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Marie’s Proof of Love by Mieko Kawakami
“Love doesn’t belong to any of us—it exists elsewhere, complete, from beginning to end. We simply have the privilege of coming into contact with it every once in a while.” The dreamlike mood permeating this short story by Mieko Kawakami is reminiscent of Elisabeth Thomas’s Catherine House, Sylvia Plath, and Fleur Jaeggy’s Sweet Days of…
abuse, all girls school, boarding/private school, dreamlike quality, female authors, GRIEF, heartbreak/breakups, JAPANESE AUTHOR, loneliness, Marie’s Proof of Love, melancholy, Mieko Kawakami, NOVELLA/SHORT STORY, published in 2021, read in 2022, sapphic, short stories, the female malaise, trauma, unnamed country -
ひらやすみ (Hirayasumi) #1 by Keigo Shinzo
Hirayasumi is a wonderful slice of life manga that will definitely appeal to fans of the iyashikei sub-genre. There is a lulling, comforting even, quality to the Shinzo’s storytelling, from his characters to his art style. With little preamble the manga explores every-day experiences of its central characters, giving insight into their lives and the…
Adult, adulthood, ART/CREATIVITY, ARTISTS, ひらやすみ, Contemporary, existentialism, friendships, Hirayasumi, HUMOR, Iyashikei, japan, JAPANESE AUTHOR, Keigo Shinzo, light reads, male artists, male authors, manga, published in 2021, read in 2022, Sequential Art, SLICE OF LIFE, tokyo, UNIVERSITY/COLLEGE, uplifting reads, youth -
Dear Memory: Letters on Writing, Silence, and Grief by Victoria Chang
“Maybe our desire for the past grows after the decay of our present.” Dear Memory: Letters on Writing, Silence, and Grief is a deeply affecting work that struck me for its beauty and empathy. Victoria Chang’s lyrical writing is not only aesthetically pleasing but it demonstrates admirable emotional intelligence, sensitivity, and insight. Not only I…
4 STARS, America, asian american, asian diaspora, AUTOBIOGRAPHY, belonging, China, chinese american author, Contemporary, Dear Memory, Dear Memory Letters on Writing Silence and Grief, eating disorders, ESSAYS, experimental, family, female authors, GRIEF, identity, intergenerational, language, lyrical prose, MEMOIR, MEMORY, migration/immigration, mothers & daughters, Multimedia, Nonfiction, POETRY, published in 2021, RACE, read in 2022, Victoria Chang, writing about writing -
Himawari House by Harmony Becker
Himawari House breathes a breath of fresh air into the contemporary graphic novel genre. I have never come across a multilingual graphic novel so it was really refreshing to see Harmony Becker seamlessly incorporate English, Japanese, Korean, and Singlish in her work. I loved that the English equivalent of whatever was being said in Japanese…
3 STARS, America, belonging, coming of age, Contemporary, cultural dissonance, female authors, female friendships, friendships, Graphic Novels, Harmony Becker, Himawari House, identity, japan, japanese american author, Korea, language, loneliness, NEW ADULT, published in 2021, read in 2022, ROMANCE, Sequential Art, singapore, SLICE OF LIFE, travel, YOUNG ADULT -
We Had to Remove This Post by Hanna Bervoets
We Had to Remove This Post is one of those books that leaves me thinking…well, not much beyond: this is a thing that exists It doesn’t happen all that much but now and again I read books that spectacularly fail to elicit any discernible feeling or emotion in me (beyond ‘meh’). This is ironic given…
1st pov, 2 STARS, Adult, cold tone, Contemporary, dutch author, f/f, female authors, feverish, Hanna Bervoets, HORROR, jealousy, LESBIAN, lgbtq+, LITERARY FICTION, morality, Netherlands, NOVELLA/SHORT STORY, obsession, office, paranoia, psychological, published in 2021, queer, read in 2022, sapphic, social issues, social media, subject over characters/story, technology, TRANSLATED FICTION, unreliable narrators, violence, We Had to Remove This Post, work culture -
My Heart Is a Chainsaw by Stephen Graham Jones
“Horror’s not a symptom, it’s a love affair.” My Heart Is a Chainsaw is a magnificently chaotic ode to slasher, one that demonstrates an unparalleled knowledge of the genre, its logic & tropes. I saw quite a lot of reviews describing this as a slow burner, and sì, in some ways Stephen Graham Jones withholds…
3rd pov, 4 STARS, addiction, adrenaline fuelled reads, Adult, ALIENATION, America, AMERICAN AUTHOR, atmospheric, Blackfoot, blackfoot author, BOOK REVIEW, BOOK REVIEWS, Booklr, creepy setting, dark, dark humor, female friendships, films, friendships, gore, graphic content, HIGH SCHOOL, Idaho, incest, indigenous, indigenous author, loneliness, male authors, meta, MURDER, My Heart Is a Chainsaw, MYSTERY, native american & first nation, Native American & First Nation authors, obsession, playful style, Poverty, psychological, published in 2021, queer undercurrents, read in 2022, reading, revenge, sexual assault/abuse/rape, she is dangerous, slasher, Stephen Graham Jones, strong sense of place, SUPERNATURAL, SUSPENSE, terrific prose, the female malaise, THRILLER, trauma, violence -
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 -
Summer Sons by Lee Mandelo
Summer Sons is very much a vibes-driven novel that would not exist without Maggie Stiefvater’s The Dream Thieves. From the aesthetics permeating the story to the combative & codependent character dynamics, Summer Sons share a lot of similarities with that book. Lee Mandelo’s older cast of characters however allow for them to employ an edgier…
3.5 STARS, 3rd pov, academia, Adult, America, AMERICAN AUTHOR, atmospheric, bi side characters, BOOK REVIEWS, Booklr, cars, coming of age, Contemporary, curses, DEATH, FANTASY, friendships, gay side characters, ghosts/spirits, GOTHIC, history, HORROR, identity, it’s about the *aesthetics*, Lee Mandelo, lgbtq+, LGBTQ+ Author, M/F/M side, m/m, MURDER, My reviews, MYSTERY, nashville, NEW ADULT, PARANORMAL, polyamory, published in 2021, queer, read in 2022, reading, SEXUALITY, Southern America, southern gothic, summer reads, Summer Sons, SUPERNATURAL, tennessee, toxic relationships, trans side characters, trauma, UNIVERSITY/COLLEGE -
Anything But Fine by Tobias Madden
I had quite hopes for Anything But Fine and the first few chapters promised a ya coming-of-age in the realms of The Sky Blues, Fifteen Hundred Miles from the Sun, and You Should See Me in a Crown. As the story progresses however I found myself growing weary of the unnecessary miscommunication. If you are…
1st pov, 3 STARS, Anything But Fine, AUSTRALIA, AUSTRALIAN AUTHOR, bi side characters, BOOK REVIEW, Booklr, Contemporary, dancing, drama, gay, HIGH SCHOOL, lgbtq+, LGBTQ+ Author, m/m, male authors, My reviews, published in 2021, queer, read in 2022, reading, ROMANCE, sports, teen angst, Tobias Madden, YOUNG ADULT -
The Trees by Percival Everett
“Money, Mississippi, looks exactly like it sounds. Named in that persistent Southern tradition of irony and with the attendant tradition of nescience, the name becomes slightly sad, a marker of self-conscious ignorance that might as well be embraced because, let’s face it, it isn’t going away.” Percival Everett is an author that has been on…
3 STARS, 3rd pov, Adult, America, AMERICAN AUTHOR, Black & Black heritage authors, BOOK REVIEW, BOOK REVIEWS, Booklr, Contemporary, CRIME, graphic content, history, male authors, Mississippi, MURDER, My reviews, MYSTERY, Percival Everett, published in 2021, RACE, read in 2022, reading, revenge, satire, SMALL TOWN, small town crime, SOCIAL COMMENTARY, social issues, Southern America, SUSPENSE, The Trees, violence
luce [is reading] 