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Greek Lessons by Han Kang
“The lit fuse of the chilly explosive primed in her heart is no more. The interior of her mouth is as empty as the veins through which the blood no longer flows, it is as empty as a lift shaft where the lift has ceased to operate.” In a clinically detached prose Han Kang examines…
3.5 STARS, Adult, ALIENATION, ambiguous protagonist, ambivalent mood, belonging, books about writers, cold tone, Contemporary, cultural dissonance, different styles (1st/2nd/3rd povs), disabilities, divorce/separations, female authors, Germany, Greek Lessons, GRIEF, Han Kang, introspective, Korea, korean author, language, LITERARY FICTION, loneliness, Longing, MEMORY, mental health, otherness, psychological, published in 2011, read in 2023, teachers, the body, the female malaise, unnamed characters -
You Are Free by Danzy Senna
Danzy Senna has a knack for unsettling her readers. The stories collected in You Are Free are a testament to her ability to create and maintain an atmosphere of disquiet, one that adds to the ambiguous characters populating her stories. The people Senna centres her stories around seem perpetually uneasy and their behaviour—which ranges from…
3 STARS, Adult, ALIENATION, America, belonging, Black & Black heritage authors, BOOK REVIEW, Booklr, class, collection of short stories, Contemporary, Danzy Senna, different styles (1st/2nd/3rd povs), favourite authors, female authors, feverish, graphic content, LITERARY FICTION, motherhood, parenting, passing, published in 2011, RACE, read in 2022, reading, short stories, SOCIAL COMMENTARY, social issues, surreal, You Are Free -
State of Wonder by Ann Patchett
“There was no one clear point of loss. It happened over and over again in a thousand small ways and the only truth there was to learn was that there was no getting used to.” Boasting her signature writing style State of Wonder is a captivating and thought-provoking read. Ann Patchett’s quiet yet graceful prose…
3rd pov, 5 STARS, ABSOLUTE FAVOURITE, Adult, age gap, America, American, AMERICAN AUTHOR, ANN PATCHETT, beautiful prose, BOOK REVIEW, BOOK REVIEWS, Booklr, brazil, doctors, Dreams, favourite authors, female authors, GRIEF, identity, latin america, LITERARY FICTION, loneliness, Longing, MAGICAL REALISM, minnesota, morality, motherhood, My reviews, nature, published in 2011, re-reads, read in 2016, read in 2021, reading, restrained prose, science, scientists & co, State of Wonder, summer reads, travel -
Beauty Queens by Libba Bray
This novel proved to be the perfect ‘escape’ read. While I may not have been enamoured by every single book I’ve read by Libba Bray (the finales to her series left me a wee bit unsatisfied) I do consider her to be an amazing writer and a favourite of mine. Usually, however, her books are…
3rd pov, 4 STARS, adventure, American, AMERICAN AUTHOR, beauty, beauty contest, Beauty Queens, Booklr, Contemporary, f/f side, female authors, female friendships, feminism, friendships, HUMOR, ISLAND, LESBIAN, lesbian side characters, lgbtq+, LIBBA BRAY, lord of the flies, pageants, pirates, playful style, published in 2011, queer, read in 2020, satire, social issues, surreal, survival, the wilds, trans side characters, uplifting reads, YOUNG ADULT -
Seven Years of Darkness by You-Jeong Jeong
Well, that was kind of ridiculous…The title and summary of this novel gave me the impression that the story would be very much focused on Sowon, the son of mass murder, who seven years after his father’s crimes receives a mysterious package that forces him to confront his past. And in some ways, we are…
2.5 STARS, 2000s, abuse, ABUSIVE RELATIONSHIPS, Adult, cat and mouse, Contemporary, CRIME, dark, DEATH, different styles (1st/2nd/3rd povs), female authors, Korea, Korean, korean author, MURDER, MYSTERY, psychopaths, published in 2011, read in 2020, revenge, Seven Years of Darkness, SUSPENSE, THRILLER, TRANSLATED FICTION, You-Jeong Jeong -
The Tiger’s Wife by Téa Obreht — book review
“He was alone and hungry, and that hunger, coupled with the thunderous noise of bombardment, had burned in him a kind of awareness of his own death, an imminent and innate knowledge he could neither dismiss nor succumb to.” To begin with I was intrigued by Téa Obreht’s The Tiger’s Wife. Obreht’s writing is both…
1940s, 1990s, 2010s, 20th century, 3.25 stars, balkans, BOOK REVIEW, Booklr, Contemporary, DEATH, doctors, female authors, FOLKLORE, HISTORICAL FICTION, LITERARY FICTION, MAGICAL REALISM, myths, published in 2011, read in 2020, Serbian American author, story within a story, Storytelling, survival, Téa Obreht, The Tiger’s Wife, tigers, unnamed country, war, WWII, zoos -
The Family Fang by Kevin Wilson — book review
“I understand that art is a necessary component of a civilized society, but you cannot just go around shooting people. That’s going to be a problem.” Having recently read and loved Nothing to See Here I wanted to check out Kevin Wilson’s earlier work. While The Family Fang has the same whimsical tone as his…
3 STARS, 3rd pov, actors, Adult, American, AMERICAN AUTHOR, ART/CREATIVITY, ARTISTS, BISEXUAL/PANSEXUAL, drama, family, favourite authors, film industry, HUMOR, Kevin Wilson, lgbtq+, LITERARY FICTION, male authors, parenting, playful style, published in 2011, READ IN 2019, satire, siblings, surreal, The Family Fang, weird -
The House of Silk by Anthony Horowitz — book review
For the most part The House of Silk was an entertaining read. Horowitz captures the essence of the dynamic between Sherlock Holmes and Watson so that readers will find his portrayal of these two famous characters to be all too familiar. As per usual Horowitz also cleverly combines more than one mystery together, throwing in…
1890s, 19TH CENTURY, 1st pov, 3.25 stars, abuse, Adult, Anthony Horowitz, BOOK REVIEW, British author, CRIME, DETECTIVE, england, HISTORICAL FICTION, HOLMES AND WATSON, LONDON, male authors, murder mystery, mystery puzzle, private investigator, published in 2011, READ IN 2019, RETELLINGS, sherlock holmes, sherlockiana, the house of silk, VICTORIAN, whodunnit -
I’ve Got Your Number by Sophie Kinsella — book review
My favourite “guilty pleasure” read. I say guilty because there is a lot that could be criticised about a book such as this. Yet, I’m always able to fully immerse myself in Poppy’s misadventures so much so that I feel 100% invested in her story. Kinsella’s sense of humour is as per usual one of…
1st pov, 4 STARS, Adult, affairs, BOOK REVIEW, British author, Contemporary, drama, england, female authors, HUMOR, I’ve Got Your Number, light reads, LONDON, published in 2011, re-reads, read in 2012, read in 2018, READ IN 2019, REVIEW, rom-coms, ROMANCE, SOPHIE KINSELLA, summer reads, uplifting reads, wedding drama
luce [is reading] 