elif Shafak
“She and Mona and I. The three of us: the Sinner, the Believer, the Confused.” Since I fell in love with Shafak’s The Forty Rules of Love back in 2016, I have made my way through her oeuvre, even her more ‘obscure’ titles such as the overlooked gem that is The Saint of Incipient Insanities.…
1980s, 1990s, 2000s, 2010s, 3 STARS, 3rd pov, bi side characters, BOOK REVIEW, BOOK REVIEWS, Booklr, campus, CHILDHOOD, class, Contemporary, cultural dissonance, drama, ELIF SHAFAK, england, family, favourite authors, female authors, friendships, growing up, GUILT, introspective, Islam, jealousy, lgbtq+ side, LITERARY FICTION, MAGICAL REALISM, My reviews, oxford, politics, published in 2016, read in 2021, Religion, teachers, Turkey, turkish author, UNIVERSITY/COLLEGE, unrequited love -
American Spy by Lauren Wilkinson
American Spy opens with a bang only to come screeching to halt within a few pages. What could have been an intriguing tale of espionage is thwarted by lacklustre execution: painfully slow pacing, watching-paint-dry levels of entertainment, cardboard characters, robotic narration, dry dialogues, heavy on the telling…Aside from its snazzy cover & title, and that…
1960s, 1970s, 1980s, 1990s, 1st pov, 2 STARS, America, American, AMERICAN AUTHOR, American Spy, Black & Black heritage authors, BOOK REVIEW, BOOK REVIEWS, Booklr, Burkina Faso, Caribbean, espionage, family, female authors, gay side characters, heavy on telling, HISTORICAL FICTION, Lauren Wilkinson, lgbtq+ side, Martinique, My reviews, NEW YORK, political intrigue, politics, published in 2019, RACE, read in 2021, SISTERS, slow pacing, spies, THRILLER, west africa
luce [is reading] 