The Last White Man

Jan 8, 2023

The Last White Man

Hmmmm…This one left me quite perplexed at what exactly it was trying to convey. The story centers around Anders, who wakes up one day to find himself brown, and eventually in the whole world white people begin to wake up with their skin mysteriously darker, chaos ensues but it happens mostly off page. Much like Exit West this one centers around a budding romance, but I don’t feel like it worked here. It is clear he got inspiration from Kafka’s masterpiece, Metamorphosis and others that have followed similar formats. Man wakes up to find himself suddenly changed, but must go about his daily life. But in my opinion, Hamid did not lean into the absolute absurdity of it all and I felt like the message was muddled and the arc of the story suffered. Because what is the message here? That race isn’t real? Maybe, but if so I felt like this short novel did not go deep enough for my liking to get that message across, and it was wrapped up way too neatly. But this worked for a lot of people, so give it a shot and see for yourself.

[ID: The novel The Last White Man by Mohsin Hamid lays flat on a gray fabric.]

#Fictionbooks #Aspenlonglist #bookstagram #bookstagrammer #Books

The Seed Keeper

Dec 27, 2022

The Seed Keeper

This book is a perfect winter read. The writing is gorgeous and the descriptions of every tiny little thing, from the way the birds chirped, to the sound of snow crunching beneath your feet, is just perfect. It is how I want all my writing to feel. Not overly flowery, just the right touch, with an emotional resonance that has not left even long after I finished. I was completely taken with this story, it is beautiful and easily one of my new all time favorites.

[ID: The novel The Seed Keeper, by Diane Wilson, rests on a white furry blanket.]

#TheSeedKeeper #DianeWilson #ReadIndigenousAuthors #ReadIndigenousWomen #Community #BeautifulBooks #WinterStories #Bookstagram #BestFictionBooks #ReadMoreBooks #Bookstagrammer #MultigenerationalStories #familystories

She Who Became the Sun

Jun 2, 2022

She Who Became the Sun

Shelley Parker Chan

This is definitely a book that snuck up on me. I went into it thinking it was going to be action packed, but it is actually more of a character study. The marketing on this one does it a huge disservice. Zhu Chongba and Ouyang are two characters I have not been able to shake. They are deeply complex and both have so much to lose, yet they persist with unwavering intensity because what else can they do. Their destiny calls, and they will stop at nothing to accomplish their goals. Definitely two of the most interesting characters I have come across in an epic in a very long time. I’m glad I was able to unpack this with others (thanks to @cherreadssharereads and @nerdtasticnoms ), because once I adjusted my expectations I found it very enjoyable. This is not a fantasy novel, this is a historical fiction epic. It’s dense and slow paced. A lot of the action happens off page, but the political intrigue is definitely juicy. I find myself thinking about this one a lot and wondering how the heck it will all end. I will definitely be checking out book 2.

[ID: The novel She Who Became the Sun by Shelley Parker Chan resting against green plants and yellow flowers. The cover has a bright orange sun with a person riding a horse.]

#SheWhoBecameTheSun #ShelleyParkerChan #AltHistory #HistoricalFictionNovels #ReadMoreBooks #AlwaysReading #LosAngelesReads #Bookstagram #Bookstagrammer #Novels #Fiction #BookPictures #lovereading

The Light From Uncommon Stars

Jun 2, 2022

The Light From Uncommon Stars

Ryka Aoki

Synopsis from Goodreads: An adventure set in California’s San Gabriel Valley, with cursed violins, Faustian bargains, and queer alien courtship over fresh-made donuts.

I liked this book. I read it over winter break and it was a fun, chill read. The conversations between Shizuka (a violin teacher who made a deal with the devil) and Katrina (a transgender woman with a gift for music) were my favorite parts and I felt as though those didn’t happen nearly enough. I honestly could have done without the space story. It was cute and quirky but I can’t remember the characters very well and I think it fell sort of flat to me when I compared it to the interactions between the other two main characters. That was the meat of the story and I felt like it could’ve been a stronger novel if it just stood on its own. I did love that it was set in LA, as it’s always fun when you recognize certain streets or neighborhoods in a book. But while this book wasn’t necessarily a slam dunk for me, there were many elements I found satisfying, for example Katrina’s journey to self love and discovery were so heartfelt and touching. And I can’t believe I’m about to say this but I actually wish there was less space and aliens stuff and just more about the music and Katrina and Shizukas path to self love and forgiveness. With that said I’m very interested to see what this author creates next.

#TheLightFromUncommonStars #ScienceFiction #SFF #FictionNovels #Bookstagram #ReadMoreBooks #AlwaysReading #books #BooksBooksBooks #queersff

The Light From Uncommon Stars by Ryka Aoki

January Wrap-up

Jun 2, 2022

January Wrap-up

#JanuaryWrapup, I had no business reading this much this month, but I was home A LOT because of COVID and my kid’s daycare shutting down due to COVID as soon as I was set to return to work. Books were definitely an escape, and I had an AMAZING reading month. I would recommend all of these books. ALL THAT SHE CARRIED and BAD BLOOD are top tier non-fiction books, but PARADISE is also unforgettable. I will write a long form reflection for ALL THAT SHE CARRIED, it is deserving of all the accolades. BAD BLOOD was just absolutely bananas. Like I knew it was a crazy story, but my god, with each passing chapter I was pretty stunned. I had no idea all the high level people she got involved with! Henry Kissinger? Like what?

The fiction novels I read were all very fulfilling too, with PIRANESI and HOW HIGH WE GO IN THE DARK being standouts. Judging by everyones’ wrap ups it seems like everyone had a pretty stellar month, even though January was an inconsistent hell hole so even if you managed to read a page and just binge watched reality TV, hey you’re reading this so you made it in some way and I am proud of you (this is not sarcasm at all, this month was rough) Onwards!

[ID: Pictures of the books All that She Carried, Piece by Piece: The Story of Nisrin’s Hijab, Bad Blood, Piranesi, Closer to Nowhere, Paradise, She Who Became The Sun, and How High We Go in the Dark layered on top of a picture filled with plants and succulents]

#HowHighWeGoInTheDark #Piranesi #CaliforniaWildfires #AllThatSheCarried #MGLit #MiddleGradeBooks #SheWhoBecameTheSun #LosAngelesReads #Reader #Bookstagram #AlwaysReading #BooksBooksBooks #MonthlyWrapUps #ReadMoreBooks #NonFictionBooks #FictionBooks

Stack of Unread Books

Jan 9, 2022

Stack of Unread Books

My stack of unread books next to my bed. I have never owned so many unread books in my life. My one intention this year is to whittle this stack down and only read what I own. Everything else will come from the library if I want to read it. I’m a big believer in giving books away when I read them too. I love passing on loved books to friends and family. My only request is that they keep passing the book along. See any here I should prioritize? I hope I can keep this promise to myself. I may have to take a year off #bookstagram to do it. Haha. #bookstagrammer #ilovebooks #alwaysreading #readwhatyouown #TBR #nonfictionbooks #fiction