I loved this whimsical, beauriful, sparse yet poetic style. Unnamed protagionists are my favourite an the exploration of this woman in her forties whoI loved this whimsical, beauriful, sparse yet poetic style. Unnamed protagionists are my favourite an the exploration of this woman in her forties who has lived her life in one place, one city, unmarried and without children and is asking and yet also satisfied with the answer to who would I be if I took another road. The Italian title is 'Where Am I?' Which I think works really well, but whereabouts also conveys the flexibility of the future and the past. The going forward but also acknowledging you always leave a plate in your old home.
Luster is very much a book about being a Black woman when also very much not a book about anything, we follow Edith through a stream of consciousness Luster is very much a book about being a Black woman when also very much not a book about anything, we follow Edith through a stream of consciousness journey of being twenty-three and an artist, being a woman, having a relationship with a man twice her age in an open marriage. Lots of things happen and nothing happens and it's a very internal book that is written very direct when also being very poignant and poetic at times. And follows her so closely, as she freely conveys her insecurities but also never completely owns up to all her feelings. It is about womanhood, about art, and being Black in a world made for whiteness. ...more
I love the way that Backman interweaves stories and character, the way he gives humanity to the worst and the broken, the way he captures emotions andI love the way that Backman interweaves stories and character, the way he gives humanity to the worst and the broken, the way he captures emotions and the many layers of people.
I want to grow up and write like Fredrik Backman. Ensemble Casts. Shifting Omniscient Point of View. References to the future and how things turn out. Radical hope and humanity in the midst of hardship. Incrediblely flawed characters.
I was expecting to follow the many focus characters of last book and was suprised that we had many new characters and many old characters like David or Zach where we got smaller glimpses of them. Even Amat was followed way less extensively then he was and yet I did really feel like we aaw their souls in the moments we spent with them. And I loved the threads introduced, the characters that were new and the ones we saw more of.
I didn't cry until the last hour or so and then I didn't stop. And though the earlier part was less visceral it was no less poignant. It showcased the more gradual aftermath and showed the breakdown of family, of Peter and Kiera and of Leo. Of my boy, Benji.
I loved the five old guys and women. I burst out laughing with the cooler being snuck in by a nonchalant 'it's my cat' 'don't tell her it's dead' I thought the last bar scene was particularly poignant.
I liked Vetard (spelling?) And the humaness of Teale. There relationship. The last game and the bunkbed and Anna's first competition.
I am sucker for any last. The mentions in the first and of them laughing right before tragedy in this one. Of their final game in the end.
All of this swells my heart so much..and as I am more connected to the characters and it is a less agressive/tragic I might like this more. But I think I could argue between the two forever. They hit gery different and very the same. They are both incredible.
I love his use of motifs of using the same words and sentences and repeating them throughout, chsnging how we see it. Reminding us of themes and of characters. Of impact.
This is also one where I won't watch the adaption. I love that the adaptation will bring morebpeople the story, will make more people read the books. But I think over all I am kinda down with them. Not because I am vehemently anti adaptation, some of my favourite shows and films are adaptations, just none of them are of books I've read. Or of books I read before I read before watching. I don't think I am elitist, I just think my favourite thing about stories is the narration. The way the story is captured and that's not something a visual medium can offer.
tw: misogyny, death, drug use, mentions of rape, alcoholism...more
⁸This one didn't hit me as much as the first two, I am a sucker for people just living life and this is more condensed and on a trip but it was still ⁸This one didn't hit me as much as the first two, I am a sucker for people just living life and this is more condensed and on a trip but it was still fun and full of conversation on what it means to be in a relationship and conversations on the effects of bullying on mental health (both anorexia and cutting are discussed).
Spoilers:
I am a little on the side of radical forgivenesss so there was a scene where a person tried to ask forgiveness for their previous homephobic comments and were told off and met with cheers. When it was addressed that they tried in front of others which could be opportunistic but they had previously told off others for their comments so it's kinda aligns that they would have it on their mind and want to apologize before the end of the trip. And they also were shut down at the door, it goes to think they weren't trying to make a scene only to enter and talk to Charlie and Nick. It just felt out of place in a book about healing, and a big plot is Nick is realizing that he was a bystander in the bullying of Charlie.
I don't think someone is owed good will if they continue to antagonize but I do think it is important to acknowledge that people change....more
Middle grade short stories celebrating culture snd discussing family dynamics, grief and culture.
My favourite story was the first where a boy learns tMiddle grade short stories celebrating culture snd discussing family dynamics, grief and culture.
My favourite story was the first where a boy learns to embrace his culture after nine years of living with his father putting down him, his sister and mom for looking Indigenous instead of white. His stepdad teaches him traditional dances and helps him connect with his heritage. There was some other really good stand outs but a lot I wanted more than the glimpse we got into the character's lives. But I loved the variety of stories and that the protagonists were from lots of different tribes....more
This is a hard one to rate as it was a great experience. I laughed and had a good time with the family dynamics and though I could look over the majorThis is a hard one to rate as it was a great experience. I laughed and had a good time with the family dynamics and though I could look over the major plot flaws in the first part the third act was all over the place. I read some reviews where they thought it was most enjoyable part and if you want drama and unexpected ridiculousness. Then yes. But this rom com-crazy occurrence was just too much.
I don't like drama. I like more quiet, slow paced books and though this was funny and entertaining I need some realism in the stakes.
I thought Meddelin wasn't the most fleshed out, her friend at the beginning never reappeared, her aunties were great but the more emotional or realistic didn't pay off, Jacqueline was great, the twists were interesting but I am not sure if it would be so easy to redeem their actions. When a simple (if scary) conversation could have kept from criminal and later dangerous actions.
The conclusion was too easy, contrived.
That saying as a good time it was fun. If you want something hilarious and ridiculous I think this is a great pick.
This was breathtaking, gorgeously written and developed, telling three stories of Kamibirinachi and her two daughters Kehinde and Taiye and how traumaThis was breathtaking, gorgeously written and developed, telling three stories of Kamibirinachi and her two daughters Kehinde and Taiye and how trauma can cause rifts in family and self.
Third person omniscient is my favourite and this one plays with it switching between Kehinde and Taiye in first when also having the authorial voice reveal things in past and future and zoom into story "I haven't told about how I met Farouk yet" "I guess I will tell you ___ now", cheekily telling recipes to show emotions. "This is how you make masoula when you and your sister are not saying what needs to be said", sharing the letters written by Taiye to Kehinde and the most powerfully when Kamibirinachi fights to tell her own story. "Kamibirinachi–I will tell my own story–Kamibirinachi– no I will use my voice." These are paraphrases but the voice acting for this was extraordinary. Throughout so expressive and we could hear the different voices. I can't wait to read her executive it on paper.
I loved the drawing in the way of narration into the story, I was having a hard time combining the mother of Taiye and Kehinde with the Kamibirinachi we were following in her youth. So having that addressed in story, and having her regain her voice was powerful. The final conclusion of that left me with my only con of the book.
The book is dripping with trauma but never feels overbearing, Ekwuyasi is able to capture the everyday actions of characters when also balancing fifty years extraordinarily. We begin with Kamibirinachi's mother having miscarriage after miscarriage until she finally has a child. She is convinced is the same one who left her with heartache throughout. Miscarriage is a really prominent feature and present in every generation. As someone who has witnessed it and realized more and more that I know barely any women who reach menopause without losing a child I thought the inclusion was so important. We have it from the desperation, to the uncertainty, to not wanting or feeling ready for a child but still being rocked and unable to return after miscarriage.
Kamibirinachi grows up with a mother who is distant and afraid to love her and a father she loves and loses too soon. Fathers dying is also a theme. The narrator tells us early, she will find love, that she will be a mother herself but that at eleven she is lonely. She is isolated. And that she is intrinsically magical, able to sense decay and death and hear voices and experience things others cannot. We also know from her daughters point of views that she is often dissociated and not present. That she has been stripped of her agency and voice. I will not spoil anymore of her journey here. But I love that we see moments are not forever. She is a lonely child, who finds love in adulthood, who loses love in adulthood, who tenatively reforms a unit with her daughters in middle age. That neither love nor loneliness is permanent.
I was immediately drawn to Taiye, she is a cook, she is passionate about creating food and connects to others, her culture and herself through food. I related so much to her and the intergration of recipes into her narration. She uses what she calls hedonism to distract from loneliness, her fear of intimacy and losing people. As she lost her sister. Her twin. As I don't think it should ever be a spoiler I will tell you 'the bad thing', the thing that divides the sisters from twelve and even now at thirty. After their father's death, their cousin and her boyfriend moved in to their house. One night Taiye was reading to Kehinde under the bed the man came in and raped Kehinde (as he had many times before). Taiye froze, unable to help her sister. The trauma, Taiye not stopping it splintered them for eighteen years.
Kehinde story deals a lot with her insecurity in her body, though identical Taiye had always been skinnier. Kehinde has an eating disorder resembling bulimia (though not named) and has trauma after her first sexual encounter. We explore a lot of her first relationship with a man named Wolfie and her husband Farouk (I read on audio and know Farouk can be spelled many ways but I think this is the most common). And also a little about art, though I did feel like Taiye is the most prominent character.
They both ended up in eastern Canada, Kehinde for university in Montreal, when Taiye went to London, then Paris, back to London before arriving in Halifax in her mid to late twenties. Taiye is queer and we do see her coming out and the sweetest friendship with Bobby in Paris, but most of the novel focuses on her in loose relationships and comfortable in her sexuality. She takes no crap with people with euphemisms for sexuality.
Homophobia and queerphobia is discussed as well as conversion therapy in relation to secondary characters. Taiye never receives discrimination outside brief mentions in her high school days. And though not ever specifically discussed, both Kehinde and Kamibirinachi confirm in their narratiom that they support her.
Magical realism is a very prevalent part of Kamibirinachi and Taiye's stories. Kamibirinachi is a negative way of isolation, guilt and causing hurt. When Taiye is more positive, her apparition, her song, etc.
I think those are all my spoiler lite thoughts. I loved the narration, the characters, Ekwuyasi's writing, it made me long for more books by her and to reread His Only Wife a movel by fellow Nigerian Peace Adzo Medie. Exploring Nigerian and contemporary African writers is definitely going to be on my foremind. There was something intrinsic that drew me in in the writing. I also loved the way Ekwuyasi was able to convey the everyday with such realism, poignancy and humour when never denying trauma and disconnection or taking easy conclusions.
CW: sexual assault, homophobia, suicide attempts, miscarriage, eating disorder, suicide, rape, conversion therapy, discussion of racism against Black and Indigenous people, death of a parent
Drug use, addiction recovery, sexual content, swearing...more
I loved this follow up, the first focused a lot on the internal feelings of Charlie and this one more on Nick. I love that Oseman really leans into thI loved this follow up, the first focused a lot on the internal feelings of Charlie and this one more on Nick. I love that Oseman really leans into the awkwardness and uncertainty that can come in relationships. It never feels overdone, but it feels really authenic....more
Also loved that we had indentifiers so we know who people are when they show up. I liked the art, I likThis is beautiful and sweet and all the feels ❤
Also loved that we had indentifiers so we know who people are when they show up. I liked the art, I liked the characters, how we showed Charlie's anxiety, the art worked really well with the story.
"Their once great romance spun into a period piece
This is written uniquely and took me awhile to get into but once I did I loved it. Interlacing fact "Their once great romance spun into a period piece
This is written uniquely and took me awhile to get into but once I did I loved it. Interlacing fact into fiction, telling stories through the context of film and genre.
The writing that was once jarring revealed itself to be gorgeous and evocative. Yu speaks about aging, racism, and the way our desire to accomplish an idea keeps us from living, and discussion on the history and downplaying of anti Asian hate.
The audiobook has film sounds and music that really adds to the framing of the story.
"Their once great romance spun into a period piece, an immigrant family story, and then into two people trying to get by."
"They gently slipped into poverty. . . the widest gulf in the world is the distance between getting by and not quite getting by."
"Putting her on a pedestal is another way of being alone"
"He never stopped being your father but he was no longer your dad"...more
A huge part is I find ot difficult to connect with black and white art, I couldn't read their emotions, eRepresentation: Yes Everything Else: Mediocre
A huge part is I find ot difficult to connect with black and white art, I couldn't read their emotions, expressions, ages well and with limited text, plot or exploration it fell to not great (for me).
I know this is a favourite among many, I think mostly for the queer representation/inclusion. Which is the best part. But I want to hope that we want not just queer stories, but good queer stories. And if you are caught in a toxic relationship or neglectful friend this could be good.
But there was so many threads that were introduced that weren't addressed/concluded or explored. From her parents relationship, to Buddy and Eric's relationship, coming out, faith and sexuality, her new friend, adult/minor relationship, infidelity, abortion and it just feels unsatisfactory. The shallowest take on the story.
And I am probably coming off more negative than I feel. It's a harmless story. Except maybe that if your friend ignores you sleep with someone you can't consent with. The fact that Doodle was taken advantage of is NEVER addressed. They/she (I thought they were nonbinary when introduced but then female pronouns were used in the later half, so not sure) is kinda made to feel responsible, take ownership. The age is never stated. But Doodle is seventeen and the guy was married ao I am asumming at least mid twenties. Statutory rape.
There was a lot of meandering and a lot brought up and a lot summed up into 'life is messy, and be a good friend' there wasn't even an exploration into her mind of insecurity and such. We see it but we never get to see in in her head....more
We started with following thirty six year old Serena at the wedding of her little sister. She is successful in her advertThis one really suprised me.
We started with following thirty six year old Serena at the wedding of her little sister. She is successful in her advertising career but has always felt distant from friends especially once they marry and have kids. Natasha who she has lived with for years reveals she is pregnant a week after the wedding and this tumbles her head deep into insecurity and loneliness.
We have both first and third point of view, 97% is from Serena's first person pov and then interspersed scenes from her mother and one from her father. This shows the complicated relationship of closeness and seperation between families divided by age, language, culture and trauma they've never said.
I wasn't originally very into it, and throughout I will say that Serena doesn't have an immersive presence. Part of her development is becoming less closed off but with the first person that is already a challenge and the scatrered unrelated happenings I just wasn't there for it.
Ainseley has a personality and her own fears and insecurities, and so does Jesse and Kadesh is charming and Beckett sincere. But none of the characters feel fully fleshed out.
Despite that, I did find myself silently crying as we went through the root of her fears. Her father hitting her mom when she was young. I feel like having this present throughout would have explsined a lot and I never think abuse should be a spoiler which is why I say it here. But once this is discussed a lot of things begin to click into place.
As someone with a complicated relationship with my parents. I felt this. I really, really felt this. The fear around intimacy and relationships, around getting too close, of being a parent. It wasn't perfect and I really think the story would have had a more emotional through line if she had tackled this earlier but it hit home.
The other major plus is that female friendship is at the centre of this. Though there are underlining moments and conversations with her love interests, the core dynamic throughout is between Serena and Ainseley, and the fallout of her and Natasha and miscommunication between her and her mom.
It is rare for a book about finding oneself to be unapologetically about doing so with the support of friendship. Especially one who isn't single. One who is a mom, a wife, but also deeply invested in friendship.
I loved the exploration of what it feels like to be aging, of the pressure, of the hardness of maintaining friendships in adulthood. I am only in my mid twenties but I understand this. The pain. The way it feels to lose friends that once meant the world, to see your friends have kids and be married, to see the pressure your family has to see you married and the complication of child/parent relationship when you are both adults.
There is a little uppity of social media and she has never had an instagram and everyone is so shocked and surprised. Which really, I am so done with social media hot takes. I just don't understand. It's a way of communication that's pretty ingrained but also lots of people don't use it. Whether your character does or doesn't use hashtags I really am tired of it being a character trait.
I could have done without Jesse, at least how his plot ended, he could have offered a good mirror and I thought the conversation around Beckett was important. But didn't get a lot off Jesse and certain parts felt unearned.
Overall, it suprised me. I almost dnfed it as it seems a little haphazard and surface level to begin but if you stick around there is some deeper meat to it....more
As like all of them before I love this. I loved the dive into characters. I loved the quiet conversations Hibbert has. I have everytime found silent tAs like all of them before I love this. I loved the dive into characters. I loved the quiet conversations Hibbert has. I have everytime found silent tears on my cheeks as she takes time to have her characters have conversations and understand one another. Their insecurities are rooted so deeply in personal struggles. Though I don't think anyone csn take the cake from Dani sitting down on the side walk to help Zaf through a panic attack.
This one explores autism not only in Jacob but also in Eve as she begins to understand herself more she realizes that she might have autism. Autism in women often isn't found until people are older and is often self found. As the original research was done with the belief it was a male oriented thing how women might react different was neber taken into account. I really relate to her wanting to share it, her love all the things about her really quietly.
The quickness was a little much and the banter didn't always land but she continously made me laugh, weep a little and feel all warm.
It was also the one with the least sex and the latest development of a relationship but also the shortest in length. They have their first kiss almost 2/3rds of the way in. And then only really have a handful of other scenes. And I could have wanted more time of them being together because many of the conversations we had were fraught with sexual tensions and I could have used them as just emotionally charged....more
I am not completely sure how I feel about it. I expected something vastly different. The title and the synopsis really focuses on her relationship witI am not completely sure how I feel about it. I expected something vastly different. The title and the synopsis really focuses on her relationship with her mother, heritage and relationships. And it was. It did advertise vignettes, but I guess it was told a little too linear to be snippets and too scattered to feel progression.
We follow a twenties something Palestinian woman as she navigates a breakup and her constant need to go for the unattainable and to cheat out of fear. We see beautiful and poignant moments throughout but there's something missing. And it might be what I came in looking and didn't see. But we see her acting out and reacting because of fears and insecurity, and her realization of her own mother's trauma but I never feel like she ever fully lowers her guards, and the end has some poignancy but not enough to feel resolved or as if this is a stepping off point.
I love quiet stories but I like when we explore things and she never quite had enough introspection or conversation to fully invest me.
I enjoyed my way throughout and would definitely give Arafat another book...more
This is a book with a lot of disappointed reviews and I didn't hate it. I didn't love it either. But I didn't hate it. It has the same style as Crazy This is a book with a lot of disappointed reviews and I didn't hate it. I didn't love it either. But I didn't hate it. It has the same style as Crazy Rich Asians but less introspection. Lucie as a character is very flawed, and I never grew to care for her. I did laugh several times aloud and I appreciated the conversations on racism, biracial identity and how you can be internally racist and that just because someone loves you doesn't keep them from being racist. These conversations were mostly had in the last few chapters but Kwan did show her unsurety around her identity and the racism she experienced throughout but I didn't feel like Lucie as a character or her romance had reached a satisfying amount of growth by the end. Especially the romance, he was barely in it and there was little to root for.
Kier Scrivener
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