eralbesu's reviews
329 reviews

Sky Full of Elephants by Cebo Campbell

mysterious medium-paced

4.5

This story had me hooked. There were aspects I didn’t love, but overall I really enjoyed it. I listened on audio, and one of the narrators kept mispronouncing Mobile, then suddenly stopped, which I found confusing but appreciated the correction. I have to sift through my thoughts on this one because I have many. 

Evenings and Weekends by Oisín McKenna

emotional funny sad medium-paced

3.75

I never fully got all the characters straight and eventually stopped trying. But the story was good. 

Sister Outsider: Essays and Speeches by Audre Lorde

informative

5.0

Wow. So thought-provoking and affirming. I think everyone should read this book. And this having been my first time reading it made it very clear how far this thought has traveled to work it’s way into many spaces in the mainstream, and how far it still has to go (especially with the bastardization of this latest wave of feminism we mainly see online). 

I’m going to be thinking about this book for a while and want to return to it and take my time and take notes. 

Mules and Men by Zora Neale Hurston

medium-paced

3.0

Not my favorite. The strongest story was the last one, for sure. 

Two Can Play by Ali Hazelwood

1.5

This story really sucked. It felt formulaic and undercooked. The characters’ motivations were not believable and it seemed like the author was just trying to check off the standard contemporary romance checklist. I’d say this one can be skipped. 

I also didn’t enjoy the narrator on this one. 

An all around disappointment. 

The Most Famous Girl in the World: A Novel by Iman Hariri-Kia

funny mysterious medium-paced

3.25

The very end of the prologue saved it. But I felt I had been misled while reading this book many part of this book read like a contemporary romance, which I very much have to be in the mood for to enjoy it. Also, I predicted just about every twist. But I was eventually won back over in a span of the last few closing sentences. I still feel a little bit tricked though lol.  

This was one of those moments where I judged the book by its cover and it didn’t work out. 

The Empress of Salt and Fortune by Nghi Vo
Did not finish book. Stopped at 31%.

I have too many books borrowed lol

Love by Toni Morrison

challenging reflective medium-paced

4.0

Toni Morrison was extremely good at writing a compelling story that subtly shocks you. Heed and Christine deserved better. 

I Hope This Finds You Well by Natalie Sue

emotional funny medium-paced

4.5

This was very funny. I actually laughed out loud at times. Jolene could not get right. 

Stoner by John Williams

reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No

5.0

I can’t believe it. Y’all were right. This book was very good.