Slow progress 😆 It‘s been enjoyable so far even though the fortunate guy is annoying me to bits
pickUnlike Narcissus and Goldmund, this felt rather dated, but intriguing enough as a love child of Catcher in the Rye and the Sorrows of Young Werther with a dash of Nietzsche and Freud thrown in.
Full Review: https://readingrantsandraves.blogspot.com/2025/11/2025-46-demian-hesse.html
#FollowTheLeader Challenge 2025
wish they credited the cover art, slightly creepy though it is
I started this from my stash several weeks ago when I was laid up with back pain. I couldn‘t even get what was happening. Tonight I restarted it at a “Reading Dinner” at a friend‘s house: we read for roughly 30-40 minutes then have dinner. It is like a WHOLE NEW BOOK! Context matters!!
pickI read this with #QueerBC a while ago and am catching up on reviews. This book dives into second-generation Muslim American experiences, friendship, trauma, and being LGBTQIA in this community. The pacing and character development are well utilized, and the stories shared paint a strong picture. It was distressing that the girls‘ trauma was never addressed, often true in real life. Do read the content warnings. #LGBTQIA #MuslimAmerican
pickFor Razia, growing up is complicated by being Pakistani in 1980s NYC, highly religious parents, & her developing feelings for a fellow classmate @ her new high school.
Oh, but this broke my heart. My parents weren‘t as religious as Razia‘s, but her complicated friendships w/ the girls in her community, academic pressure, the feeling that you need to follow your parents‘ plan, & the fear you‘ll disappoint them, all felt familiar to me.🌕🌕🌕🌕🌑
pickBook two from the 2025 Stella Prize long list finished. Can‘t recall how this came to be on my radar, but when I saw it recently announced on the longlist I bumped it up.
I really liked it. The first half felt a little bit clunky to me but then it hit its stride and I didn‘t want to put it down. Excellent #queerfic #ozfiction #bildungsroman
pickI adored this book. It is so funny/strange that two girls from different neighborhoods- I grew up in a rural area, Razia in Corona, Queens, from different cultures-I grew up in a southern Independent Baptist home, Razia in a Pakistani Muslim home had the same experiences growing up in the 80s. We both had the very controlling mother and the hyper zealousness of our religions. Reading this book reminded me of how my childhood friends saved me.
