isabelle
a portrayal of a Ghanaian mother and son's relationship i found ti to be very heart warming. However i wasn't the biggest fan of the writing style and the use of footnotes whilst clever drew me out of the reading experience
This book is a social realist book (working class characters + a relatively open ending) but with a slight twist. Sherrill brings the magical/mythological world easily to the real world as we follow M, a Minatour currently working as a line cook ( hence the title because from someone who worked in a pub most chefs have a nicotine problem) and living in a mobile home. We follow him as he makes his way through life.
I did enjoy this book but it wasn't memorable in my opinion. Whilst I mostly sympathised for M as he was often ridiculed for being half man, half bull, his final act during the last few pages made me hate him.
This was such a good story and I think what makes it so horrifying is something like this (not to its full extreme) is possible. I liked how we learnt about the Institute and all the different levels that went on in this backward version of solving “world peace”
I absolutely loved how this book felt so organic as it is told from the perspective of someone who has very little knowledge
I wasn't a big fan of how the book was written with a non linear narrative, but I found the story very captivating and hard hitting. Fern/Flick's problem with her parents and past trauma and how she dealt with it exactly unhealthily was interesting to read about
a whirlwind of emotions and hard to put down Holly black has proven to be co sistent in her writing and is able to properly write a strong yet flawed female character in Jude
A lovely novella of how a cat brings joy to a couple, and the struggle with finding an affordable place to live in Japan.
I enjoyed Heartstopper Volume 1 as it is a quick and easy ready. Alice Oseman does a great job on the subject of bullying as it isn't over exaggerated. For example: the part where Charlie is being bullied by the rugby boys for being gay happens often in real life .
I didn't like how each story had an ambiguous ending
favourites:
vampires in the lemon grove
reeling for the empire
Bit confusing because there is so much going on but an amazing read would read more of her work
slow at first but once the pace started to quicken it was a really easy read. I like how Emezi built Lucille as this place in which they intended to be some sort of utopia, and also how Jam's identity as a trans autistic girl is just a part of her and not a main focal point of her character as she is accepted in Lucille
This book was such a fascinating portrayal of AI by almost humanizing it through Klara. Ishiguro did such an amazing job of making the reader the reader sympathise and care for a robot. Will definitely read more of his works in the future
a violent portrait of life in Northern Ireland during the troubles told from the perspective of an IRA member. It was an easy read as the writing flowed well, however I didn't like how the women were objectified.
This book was so good omg I loved learning more about marriage practices in desi and Muslim communities.
a well crafted dark comedy, mocking finance bros. Patrick Bateman is a pathetic man who cares so much about his physical appearance and how rich he is that he will tell you the brand, and price of every single item of clothing he comes across and a whole 2 page skincare routine to come with it. The multiple chapters called “girls” are probably some of the most gruesome pieces of writing i've ever read filled with pornography that had my asexual self putting the book down as it got too much at points, and then the brutal torture of the prostitutes he is sleeping with. A really good read but definitely not for everyone.
I absolutely loved this book. I love how the diversity doesn't feel forced but is also a major part of their identities. The book reminded me of a Spike Lee film as it deals with gentrification and racism in NYC and also Across the Spiderverse. However I did think the ending was rushed which is why I haven't given it a full 5 stars but I am definitely going to read the sequel and Jemisin's other books.