ghada_mohammed's reviews
513 reviews

Cut and Thirst by Margaret Atwood

funny reflective fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? It's complicated

3.25

She Loves to Cook, and She Loves to Eat, Vol. 2 by Sakaomi Yuzaki

lighthearted reflective

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Loveable characters? Yes

4.25

My Lesbian Experience With Loneliness by Nagata Kabi

challenging dark funny hopeful

4.5

A candid and poignant narrative about loneliness, mental illness, toxic family expectations, identity and finding the path to being true to and loving ourselves.

Potato by Rebecca Earle

informative

3.0

In Rebecca Earle's Potato, the beloved root vegetable is a muse for artists and poets, a thorn in the side of capitalist hierarchy, the poster child of early public health campaigns, a tax evader, and according to the FAO, the ideal crop to provide food security in the developing world. Starting from their alleged birthplace in the South American Andes, the book recounts how potatoes came to be one of the most consumed crops worldwide.

I randomly picked this for a StoryGraph challenge. Otherwise, I don't think that I could have had the heart to get through it. I couldn't recognise any order or structure; the text seemed to oscillate randomly between several unrelated subjects including but not limited to history, art, politics, and the author's family legacy. This is just my opinion, but I would have liked it more had it stuck exclusively to the historical and social aspects.

Iron Widow by Xiran Jay Zhao

challenging dark funny fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

Shimazaki in the Land of Peace 1 by Gouten Hamada

dark funny inspiring fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

An equally heartwarming and gory narrative that follows Shingo Shimazaki, a man who, after spending thirty years fighting for a terrorist organisation that kidnapped him as a child, has finally made it back to Japan and is planning to lead a quiet life, but old habits die hard, and his past just won't stay in the past.

Shimazaki in the Land of Peace is a riveting and genre-bending manga with a healthy mix of slice-of-life humour and gore. I loved the art style and the realistic depiction of PTSD. I highly recommend it particularly to readers who enjoyed works such as The Way of the Househusband and Spy × Family.

Thank you Netgalley for providing this eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Boys Run the Riot, Volume 3 by Keito Gaku

emotional funny hopeful inspiring 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? Yes

5.0

Boys Run the Riot, Volume 2 by Keito Gaku

emotional funny hopeful inspiring 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? Yes

4.0

Boys Run the Riot, Volume 1 by Keito Gaku

challenging emotional funny fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

5.0

 Boys Run the Riot is a story about living true to oneself and following one's passions. It starts with an unlikely partnership between two high school students who, upon realising that they share an interest in fashion, decide to launch a clothing brand to help other people express themselves.

I loved how clothes were portrayed as a means for Ryo, a transgender boy who is struggling with finding acceptance, to fight back and live true to himself. I also loved Keito Gaku's depiction of young people in this story: the qualities of being cynical, listless, helpless, frivolous, scared, and so full of hope—sometimes, all at the same time in the same person. There is always something to admire in an author who not only remembers being that young, but makes the reader remember that too.

I highly recommend this manga to anyone looking for a story with a fresh concept, an engaging plotline, and heartwarming character dynamics. 

I Have Wrestled With The Way Clouds Weep by Judy Nahum

inspiring reflective

4.0

 "Pain is awakening the color of sun ... But my pain is not precious. My pain deserves to be loosed."

A delightfully profound (albeit brief) collection of poems that touch on nature, womanhood, love, nostalgia, quarantine, and grief. I particularly loved the poems Brighton Beach, yakamoz, and swinging steadfast from a tender branch. I would love to see more of Judy Nahum's elegant prose in the future.

Thank you to Netgalley for providing this eARC in exchange of an honest review.