Before I explain to you how disappointing one of my most anticipated books of 2023 was, I need to put it out there that Elizabeth Acevedo is one of my favorite authors of all time. When she announced Family Lore, her first novel for adult readers, I lost my mind with excitement and anticipation. And when August 2023 came, I was sick with worry because no bookstore here was stocking it. You know why? Because the Australian book market is weird like that. Half the global book releases are postponed Down Under and the same was the case with Family Lore.
Tag Archives: Favorite Authors
Roman Stories by Jhumpa Lahiri | Book Review
Roman Stories is Jhumpa Lahiri’s latest work, a return to her roots, if you will, because this is a collection of short stories like her Pulitzer Prize winning Interpreter of Maladies. I’ve been a fan of Jhumpa Lahiri’s writing for a bit and when this book was announced, I promptly lost my mind. But before I get into what I think of her new book, I have to take a step or two back to tell you how I fell in love with her words.
Carrie Soto is Back by Taylor Jenkins Reid | Book Review
Sometimes there comes along a book, like Carrie Soto is Back, that addresses such a specific set of issues and questions, that it makes you wonder why you’d never thought of it in detail before. Questions like: Why is it okay for a man in the public eye to be aggressive but not for a woman? Why is it okay for a man to be unsmiling and intense but when a woman does it, she’s labeled a b*tch? Why is it that an ambitious man is seen as just that but an ambitious woman becomes callous and unfeeling in the eyes of the public? And this sexism is turned around and slapped back onto the woman’s shoulders, calling it her overreaction, that she can’t take a joke.
Carrie Soto is Back is a smack in all these faces. Taylor Jenkins Reid, through Carrie Soto’s story, takes us through the unfairness that the world pulls out every time a woman takes center stage. And it is proof, yet again, that even though things have gotten a lot better, we still have a long way to go.
Dust Child by Nguyễn Phan Quế Mai | Blog Tour Stop
Hello and welcome to my blog tour stop for Nguyễn Phan Quế Mai’s newest book, Dust Child! I was supposed to write a post about the progress I’ve been making on this story. Instead, here I am, writing a full review because of how invested I was in it. Nguyễn Phan Quế Mai does it again with this book, infusing it with a gentle understanding and compassion that makes me such a huge fan of her writing. I read Nguyễn Phan Quế Mai’s debut novel The Mountains Sing in December 2022 and it marched its way onto my favorites of the year list. That (and more) made the author an instant favorite, propelling Dust Child into my most anticipated book releases of 2023 list.
The Mountains Sing by Nguyễn Phan Quế Mai | Book Review
Historical fiction is a difficult genre to write in, especially because the times are so far back in the past that you have to be extremely careful with your research. You can’t disrespect the past while you write your story, and you have to get things exactly right. But when authors do get it right, they manage to blow you away in more ways than one and in ways you’ll often not see coming. Among this population of authors is Nguyễn Phan Quế Mai, who, after seven years of research, published the book The Mountains Sing, a story set before and during the Việt Nam war. I became an instant fan of her when I finally read it in December 2022. And not just because of the book.
Books That Made Me Cry | Some Book Recommendations | #Blogtober22 – Day 30
In today’s blog post, I’ll be taking you through 10 books (more, actually) that I cried my eyes out reading and have shouted from the rooftops about how great they were. That’s a measure of how good a book is, I think, of how much it affects the reader. And these books stand out among my read pile because of how much pain, how much emotion I felt as I read them. There were originally 15 books on this list (in the video I made), but I’ve cut this list down to 10, to the books that affected me the most.
Why I Might Never Meet My Favorite Authors or Artists | #Blogtober22 – Day 21
I feel like a lot of these Blogtober posts have started with me putting out the disclaimer that I am an introvert. And as much as I want to apologize for the repetition, I also understand that I need it for context. Moreover, what am I even apologizing for? For a part of myself? For being me? So, I’ll keep my introductions as they are, thank you very much. In fact, I’ll start off this blog post by talking about how much of an awkward introvert I am. Like I said before: context setting is important.
10 Things I Love About An Ember in the Ashes by Sabaa Tahir | #Blogtober22 – Day 13
If you’ve been following me on social media – at least since 2021 – you’ll know that I found one of my absolute favorite series of all time that year. I’ve laughed, I’ve cried, I’ve gone on adventures, I’ve smiled in understanding, I’ve experienced the characters’ pain – everything – as I read the fantasy series, An Ember in the Ashes by Sabaa Tahir. There’s footage of me crying like a baby and there was more that I didn’t add to that video where I was even hiccupping because I was crying so hard. Sabaa Tahir has that quality in her writing where she makes you feel a world of emotions. And call me a masochist or whatever, but I am someone who loves books that make me emotional.
My Favorite Authors of All Time | 7 Authors I’d Do Anything For!
There are many authors I love that I’ve discovered over the years I’ve been reading. They are on the list for various reasons, with new ones emerging every single day and others shifting to make place for them. But there are some authors who have made a permanent place for themselves in my heart and have remained there. They, through their writing and the stories they tell, have impacted me so much that were they to ask me of anything in the whole, wide world, I’d do it with my eyes closed.
The Midnight Library by Matt Haig – Book Gush & Book Recommendation!
I usually start off my reviews with a little bit of an introduction as to how I came across an author or how much I love their writing or some little anecdote about something related to the book and/or author. But today, I have been rendered speechless, because as much as I want to shout about how much I have loved Matt Haig’s writing and about how much I feel justified today, it just wouldn’t be enough.
The Melodramatic Bookworm 