royal abduls
Diversity, Fiction, Literary, Loved-it, NetGalley, Other-cultures, Society, Women's

A Book About Finding Yourself And Belonging – And So Many Other Themes The Royal Abduls by Ramiza Shamoun Koya

I feel like if I wanted to give The Royal Abduls a proper review, I’d have to write a whole other book about it – I just can’t see how I would put it all into a single-post review. This story was great, and it’s just so full of everything – it covers a large variety of topics, but the…

Continue Reading
lost shtetl
Edelweiss, Fiction, Literary, Loved-it, Other-cultures, Society

Imagine Stepping From The 19th Century Straight Into The 21st The Lost Shtetl by Max Gross

When I saw the blurb of The Lost Shtetl, I was immediately drawn in. It sounded like an absurdly ridiculous, yet mesmerizing concept – a Jewish town in the Polish woods so remote it gets overlooked for more than a hundred years, so much so that it is even missed by the Holocaust. The people living there go around their…

Continue Reading
lizards tale
Diversity, Fast-paced, Fiction, Historical, Kidlit, Loved-it, NetGalley, Other-cultures

Spies, Adventure, Pre-war Hardships And Tough Kids – Another Great Middle Grade Story For You Lizard's Tale by Weng Wai Chan

Time to review another great middle grade story – this one’s called Lizard’s Tale and it’s vibrant and unforgettable. Even though at first, it was a bit hard to get into it (because life was so hard for the characters!) and I had put the book on hold, after I sat down with it another time, I could not peel…

Continue Reading
frankly in love by david yoon
Diversity, Fiction, Humor, Loved-it, Other-cultures, Romance, Society, YA

[Not Quite] A Love Story That Turned Out To Be So Much More Frankly in Love by David Yoon, Audiobook Review

You probably thought I’d never return! But here I am, and it only took a really, really enjoyable book to blog again. Well, this isn’t completely true – I have read more than one enjoyable book since I started my hiatus – but some good books you just want to enjoy and keep inside your heart quietly (I’m looking at…

Continue Reading
the haunting of tram car 015
Diversity, Fiction, Loved-it, Other-cultures, Short stories, Society, Steampunk

Short Fiction Gets Short Review – Turn of the Century Magic In A Diverse Setting The Haunting of Tram Car 015 by P. Djèlí Clark, ★★★★✬ 4.5 stars

I was absolutely not lured into requesting a copy of The Haunting of Tram Car 015 by P. Djèlí Clark because of pure #coverlove. Lies and slander. What are you even talking about. ……… Well alright. Maybe there was a little bit of that. A teensy bit. But that’s not all there is to this book! There’s a lot that’s wonderful,…

Continue Reading
the eleventh trade
Diversity, Fiction, Kidlit, Loved-it, Other-cultures, Society

A Book That Melted My Heart – The Eleventh Trade by Alyssa Hollingsworth Building A Future On A Broken Past, Healing Through Music And Community

My heart is so full right now. I’ve just closed the book, and my heart is both crying and singing in joy. It has been a while that a book has moved me so much. But The Eleventh Trade is one of a kind and I know it will remain in my heart forever. It’s one of those books you…

Continue Reading
feathered serpent dark heart of sky
Diversity, Edelweiss, Historical, Loved-it, Myths, Non-fiction, Other-cultures

[Myths] Mesoamerican Mythology Is Mighty Cool!! + 3 Reasons To Read It Feathered Serpent, Dark Heart of Sky: Myths of Mexico by David Bowles

I’ve always been incredibly interested in the rarer myths – so you’re probably not surprised that I’m reviewing the lost myths of South America here. The truth is, because of historical bias, the media and many more factors (and the simple fact that not much actually remains of these cultures), we imagine them to have been ruthless, mysterious… unknowable. When…

Continue Reading
sugar money
Fiction, Historical, NetGalley, Other-cultures

[Historical fiction] The Harsh Realities Of Slavery In Martinique, 1765 Sugar Money by Jane Harris

At first I was reluctant to request Sugar Money because I’m a weakling at handling slavery stories sometimes. I turn into a puddle of sobs. But, despite being quite detailed about the hardships of slave life in 1765, it was a very engaging read. It doesn’t have a very happy ending, as you might surmise, but it tells a story worth…

Continue Reading
freshwater
Dark, Diversity, Edelweiss, Fiction, Illness, Loved-it, Magical realism, Other-cultures, Rising star, Women's

Mythological + #OwnVoices + Mental Health = Fascinating Novel!! Freshwater by Akwaeke Emezi

I cannot believe Freshwater is a debut novel. Akwaeke Emezi is a rising star, an incredible writer, and I hope to see many more masterpieces by her. Will I be re-reading this one? Oh, yeah – definitely. And you know what it means when I say I would reread a book. Check out on Goodreads Get at Book Depository ★★★★★ 5 stars…

Continue Reading
snow flower and the secret fan
Buddy read, Fiction, Historical, Loved-it, Other-cultures, Well known books, Women's

Read About Women’s Struggles And Relationships In Traditional China Snow Flower and the Secret Fan by Lisa See

I LOVED Snow Flower and the Secret Fan! It was sad, yet fulfilling, true and honest, yet fictional. A truly moving story about the hardships of being a woman in nineteenth-century China. Yes, foot binding too. We’ll get there. By the way, this is going to be a buddy read review, so get ready to read a lot of questions and answers!…

Continue Reading
heart berries
Diversity, Edelweiss, Essays, Memoirs, Non-fiction, Other-cultures, Rising star, Women's

One Of The Most Anticipated #OwnVoices Nonfiction Books Of 2018 Heart Berries by Terese Marie Mailhot

It is a truly interesting experience, starting a book obliviously and only then realizing that the entirety of the publishing world is holding their breaths over its release. I requested Heart Berries ages ago, back when ARCs just surfaced, and tuned out of the circuits – only to remember it days before its publication date, and suddenly notice it everywhere. Which is great…

Continue Reading
the king of bones and ashes
Dark, Fantasy, Fiction, Loved-it, Magic, NetGalley, Other-cultures, Urban fantasy

Witches of New Orleans and Dark Nightly Terrors The King of Bones and Ashes by J.D. Horn

This time I’m happy to share with you a review for The King of Bones and Ashes, which was offered to me for review and came as an unbelievably pleasant and unexpected surprise! Now I find myself wanting to read the other books by J.D. Horn (which I remember seeing around a couple of years ago), because this was an incredibly engaging…

Continue Reading
all day
Diversity, Loved-it, Memoirs, NetGalley, Non-fiction, Other-cultures, Society

All Day – Locked Up, Building Their Future… Unforgettable A Teacher's Account On Teens In Prison

Yet another perfect book – yet another review overdue. I have been sitting with this one for maybe a half a year, no kidding. It’s just hard to write a review for a book that moved me SO much… But I’m going to try. 5 Reasons To Read All Day: A Year of Love and Survival Teaching Incarcerated Kids at Rikers…

Continue Reading
an unkindness of ghosts rivers solomon
Dark, Diversity, Edelweiss, Fiction, Illness, Loved-it, Other-cultures, Rising star, Scifi, Scifi month, Society, Women's

Genuine, Unapologetically Diverse And Absolutely Brilliant An Unkindness of Ghosts by Rivers Solomon

Shiver shiver, tremble tremble. I am not nervous about writing this review at all. I do not have any of my typical book was too good to write a review for it jumbles. Nope. Feeling at my most confident here. *escapes* Check out on Goodreads Get at Book Depository ★★★★★  5+++ stars Can we just agree to make this book as…

Continue Reading
The Diamond Age by Neal Stephenson
Fantasy, Fiction, Other-cultures, Scifi, Scifi month, Society, Steampunk

Neo-Victorians, Utopia And The Big Picture The Diamond Age: or, A Young Lady's Illustrated Primer by Neal Stephenson

What does an advanced supercomputer, an important and powerful equity lord, a judge following Confucian principles and a poor, little girl who lives in a bad neighbourhood have to do with each other? A lot, as it turns out, if we’re talking about The Diamond Age: or, A Young Lady’s Illustrated Primer by Neal Stephenson. Check out on Goodreads Get at…

Continue Reading
Diversity, Edelweiss, Fiction, Illness, Other-cultures, Society

An Endearing Story About Loneliness, Illness And… Cake Sweet Bean Paste by Durian Sukegawa

If you’re looking for a book to warm up your heart on a cold winter evening, Sweet Bean Paste is the book for you. While being endearing and light, it also tackles important subjects of lifelong illness, alienation, loneliness and learning to accept your life. Without further ado, I give you my reasons to read Sweet Bean Paste. Check out on Goodreads…

Continue Reading
Central Station by Lavie Tidhar
Diversity, Edelweiss, Fiction, Other-cultures, Scifi, Scifi month

A Slice Of Life In Israeli Space City Filled With Robotniks Central Station by Lavie Tidhar

What is this? Evelina is giving you another 5 reasons to read something space related? What are all these reasons all about lately?? (*faints*) This time I’m going to talk about yet another non-American sci-fi. Enjoy! Check out on Goodreads Get at Book Depository ★★★✬☆  3.5 stars IT’S A SLICE OF LIFE, BUT THAT LIFE IS SEVERAL HUNDRED YEARS LATER AND…

Continue Reading