Scan barcode
celestesbookshelf's reviews
255 reviews
Bliss and Other Stories by Katherine Mansfield
emotional
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
I’m so happy my first introduction to Katherine Mansfield was an Audrey audiobook. The notes provided after each chapter, the recaps and character overviews helps me as a reader gain the most understanding. Especially in the context of the time that these stories were written, the images of the fashion being described really brought the characters and setting to life.
Thank you to the Audrey team for providing a complimentary review copy!
Find me on instagram @celestes.bookshelf for more bookish content!
Thank you to the Audrey team for providing a complimentary review copy!
Find me on instagram @celestes.bookshelf for more bookish content!
La Hija Unica by Guadalupe Nettel
Still Born | La hija única is the modern telling of the career women who want to have kids too or don’t want to and all the people who think they should let them know what they think about it.
Two women’s friendship has been strengthened by their mutual, albeit independent, decision to not have children and focus on their career. Alina & Laura find themselves treading new ground when Alina ~confesses~ she and her husband have been trying to conceive. In a refreshing take on female solidarity, Alina doesn’t make her friend feel as if she’s “gone back on her word”, she is there for her in every way and through all the struggles that follow. Laura after conceiving eventually returns to work and hires a full-time nanny, leading to our narrator to dig through the complicated feelings of guilt when we surrender care of our child to another.
Meanwhile, Alina has become the pillar of support for a struggling single mom and her troubled son. Alina forms an unlikely attachment to the son without ever verbalizing that she has unconsciously become a mother-figure for him.
The book is a fantastic gift of modern motherhood, female friendships, the duality of family and career, and most of all the pressures of society on women.
Weeks later and I still have scenes playing in my mind that made an impression on me. A novel that will stick you long after you’ve finished.
Follow me on Instagram for more bookish content, @celestes.bookshelf
Two women’s friendship has been strengthened by their mutual, albeit independent, decision to not have children and focus on their career. Alina & Laura find themselves treading new ground when Alina ~confesses~ she and her husband have been trying to conceive. In a refreshing take on female solidarity, Alina doesn’t make her friend feel as if she’s “gone back on her word”, she is there for her in every way and through all the struggles that follow. Laura after conceiving eventually returns to work and hires a full-time nanny, leading to our narrator to dig through the complicated feelings of guilt when we surrender care of our child to another.
Meanwhile, Alina has become the pillar of support for a struggling single mom and her troubled son. Alina forms an unlikely attachment to the son without ever verbalizing that she has unconsciously become a mother-figure for him.
The book is a fantastic gift of modern motherhood, female friendships, the duality of family and career, and most of all the pressures of society on women.
Weeks later and I still have scenes playing in my mind that made an impression on me. A novel that will stick you long after you’ve finished.
Follow me on Instagram for more bookish content, @celestes.bookshelf
The Moon Is a Harsh Mistress by Robert A. Heinlein
❔ why did I pick this up? Not my usual read but I love Black Mirror on Netflix and season 6 episode 3 “Beyond the Sea”, this book is recommended by the main character.
▪️Sci-Fi classic about a lunar colony revolting against earth
⚠️ unpopular opinion maybe but a lot of it read like an old man’s sexual fantasy. He disguises it talking about the problems he predicts for future generations and veils the “but hey, women will be so spare that polygamy will be normalized and little girls will be “of age” early on!”
Examples:
“an explosive bullet hit between her lovely, little-girl breasts.” 🤨
“tarted to learn farming but the male co-workers got too distracted then she had to go work on beauty shop” 🙄
✋🏼 It gets creepy real fast.
Yes the sci-fi stuff is cool and I see the allure of the story and why it’s considered an OG for sci-fi. I know it was written in the 60s yet I have to argue that even in the 60s can’t fathom an old man talking about twelve year olds breasts being considered the norm.
So yeah cool story bro but also sounds like you sneaked in all your child-bride fantasies while you were imagining the future.
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
❔ why did I pick this up? Not my usual read but I love Black Mirror on Netflix and season 6 episode 3 “Beyond the Sea”, this book is recommended by the main character.
▪️Sci-Fi classic about a lunar colony revolting against earth
⚠️ unpopular opinion maybe but a lot of it read like an old man’s sexual fantasy. He disguises it talking about the problems he predicts for future generations and veils the “but hey, women will be so spare that polygamy will be normalized and little girls will be “of age” early on!”
Examples:
“an explosive bullet hit between her lovely, little-girl breasts.” 🤨
“tarted to learn farming but the male co-workers got too distracted then she had to go work on beauty shop” 🙄
✋🏼 It gets creepy real fast.
Yes the sci-fi stuff is cool and I see the allure of the story and why it’s considered an OG for sci-fi. I know it was written in the 60s yet I have to argue that even in the 60s can’t fathom an old man talking about twelve year olds breasts being considered the norm.
So yeah cool story bro but also sounds like you sneaked in all your child-bride fantasies while you were imagining the future.
The Reluctant Fundamentalist by Mohsin Hamid
reflective
medium-paced
The Reluctant Fundamentalist -
Mohsin Hamid
🔖 1001 Books You Must Read Before You Die list
🗺️ The StoryGraph Reads the World Challenge
🇵🇰 Pakistan pick
💭 ramblings:
I had had this on my TBR for years and the StoryGraph challenge finally prompted me to pick it up.
The whole story takes place in one sitting as MC tells his experience in America to a tourist.
Our main character, Changez, is in NYC on a work visa from Pakistan. He quickly falls in love with a woman named Am(Erica). He becomes disillusioned since his feelings are unable to be accepted by Erica because of mental health she’s battling after demise of her ex boyfriend.
Changez loses sight of his goal in America because he’s completely engrossed in Erica. This leads to him losing his job and thus his work visa. He returns to Pakistan to be a burden to his financially struggling family. At the beginning of the novel he fantasized that he’d be his family’s hero by attaining financial success in America.
A metaphor for immigrants losing their identity or maybe struggling to find it? in America. It’s the American Dream personified, unattainable because of its preconceived notions.
The ending leads the reader wanting, I don’t know if Changez ever found his identity. I don’t know if he ever settles into a career to help his family. And we don’t know if the American tourist was there to harm Changez. The ending, much like an individuals notion of the American Dream, is left to the readers imagination.
Mohsin Hamid
🔖 1001 Books You Must Read Before You Die list
🗺️ The StoryGraph Reads the World Challenge
🇵🇰 Pakistan pick
💭 ramblings:
I had had this on my TBR for years and the StoryGraph challenge finally prompted me to pick it up.
The whole story takes place in one sitting as MC tells his experience in America to a tourist.
Our main character, Changez, is in NYC on a work visa from Pakistan. He quickly falls in love with a woman named Am(Erica). He becomes disillusioned since his feelings are unable to be accepted by Erica because of mental health she’s battling after demise of her ex boyfriend.
Changez loses sight of his goal in America because he’s completely engrossed in Erica. This leads to him losing his job and thus his work visa. He returns to Pakistan to be a burden to his financially struggling family. At the beginning of the novel he fantasized that he’d be his family’s hero by attaining financial success in America.
A metaphor for immigrants losing their identity or maybe struggling to find it? in America. It’s the American Dream personified, unattainable because of its preconceived notions.
The ending leads the reader wanting, I don’t know if Changez ever found his identity. I don’t know if he ever settles into a career to help his family. And we don’t know if the American tourist was there to harm Changez. The ending, much like an individuals notion of the American Dream, is left to the readers imagination.
Pedro & Daniel by Federico Erebia
"Pedro & Daniel", a heartbreaking but inspiring story of two brothers coming-of-age in a cruel world in the 1970s.
More touching yet, the author loosely based the story on his and his brother's lives.
Main themes of the novel are coming-of-age as an
Like Pedro, I too "secretly feel sorry for everyone in the whole wide world who hasn't been to Mexico."
Follow me on Instagram @celestes.bookshelf for more bookish content!
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
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
Thank you @hearourvoicestours for the gifted copy!
🚨 TW: racism, colorism, homophobia, suicidality, child abuse, clergy abuse, death, domestic violence
"Pedro & Daniel", a heartbreaking but inspiring story of two brothers coming-of-age in a cruel world in the 1970s.
More touching yet, the author loosely based the story on his and his brother's lives.
Both brothers realize early on that they're gay and their mother torments and humiliates them about it, they endure all the cruelty inside their home and in the world because of their unbreakable bond.
Main themes of the novel are coming-of-age as an
LGBTQ+ youth without zero support from family. Another major theme is Mexican culture which tbh is what drew me in at first before I knew what the novel was about.
Representation in literature has an immeasurable impact on our youth and it's books like these, that for so long went unwritten, that will provide teens with a ray of hope that they are not alone.
Like Pedro, I too "secretly feel sorry for everyone in the whole wide world who hasn't been to Mexico."
Follow me on Instagram @celestes.bookshelf for more bookish content!
Howards End by E.M. Forster
He intertwines their stories, in the process revealing each social class' hypocrisy, prejudices, ideals and preconceived notions of how the "other" class should be.
The novel is meant to be a metaphor for which social class will come to define England, by bringing the three classes together we see the classes mingling and learning to share their status in life. Fast forward post-WWI, this is what ended up happening.
Human nature is another significant theme in the novel.
Forster outlines the Wilcox patriarch as a "traditional" man, one whom does not make allowances for others mistakes as he does for his own.
We have his foil, Margaret Schlegel. She allows Wilcox to go on about his prejudices up until he attempts to have his judgmental attitude keep Margaret away from her sister, Helen. Here we see a beautiful display of Margaret's unbending loyalty to her family and is quick to let Wilcox see his double standards.
95 years later, Zadie Smith published "On Beauty", loosely based on Howards End so the buddy read group is reading it currently.
Only a few chapters in but excited to notice the inspiration.
Follow me on Instagram @celestes.bookshelf for more bookish content!
emotional
Published in 1910, Forster had no idea the looming World War that would change the England, making his foresight into the changes that social hierarchies and economical conditions were undergoing impres
Forster scales down the social classes of England to thrgroups in the novel:
- Idealistic upper class - Schlegel's
- Wealthy upper class that represent the traditional
- English work - Wilcox's
- Impoverished lower class - Bast's
He intertwines their stories, in the process revealing each social class' hypocrisy, prejudices, ideals and preconceived notions of how the "other" class should be.
The novel is meant to be a metaphor for which social class will come to define England, by bringing the three classes together we see the classes mingling and learning to share their status in life. Fast forward post-WWI, this is what ended up happening.
Human nature is another significant theme in the novel.
Forster outlines the Wilcox patriarch as a "traditional" man, one whom does not make allowances for others mistakes as he does for his own.
We have his foil, Margaret Schlegel. She allows Wilcox to go on about his prejudices up until he attempts to have his judgmental attitude keep Margaret away from her sister, Helen. Here we see a beautiful display of Margaret's unbending loyalty to her family and is quick to let Wilcox see his double standards.
95 years later, Zadie Smith published "On Beauty", loosely based on Howards End so the buddy read group is reading it currently.
Only a few chapters in but excited to notice the inspiration.
Follow me on Instagram @celestes.bookshelf for more bookish content!
El Coronel No Tiene Quien Le Escriba by Gabriel García Márquez
emotional
sad
slow-paced
No One Writes to the Colonel | El Coronel to tiene quien le escriba
🔖 1001 Books You Must Read Before You Die list
🗺️ The StoryGraph Reads the World 2023
🇨🇴 Colombia pick
▪️short novella: ~120 pages
▪️Márquez considered this his best work, he said in an interview he wrote “100 Years of Solitude” so that people would read this one
▪️Plot is simple and linear. Retired colonel and his wife are starving to death in a small town of Colombia under martial law following the Thousand Days’ War.
▪️Plot was inspired by Márquez’ grandfather, a retired colonel who never received his pension.
▪️Thoughts: Although this was a simple and fast read it was very depressing, especially knowing Márquez’ grandfather experienced political tensions, poverty, hunger, and humiliation. The colonel’s wife is constantly expressing her frustration and disappointment, she attempts to sell anything she can to have money to eat. When the colonel tells her now the whole town will know we’re starving to death she responds “you can’t eat dignity”. 😣
So in addition to political turmoil and poverty there’s also marital issues and parents living through grief. The overarching theme is a rooster that belonged to their late son. The colonel places all of his faith into this rooster winning a cockfight (animal cruelty) and bringing them riches. To some degree the colonel has been so severely beaten down by disappointments that he now lives in an alternate reality where he simply expects issues to work themselves out. This being the root of his wives consistent criticism. The book is unsettling, most of all because there’s no neat bow on top at the end. The story is left open to speculation on the outcome of the colonel, his wife, and the rooster 🐔 .
Follow me on Instagram @celestes.bookshelf for more bookish content!
Follow me on Instagram @celestes.bookshelf for more bookish content!
Solito by Javier Zamora
emotional
hopeful
tense
Wow this book! right in the feels 💔
I switched between print and audiobook, audiobook is narrated by Zamora himself so it made it so much more emotional.
I was born in Mexico but never had to endure what he did as an immigrant. Yet, the situations he described, the derogatory and racist terms directed at him, the food, the people he encountered during his trip were all too familiar.
What surprised me the most was how he as an El Salvadorian was insulted by Mexicans by being called “wetback” and “Indio” among other slurs. This is ironic since many Mexicans are called those same slurs when they migrate to USA. Reminded me of the The Stanford Prison Experiment, how easily people in positions of “power”become abusive and forget when they were in same position.
I couldn’t stop reading/listening,
I mean literally took my phone into shower and put audiobook on loud because I had to know what happened next.
I don’t know how my feelings would’ve differed how I not been a mother when reading. This time around though I found myself consistently wondering what his parents, his grandparents and aunts were thinking through the 7 weeks they had no idea where he was. And I agree with Zamora’s mother, those strangers that cared for him were his guardian angels and they are proof that there’s good people on this earth.
This should be a must read for everyone, if you’ve read it please let me know what you thought of it because I’d love to discuss!
Follow me on Instagram @celestes.bookshelf for more bookish content!
I switched between print and audiobook, audiobook is narrated by Zamora himself so it made it so much more emotional.
I was born in Mexico but never had to endure what he did as an immigrant. Yet, the situations he described, the derogatory and racist terms directed at him, the food, the people he encountered during his trip were all too familiar.
What surprised me the most was how he as an El Salvadorian was insulted by Mexicans by being called “wetback” and “Indio” among other slurs. This is ironic since many Mexicans are called those same slurs when they migrate to USA. Reminded me of the The Stanford Prison Experiment, how easily people in positions of “power”become abusive and forget when they were in same position.
I couldn’t stop reading/listening,
I mean literally took my phone into shower and put audiobook on loud because I had to know what happened next.
I don’t know how my feelings would’ve differed how I not been a mother when reading. This time around though I found myself consistently wondering what his parents, his grandparents and aunts were thinking through the 7 weeks they had no idea where he was. And I agree with Zamora’s mother, those strangers that cared for him were his guardian angels and they are proof that there’s good people on this earth.
This should be a must read for everyone, if you’ve read it please let me know what you thought of it because I’d love to discuss!
Follow me on Instagram @celestes.bookshelf for more bookish content!
Agnes Grey by Anne Brontë
challenging
emotional
hopeful
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
Agnes Grey - Anne Brontë
🔖 1001 Books You Must Read Before You Die (2006 edition)
Happy to have joined #thebigbrontereadalong2023 and finally gotten AG off my TBR, it was easy to remember why I’m such a loyal Brontë fan. Their writing is inimitable.
This novel contained some depictions of animal abuse which I found excruciating. More so because AG is known to be partly autobiographical and the thoughts of what Anne Brontë witnessed towards animals that inspired her writing torments me. I’m happy that she used the abuse to reflect a persons evil character because it must’ve influenced society’s view on animal welfare.
The romantic plot was excellent in that there’s subtle buildup, mutual admiration of their virtues, the attentions of Mr. Weston to all Agnes commented on. I adored Agnes’ insight into her pupils behavior, the double standards imparted on her by her mistress, and the dignity with which she faced all undeserved criticism.
There’s enough similarities in all the Brontë works to deduct that the sisters were raised to realize that character and virtue is more valuable than riches and superficial beauty.
🔖 1001 Books You Must Read Before You Die (2006 edition)
Happy to have joined #thebigbrontereadalong2023 and finally gotten AG off my TBR, it was easy to remember why I’m such a loyal Brontë fan. Their writing is inimitable.
This novel contained some depictions of animal abuse which I found excruciating. More so because AG is known to be partly autobiographical and the thoughts of what Anne Brontë witnessed towards animals that inspired her writing torments me. I’m happy that she used the abuse to reflect a persons evil character because it must’ve influenced society’s view on animal welfare.
The romantic plot was excellent in that there’s subtle buildup, mutual admiration of their virtues, the attentions of Mr. Weston to all Agnes commented on. I adored Agnes’ insight into her pupils behavior, the double standards imparted on her by her mistress, and the dignity with which she faced all undeserved criticism.
There’s enough similarities in all the Brontë works to deduct that the sisters were raised to realize that character and virtue is more valuable than riches and superficial beauty.
The Bell by Iris Murdoch
emotional
funny
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
Convinced Murdoch had a lot of mansplaining sort of men near her and she made sure to exploit their insecurities in her works!
Also, the three novels of hers I've read all feature marital conflict, a woman feeling trapped, a man attempting to nail down the woman etc. This makes me wonder if Murdoch experienced this scenario herself or if she was lucky enough to simply observe it in others.
This book was published 1958 so I was pleasantly surprised on finding one of the main characters ponder his homosexuality.
More so, the narration switching from characters and then being omnipotent really highlights Murdoch's ability to explain both sides of a story. That's what I found most intriguing in this novel, her thoroughness in describing how each character perceives a situation and how wrong characters are of others.
This may sound controversial but Murdoch seemed to make a statement on sexual abuse committed by clergy members. However, we get an insight into the pure love said clergy member feels on a person who later blames him for abuse.
Follow me on Instagram @celestes.bookshelf for more bookish content!
Follow me on Instagram @celestes.bookshelf for more bookish content!