aashima's reviews
92 reviews

Red, White & Royal Blue by Casey McQuiston

funny hopeful lighthearted fast-paced

5.0

This Is How You Lose the Time War by Max Gladstone, Amal El-Mohtar

emotional medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character

4.0

A beautiful sci-fic book.
Sapphic spies writing poetic letters to each other in a war for or against time.
Looks like the writers had so much fun with this. 

Territory of Light by Yūko Tsushima

dark emotional reflective sad fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.75

Beautiful World, Where Are You by Sally Rooney

emotional hopeful informative reflective fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

Bluets by Maggie Nelson

emotional mysterious reflective

3.0

Meridian by Alice Walker

challenging reflective sad medium-paced

3.5

Mrs Dalloway by Virginia Woolf

challenging reflective slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character

4.0

Karukku by Bama Faustina, Lakshmi Holmström

emotional reflective sad fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character

4.0

Karukku is a powerful subaltern narrative about caste hegemony. It also shows a spiritual and theological argument with the self. When a fraction of people monopolize faith and treat you as a lesser child of God, how do you reclaim it? Bama chooses to be vulnerable, saying, "I comfort myself with the thought that rather than live with a fraudulent smile, it is better to lead a life weeping real tears."
In an interview celebrating 25 years of Karukku, she said, "Celebration and assertion: these are the two wings. And that’s how we (dalits) fly." It shows how Bama worked from a breakdown towards a cleansing moment of clarity.

Strange Weather in Tokyo by Hiromi Kawakami

reflective slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character

3.5

Such an enchanting book! Like the woman on the cover, you float through it. And just like her dear sake`, you can't stop at just one sip. I gulped down this deliciously wistful story. Two hesitant lonely people bonding over food and drinks. Atmospheric and compelling.

The Color Purple by Alice Walker

emotional informative reflective sad fast-paced

• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

5.0