Surprised I haven‘t read until now. Celie and Shug kept me laughing when their personalities came out. Important read

This story was unique, but all I will say is that Margaret Murphy deserved more from the adults in her life.

So much to say about this novel, but I‘ll keep it short. A devastating insight to a Palestinian woman‘s life from her teens to older age. Taking place in Kuwait and Jordan where her family has to survive as refugees. Finally, she visits Palestine to visit family and tie up loose ends. She eventually joins the resistance against the Israeli occupation. Heartbreaking story. I was rooting for Nahar. Loved the reference to James Baldwin in this novel.

Really loved this book. I enjoyed getting to know all the female characters for who they were. The author did a great job NOT glorifying Bundy, which I truly appreciated.

This was such a beautiful and devastating story. Set during the Syrian revolution, a young pharmacist student loses everything. What used to be her family and home are just a painful memories now. She‘s surviving with the help of her best friend, and by fighting to help unfortunate civilians stay alive at the local hospital. This was such a sad story, but so important to read.

I found it mediocre. There were SO many distractions that I genuinely did not enjoy it. Most of the book was speculation, and the true events of the murders weren‘t revealed until the very end. I felt like I read two books. The first being the author‘s attempt to fool the reader (it was overwhelming) the second was the novel I actually wanted to read. The book got good reviews, so I‘ll chalk up my dislike to not connecting with the writing style.

Solid 3 stars. Such an interesting novel. About halfway and beyond it teetered from slow to rushed. Still enjoyed most of it.

The introduction to the night Alex‘s family was murdered was interesting. After that I kept waiting for the story to pick up again. Instead there were a lot of side stories and new characters that were not likable and felt foreign to the storyline. I thought about abandoning this book so many times, but it was a fast read so I continued reading hoping it would get better 🙃

Afaf is the principal of an all girls Muslim school. One day, a shooter makes his way into the school undetected and everyone‘s world changes in the blink of an eye. The story is a series of tragic events after another, to help us understand the present moment in the novel. Having read A Woman in no Man prior to this, it helped me understand the dynamics of Afaf‘s immediate family a little bit better.
⭐️⭐️⭐️

Loved Rex Ogle‘s first novel Free Lunch, but this one fell really short for me. I enjoy the relationship he has shared with his grandmother, but ultimately I wasn‘t enveloped in this specific book which read more like narrative poetry.

Graphic novel of an adopted Korean girl that grew up in a small town in Maryland. Sarah, was adopted as an infant.. she knew nothing of her birth parents or her Korean culture. She attended schools where everyone else was white, and ridiculed her for being different. As she got older and started facing more racist & aggressive encounters- there was nowhere to turn to as even the adults in her world were just as ignorant as her bullies.

This book tore me to pieces. It‘s such an important read about history, culture, generational trauma and SO much more. Etaf Rum is an amazing storyteller🥺

Whoa, this book made so sad and angry! It was such a great read (although it was incredibly hard to stomach). It was so well written, and I absolute loved Gloria and Robert. This story was loosely based off Florida‘s Dozier School for Boys- and horrific stories of death, abuse, and other maltreatments that eventually came out from adolescents that were victims of the reform school.

Based on authors experiences.. really loved the entirety of this novel! I was absolutely gripped from Tove‘s childhood all the way to her many marriages and later life.

Has anyone read this? I‘m only 5 chapters in, and I‘m already loving it.

Had no idea this was based off a play until after I bought it. Some reviews said they didn‘t really like the writing style, but it didn‘t bother me too much. Some parts were a tiny bit repetitive, but I really did love the last two chapters… Sisters and Mother and Child. Loved the ending.

Didn‘t really know what to expect from this, but oh my-I absolutely loved it! Roya is focused on her studies, when one day she goes into her favorite stationary shop after school and suddenly sees Bahman. They‘re both drawn to one another, but it seems like everything around them is an obstacle. There‘s political unrest in their city of Tehran, jealousy aimed towards the couple, class difference and more. This story took me for a ride!

If you have a strong stomach, and like strange and unusual stories.. this is a good one. I like how blunt Mariana Enriquez is with her writing. There were a handful of stories I loved more. I think my favorite was The Dirty Kid. Also, Adela‘s House is based off Our Share of Night which was a nice little surprise.

Just finished this 600 page book! The story was rich with imagery, and revolved around Mevlut. A boza seller that moved from his village to Istanbul as a child. You see the growth of the city throughout Mevlut‘s life, as he stays loyal to his city and the people he loves. This is a book that needs to be savored!

Started this one last night. This has been on my TBR list for maybe 4 years now. Wish I would have picked it up sooner. The storytelling is wonderful so far- It‘s over 650 pages, but it‘s moving quickly!

Beautiful collection of short stories. Every single one was fascinating in it‘s own way. I didn‘t really get into “Take Only What Belongs to You” I think I was too distracted while reading it. Really enjoyed all the rest. I think my favorites were Fiddler, Fool Pair and Endangered Animals.

Started this one a few days ago. Loved the first couple of stories, but I‘m having a hard time getting through the one I‘m currently on. Maybe my mind is too distracted 🙃

When the US version of The Ring came out in 2002, I was obsessed! It‘s a movie I‘ve watched repeatedly over the years. I‘m surprised it took me so long to read the book! Really loved the original story and characters. It was a pretty easy read, and the last 1/4 of the book was bone chilling. The two main characters Asakawa and Ryuji are interesting… I found Asakawa more likable overall. Would love to read the rest of the trilogy.

This book was gut wrenching. Loved Pequeña, Pulga, and Chico. The story revolves around the 3 Guatemalan teens that are forced into horrendous circumstances due to a gang leader controlling everything in their town. Their “safest” option is to flee from their home, travel on La Bestia through Mexico, and cross the dessert into the United States. Literally had a knot in my throat as I read the last 50 pages. Important read.

Catherine Goggin gets shunned from her small town of Goleen Ireland by her town‘s priest. She has gotten pregnant out of wedlock at the age 16, and soon gets labeled a whore. Shortly after Cyril is born. The star of our story. He gets adopted by a well-meaning couple that are a little strange and unconventional. This story is mostly hardships trough Cyril‘s life, but the sense of humor is unmatched. It‘s what made this story so lovable.

I loved Rosemary‘s Baby, and Nat Cassidy took a lot of inspiration from it for this novel. Ana was a great character, and I wanted her to so desperately find a happy ending. Ana and her husband Reid won the lottery for affordable housing in a prestigious/historical apartment building in NYC. After a spinal injury from birth, Ana is left paralyzed from the waist down. She‘s dealing with motherhood, limited mobility, and her new SINISTER apartment.

Loved the illustrations, perfect length.

Hmmm, important read on indigenous women. The story took a lot of turns that I‘m still processing. I really enjoyed the story of Alice and was rooting for her the entire way. This story made me laugh and cry. I felt like the first 3/4 of the book was a slow, steady pace… and then things just quickly unraveled. I Feel like I need a little break before my next read 😮‍💨

I was truly blown away by this novel. Yara is dealing with a lot of feelings and emotions. Everyone around her expects her to keep her composure and just be happy. She has a blowout with a colleague that requires her to go to therapy for the sake of keeping her job. She soon realizes the physiological effects she‘s having stems from generational trauma. This was very therapeutic to read, my review can‘t do it justice so just read it!

Here we go 🤗

Hmmmm. Some parts I was engrossed in and thought the writing was beautiful. Other parts I felt detached and couldn‘t wait to get them over with. Han Kang always has unique concepts that I find myself drawn to. Even if I didn‘t thoroughly enjoy it, I still loved that two human beings found each other through loss and mourning.

Started this one a couple of days ago. A woman that has lost her speech and her professor that is losing his vision are drawn to one another. I‘m almost at the halfway point- where the professor‘s interest for the woman is escalating. So far, the writing is moody and atmospheric just like you‘d expect from Han Kang 🖤

Thoroughly enjoyed this novel. Idk if all the plot twists were obvious to anyone else, but I was caught off guard every time! The novel revolves around Luz (she‘s in car accident that has left her an orphan and with memory loss). The story is intricate, but woven together in a way that leaves you at the edge of your seat. It‘s roughly told in a 40 year timespan and made me understand the issues and complexities of Puerto Rico on varying levels.

Read this in about 30 min. Tender poems about “migration, womanhood, trauma, and resilience“ as the synopsis reads. Really enjoyed it.

Book number 40 of the year!

I really enjoyed the first half, I thought the stories were interesting and nicely written. After that, the themes seemed to get too repetitive and I found myself confusing the last few stories because there was so much talk of death and suicide. All the stories were pretty melancholy, and I ended up feeling drained 🫠

Picked this up at the library a couple of days ago! I‘m about 4 stories in, and they‘ve all been so interesting! The author writes about complex feelings, and makes everything sound so natural. One of the stories so far is about a young mother suffering from postpartum depression, and having taboo feelings - she writes about it so matter of factly that you‘re just along for the ride no matter the outcome. I‘ve been so invested.

In between books rn lol but went to our local Oktoberfest and got this awesome caricature of my husband and I 😂

Great October read 👍🏽 A young woman named Abby is deeply in love with her husband, Ralph, and willing to do anything for him. Ralph loses his overbearing mother to suicide, and later his mom torments him in her afterlife. Abby is in the fight of her life to rescue her husband from his Demon mother… the story is dark, funny, and quirky. Filled with mommy issues, lonely childhoods, unhealthy attachments and more! Lol

Started this one yesterday! So far it‘s pretty great. Loving the writing and how morbid it is from the start.

Great Story… based on the author‘s real life. This story really pulls at your heart strings. Makes me appreciate everything I have. A must read.

I‘m about 3/4 of the way through… the book is written from the perspective of a 6th grader so the writing is really simple but gut wrenching. Obviously there‘s a lot of talk of food insecurity, and I just got done with a pivotal point that just broke me!! I don‘t think I‘ve ever cried this hard after reading a chapter!! Agh 😰 this book is too much for my heart.

Here we go. Hoping this is a quick read.

Finished this one! Took me a while to read, I found myself only being able to take in a little at a time. This was a modernized retelling of Charles Dickens‘ David Copperfield. Demon is born to a teenage mother struggling with drug addiction, and later takes you on his journey through foster care. His whole existence is based on survival. It was beautifully written. I found the aspects of opioid addiction and institutional poverty devastating.

36th novel of the year!

Ugh, this is a book I loved and hated. I loved it because it was a piece of history I knew nothing about, the characters were lovable, and I just couldn‘t put it down. I hated it because i knew something terrible was bound to happen at any given moment. I‘m not big into young adult novels, but this one was so important and captivating. Would recommend even though I was torn throughout.

I just started this one last night, and can‘t put it down! It‘s so well written with so many heavy topics. I had to pace myself because there‘s some sexual abuse in areas- which nobody likes to read and it‘s pretty difficult to get through. Aside from that, I‘m really enjoying the historical aspect and characters in the book. Except for Henry 🤮 he‘s terrible in every way imaginable.

This was a great short novel. Mercy and her best friend Sherry seek each-other out through their rough upbringing. La Llorona is always lurking near Rio Grande, and chooses her next victims by their sorrow and sadness. One night Mercy and Sherry make a blood pact to live happy lives and fulfill their dreams- also avoiding the river witch at all costs. One night, Sherry‘s pain is too big to ignore, and this changes the girls‘ future forever.

Starting this one based on La Llorona. I remember being school aged, and visiting family members in Mexico. My cousins and I would gather in a room late at night and tell stories of how she haunted children in the village 😱👻