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_askthebookbug's reviews
1335 reviews
• r e c o m m e n d a t i o n •
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"Being poor, living in poverty, seemed a lot like probation—the crime being a lack of means to survive." - Stephanie Land.
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Poverty is very much like mold, appearing during the gloomiest of days in the corners of the house, its stubborn presence making the residents sick. At times, even a good amount of scrubbing doesn't help because it will grow back the moment you get busy. From being a middle-class citizen to someone relying on government assistance, Land knows where exactly things went wrong. With the birth of her daughter, her partner conveniently walks out of the relationship. Without a degree, Land has nothing to fall back on so she starts working for a cleaning company. Most of the book is about her job which comes as no surprise considering the title itself but there's also a much bigger issue that she addresses honestly. About how it feels to be poor and how people view poverty like it is a conscious choice.
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Imagine a world with no friends or a stable family and romantic relationships that are doomed from the start and now add poverty and sickness to this. Land's life is one disaster after the other but she trudges on for the sake of her daughter, Mia. From being homeless to living in unfavorable conditions, the duo has seen it all. While she speaks of government assistance that provides her with food stamps or concession on rent, she also talks about how people view their taxes going to such aids. People like Land are constantly judged, watched and taunted for taking help from the government. The stark differences between the rich and the poor is only made sharper through her job. When Land sees food going to waste, she thinks of how she struggles to keep her daughter fed. To many of her clients, she's just a maid, nameless and utterly unimportant but it is often she who knows the deepest secrets that every house carries. When an occasional client acknowledges her presence and offers to help her, she is taken aback because the act is such a rare occurrence.
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Land's story is incredibly inspiring for she manages to stay afloat even during the roughest days. She assures the readers that no matter how dark it gets, there is almost always light at the end of the tunnel. While rating the book on Goodreads, I read few reviews which spewed hatred because of Land's description of her job. I can't for the life of me understand why they would choose such a book in the first place when they lack compassion and patience to understand what it actually is like to clean other's snot and piss and being paid next to nothing for such an uncomfortable job. One cannot expect the book to be about rainbows and unicorns when the title and cover are so clear about the book has to offer.
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Rating : 4.8/5.
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"Being poor, living in poverty, seemed a lot like probation—the crime being a lack of means to survive." - Stephanie Land.
.
Poverty is very much like mold, appearing during the gloomiest of days in the corners of the house, its stubborn presence making the residents sick. At times, even a good amount of scrubbing doesn't help because it will grow back the moment you get busy. From being a middle-class citizen to someone relying on government assistance, Land knows where exactly things went wrong. With the birth of her daughter, her partner conveniently walks out of the relationship. Without a degree, Land has nothing to fall back on so she starts working for a cleaning company. Most of the book is about her job which comes as no surprise considering the title itself but there's also a much bigger issue that she addresses honestly. About how it feels to be poor and how people view poverty like it is a conscious choice.
.
Imagine a world with no friends or a stable family and romantic relationships that are doomed from the start and now add poverty and sickness to this. Land's life is one disaster after the other but she trudges on for the sake of her daughter, Mia. From being homeless to living in unfavorable conditions, the duo has seen it all. While she speaks of government assistance that provides her with food stamps or concession on rent, she also talks about how people view their taxes going to such aids. People like Land are constantly judged, watched and taunted for taking help from the government. The stark differences between the rich and the poor is only made sharper through her job. When Land sees food going to waste, she thinks of how she struggles to keep her daughter fed. To many of her clients, she's just a maid, nameless and utterly unimportant but it is often she who knows the deepest secrets that every house carries. When an occasional client acknowledges her presence and offers to help her, she is taken aback because the act is such a rare occurrence.
.
Land's story is incredibly inspiring for she manages to stay afloat even during the roughest days. She assures the readers that no matter how dark it gets, there is almost always light at the end of the tunnel. While rating the book on Goodreads, I read few reviews which spewed hatred because of Land's description of her job. I can't for the life of me understand why they would choose such a book in the first place when they lack compassion and patience to understand what it actually is like to clean other's snot and piss and being paid next to nothing for such an uncomfortable job. One cannot expect the book to be about rainbows and unicorns when the title and cover are so clear about the book has to offer.
.
Rating : 4.8/5.
• r e v i e w •
'i was so worried about wat i would become in the future that i didn't realize i can be anything i want to be right now'. - Jomny Sun
'if you are sad because happiness is fleeting, juet remember that sadness is also fleeting'. - Jomny Sun
This was such a wholesome book. Spanning across 300 pages, this delightful comic book speaks of everything that we humans question. An egg-headed alien is dropped off at Earth in order to study humans for over a hundred days. Never feeling at home with his own kind, this little fellow arrives confused and scared. But he instantly makes friends with those he meets which includes plants and animals and an occasional Yeti. Every little thing he meets teaches him something be it about art, life, friendship, love, acceptance and even death. It's surprising how well Jomny has managed to convey certain heavy topics through just a few lines and creative drawings. You aren't too young or too old to give this a read and in more than one way, this book reminded me of The Little Prince. There are so many beautiful metaphors put to use to describe life and everything in between that warmed me on cold nights. This also happened to be one of my last reads of 2020 and what a wonderful one it turned out to be. The language used is clumsy like that of a child but it makes sense considering how an alien is narrating his experiences.
I highly recommend this.
Rating : 4.5/5
Thank you so very much for gifting me such a thoughtful book @s.n.avinash ❤️
'i was so worried about wat i would become in the future that i didn't realize i can be anything i want to be right now'. - Jomny Sun
'if you are sad because happiness is fleeting, juet remember that sadness is also fleeting'. - Jomny Sun
This was such a wholesome book. Spanning across 300 pages, this delightful comic book speaks of everything that we humans question. An egg-headed alien is dropped off at Earth in order to study humans for over a hundred days. Never feeling at home with his own kind, this little fellow arrives confused and scared. But he instantly makes friends with those he meets which includes plants and animals and an occasional Yeti. Every little thing he meets teaches him something be it about art, life, friendship, love, acceptance and even death. It's surprising how well Jomny has managed to convey certain heavy topics through just a few lines and creative drawings. You aren't too young or too old to give this a read and in more than one way, this book reminded me of The Little Prince. There are so many beautiful metaphors put to use to describe life and everything in between that warmed me on cold nights. This also happened to be one of my last reads of 2020 and what a wonderful one it turned out to be. The language used is clumsy like that of a child but it makes sense considering how an alien is narrating his experiences.
I highly recommend this.
Rating : 4.5/5
Thank you so very much for gifting me such a thoughtful book @s.n.avinash ❤️
• r e c o m m e n d a t i o n •
"Hate is loud, but I think you'll learn it's because it's only a few people shouting, desperate to be heard. You might not ever be able to change their minds, but so long as your remember you're not alone, you will overcome." - TJ Klune
There are few books that fills you up with warmth and sunshine making you feel all fuzzy and gooey. The House in the Cerulean Sea is one such novel. Now more than ever, we need goodness around us. Someone to tell us not to lose hope and to keep believing in ourselves irrespective of what others have to say. TJ Klune, through the characters does exactly that. He makes you want to love and be loved, to accept oneself without any judgement and this is what makes this book a winner. The protagonist, Linus Baker is full of self-doubt and is accepting to settle in a loveless life because he feels unworthy of it. But little does he know that he'll meet someone who forces him to open his eyes for the very first time. Surrounded by blinding beauty in the Cerulean Sea, Linus finds his way back to life.
Baker is a caseworker in Department in Charge of Magical Youths (DICOMY) and lives a mundane life. He detests his weight, his inability to make friends and dreams of seeing an ocean/sea. When given an unexpected task of visiting an orphanage to evaluate it's condition and that of the magical children, he is dazed for being selected for the job. Being a stiff man and a stickler of rules, Linus is overwhelmed by the children he meets at the orphanage. He gradually unwinds and enjoys the little things that the island and its people have to offer. And then there's the master of the orphanage who thaws through Baker's heart. Arthur is unlike anyone Baker has ever met and is drawn to him like a magnet. This part is what I enjoyed the most. Arthur making Baker see how precious he really is. All sense of doubt and uncertainty vanishes from Baker's mind.
There's so much to love about this story. It oozes positivity and hope. The story and it's characters are deliciously warm. Please do read it.
I read this for @btp.bookclub
5/5.
"Hate is loud, but I think you'll learn it's because it's only a few people shouting, desperate to be heard. You might not ever be able to change their minds, but so long as your remember you're not alone, you will overcome." - TJ Klune
There are few books that fills you up with warmth and sunshine making you feel all fuzzy and gooey. The House in the Cerulean Sea is one such novel. Now more than ever, we need goodness around us. Someone to tell us not to lose hope and to keep believing in ourselves irrespective of what others have to say. TJ Klune, through the characters does exactly that. He makes you want to love and be loved, to accept oneself without any judgement and this is what makes this book a winner. The protagonist, Linus Baker is full of self-doubt and is accepting to settle in a loveless life because he feels unworthy of it. But little does he know that he'll meet someone who forces him to open his eyes for the very first time. Surrounded by blinding beauty in the Cerulean Sea, Linus finds his way back to life.
Baker is a caseworker in Department in Charge of Magical Youths (DICOMY) and lives a mundane life. He detests his weight, his inability to make friends and dreams of seeing an ocean/sea. When given an unexpected task of visiting an orphanage to evaluate it's condition and that of the magical children, he is dazed for being selected for the job. Being a stiff man and a stickler of rules, Linus is overwhelmed by the children he meets at the orphanage. He gradually unwinds and enjoys the little things that the island and its people have to offer. And then there's the master of the orphanage who thaws through Baker's heart. Arthur is unlike anyone Baker has ever met and is drawn to him like a magnet. This part is what I enjoyed the most. Arthur making Baker see how precious he really is. All sense of doubt and uncertainty vanishes from Baker's mind.
There's so much to love about this story. It oozes positivity and hope. The story and it's characters are deliciously warm. Please do read it.
I read this for @btp.bookclub
5/5.
• r e c o m m e n d a t i o n •
"You are of me, Loreda, in a way that can never be broken. Not by words or anger or actions or time. I love you. I will always love you." - Kristin Hannah.
The Four Winds educates the readers about the Dust Bowl incident that lasted for six years in America back in the '30s. Six long years of poverty, starvation, death and drought that eventually led people to make countless sacrifices, to sell their precious lands and to bury their animals. Never did I imagine that she'd write something that could possibly be more intense than The Nightingale but The Four Winds claws at your heart. A novel that's gut-wrenching yet utterly hopeful, a feat that only Hannah can pull it off gracefully. I went in with zero knowledge of the Dust Bowl and this novel forever changed my perspective about hardships and love. Very quickly into the book, I realised that like every other story that she writes, this one too is about women. And to me, this was enough to march through the book.
Elsinore has been told all her life that she isn't meant to be loved and that her ugliness will eventually turn her into a spinster. But an unexpected sweet encounter with Rafe Martinelli gives her a new family, one that'll accept her for who she is. Just when she falls into a comfortable routine with her children, in-laws and husband, the Dust Bowl brings in severe drought, upending their lives forever. Six years of being hungry and poor sent people to other cities for job opportunities but were treated like dirt by fellow Americans. They were made to pick cotton for low pay and had to live in camps which were infested with diseases of all kinds. Thousands lost their lives during this period, and Elsa's story (fictional character) gave me goosebumps. The Four Winds is about perseverance and compassion even in the face of difficulties. I struggled with many chapters as I read about how people had to forgo their ancestral and hard earned lands, to having to put down their animals so as to end their sufferings etc. This is the story of friendships, love, acceptance and courage - something that we all need in our lives.
It also happens to be Hannah's finest work.
5/5.
"You are of me, Loreda, in a way that can never be broken. Not by words or anger or actions or time. I love you. I will always love you." - Kristin Hannah.
The Four Winds educates the readers about the Dust Bowl incident that lasted for six years in America back in the '30s. Six long years of poverty, starvation, death and drought that eventually led people to make countless sacrifices, to sell their precious lands and to bury their animals. Never did I imagine that she'd write something that could possibly be more intense than The Nightingale but The Four Winds claws at your heart. A novel that's gut-wrenching yet utterly hopeful, a feat that only Hannah can pull it off gracefully. I went in with zero knowledge of the Dust Bowl and this novel forever changed my perspective about hardships and love. Very quickly into the book, I realised that like every other story that she writes, this one too is about women. And to me, this was enough to march through the book.
Elsinore has been told all her life that she isn't meant to be loved and that her ugliness will eventually turn her into a spinster. But an unexpected sweet encounter with Rafe Martinelli gives her a new family, one that'll accept her for who she is. Just when she falls into a comfortable routine with her children, in-laws and husband, the Dust Bowl brings in severe drought, upending their lives forever. Six years of being hungry and poor sent people to other cities for job opportunities but were treated like dirt by fellow Americans. They were made to pick cotton for low pay and had to live in camps which were infested with diseases of all kinds. Thousands lost their lives during this period, and Elsa's story (fictional character) gave me goosebumps. The Four Winds is about perseverance and compassion even in the face of difficulties. I struggled with many chapters as I read about how people had to forgo their ancestral and hard earned lands, to having to put down their animals so as to end their sufferings etc. This is the story of friendships, love, acceptance and courage - something that we all need in our lives.
It also happens to be Hannah's finest work.
5/5.
• r e v i e w •
I remember reading Those Pricey Thakur Girls couple of years ago and being pleasantly surprised by Chauhan's witty writing. Club You to Death grabbed my attention for two reasons, one for being written Chauhan and the second for being a murder mystery. I hardly say no to whodunnit novels, always looking for thrillers to read. Although the story had every ingredient to make it a bestseller, there were too many loopholes that I couldn't help overlooking. Set in Delhi, she captures the characters and their language perfectly well. The plot in itself was a clever one, luring in the readers and keeping them engaged till the end. But I would definitely not recommend this to hardcore thriller lovers.
The Delhi Turf Club has been standing proudly for over a century and its members strut around like peacocks. A personal trainer is found dead in a rather innocent manner but the police investigation leads to something sinister. Kashi Dogra, son of a member who comes visiting the family and to play Tambola at the Club gets involved in the investigation. Although, he's the protagonist, it is not he who plays the pivotal role in the story. It is ACP Bhavani, the mild-mannered and compassionate officer who handles the case. Murky secrets of posh people tumble out, shifting the focus from one character to the other. Chauhan tries her best to keep the readers from guessing but I had an inkling about who the murderer might be. Filled with women who ogle at the young trainer, a capable sidekick like Kashi Dogra, a little bit of love triangle and corpses, Club You to Death could have been the next brilliant thriller. But the ease with which ACP Bhavani took the victim's phone home to leisurely go through its contents was odd. There was no protocol and rules followed, making it all seem like a mere play.
Although this one didn't appeal much to me, I can see Anuja Chauhan nailing her next thriller if at all she decides to write one.
Rating : 3/5.
I remember reading Those Pricey Thakur Girls couple of years ago and being pleasantly surprised by Chauhan's witty writing. Club You to Death grabbed my attention for two reasons, one for being written Chauhan and the second for being a murder mystery. I hardly say no to whodunnit novels, always looking for thrillers to read. Although the story had every ingredient to make it a bestseller, there were too many loopholes that I couldn't help overlooking. Set in Delhi, she captures the characters and their language perfectly well. The plot in itself was a clever one, luring in the readers and keeping them engaged till the end. But I would definitely not recommend this to hardcore thriller lovers.
The Delhi Turf Club has been standing proudly for over a century and its members strut around like peacocks. A personal trainer is found dead in a rather innocent manner but the police investigation leads to something sinister. Kashi Dogra, son of a member who comes visiting the family and to play Tambola at the Club gets involved in the investigation. Although, he's the protagonist, it is not he who plays the pivotal role in the story. It is ACP Bhavani, the mild-mannered and compassionate officer who handles the case. Murky secrets of posh people tumble out, shifting the focus from one character to the other. Chauhan tries her best to keep the readers from guessing but I had an inkling about who the murderer might be. Filled with women who ogle at the young trainer, a capable sidekick like Kashi Dogra, a little bit of love triangle and corpses, Club You to Death could have been the next brilliant thriller. But the ease with which ACP Bhavani took the victim's phone home to leisurely go through its contents was odd. There was no protocol and rules followed, making it all seem like a mere play.
Although this one didn't appeal much to me, I can see Anuja Chauhan nailing her next thriller if at all she decides to write one.
Rating : 3/5.
• r e v i e w •
Girl A is anything but a thriller. It is a sloppy mess, like that of a sandwich with its contents spilling out. Both the cover and the premise fooled me into getting a copy but right from the second chapter, I knew it was going to be a long torturous journey. This is the story of seven siblings growing up in the house of horrors as the papers will later start calling it. With parents who are mentally ill, the kids are chained and are deprived of food and hygiene. There was obviously an amount of curiousity that pushed me forward to go through those lengthy 7 chapters but in the end, I left without answers. No thriller/psychological fiction should end that way. Period.
The protagonist is Lex, who is also known as Girl A. She rescues her siblings and carries darkness within her all her life. She's a cynic and doesn't clearly get along well with her brothers and sisters. Each adult has his/her own flaw, thanks to their past. Growing up in a dirty and dank house with swollen feet and bound hands, moulds accumulating underneath their beds, they have had a tough life. With a violent and unpredictable father and a helpless and mostly participating mother, the children are left in terrible conditions. Each chapter is dedicated to each sibling but what Dean missed was how a chapter was required for both the parents. After all, why will we know why they decided to treat their kids badly? The entire novel is strung very loosely, with plenty of loopholes and at times very annoying narration. Girl A could have been the best-seller but without a solid plot, it crumbled and fell. For a reader who enjoys reading perfect and almost flawless stories, this one ended up being a major disappointment.
Rating : 2/5.
Girl A is anything but a thriller. It is a sloppy mess, like that of a sandwich with its contents spilling out. Both the cover and the premise fooled me into getting a copy but right from the second chapter, I knew it was going to be a long torturous journey. This is the story of seven siblings growing up in the house of horrors as the papers will later start calling it. With parents who are mentally ill, the kids are chained and are deprived of food and hygiene. There was obviously an amount of curiousity that pushed me forward to go through those lengthy 7 chapters but in the end, I left without answers. No thriller/psychological fiction should end that way. Period.
The protagonist is Lex, who is also known as Girl A. She rescues her siblings and carries darkness within her all her life. She's a cynic and doesn't clearly get along well with her brothers and sisters. Each adult has his/her own flaw, thanks to their past. Growing up in a dirty and dank house with swollen feet and bound hands, moulds accumulating underneath their beds, they have had a tough life. With a violent and unpredictable father and a helpless and mostly participating mother, the children are left in terrible conditions. Each chapter is dedicated to each sibling but what Dean missed was how a chapter was required for both the parents. After all, why will we know why they decided to treat their kids badly? The entire novel is strung very loosely, with plenty of loopholes and at times very annoying narration. Girl A could have been the best-seller but without a solid plot, it crumbled and fell. For a reader who enjoys reading perfect and almost flawless stories, this one ended up being a major disappointment.
Rating : 2/5.
• r e v i e w •
I won't lie, the cover had me hook line and sinker. But the story itself is quite unique. The protagonist Nishat, is a young Muslim girl who finds courage to come out to her family. Belonging to a Bangladeshi family in Ireland, this young girl struggles under her parents' condescending eyes. But Nishat is strong in her resolve and takes everything in her stride. When her childhood schoolmate walks into her life again, Nishat is floored by the strong attraction she feels for her. But before she can do anything about it, she faces intense homophobia and racism by her classmates and all the while I felt the need to protect her.
Flávia has a charming personality and Nishat is drawn to her almost instantly but what is love without its own set of hurdles? When the school announces a business competition, the two girls' ideas collide, resulting in misunderstanding and hurt. But amidst all the tension, Nishat still has to deal with her parents' cold shoulder at home while struggling to steer clear of her rude classmates. Her only support is her sister Priti and this was honestly the best thing about the book. The bond that they share is so full of warmth and unconditional support, something that is significantly seen in Asian culture. Reading about another brown family made the book all the more relatable. The ways in which we refrain from addressing certain issues is a classic behaviour found in our community. But the story comes together perfectly in the end in spite of all the hurdles that a sixteen year old had to go through. The book is certainly very dramatic even on the verge of being over-the-top at times but since it's a YA novel, it somehow pulls off the effect.
The Henna Wars, despite everything is a very sweet book and I loved reading the romance between Nishat and Flávia. Certain characters were a bit prickly but you can overlook them.
I read this for #ReadWithPride
Rating - 4/5.
I won't lie, the cover had me hook line and sinker. But the story itself is quite unique. The protagonist Nishat, is a young Muslim girl who finds courage to come out to her family. Belonging to a Bangladeshi family in Ireland, this young girl struggles under her parents' condescending eyes. But Nishat is strong in her resolve and takes everything in her stride. When her childhood schoolmate walks into her life again, Nishat is floored by the strong attraction she feels for her. But before she can do anything about it, she faces intense homophobia and racism by her classmates and all the while I felt the need to protect her.
Flávia has a charming personality and Nishat is drawn to her almost instantly but what is love without its own set of hurdles? When the school announces a business competition, the two girls' ideas collide, resulting in misunderstanding and hurt. But amidst all the tension, Nishat still has to deal with her parents' cold shoulder at home while struggling to steer clear of her rude classmates. Her only support is her sister Priti and this was honestly the best thing about the book. The bond that they share is so full of warmth and unconditional support, something that is significantly seen in Asian culture. Reading about another brown family made the book all the more relatable. The ways in which we refrain from addressing certain issues is a classic behaviour found in our community. But the story comes together perfectly in the end in spite of all the hurdles that a sixteen year old had to go through. The book is certainly very dramatic even on the verge of being over-the-top at times but since it's a YA novel, it somehow pulls off the effect.
The Henna Wars, despite everything is a very sweet book and I loved reading the romance between Nishat and Flávia. Certain characters were a bit prickly but you can overlook them.
I read this for #ReadWithPride
Rating - 4/5.
