micareads123's reviews
276 reviews

Pageboy by Elliot Page

dark emotional medium-paced

4.0

Heartstopper Volume 5 by Alice Oseman

emotional lighthearted reflective fast-paced

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

5.0

This Place: 150 Years Retold by Sonny Assu, Katherena Vermette, Kateri Akiwenzie-Damm, Jen Storm, Rachel Qitsualik-Tinsley, David A. Robertson, Brandon Mitchell, Niigaanwewidam James Sinclair, Richard Van Camp, Sean Qitsualik-Tinsley, Chelsea Vowel

hopeful informative inspiring medium-paced

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

4.5

On Palestine by Ilan Pappé, Noam Chomsky

informative medium-paced

5.0

Pappé and Chomsky offer compelling and thought-provoking perspectives on and insight into the state of Palestine and the US’s support of Israel.

Harrow the Ninth by Tamsyn Muir

adventurous challenging dark emotional funny mysterious reflective tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Muir does not disappoint. This series has me in a chokehold, and I love it.

Harrow the Ninth picks up where Gideon the Ninth left off and takes a direction I really did not expect. On top of the usual convoluted plot lines and hilarious jokes, Muir added a heavy layer of sorrow to this book, which punched my heart in the best way.

With the majority of the story taking place in a sort of out-of-time format and important bits of information being unassumingly dropped here and there, the untangling of the narrative is engaging and captivating. But while most of my questions were answered throughout the book, I was left even more questions at the end. I cannot wait to continue the series with Nona. 

This series is so incredibly intricate and unlike anything else I’ve read.

They Called Me a Lioness: A Palestinian Girl's Fight for Freedom by Dena Takruri, Ahed Tamimi

challenging dark emotional informative reflective fast-paced

5.0

This is a must read. If I can convince you to read one book on the reality of living in Palestine, make it this one. 

This heartbreaking and moving memoir is incredibly told and acts as an accessible but comprehensive introduction into the daily lived experience of Palestinians and their history. 

I can’t recommend this book enough. 

Mother Country by Etaf Rum

emotional inspiring reflective fast-paced

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

5.0

This is a very well crafted short story about a Palestinian-American woman’s struggle coming to terms with generational trauma and how familial relationships have shaped her. It is an inspiring story with messaging about carving out one’s own life. 

There are many parallels between this story and Evil Eye, and I found this story added additional perspective to the novel. Though it is quite short, the story spans many years and nicely captures the narrator’s journey of finding herself and breaking free from harmful behaviours.

Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin

emotional reflective medium-paced

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

5.0

This sweeping story of the love between friends and business partners Sam and Sadie is so beautiful. The characters are nuanced and complex, very often relatable and equally frustrating. 

The prose is excellent and the story is well paced. I spent a lot of time with this book but truly enjoyed every minute of it. I was absorbed from start to finish. This book deserves all of the hype it gets and will stick with me.

Everyone in This Room Will Someday Be Dead by Emily Austin

challenging dark emotional funny reflective fast-paced

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

4.5

This book does a really good job of representing what it is to feel lonely, depressed and anxious, and it offers an accurate portrayal of how (un)helpful our mental health systems are. But it also offers a lot of great dry humour. 

Gilda is positively fixated on death. Following a car accident, she gets herself into a series of strange situations that lead her to question what life is really about. 

I found Gilda simultaneously infuriating, hilarious and relatable throughout, and the snippets of her life and thoughts that we are fed act as sort of a meditation on the human condition. 

This was overall a very enjoyable read.   

Evil Eye by Etaf Rum

emotional inspiring reflective medium-paced

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

4.5

Although I had a hard time getting into this book at first, the end had me in tears, rooting for Yara wholeheartedly. 

This book follows Yara Murad, a Pelsatinian-American woman struggling to find a sense of belonging in her life, her country, her culture and her marriage. Tackling generational trauma, the implications of breaking away from cultural expectations and the importance of carving out one’s own path, this book does a lot. 

At times I wanted to yell at Yara for not seeing what the rest of us can see. At times I related to her and took comfort in her journey more than I expected.

I will definitely be reading more by this author.