callanisreading's reviews
196 reviews

Crying in H Mart by Michelle Zauner

adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful informative reflective sad medium-paced

4.0

Michelle and her mother share a complicated relationship shaped by exacting standards, culture clashes, and beautiful food. When her mother is diagnosed with cancer, Michelle puts her twenty-something soul-searching on hold to care for her mother, hoping to mend their relationship and reclaim her Korean heritage. With candor and tenderness, Zauner explores family, food, and an identity forged in the fires of grief. 

The Kiss Quotient by Helen Hoang

funny hopeful informative lighthearted relaxing fast-paced

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

4.0

Econometrician Stella devotes her life to math, her first love; but her fascination with data has led her to neglect her dating life. Determined to solve for romance, she seeks the help of a professional and hires Michael, an escort. As they work through her lesson plans, Stella learns to enjoy their relationships and discovers that math may not be her only love.  

Afterparties by Anthony Veasna So

challenging dark emotional funny hopeful informative reflective sad fast-paced

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

4.0

Afterparties portrays intimacies of life as a Cambodian-American in California, as readers follow members of the diaspora through births and funerals, weddings and divorces. The children of refugees contemplate their inherited traditions and traumas as they grapple with belonging to two countries. With wit, insight, and tenderness, Afterparties explores identity, community, and the many places we find love. 

Sometimes I Trip On How Happy We Could Be by Nichole Perkins

challenging emotional funny informative reflective medium-paced

4.0

As a southern Black woman who came of age with the internet, Nichole Perkins often parses her lived experiences through the lens of pop culture. In her essay collection, she reflects on the ways the cultural zeitgeist has shaped her sexuality, femininity, and Blackness. With candor and wit, Perkins ponders the moments society fails Black women and finds practices of self-care to begin to heal.  

The Heart Principle by Helen Hoang

emotional funny hopeful informative lighthearted fast-paced

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

4.0

Violinist Anna has been stuck in a loop, unable to play past the beginning of a piece, when her partner Julian suggests they explore an open relationship. An attempt to break out of her loop and exact revenge on Julian leads Anna to Quan, and they discover they both want more than the one-night-stand they'd planned. In this heart-warming romance about belonging, caregiving, and self-knowledge, Anna falls in love and in the process, finds ways to love herself. 

You Exist Too Much by Zaina Arafat

challenging emotional hopeful reflective sad tense 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? Yes

4.0

A Palestinian-American woman in her twenties has recovered from an eating disorder, moved in with her girlfriend, and accepted a position at a prestigious MFA program; her successes belie a woman on the brink of unraveling. In vignettes that jump across time and continents, she reflects on the relationships, places, and identities that define her — and wonders how she would like to define herself. In this tender character study, Arafat explores the physical and emotional borders we draw, and asks where people who occupy both sides of a border can find home. 

Piranesi by Susanna Clarke

adventurous mysterious reflective fast-paced

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

5.0

Piranesi wanders through the halls of the House —  an infinite collection of rooms with thousands of statues lining each wall. He happily coexists with the tides that surge into some halls and the birds that roost in others, but the presence of a new person in the House threatens to expose painful truths about the World that Piranesi cannot bear. As he navigates the beautiful, lonely World, Piranesi explores the nature of people, the romance of the natural world, and the conditions necessary to live. 

Saint Young Men, Omnibus 1 by Hikaru Nakamura

funny informative lighthearted relaxing medium-paced

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

5.0

Seeking respite from their saintly obligations, Buddha and Jesus enjoy a sabbatical in a shared apartment in modern-day Tokyo. Together the two young, holy men endeavor to enjoy all the city has to offer, navigating shopping malls and festivals, hot springs and local parks. In this lighthearted manga, two saints experience life's joys and struggles that are truly universal. 

The Committed by Viet Thanh Nguyen

adventurous challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense medium-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? It's complicated

4.0

The man with two faces  — a former communist mole within the Southern Vietnamese army — flees Vietnam for France. Despite his remove from communist intrigue, he continues to live a double life: by day he revels in the charms of Paris, while at night he ventures ever deeper into a dangerous drug trade. After he wrestles with addiction, guilt, and apathy, the man with two faces must test the depth of his commitment: to his beliefs, to his blood brothers, and to his life. 

The Sympathizer by Viet Thanh Nguyen

adventurous challenging dark emotional informative mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

5.0

The Captain — the man with two faces — serves as a communist mole within the Southern Vietnamese army as Saigon falls. To continue his surveillance, the Captain retreats to America, where he navigates life between two countries that will not fully accept him. In this beautifully layered exploration of politics, culture, and belief, the man with two faces embodies at once the ways we are divided and the ways we are painfully similar.