Ibram X. Kendi is one of the most influential and important voices in American society right now. Every time his name comes up – on a book, in a podcast, as an interviewee in a YouTube video – he doesn’t disappoint. He’s intelligent, knowledgeable and has that rare ability to say exactly what he READ MORE
Category: Book Review
BOOK REVIEW | ON CRITICAL RACE THEORY – VICTOR RAY
I remember the first time I heard the term “critical race theory.” It wasn’t clear in that first exposure what it meant and whether it was bad or good, the only thing I took away from it was that there were a lot of people who seemed very upset by it, and I didn’t READ MORE
THE SUNDAY REVIEW | WHEN HITLER STOLE PINK RABBIT – JUDITH KERR
I can’t believe I only just discovered this series of books. It is so my type of thing, and I had a period of reading all the books I could find about the holocaust – particularly those told from the perspective of a young girl (this was after reading Anne Frank’s Diary of a READ MORE
THE SUNDAY REVIEW | THE JANE AUSTEN SOCIETY – NATALIE JENNER
I really loved The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society, so I’m always on the hunt for books about book clubs – bonus marks if they take place in a small English community. This book checked all the boxes. This book follows a group of people who live in a small English village READ MORE
THE SUNDAY REVIEW | SORROW AND BLISS – MEG MASON
For a book about serious things, this book sure was funny. That’s the first impression I had of the book, and the tone instantly had me hooked. This is the story of Martha Friel, who is flailing. She suffers from mental health issues, and has a life that leaves her generally feeling unsatisfied and READ MORE
THE SUNDAY REVIEW | THIS BRIGHT FUTURE – BOBBY HALL
This book. Man, this book. I went into this a bit curious, but not really expecting much. For those of you who don’t know, Bobby Hall is also known as Logic, one of the most successful, influential and respected rap artists of past couple of decades. He’s known for his lyrical skills and being READ MORE
THE SUNDAY REVIEW | THE EXTRA ORDINARY LIFE OF FRANK DERRICK, AGED 81 – J.B MORRISON
I enjoyed reading The Reading List, and decided I wanted something else that had some serious topics in it, but mixed in with some humour and heartwarming moments. I’ve also been meaning to read some of the books on my TBR featuring older protagonists, as I fully support more books getting published about this READ MORE
THE SUNDAY REVIEW | STRANGERS TO OURSELVES – RACHEL AVIV
Unlike many early readers of this book, I hadn’t heard of Rachel Aviv, who is a writer for The New Yorker. This book is her first, and it traces her own experiences as, at that time, the youngest child to ever be diagnosed with anorexia (she was six). From this she moves on to READ MORE
THE SUNDAY REVIEW | THE READING LIST – SARA NISHA ADAMS
This book took me completely by surprise. I bought it as Audible’s deal of the day on a whim a while back, after quickly skimming the description. I like books about readers. That was pretty much all the thought I put into it. I think I decided to read it mainly because it was READ MORE
RELEASE DAY REVIEW | HOW NOT TO DROWN IN A GLASS OF WATER – ANGIE CRUZ
If you enjoy books that draw you deeply into the mind of one character, this book is for you. If you enjoy books that show you both the attributes and flaws of a character in equal measure, again, this is a book for you. If you want to learn about the experiences of immigrants, READ MORE
THE SUNDAY REVIEW | STILL LIFE – SARAH WINMAN
This was yet another of the books I read for the quarterfinals of the BookTube Prize. I had been meaning to read Sarah Winman’s work for ages – I have at least two of her books on my shelves, unread, but this one was quite long and therefore languished on my “maybe, someday” pile. READ MORE
THE SUNDAY REVIEW | RECKLESS GIRLS – RACHEL HAWKINS
You know when things are going on in life that feel like a LOT and you really just want a book that will sweep you up, grab your full attention, and transport you away from everything that’s stressing you out for a while? This book was exactly that. What attracted me to this book READ MORE
THE SUNDAY REVIEW | THE MAGICIAN – COLM TÓIBÍN
I didn’t really have a lot of interest in this book to start with. It’s historical fiction, and it’s based on the life of an author I’d never heard of, let alone read (Thomas Mann). But it was on my second round of judging for the BookTube Prize, so I had to give it READ MORE
THE SUNDAY REVIEW | HOW THE ONE-ARMED SISTER SWEEPS HER HOUSE – CHERIE JONES
Another book from my group for the quarterfinals of judging for the BookTube Prize, How the One-Armed Sister Sweeps Her House is an interesting novel that managed to surprise me. I expected a mystery, with a few unexpected twists and turns and with a tropical backdrop. I was interested in it, and was pleased READ MORE
THE SUNDAY REVIEW | HOW BEAUTIFUL WE WERE – IMBOLO MBUE
This was the first book I read for the quarterfinals of the BookTube Prize this year. I had heard of, but not read, Mbue’s earlier book (Behold the Dreamers), which garnered a lot of attention upon its release, particularly as it was selected for Oprah’s Book Club. So I was definitely interested in this READ MORE
THE SUNDAY REVIEW | THE FIVE WOUNDS – KIRSTEN VALDEZ QUADE
I hadn’t even heard of this book when I was assigned it for my BookTube Prize reading. But I’m glad it was brought to my attention, and that I had a chance to give it a try. It’s not the kind of book I’ve been gravitating towards lately, either. It’s a family story, for READ MORE
THE SUNDAY REVIEW | THE LINCOLN HIGHWAY – AMOR TOWLES
This was the second book I read for the BookTube Prize 2022 Quarterfinals back in April-May. It’s another intimidating book as it’s lengthy and a little vague in its description. Like Cloud Cuckoo Land, The Lincoln Highway gave me an opportunity to try an author whose previous work has been widely lauded and recommended, READ MORE
THE SUNDAY REVIEW | THE TREES – PERCIVAL EVERETT
For the second time in my BookTube Prize reading so far this year, I get to say: I have never read a book quite like this one. I think I’ll be challenged to even accurately describe it! It’s one of the books I read for the Quarterfinals round of the 2022 BookTube Prize, and READ MORE