(This book is also published under the title Apples Are From Kazakhstan). β star out of 5. β πΊβ This is a weird one. I appreciated this book–it’s a travelogue of two years spent exploring Kazakhstan–but I didn’t like it at all. It did a great job selling me on how fascinating Kazakhstan and its history are,Continue reading “[REVIEW] In Search of Kazakhstan: The Land That Disappeared, by Christopher Robbins”
Tag Archives: Book Reviews
[REVIEW] Sula, Toni Morrison
(Buy it HERE.) (In lieu of the usual review, I present to you the explanation of this book that I gave to a non-American friend who has never read Toni Morrison before.)β πβ “This book? Yeah, it’s good, but I’m not sure you’d like it. It’s by this writer who won a Pulitzer prize & was famousContinue reading “[REVIEW] Sula, Toni Morrison”
[REVIEW] A Mercy, Toni Morrison
(Buy it HERE.) βββ*whew* This ain’t it, y’all. Toni Morrison was a genius and everything she wrote is brilliant in some way. But now that I’ve said that, I honestly feel that when you place A Mercy next to the rest of Morrison’s oeuvre it’s like parking a hooptie in a lot full of Ferraris.Continue reading “[REVIEW] A Mercy, Toni Morrison”
[REVIEW] Fairest, Meredith Talusan
(Buy it HERE.) Although I did my official Pride Month wrap-up a few days ago, I didn’t mention one of the LGBTQIA+ themed books I read, simply because I’ve had such a hard time deciding what to say about it. Is there a word for a book that everyone else seems to like, but youContinue reading “[REVIEW] Fairest, Meredith Talusan”
[REVIEW] The Hen Who Dreamed She Could Fly, Sun-Mi Hwang
(Buy it HERE.) ββββ(4/5) “The important thing is to understand each other. That’s love!” This book follows Sprout, a pathetic old laying hen with a big heart and a dream. She survives a terrifying coop cull and embarks on a new life in the fields as a free hen. Her lowly circumstances don’t keep herContinue reading “[REVIEW] The Hen Who Dreamed She Could Fly, Sun-Mi Hwang”
[REVIEW] Slave Play, Jeremy O. Harris
(Buy it HERE.) “I think it’s really important to reiterate that what we all just explored was incredibly difficult and triggering, but it was also fantasy.“ For the month of March I gave myself the stealth challenge to only read works written by women. However, a friend who reads far more than I do gotContinue reading “[REVIEW] Slave Play, Jeremy O. Harris”
[REVIEW] Odd One Out, Nic Stone
(Buy it HERE) βββ/5Courtney loves his best friend Jupiter. Jupiter loves girls. New girl Rae isn’t sure who she loves or how she feels about it. Odd One Out explores their individual perspectives & the questions they have about their emerging sexualities & relationships.β π³οΈβπβ I love how casually diverse this book is. Race, culture and sexualityContinue reading “[REVIEW] Odd One Out, Nic Stone”
[REVIEW] Tampa, Alissa Nutting
Tampa is possibly the most repulsive, disturbing, and un-enjoyable book I have EVER read. It’s also literarily and socially important, but because of its subject matter I wouldn’t recommend reading this. Tampa is a pathological little story told by Celeste, a self-described “pretty blonde” middle school English teacher who seduces her favorite students into sexuallyContinue reading “[REVIEW] Tampa, Alissa Nutting”
[REVIEW] Opposite of Always, Justin A Reynolds
(Buy it HERE.) ββββ(4/5) I was expecting this book to be something totally different than what it was. The synopsis led me to believe it was a sci-fi time travel tale focused on fixing sad past mistakes, much like last year’s tear-jerking Netflix original See You Yesterday. And it is all of that, but unlikeContinue reading “[REVIEW] Opposite of Always, Justin A Reynolds”
[REVIEW] When My Brother Was An Aztec, Natalie Diaz
“When My Brother Was An Aztec/he lived in our basement and sacrificed my parents/every morning. It was awful.” Natalie Diaz’s When My Brother Was An Aztec is a legit masterpiece. Go read it, now. Books of poetry are sometimes navel-gazing, self-absorbed bores but this one is simply amazing. I slurped it down in two shortContinue reading “[REVIEW] When My Brother Was An Aztec, Natalie Diaz”
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