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literaryjunarin's reviews
455 reviews
Shackled: One Woman's Dramatic Triumph Over Persecution, Gender Abuse, and a Death Sentence by Eugene Bach, Mariam Ibraheem
3.0
Inspiring resilience but too preachy for my taste
Stone Blind by Natalie Haynes
dark
sad
medium-paced
4.0
“And the monster? Who is she? She is what happens when someone cannot be saved. This particular monster is assaulted, abused, and vilified. And yet, as the story is always told, she is the one you should fear. She is the monster.”
So, I cannot call this Medusa's story but rather, stories around Medusa. This is a retelling of the events that led to Medusa's demise.
Even though the story is not on Medusa's POV, I did enjoy reading this book. Perseus's and the Gods' pettiness was hilarious to read. I got goosebumps on the snakes' POV of Medusa's beheading.
A fine retelling.
So, I cannot call this Medusa's story but rather, stories around Medusa. This is a retelling of the events that led to Medusa's demise.
Even though the story is not on Medusa's POV, I did enjoy reading this book. Perseus's and the Gods' pettiness was hilarious to read. I got goosebumps on the snakes' POV of Medusa's beheading.
A fine retelling.
Drive Your Plow Over the Bones of the Dead by Olga Tokarczuk
3.0
Eh is that supposed to be a twist? I saw it coming miles away.
The Heretic's Daughter by Kathleen Kent
dark
sad
slow-paced
4.5
"Guilt is a ghost that takes the shape of the body it inhabits and consumes all that is tender within its shell."
A book worth 40 pesos from Booksale turned me bawling at the last pages.
You know that feeling when you read a historical book and you can't quite believe that humans can be so cruel, it's maddening. And then see the news and think that wow, humans are really capable of that insanity.
This book is about the Salem witch trials from 1692 but it started slowly with the day-to-day life of Sarah Carrier, daughter of Martha Carrier who would be hanged after being accused as a witch. Kent's storytelling is so vivid that I felt I was with the Carrier family on that farm. I was harvesting wheat, milking the cow, and later on, I was with them in the prison, starving, filthy, living in palpable horror knowing what was to come.
I cried while reading the book and cried some more after turning the lights off to sleep.
A book worth 40 pesos from Booksale turned me bawling at the last pages.
You know that feeling when you read a historical book and you can't quite believe that humans can be so cruel, it's maddening. And then see the news and think that wow, humans are really capable of that insanity.
This book is about the Salem witch trials from 1692 but it started slowly with the day-to-day life of Sarah Carrier, daughter of Martha Carrier who would be hanged after being accused as a witch. Kent's storytelling is so vivid that I felt I was with the Carrier family on that farm. I was harvesting wheat, milking the cow, and later on, I was with them in the prison, starving, filthy, living in palpable horror knowing what was to come.
I cried while reading the book and cried some more after turning the lights off to sleep.
His Only Wife by Peace Adzo Medie
2.75
The synopsis mentioned that "His Only Wife is the story of an indomitable and relatable heroine that illuminates what it means to be a woman in a rapidly changing world."
Well, if you're planning to read this, she only became "indomitable" at 90% of the book. She is the most exhausting character I've ever known. And the husband she's pining for? He has a personality of a cabbage.
Well, if you're planning to read this, she only became "indomitable" at 90% of the book. She is the most exhausting character I've ever known. And the husband she's pining for? He has a personality of a cabbage.
Cultish: The Language of Fanaticism by Amanda Montell
informative
fast-paced
3.0
Maybe because this was published years ago, but I've heard everything this book has to say from cult podcasts already. But as an intro to anything cult, this is a good start.