I don’t know how I could ever look at trees the same way again after reading this book. Wohlleben writes with such warmth, sincerity, and enthusiasm, I don’t know how I could ever look at trees the same way again after reading this book. Wohlleben writes with such warmth, sincerity, and enthusiasm, and it makes what would usually be a slow read for me a wonder, transportive. I feel like a live in a different world after finishing this—one with more wonder, mystery, and magic. I was hoping to gain a greater appreciation for nature from this book, and I definitely have. 🌳📚🌲...more
I never knew what was around the bend in this brilliant book. The Underground Railroad reminds me of Emily Dickinson’s advice about writing poetry: “TI never knew what was around the bend in this brilliant book. The Underground Railroad reminds me of Emily Dickinson’s advice about writing poetry: “Tell all the truth, but tell it slant.” Whitehead estranges the reader from the dominant narrative of slavery in America and in so doing reveals the truth of slavery then, now, and in between. Heartbreaking, empowering, revelatory....more
This book burns, slow and deep and fierce. Through the heartrending abuse and dismissal that face friends Poornima and Savitha and the power and beautThis book burns, slow and deep and fierce. Through the heartrending abuse and dismissal that face friends Poornima and Savitha and the power and beauty they find in their love for each other, this story lays bare what it means to be a girl. I recommend it especially for those who loved Yaa Gyasi's Homegoing or The Dewbreaker by Edwidge Danticat. This would also be an excellent book club read....more
My mind is all kinds of messed up from this book, a very disturbing, thrilling, and thought-provoking meditation on power, gender, religion, and histoMy mind is all kinds of messed up from this book, a very disturbing, thrilling, and thought-provoking meditation on power, gender, religion, and history, plus super morally ambiguous and compelling characters. Going to be thinking about this one for a long time. It’s pushing me a little, and I respect that. ...more
Spend a year in a magical, if poorly insulated bookshop in Wigtown, Scotland--yes, please. I loved this book so much, I didn't want it to end. It's stSpend a year in a magical, if poorly insulated bookshop in Wigtown, Scotland--yes, please. I loved this book so much, I didn't want it to end. It's strange how reading something so similar to my own day-to-day life could be so enchanting, laugh-out-loud funny, and so very dear. The Diary of a Bookseller made me love my life, my bookstore, and my profession even more. Bythell definitely pulls no punches in his daily entries on life at Scotland's largest secondhand bookstore--the at times freezing shop, the strange characters (on either side of the counter), the difficult customers, the computer glitches and industry-wide pressures, Bythell describes them all candidly, honestly, and with great humor. I am already proselytizing this book to all my bookselling friends, but I heartily recommend it to anyone who loves books and bookshops or anyone who could use a little more tenderness in how they view their own day-to-day life. ...more
The Girl in the Tower is even more magical and enthralling than the first installment in the Winternight Trilogy. Fantasy fans will love Arden's take The Girl in the Tower is even more magical and enthralling than the first installment in the Winternight Trilogy. Fantasy fans will love Arden's take on the beloved girl disguised as a boy trope. I devoured this novel, and I can't wait for the final book in the trilogy. I'd recommend the series to fans of Naomi Novik's Uprooted and readers who grew up on Tamora Pierce's novels for young readers. ...more
The Hazel Wood was thrilling, creepy, delightful, and full of surprises. I loved each and every one of Melissa Albert's deftly handled twists and turnThe Hazel Wood was thrilling, creepy, delightful, and full of surprises. I loved each and every one of Melissa Albert's deftly handled twists and turns, especially because nothing is merely plot in this novel; every detail speaks to fairy tales and folk lore, the readers who love these stories, and the scholars who collect and study them. I did find myself wanting more from the relationship between Alice and Ellery Finch and more of Ella in general, but upon deeper reflection, I feel like Albert's handling of these subjects was really realistic. A fascinating, thought-provoking, and most of all fun read I'll be recommending to teens and adults alike, especially for fans of Angela Carter's The Bloody Chamber, Naomi Novik's Uprooted, and Lev Grossman's The Magicians. ...more
Utterly absorbing, The End We Start From should be read in one great rush and then read again slowly for savoring. Megan Hunter's poetic training is eUtterly absorbing, The End We Start From should be read in one great rush and then read again slowly for savoring. Megan Hunter's poetic training is evident in every line, and this novel feels like a sculpture that Hunter has carefully and strategically chipped from raw stone. I did feel like the novel would have benefited from some reasoning as to why and in what context our protagonist is writing these details down. I would recommend this novel to fans of The Handmaid's Tale--not just for its dystopian, environmental, or maternal themes but above all for the quality and depth of the female narrator's interior landscape....more