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Book Review: The House in the Cerulean Sea by TJ Klune
Heartwarming. If you want a book that will leave you smiling, that will give your hope back to humanity, well this is the book for you. It’s got great character arcs which is one of its strengths. I enjoyed the main character’s journey from living a mundane life to one full of colour. Even the kids in the stories also evolve at the end of the book. Klune has done a fantastic job creating a very well-thought-out novel. He has also written probably the sweetest, romantic scene I’ve ever read. If I have to describe it in one word, it would be magical. Themes of acceptance, family, and the fight…
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Book Review: Scarborough by Catherine Hernandez
I’m typically drawn to stories that distract me from reality. Fantasy and Science Fiction rank high on my TBR list. Sure, the themes from these books still explore the human condition, at least the good ones anyway. Something about the worldbuilding and fantastical magic systems softens the blow when I face uncomfortable scenes. Such is not the case with Scarborough by Catherine Hernandez. Hernandez writes about the lives of multiple characters in a borough in Toronto called Scarborough. Scarborough, like most inner cities in North America, deals with issues on poverty, racism, violence, crime. If there’s a great example of showing rather than telling in writing, it would be Hernandez.…
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Book Review: We Ride Upon Sticks by Quan Barry
Do you love the 80’s? John Hughes movies? Hilarious characters? Witchcraft, the high school experience, and field hockey?⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀Emilio Estevez?⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀Have I got the book for you!⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀Set in 1989, We Ride Upon Sticks follow a high school field hockey team in a small town called Danvers, the original site of the Salem witches trials. They start documenting their dark deeds in an Emilio Estevez notebook and lo and behold, they start winning. But, to maintain their winning streak, they have to recharge Emilio with more dark deeds. The darker it is, the better results they get.⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀The power doesn’t just work on field hockey. It works with their personal goals as well. Like…
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May 2020 Books Roundup
May 2020 has come and gone. To tell you the truth, every month that had passed had felt that way, oh I don’t know, for the last ten years. Not sure what that says about me. Maybe I’m not “present” enough? Enough ruminations. Discussing existential observations will perhaps only bore you. Or think I’m weird (which I can be). So, let’s move on to what the title of this post has promised! In terms of reading, I have broken my personal best on the number of books I’ve read in a month. Seventeen books, y’all! 17!!! Here are May 2020’s stats: Genre Contemporary Literature – 6 YA Fantasy – 6…
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April Books Roundup
Thought I’d share the books I’ve read each month. Here we go: This Is How You Lose the Time War by Amal El-Mohtar, Max Gladstone – 2/5 A story lacking details lost me. Without details, the two main characters blend in together, and I was confused as to who was who. Apparently they fall in love, but it was unclear to me as to how it happens. Perhaps I’ll listen to the audiobook and see if my opinions of the book remain unchanged. The Stranger by Harlan Coben – 3/5 I chose this audiobook because I saw that it had been adapted into a Netflix series that a few of…