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Either/Or by Elif Batuman
This sequel needs a sequel. “Was this the decisive moment of my life? It felt as if the gap that had dogged me all my days was knitting together before my eyes—so that, from this point on, my life would be as coherent and meaningful as my favorite books. At the same time, I had…
1990s, 1st pov, 5 STARS, ABSOLUTE FAVOURITE, academia, Adult, adulthood, America, American, arc, ART/CREATIVITY, autumn, BOOK REVIEWS, Booklr, books about books, books about writers, cambridge (us), campus, coming of age, Contemporary, contemporary malaise, cultural dissonance, Either/Or, Elif Batuman, existentialism, favourite authors, female authors, first love, friendships, Harvard, identity, introspective, language, LGBTQ+ Author, LITERARY FICTION, loneliness, Longing, Massachusetts, mumblecore, My reviews, netgalley, nostalgic reads, philosophical, psychological, published in 2022, re-reads, read in 2022, reading, RUSSIA, sex, SEXUALITY, SLICE OF LIFE, spring, strong sense of place, Summer, the female malaise, The Idiot, toxic relationships, travel, Turkey, turkish american author, UNIVERSITY/COLLEGE, unrequited love, WINTER, womanhood/femininity -
The Four Humors by Mina Seckin
“THE FOUR HUMORS THAT PUMP THROUGH MY BODY DETERMINE my character, temperament, mood. Blood, phlegm, black bile, and choler. The excess or lack of these bodily fluids designates how a person should be.” The Four Humors is a rather milquetoast addition to the young-alienated-women subgenre that has become all the vogue in the last few…
3 STARS, Adult, ALIENATION, ambiguous protagonist, America, American, anxiety, atmospheric, BOOK REVIEW, BOOK REVIEWS, Booklr, break-ups, chronic pain, cold tone, Contemporary, contemporary malaise, DEATH, DEPRESSION, eating disorders, ennui, family, female authors, GRIEF, illness, introspective, LITERARY FICTION, loneliness, Longing, medical, mental health, midlife crisis, Mina Seckin, mumblecore, My reviews, navel gazing, obsession, published in 2021, read in 2022, reading, sardonic humor, self-destructive, SISTERS, slow pacing, strong sense of place, Summer, summer reads, The Four Humors, Turkey, turkish american author -
The Idiot by Elif Batuman
When you heard -miş, you knew that you had been invoked in your absence—not just you but your hypocrisy, cowardice, and lack of generosity. Every time I heard it, I felt caught out. Equal parts cerebral and droll, The Idiot relates the humdrum tribulations of a Turkish-American Harvard freshman. Set in the mid-nineties The Idiot…
1990s, 1st pov, 3.75 stars, academia, Adult, adulthood, ALIENATION, America, American, BOOK REVIEW, BOOK REVIEWS, Booklr, books about books, books about writers, cambridge (us), campus, contemporary malaise, Elif Batuman, ennui, existentialism, female authors, first love, Harvard, HISTORICAL FICTION, hungary, introspective, language, LITERARY FICTION, loneliness, Longing, Massachusetts, mumblecore, navel gazing, no plot just vibes, nostalgic reads, philosophical, PUBLISHED IN 2017, re-reads, read in 2021, read in 2022, reading, she is not feeling good at all, SLICE OF LIFE, teachers, the female malaise, The Idiot, travel, Turkey, UNIVERSITY/COLLEGE, unrequited love, womanhood/femininity -
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 -
The Historian by Elizabeth Kostova — book review
What could have been the perfect historical mystery for bibliophiles ended up being an unnecessarily long-winded and frequently dull novel. “Looking up from my work, I suddenly realized that someone had left a book whose spine I had never seen before among my own textbooks, which sat on a shelf above my desk. The spine…
15th century, 1950s, 1970s, 20th century, 3 STARS, Adult, adventure, AMERICAN AUTHOR, big books, BOOK REVIEW, Booklr, books about books, bram stoker, bulgaria, different styles (1st/2nd/3rd povs), dracula, drama, Elizabeth Kostova, epistolary, female authors, FOLKLORE, FRANCE, GOTHIC, historians, HISTORICAL FICTION, history, istanbul, librarians, libraries/bookshops, LITERARY FICTION, modern gothic, MYSTERY, Netherlands, philosophical, psychological, published in 2005, READ IN 2019, Religion, Romania, slow pacing, story within a story, SUPERNATURAL, SUSPENSE, the historian, travel, Turkey, unnamed narrator, VAMPIRES -
10 Minutes 38 Seconds in this Strange World by Elif Shafak — book review
Shafak never disappoints! In her newest novel Shafak explores many of the themes she has already touched upon in previous novels in an innovative manner as the narrative bridges the gap between the life and death of its protagonist. There is something about Shafak’s prose that really resonates with me. She can address serious and…
10 Minutes 38 Seconds in this Strange World, 4.25 stars, afterlife, BOOK REVIEW, class, Contemporary, DEATH, different styles (1st/2nd/3rd povs), ELIF SHAFAK, favourite authors, female authors, female friendships, friendships, GRIEF, introspective, istanbul, lgbtq+ side, LITERARY FICTION, MAGICAL REALISM, MEMORY, Poverty, prostitution, sexual assault/abuse/rape, social issues, trans side characters, TRANSGENDER, Turkey, turkish author, violence against women -
Walking on the Ceiling : Book Review
Walking on the Ceiling by Aysegül Savas ★★✰✰✰ 2 stars I don’t mind plotless novels or meandering stories but there has to be something that holds my attention. Some of my favourite books feature characters with little to no backstory, and simply focus on a time of their life or certain feelings that they…
1st pov, 2 STARS, Adult, Aysegül Savas, bad love, BOOK REVIEWS, Booklr, books about writers, BOOKS ON WRITING, Contemporary, cultural dissonance, existentialism, female authors, FRANCE, GRIEF, identity, istanbul, LITERARY FICTION, MEMORY, metaphysical, migration/immigration, Paris, philosophical, published in 2019, READ IN 2019, REVIEW, travel, Turkey, turkish author, UNIVERSITY/COLLEGE, Walking on the Ceiling -
The Saint of Incipient Insanities: Book Review
The Saint of Incipient Insanities by Elif Shafak ★★★★✰ 3.5 stars (rounded up to 4 just for kicks) “Lovers are pathetically charming, and exceedingly full of themselves, itself more precisely, for one of the plentiful troubles with loving couples is that the minute two autonomous selves develop themselves into a duo, instead of “two” (as in…
2000s, 3.5 STARS, 3rd pov, Adult, ALIENATION, America, American, BISEXUAL/PANSEXUAL, BOSTON, DEPRESSION, eating disorders, ELIF SHAFAK, existentialism, female authors, friendships, HUMOR, introspective, language, lgbtq+, mental health, philosophical, playful style, published in 2004, READ IN 2019, The Saint of Incipient Insanities, Turkey, turkish author, UNIVERSITY/COLLEGE -
The Bastard of Istanbul by Elif Shafak
A whimsical and moving tale that spans through the most difficult times. To say that the focus of this novel is of the contemporary troubled relationship between Armenians and Turks is reductive. Shafak’s writing is incredibly evocative: she brings to life smells, sounds, cultures and cities. Her descriptions envelope you transporting you straight into her…
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Madonna in a Fur Coat by Sabahattin Ali
‘All I could feel was a terrible hollowness in my heart. A door had opened, promising the sublime, but then it had slammed shut, robbing my life of all hope and meaning. I felt as bereft as if I’d woken from the sweetest of dreams to face the pain of truth.’ Madonna in a Fur…
luce [is reading] 