jburkespraker's reviews
188 reviews

What You Are Looking For is in the Library by Michiko Aoyama

5.0

She of the Mountains by Vivek Shraya

emotional funny hopeful reflective

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

5.0

This is my second book for the 2025 trans rights readathon and my second book by Vivek Shraya. 

Reading Hindu mythology always feels like coming home to me. 

I loved Shreya’s interpretation of Parvati, Sati, Kali, and Ganesha. And Shiv. I liked how Shreya de-centered Shiv from the myths. I really appreciated how Shreya explores the beheading of Ganesh. 

I enjoyed the second story as well. The switching didn’t always work for me. A few times I lost track of which story I was in. But there’s a part of me that thinks that is the point. 

I enjoyed the illustrations. They reminded me of Devdutt Patanaik’s books. 

Such a lovely book to end my readathon on. 

Bitter by Akwaeke Emezi

adventurous emotional hopeful medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

5.0

I went into this book knowing almost nothing about it, except the title, the author, and that all of my booktok friends love this book. 
I would recommend looking at the trigger warnings beforehand because I didn’t, and there were a couple of things that I wasn’t quite prepared for. Specifically the self harm and cutting part of the storyline. 
But I will say that the second half of this book took me completely by surprise, and I really enjoyed that. Truthfully I think I like the second half of the book better than the first half. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Self harm

The Checklist Manifesto: How to Get Things Right by Atul Gawande

informative medium-paced

5.0

As an editor, I know checklists are essential to reducing errors. It’s interesting hearing a doctor talk about them like a revolutionary act.  Like what do you mean they weren’t common in ERs before the WHO test project? 
Really amazing and miraculous. The simple checklist can humble the surgeon.  
I like that the last story is about a personal failure and a checklist win. 
I feel like I don’t do checklists like I used to.  Maybe it’s time to take another look. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Medical content, Medical trauma

The Upcycled Self: A Memoir on the Art of Becoming Who We Are by Tariq Trotter

4.5

I really enjoyed this love letter to Philly, its music, and our people. I liked that he narrates himself with a couple assists. It was great to learn about his path to Mural Arts. 

The tone is reflective without being overwrought. I wish we had gotten more insight into his creative imagination. This is his life story, not a creative manifesto. But maybe that’s another book. 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Death of parent

Ladysitting: My Year with Nana at the End of Her Century by Lorene Cary

5.0

Such a beautiful and moving meditation on death and dying, the complicated relationships of family, and even Philly itself. 

A Quantum Love Story by Mike Chen

adventurous emotional hopeful medium-paced

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

5.0

I know how it feels to be stuck in a loop, where you just can’t move forward. 
Mike Chen gets it. His time-traveling love story shows us what happens when that loop is real—and catastrophe feels like the only outcome. 
But what if it’s not? What if there’s a way through? And what does any of this have to do with quantum physics?  
Everything. 
Great cozy vibes with a love story that transcends time. 

Rosarita by Anita Desai

4.5

A brief taste of the talents of Anita Desai. I enjoyed the relationship between the narrator Bonita and the Trickster. I found the use of second person refreshing. I will reread it again to absorb its subtleties. 

This Beautiful, Ridiculous City by Kay Sohini

adventurous emotional hopeful reflective sad fast-paced

5.0

Graphic memoir presents such a fascinating opportunity to blend text and images. Kay Sohini’s debut is everything you want in a graphic memoir: vivid, captivating, bittersweet, reflective.
She left Calcutta to escape an abusive relationship, and we should be honored that she shared her journey with us. 
As someone who moved across the world to divorce, I understood all those feelings when she landed at JFK. 
Her love for the food of NYC is so profound. Such a necessary joy in a story of complex emotions. 

The Restaurant of Lost Recipes by Hisashi Kashiwai

5.0

Loved it! Better than the first book. I can’t wait for the third installment!