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celestesbookshelf's reviews
259 reviews
The Hound of the Baskervilles by Arthur Conan Doyle
adventurous
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
5.0
My second Holmes’ adventure and both have been with Audrey audiobook. Really the best way to listen to classics and get a better understanding of the setting in which it was written! Baskervilles is definitely one of my favorite mysteries now but A Study in Scarlet will always have a special place in my heart as it was my first Holmes!
Pachinko by Min Jin Lee
hopeful
inspiring
sad
slow-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? Yes
One of my favorite reads of the year. I was taken in from the beginning of the novel and stopped only because I had to. In addition to reading a great story I also learned a new piece of history I had never heard of before. Hard to believe but I didn’t know about Japan taking over, (attempting to?), Korea and the discrimination they faced.
The book had excellent character development, I felt for them. I wanted to know what became of them and how they felt when their POV wasn’t expressed. I did appreciate the realism of the characters lives, Lee doesn’t wrap up all their stories with a pretty bow and happily ever after. In fact, all of them face their own obstacles, not always being resolved how they would’ve wanted.
The reality of the quality of life in the years 1910-1989 sometimes left me wanting the cliche happily ever after. For a handful of the characters they never really had their happiness or closure in any respect. Which of course adds to the emotional impact of the novel but it was hard to come to terms with. I saw a few reviews mention the end felt rushed but I didn’t feel that way. I felt that the MC ‘s stories had reached its arc and the descendants still had a lot of life to live and they were entering a new world, with access to different opportunities and although ethnically they weren’t accepted in Japan, they were at least financially secure, something their ancestors struggled endlessly for. I am glad that the author left the younger generation’s life unwritten.
If you enjoyed this review, find me on instagram @celestes.bookshelf for more bookish content!
The book had excellent character development, I felt for them. I wanted to know what became of them and how they felt when their POV wasn’t expressed. I did appreciate the realism of the characters lives, Lee doesn’t wrap up all their stories with a pretty bow and happily ever after. In fact, all of them face their own obstacles, not always being resolved how they would’ve wanted.
The reality of the quality of life in the years 1910-1989 sometimes left me wanting the cliche happily ever after. For a handful of the characters they never really had their happiness or closure in any respect. Which of course adds to the emotional impact of the novel but it was hard to come to terms with. I saw a few reviews mention the end felt rushed but I didn’t feel that way. I felt that the MC ‘s stories had reached its arc and the descendants still had a lot of life to live and they were entering a new world, with access to different opportunities and although ethnically they weren’t accepted in Japan, they were at least financially secure, something their ancestors struggled endlessly for. I am glad that the author left the younger generation’s life unwritten.
If you enjoyed this review, find me on instagram @celestes.bookshelf for more bookish content!
A Study in Scarlet by Arthur Conan Doyle
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
5.0
First time reading Doyle and having Audrey’s guide and notes made the experience much more rich!
No More Señora Mimí by Meg Medina
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
thank you @hearourvoicestours for my gifted copy!
The perfect book for your kids when a caregiver may change or be replaced. Heartwarming story about the relationships our kids form with their babysitters and the emotions they encounter when their routine changes.
Also a great depiction of the village that helps with our kids no matter how much or little and the impact it has on them.
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!