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bethniamh's reviews
230 reviews
Time Shelter by Georgi Gospodinov
“Suddenly it all made sense - her eternal morning questions of whether they had found her mother or whether her brothers were alive. We also understood why she squirreled away crusts of bread and other leftovers from the cafeteria, hiding them in her cupboard. Everything that awakened that memory had to be avoided-showers, the clicking of the nurses' high heels in the hallway. (We switched them out with soft slippers.) The daytime lighting was softened. Part of the cafeteria was divided into smaller, cozy booths, so as to avoid large common areas and the rattling of silverware. Unwittingly you realize how many things in a clinic are potentially charged with hidden violence, as Foucault would say.
Nothing would ever be innocent again-bathrooms, cafeterias, the gas stove, a doctor in a white coat who wants to give you a shot, the lighting, the barking of dogs outside, the sharp voice, certain German words...”
“I would start my first novel, so I would have somewhere to go home to when I was going crazy”
“I would start my first novel, so I would have somewhere to go home to when I was going crazy”
Butter by Asako Yuzuki
4.0
Many thanks to NetGalley and 4th Estate for a digital ARC in exchange for a review.
I already had this book on my wishlist, so I was very excited to get an email inviting me to read the ARC. This book mostly lived up to my expectations; the plot shifted multiple times throughout, keeping me on my toes. I enjoyed how it related Rika's foodie journey to the wider story, and I particularly related to this aspect as someone who developed a love of cooking as an adult. I did feel like it could have benefitted from editing it down to make it slightly shorter, as the plot did drag a little in places, such as when Reiko went her own way after the trip to Niigata. There was also the odd passage where the names seemed to be mixed up, which is bound to happen when you have two characters with similar-sounding names; it was often hard to keep the two characters distinct in my mind, especially as they share many scenes together. However, overall, I really enjoyed the story and the prose, and would likely revisit this in the future.
I already had this book on my wishlist, so I was very excited to get an email inviting me to read the ARC. This book mostly lived up to my expectations; the plot shifted multiple times throughout, keeping me on my toes. I enjoyed how it related Rika's foodie journey to the wider story, and I particularly related to this aspect as someone who developed a love of cooking as an adult. I did feel like it could have benefitted from editing it down to make it slightly shorter, as the plot did drag a little in places, such as when Reiko went her own way after the trip to Niigata. There was also the odd passage where the names seemed to be mixed up, which is bound to happen when you have two characters with similar-sounding names; it was often hard to keep the two characters distinct in my mind, especially as they share many scenes together. However, overall, I really enjoyed the story and the prose, and would likely revisit this in the future.
Tiny Moons: A Year of Eating in Shanghai by Nina Mingya Powles
5.0
This was so beautifully written; I’ve never been to any of the places the writer mentions, but I could imagine the settings she describes so clearly. Made me think back to my own experiences living abroad and all the food I still miss.