Many thanks to Harpercollins India for including me in the MY DARK VANESSA blog tour. If you're a member of the online book community, you've probably seen MY DARK VANESSA on your feed several times. This is a novel the book community has been buzzing about for many months, including a recent controversy that unfortunately … Continue reading Blog Tour: MY DARK VANESSA by Kate Elizabeth Russell
I consider 2019 to be a great year of reading. I approached my tbr with conscious intention; I made an effort to read more books by Middle Eastern, South Asian and Muslim writers. I am in the middle of my postgraduate studies in English literature, so a lot of the books I read for university … Continue reading My Best Reads of 2019
2018 wasn't my best reading year but there were some books that I loved. All of these were five star reads that captured me in some way, so while reading the following books I was completely immersed in the stories, characters and writing. The list is in no particular order. A Place For Us by … Continue reading Memorable Reads of 2018
To my friends and family, I've always tried to paint the picture of Bookstagram as some paradise corner of the internet where people are amiable and accepting of everyone. It's that perfect online community where people don't argue or fight. That's a lie, though. Bookstagram is far from perfect. I've tried to glorify the image … Continue reading We Need To Talk About Bookworm Shaming
I'll be upfront about this: I'm not much of a romance reader. I enjoy it if it's an aspect of the story but not central to the book. So here are some purely romance reads that I actually loved! The Ramblers by Aidan Donnelley Rowley This is one of my all-time favorite comfort reads. Pick … Continue reading Not The Greatest List of Romance Novels
BITTER ORANGE by Claire Fuller 3/5 Claire Fuller's third novel, BITTER ORANGE, is psychological narrative that takes place on a dilapidated English countryside estate. Like her debut novel, OUR ENDLESS NUMBERED DAYS, her latest is an atmospheric story with a remote setting that builds a sense of claustrophobia. Frances Jellico is on her deathbed, her … Continue reading Book Review: BITTER ORANGE by Claire Fuller
IF CATS DISAPPEARED FROM THE WORLD by Genki Kawamura, translated by Eric Selland 5/5 "Cats and humans have been partners for over ten thousand years. And what you realize when you've lived with a cat for a long time is that we may think we own them, but that's not the way it is. They … Continue reading Book Review: IF CATS DISAPPEARED FROM THE WORLD by Genki Kawamura
THE ROAD THROUGH THE WALL by Shirley Jackson 4/5 Set in Cabrillo, a fictional suburb in San Francisco, Shirley Jakcson's THE ROAD THROUGH THE WALL is a superb first novel that transforms a seemingly peaceful neighborhood into the ugly manifestation of cruel human nature. Taking place during the summer of 1936, just as the children … Continue reading Book Review: The Road Through The Wall by Shirley Jackson
CONVERSATIONS WITH FRIENDS by Sally Rooney 3/5 My experience with CONVERSATIONS WITH FRIENDS has left a weird taste in my mouth. The story was not what I expected, but I moved on from that quite quickly and took it for what it was. Naturally, affected by the rosy praise surrounding this novel, I really wanted … Continue reading Book Review: CONVERSATIONS WITH FRIENDS by Sally Rooney
FRENCH EXIT by Patrick deWitt 4/5 Like the term 'ghosting', 'French exit' refers to leaving abruptly without saying goodbye. A mother-son duo spark the languid momentum of Patrick deWitt's latest tragi-comedy; Frances Price is an infamous Manhattan socialite who flees to Paris with her son Matthew. Frances, who is quite cold by nature, is informed … Continue reading Book Review: FRENCH EXIT by Patrick deWitt
Sumaiyya and Books 