book reviews
Reviews of books that explore the complexities of family throughout history and across cultures.
Ghost Medicine
This book was like a slow boil. At first, I felt myself contemplating whether or not I would have to put it back on my shelf, but suddenly I found myself invested in the characters and truly engaged in their adventures. Over time, I found myself hanging on every word, desperately turning the pages to see how it would all end. Although it is different from some of Andrew Smith’s previous work, I once again found myself surrounded by tremendously written characters and a dramatic plot that left me reeling.
By Kurt Mason5 years ago in Families
Book Review: "Playing Nice" by J.P Delaney
I stayed up a long time to read this book and honestly, I was glad I did. When it comes to thrillers, if you keep choosing similar ones, eventually you will get bored of them. But, with thrillers like these, you will not be able to find a way that they are similar to another thriller you have read before. It is a brilliant addition to the modern world of crime, mystery and thriller. The structure is again one of those very tense narratives that goes back and forth between people and, in the midst of these back and forth narratives, we get court documents. We get phone conversations, interview transcripts, we get vital pieces of the court's exhibition of evidence that eventually we have to consider ideas that, at first, would not have been entirely present.
By Annie Kapur5 years ago in Families
The Lowland by Jhumpa Lahiri – Book Review: The Intimacy of Political and Personal
The Lowland by Jhumpa Lahiri is an ambitious book. It is a story of brotherly bonds intermingling with a vicious political environment. The two brothers – Subhash and Udayan are just 15 months apart. Subhash is the elder one but he hardly remembers a time that Udayan wasn’t in his life. The two brothers, although similar in age, are poles apart in their personalities.
By Rochi Zalani5 years ago in Families
Book Review: "The Dilemma" by B.A Paris
When I first read the summary of this book (without spoilers obviously!) I thought to myself 'this is going to be really predictable but I'm going to read it anyway.' Honestly, my predictions could not have been more wrong and the book, from start to finish, was a heart-pounding psychodrama told through the eyes of husband and wife - Adam and Olivia. As the story flips back and forth between them and we get to see more and more of their lives unfold, we take a moment to also realise that there is a certain element of trust missing from the relationship and wonder to ourselves if these issues from the past are going to survive these next blows.
By Annie Kapur5 years ago in Families
Stick
I want to start by saying that this is the best thing that I have read so far this year. Granted, we are only in the second week of February, but I would be remiss if I did not give this book the accolades that it deserves. It is no secret that I love reading Andrew Smith’s work, but there was something in this book that truly grabbed me and left me with an emotional connection the likes of which I haven’t experienced in quite a while.
By Kurt Mason5 years ago in Families
The Bluest Eye Review: The Paws Of Conventional Beauty And Internalized Racism
This article was originally published at rochizalani.com The Bluest Eye is Toni Morrison’s first novel. It is set in 1940s America. The novel is largely based on a personal experience when one of Morrison’s childhood friends confessed her desire to have blue eyes. The author realized that how “implicit in her desire was racial self-loathing”.
By Rochi Zalani5 years ago in Families
The BirchBark House
How many readers out there like Native American stories. Quite awhile ago I did find out that I am a little bit Native American from way back. One of my ancestors must have fell in love with a member of the Iroquis nation of Western Pennsylvania. I know that I am one who likes to read Native American stories for I just finished reading one children's/young adult novel entitled 'The Birchbark House' a story about the Ojibwa Indians. This is a story for all seasons and will teach us about how diverse Native Americans were during the historical periods of the Americas.
By Mark Graham5 years ago in Families
The Yellow House
Snow covered the rolling hills surrounding a lone farmhouse. The faded and chipped yellow paint standing out like a beacon. The only other color in the area was the faded red barn behind the house. Smoke rose from the chimney of the house into the air. The sounds of the various animals in the barn were the only thing breaking the peaceful quiet. Marie sat in her favorite rocking chair near the window that looked out into the empty hills.
By Becca Johnson5 years ago in Families
