- ADULT, ARCS, BOOK REVIEWS, CULTURAL, FICTION, HISTORICAL FICTION, LITERARY FICTION, NETGALLEY, WOMEN'S FICTION
BOOK REVIEW : THE EXILES BY CHRISTINA BAKER KLINE
The Exiles by Christina Baker Kline is a well-researched historical fiction set in 19th century Australia. The book tells us the story of three women, Evangeline, Hazel, and Mathinna. Evangeline and Hazel are the two English convicts who get sentenced to Van Diemen’s Land. The Prisoners from Newgate Prison got often transported to the Island, where they had to complete the rest of their sentences. Mathinna is the Aboriginal orphan who gets uprooted from her life to live with the governor and his wife. The book is vividly descriptive and meticulously researched, giving the readers a distinct impression of the hardships and oppression faced each of these women during their…
- ADULT, ARCS, BOOK REVIEWS, FICTION, HISTORICAL FICTION, LITERARY FICTION, NETGALLEY, WOMEN'S FICTION
BOOK REVIEW : THE PARIS LIBRARY BY JANET SKESLIEN CHARLES
Paris Library is a historical fiction based on the true story of brave librarians during WW2. The book follows two main POVs, one of Odile, who used to be a librarian at the American Library in Paris, and Lily, who is a teenager in Froid, Montana. Odile was happy getting her dream job and spending her time in the library helping people with book recommendations. Her life was almost perfect with a handsome police officer beau, a best friend who shared her love for reading. Then war comes calling, and everything perfect falls into despair. Her stable life gets swiped from under her leaving her disconcerted. With Jews getting discriminated…
BOOK REVIEW : A SINGLE SWALLOW BY LING ZHANG, TRANSLATED BY SHELLY BRYANT
A Single Swallow is the story of a young woman Ah Yan. Ah Yan's life story, her journey from a naive young girl to a courageous young woman, is told from the perspectives of the three men in her life. After Japan's surrender, bringing an end to World War 2. The three men, after a day of joyous celebrations, take a vow to meet every year at the village. It was where they have lived, fought a war, and survived challenging times. Now seventy years later, they get to fulfill their promise. The American missionary Pastor Billy, the gunner’s mate Ian Ferguson, and a local soldier Liu Zhaohu come together…
BOOK REVIEW : LITTLE FIRES EVERYWHERE BY CELESTE NG
I have heard so many good things about this book on booktube and have been wanting to read it for a while now. I picked this up when I was in the mood for literary fiction and I am pleased I finally got around to it. I saw the trailer featuring Kerry Washington and Reese Witherspoon as well. I don't know if I will ever get around to watching the movie, but I am so thrilled to finally talk about this book. The story, the characters, and the writing were the best in this book. It was so captivating and engaging that I couldn't put it down. The characters were…
BOOK REVIEW : THE STRANGE ADVENTURES OF H BY SARAH BURTON
The Strange Adventures Of H is a fascinating memoir-style coming-of-age story of a young girl by the name H. This story is set during the Great Plague of London. It also covers The Great Fire of London and The Shrove Tuesday Riots that happened in London. H tells the readers her life story by taking us through a series of unfortunate events that drive her to make difficult decisions and having to fend for herself in the 17th century London that wasn't kind to young women who didn't have a man's protection. This is such an honest and raw account of her life experiences that make her the person she…
AUGUST WRAP-UP
This month I had a great time with a lot of my books. I had some amazing books that I immensely enjoyed this month. I was also able to complete an entire series and a few authors I will be on the lookout for after this month. I read 4 dystopian, YA, Science-Fiction/Fantasy books, 3 Literary Fictions, 1 YA Fantasy, 2 lower YA, higher middle-grade books as well. August was a good reading month for me and I was able to complete 10 books in total. I completed my Goodreads Challenge as well. This makes me so happy. I hope you guys also had a productive reading month. Let me…
BOOK REVIEW : BLACK SUNDAY BY TOLA ROTIMI ABRAHAM
Black Sunday by Tola Rotimi Abraham is a West-African literary fiction set in Lagos. I requested this book primarily because of the cover. That cover drew me in, and once I read the synopsis I was intrigued by it. The story is told from the POVs of the 4 siblings who were left by their mother and then, later on by their father as well. They were entrusted to the care of a reluctant grandmother with whom they spent their life. The story is an up-close examination of the 4 individuals' lives, and how they grow up with abandonment, loss, poverty, and other struggles. There are several important social issues…
BOOK REVIEW : THE ROYAL ABDULS BY RAMIZA SHAMOUN KOYA
Royal Abduls By Ramiza Shamoun Koya is a fantastic book that portrays the islamophobia, anti-muslim sentiment, and bigotry against people of color post 9/11 America in a realistic fashion. I had this book on my TBR for the longest time and I am glad I finally got around to reading it. This is a very important book and deals with a lot of social and political issues prevalent to this day. My first impression on reading the synopsis was that it was going to be about a practicing Muslim woman's experience and her struggles in the post 9/11 climate. But reading on I realized that the family had a Muslim…
BOOK REVIEW : THE BEAUTY OF YOUR FACE BY SAHAR MUSTAFAH
The Beauty Of Your Face by Sahar Mustafah is a great book that talks about the journey of a Palestinian-American woman Afaf. The story is filled with wisdom, compassion, and grace. We follow Afaf through her different stages in life. We see Afaf struggling with her identity and her lack of self-esteem. Also, the neglect from her mom leads her down a path of bad decisions. In a time filled with personal struggles, she finds strength in faith. Her becoming closer to faith helps her tackle the issues slowly but surely. All of this is told through her memories as she listens to the progress of a terrorist attacking her…
- ARCS, BOOK REVIEWS, FICTION, HORROR, LITERARY FICTION, MYSTERY, NETGALLEY, PARANORMAL, SPECULATIVE FICTION, THRILLER
BOOK REVIEW : THE ONLY GOOD INDIANS BY STEPHEN GRAHAM JONES
The book follows a couple of characters and we get to learn their stories as we move forward. The story is about a supernatural entity that hunts 4 Indian men for something that they did in their past. The story combines speculative fiction, horror, and social commentary wonderfully. Lewis an Indian man who left the reservation at a young age moved to the city working as a postal worker. He and his wife were leading their life happily when some hallucinations and certain supernatural events take place that leaves him unsettled. With him dealing with the guilt of what happened ten years ago and struggling to understand the forces that…
