booksgurrsandpurrs's reviews
38 reviews

Out On a Limb by Hannah Bonam-Young

emotional funny hopeful lighthearted relaxing medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.5

 Win is at a point in her life where she has ambitions, but feels like she's stuck in a rut.

Bo has been through a lot personally that has taken a toll on him physically and mentally.

Win and Bo meet at a party and have a one night stand. Or at least that was the plan,  but that goes out the window when Win finds out she's pregnant. Now these two strangers must delicately navigate a bond together for a future they both want, they're just not quite sure how to get there. 

Well, this book was definitely not a part of my summer TBR, but I enjoyed Next to You so much I decided to listen to the audiobook and once I started listening I couldn't stop.  Win was born with a disability and Bo acquired a disability later in life. Each main character and side characters feel lived in and Bo as well as Win's disabilities are not the only part of their existence, (which is very much appreciated). The slow burn romance takes a back seat to budding friendship based on mutual respect and two characters feeling seen by one another.

Just pick up a copy already. 

 Minor critique: The epilogue was unnecessary and once again I'm reading a book where finances are part of the solution. That's a big pet peeve of mine. 

Storm Wrack and Spindrift by Margaret Pinard

adventurous emotional hopeful sad medium-paced

5.0

 In the third instalment of Remnants Trilogy ten years have past (1833), Sheena, now married, migrate from Nova Scotia, Canada back to Scotland for an opportunity that was once out of the reach of her family's hands. While Alisdair, forever marked by the injustices his family had faced, struggles to make his dreams of attending University a reality. Neil, the eldest MacLean brother who sacrificed his own dreams to keep his family afloat is struck by tragedy once again. Death, career maneuvering, class divides, surprise marriages, labor tensions and racial divides are threaded throughout Storm Wrack and Spindrift, heading towards a bittersweet ending I wish could have been sweeter, but then the story would not be true to real life. 

The Grasping Root by Margaret Pinard

emotional hopeful inspiring sad medium-paced

5.0

 After a tumultuous journey to find shelter after being forcibly removed from the only home the MacLean family knows, (Scotland) they find themselves repotted in 1824, Nova Scotia, Canada. The MacLean family are hopeful to start anew, but once again face hardship - the mysterious death of a loved one, the struggles of an interfaith marriage, class dynamics, and attempting to be accepted by society while being embroiled in a social scandal. While book 1 of Remnants trilogy tackled the harsh realities of migrant life, book 2 grapples with the MacLeans being accepted by their new community. 

The Keening by Margaret Pinard

adventurous challenging hopeful reflective sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

 1822 on a small Scottish Island the MacLean family must hold steady onto each other and rely on the kindness of extended family and strangers alike in order to survive their forced removal from the only home they knew. The kelp industry has collapsed and like in any time in history (or the present), it's profit over people. Dreams evaporate, childhoods squandered and hearts are broken. Will the MacLean family have the strength to endure what life has thrown at them? 

Stealing Home: Los Angeles, the Dodgers, and the Lives Caught in Between by Eric Nusbaum

challenging informative reflective slow-paced

3.5

 When I heard about this book I was thrilled and tossed out my current TBR to pick this up, but as I listened to the audio version the vignette format (although apt with all the moving parts involved) was difficult to adjust to. Once I was 2/3 into the book the focus is more on the Arechiga Family and I wanted a more intimate account from others in the Cesar Chavez Ravine community. Overall I'm glad this book exists in a world where the Dodger Stadium looms so large the origins of their existence in Los Angeles gets buried under hotdogs and jerseys.
 

The Stygian Collection: An AuthorTube Anthology by Holly Rhiannon

adventurous dark funny mysterious tense medium-paced

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

4.5

 The Stygian Collection is an anthology that curates a vibe rather than a definitive genre to explore the corrosive side of the human psyche and society at large.  Whether it's poetry or prose, horror or fantasy, each authortuber encapsulates "stygian" within their own unique narrative. Although the collection is expansive in style, reading the anthology as packaged together transmutes the experience into a bottle rocket effect. 

Fabled Passages: Speculative Stories by Margaret Pinard

adventurous lighthearted mysterious reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.5

 Within these eight short story collection siblings are cursed and blessed by gods, a widow haunted by their late wife is at their wits end, and a man is pulled through time and must figure out why. There are at times historical elements to some of the short stories and the author captures realistic dialogue that kept me in the story rather than pulling me out. There is one short story I wanted more dialogue from (The Photograph), but overall each story was a joy to read. I tend to gravitate towards non-fiction, historical-fiction or books discussing social injustices, and although this collection plays with adventure and fantasy, it's still within my wheelhouse of discussing social injustices so this was a very welcomed read. 

Boyle Heights: How a Los Angeles Neighborhood Became the Future of American Democracy by George J Sanchez

challenging informative reflective medium-paced

5.0

 For the past 40 years Boyle Heights has been predominantly a Latino community. How did this neighborhood lose its diversity over time? What factors are at play to their community's survival? What are the patterns in oppressive tactics? Throughout the development of Boyle Heights the community has dealt with neglect by City Officials, racist policies, police brutality, U.S. Executive Order to displace people based on their heritage - all of which gave rise to tension, community organization, the birth of protest and citizen's entry into local politics. Sánchez discusses the ever evolving state of Boyle Heights from colonization to gentrification and ultimately what his book displays so well is that what has happened and is still happening in Boyle Heights is a microcosm for what so many marginalized communities face. 

Welcome to the Hyunam-dong Bookshop by Hwang Bo-Reum

hopeful inspiring reflective relaxing slow-paced

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

5.0

 Yeongju has gone through life doing what her parents and society have told her are the right personal and professional steps to take, but upon reflection, Yeongju realizes she is unhappy with her life and takes a big leap. Ditching her professional carrier with a marriage in limbo she sets out to open a bookshop in Seoul, Korea. Although 'Hyunam-dong Bookshop is paced well and is within the cozy read genre, there is a deeply emotional, thoughtful and at times philosophical undercurrent to the text. As Yeongju learns to run a bookshop she makes connections with her community and finds the strength to define what she really wants out of life. If you enjoy cozy reads like Legends and Lattes by Travis Baldree then you'll want to pick up Welcome to the Hyunam-dong Bookshop. 

The Reformatory by Tananarive Due

challenging dark emotional hopeful mysterious sad tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.5

 Gloria and Robert, two young siblings on a stroll to their local pool for a swim are stopped by their neighbor, Lyle. When Lyle continues to make unwanted advances towards Gloria, Robert does the only thing he could think of - give Lyle a swift kick. Kids at times get into minor squabbles, but Lyle is not just any kid. He's the son of Red McCormack, the white family that once owned Papa's family, and Robert, a 12 year old black boy living in 1950's Gracetown, Florida. And unfortunately for Robbie, Red saw it all. Now Robbie has been sentenced to six months at The Reformatory, a labor camp disguised as a school for "troubled" boys.

The Reformatory mainly follows two points of view, Robbie trying to survive The Reformatory and Gloria, his sixteen year old sister, racing against time and a justice system during the Jim Crow era. Due's writing is stellar and at times reminds me of Toni Morrison's Beloved, (see quote above for example), but at times the impact of her story is lost due to the slow pacing of the narrative. Gloria is racing against time and as a reader I wanted to feel the tension of time falling away at every turn, but that doesn't happen. For a book that is over 500 pages there are supportive and nefarious characters that needed more development than what we got. At times Gloria and Robbie must use the performance of cordiality to survive a world that looks past them at best and at worst seeks to unlive them.

 It's this intermingling of what these siblings must face that is the horror, (triple K gang, police overreach, segregation), rather than any paranormal element at play in The Reformatory. Ultimately, the present and historical United States is Black Horror. If you enjoy movies by Jordan Peele or horror books written by Stephen King, you'll want to pick up The Reformatory.