I used my last ten dollar gift card to buy this book from Barnes & Noble because one of my best friends couldn’t stop talking about how much she loved it. I’ve had it laying around since and never got around to reading it until a few weeks ago, and let me just say, OH MY GOD. A Thousand Splendid Suns was the most heartbreaking and serious book I have read in a while.
If you are a fan of the blog, then you know that a lot of the books I read are light-hearted, so to make this switch was difficult because, even though the characters were not real, their situation was for women, at the time. A Thousand Splendid Suns is told from the perspectives of two women in Kabul, Afghanistan about how life changed under the control of the Taliban from the Soviet Union. Hosseini really captures the abuse that takes place at home and the female struggle as laws are made clearly separating men and women. Both women grow up throughout the novel which is amazing because I got to watch them mature and change. I recommend this to everyone at or above the age of 15 (High School or above) because it has some scenes that can leave one feeling shocked and angry. The story itself is not difficult to read and Hosseini provides context to understand the phrases presented in the story. If you have already read something by Khaled Hosseini, then READ THIS BOOK. Give it a chance, I loved it and I definitely see this book in my future. What do you see in yours? -K
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Rupi Kaur is honestly one of my role models. Seeing a South Asian woman publishing poetry, spreading awareness about social issues, being recognized in mainstream media, yet staying true to her roots. All of this and more is why I admire the book.
Milk and Honey is a collection of poems. It deals with pain, love, loss, femininity, and other topics. She has tiny illustrations accompanying some of the poems as well. Poetry is very near and dear to my heart. I feel like usually I am a very harsh critic when it comes to poetry, and often don’t pay attention to what mainstream media says is good poetry. Because usually it’s just the same mess and cliche stuff reworded and vomited out. Exactly why it took me so long to read this.I was such a skeptic. I’m so glad I did read it in the end. Being a South Asian immigrant, who had a really tough year, this little book had me holding back tears in the middle of a Barnes and Noble. I wanted to write something like Milk and Honey for so long and after seeing it in front of me, there’s probably no way of stopping me now. I cherish this book so much. I hope you will as well. With Love, M Before we begin, I just want to say that, initially, I wanted to read this book because I’ve recently discovered that mice make the best heroic companions. As some of you may know, The Tale of Despereaux is about a mouse who has a taste for more than just food, a rat who craves the light, and a poor serving girl who wants nothing more than to be a princess. Kate DiCamillo brings these three together in unlikely ways and keeps us entertained by addressing the reader as the story moves along.
For those of you who enjoy Kate DiCamillo’s books, I recommend The Tale of Despereaux, even though it’s for children, because she creates these lovable characters who are not wholly good or bad, making it easy to sympathize with them. This book is also great if you want a short and quick read. It took me one evening to finish, but I was nose deep in the book, so it really depends on how interested you are. If you’re looking to give this as a gift, or tell others about it; It’s perfect for ages 7-13. It is also a winner of the John Newbery Medal for the most distinguished contribution to American literature for children. I hope this review has encouraged you to read this book, and if I had to give it a final rating… IT’S A YES FROM ME!! -K This book is the perfect contemporary romance. I am so picky when it comes to romances. Every time I read contemporary romances, I always compare it to my experience with this book. This book is honestly even better than the To All The Boys I’ve Loved Before series. The way the story goes is that there is this girl, Anna (big shocker), who unexpectedly gets shipped off to a boarding school in France by her very rich father. The love interest in this story is this (actually quite attractive I have to admit) Etienne St. Clair.
This book is genuinely hilarious. Perkins, and more importantly Anna, has this very unmistakable voice in the book which I really find funny. Perkins does keep the stereotypes and the typical teenager scenes you’d expect. HOWEVER, it’s mostly there to show the amount of growth Anna and her friends go through and the relatability aspect of the book. I really like this story. I sat down and finished it in one day. It was the first time in a long time where I laughed out loud and thoroughly enjoyed a contemporary. I really want to read the other two stand alones associated with the “series”. I really hope you pick this book up, share your thoughts on it, even talk to us about it! With Love, M I was contacted by the author, J.T. Cope IV, and asked to write an honest review for this book, and here I am! When I started The Book of the Wise, I was drawn in by Luke’s tendency to read under a tree (I had a brief mental image of Frodo sitting in the woods) because that singles him out and it emphasizes his uniqueness before anything pertinent to the story has actually happened. Once he moves to Countryside, of course, strange creatures appear and the abnormal becomes normal (which is always interesting).
I must say that, while this story was exciting, I think it is better suited for younger ages, and encourage kids (ages 7-12) to read this book. There is a wide range of characters and constant action, so I found it easy to stay interested. I admit, the prologue was a little confusing with so many new characters introduced at once, but the rest of The Book of the Wise was a thoroughly interesting read and I hope that you choose to flip through its pages and travel to the world of Countryside. -K John Green did it again. He wrote yet another book that tugs at your heartstrings, and makes you feel the feelings. This book didn’t get the hype that The Fault in Our Stars did, which truly saddens me. When you read it, you can tell how much it Green had to research and experience to accurately describe every action that the main character felt.
The book itself is set in good ol’ America where Aza, a sixteen year old girl, and her best friend, Daisy, are trying to solve this mystery of a missing billionaire (who basically owns every company in the city but is a horrible human). It kinda goes into anxiety and thought spirals, which can be really triggering honestly because sometimes I had to take some deep breaths and continue reading because it did NOT hold back details. HOWEVER, it is a wonderful coming of age story that’s so innocent in its own way; it honestly makes you want to keep reading even if it’s three in the morning and you have work the next day (yes I speak from experience). I can definitively say that John Green is one of my favorite authors of all time. He made me get into writing and reading. He showed me how you can take personal experiences, and with a touch of creativity, create a wonderful story. I really hope you give his writing a chance, even if you think you’re jumping on a bandwagon or go in with really low expectations. With Love, M What made me want to read Eleanor & Park in the first place was that I’d read a quote on tumblr from the book, and I wanted to know who said it. What I mean is, I wanted to know the characters: Eleanor and Park, two sixteen-year-olds who both have troubled lives yet are able to see something beautiful within each other that no one else seems to notice.
Rainbow Rowell’s word choice gives insight to how our two protagonists think and feel throughout the novel. Which is important because the whole book is emotion. It’s important to remember what makes Eleanor uncomfortable so that when Park does something to make her feel accepted, the reader can understand the significance. It’s such a personal story that at times I felt like I was reading a shared diary between two people that contains all their secrets and all of the things that make them not everyone else. My overall opinion is that this story is heartbreaking (sometimes), awkward, sad (sometimes), irritating, slow, and sweet (like strawberries). However, while it is all these things, Eleanor & Park is strangely simple. There’s nothing grand about two teenagers with messed up and weird lives; there’s nothing special about it. What makes it so, is the dreamlike aspect of their love in a regularly unhappy world. Rowell has made a beautifully normal novel about teenagers that doesn’t make me cringe. She’s a hero. She’s real and elegantly writes about young love and how it works out and can be really great but isn’t perfect. -K A powerful, meaningful, and unique book. This book is unlike anything I have ever read and seen trending in the literary realm. The Hate U Give is about Starr, a black girl living in an impoverished neighborhood in America. The plot is circling this tragedy that happened where Starr witnesses her friend Khalil getting shot in the back by a white police officer.
Police brutality, race, oppression, prejudice, and other such social issues have been a part of America, undeniably, for quite some time now. Thomas doesn’t sugar coat the harsh reality, she does not romanticize it, nor does she dramatize. She doesn’t try to tell it comfortably either. This story, although is very humorous, is also set on making you uncomfortable, upset, angry and hurt. It is not an easy story to tell correctly --- especially in this day and age where people get offended by any and every word, where hate is spewed more often than words of encouragement--- nor is it an easy one to live. This book does have this enticing quality about it. The style is written in a way where people can relate to it very easily. I could understand that Starr is a kid, but a very very mature one who had to grow up too quickly. I could relate to her because she talked about things relevant to the world today. I kept wanting to read what she had to say, the story she wanted to tell. I honestly went to bed at 4:30am that night because I couldn’t not finish it. It is easily one of my new favorites. Highly recommend. Immensely recommend. With love, M This book was given to me by a friend, and I was eager to read it because of all the wonderful things I have heard about it. Bloor writes the protagonist, Paul Fisher, as a living paradox because Paul is blind, yet he notices things that other adults and children don’t. Tangerine opens with Paul and his mother leaving Houston to move to Tangerine County, Florida where the rest of the Fishers (Paul’s father and brother) have already moved in. As the story progresses, certain things happen that make Paul remember how he lost his sight. These flashbacks reveal more about the people around him and nudge the reader towards a solution.
Erik, the older brother, and Paul are a perfect example of sibling rivalry as they are drawn farther apart from each other when Erik’s true nature starts to spill from the cracks in his reputation. They never get along in Tangerine because of Erik's weird habits and strange dislike for his younger brother. That's all fine with Paul though because he'd rather hang out with his friends anyway. Thanks to the clues in the book, it is revealed how Paul lost his sight. Bloor makes it clear that it was never about figuring anything out because there was never anything new. The answer to Paul Fisher’s loss was always there he just had to remember. It was the difference in believing what he knew to be true or what everyone else told him. My favorite part of the story were the Ospreys. Keep reading books and if you have already read this book or you just want to talk about books then please leave a comment or DM us on instagram! Thanks for reading and have a beautiful day. -K |
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September 2018
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