nuhafariha's reviews
1211 reviews

Once More* *with footnotes by Terry Pratchett
Did not finish book.

Impossible People: A Completely Average Recovery Story by Julia Wertz

challenging dark emotional funny hopeful inspiring reflective sad medium-paced

4.5

I enjoyed this book more than I thought I would at the beginning. Wertz's introspection & preserverance despite the odds is a winning combination. I'm also a sucker for a story with a (mostly) positive ending & the love of community 🥰

Hijab Butch Blues by Lamya H

challenging emotional hopeful inspiring reflective sad fast-paced

5.0

Thank you to Random House and NetGalley for the Reader's Copy!

Available now.

Whew, I cannot think of a better way of starting 2024 than with Lamya H's incandescent Hijab Butch Blues. I have never felt more seen, loved, or understood by a book as I did reading this coming of age story of a Pakistani by way of the Middle East queer Muslim. What I loved the most was reading Lamya's modern interpretation of stories from the Quaran. Figures like Maryam, Yunus, Nuh, and Hajar are revisited and brought to life as Lamya interrogates them with a modern set of values. I lauughed, I cried, I felt like I learned more than I did in therapy. Read this book ASAP!

The Golem of Brooklyn by Adam Mansbach

adventurous dark emotional funny hopeful lighthearted reflective fast-paced

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

3.75

Thank you Random House and Netgalley for the Reader's Copy!

Now available.

A Golem, a Brooklyn art teacher & an ex-Hasidic lesbian walk into a novel & what do you get? Adam Mansbach's The Golem of Brooklyn aka one of the funnier books I've read this year. It's hard to define what exactly this book is about but for me the highlights were definiteky Mansbach's retelling of Jewish history with a keen eye and biting critique. I almost felt like the book could have kept going just a bit longer as it ended mid argument.

Dear Diaspora by Susan Nguyen

challenging dark emotional informative reflective sad tense fast-paced

3.75

Thanks University of Nebraska and NetGalley for the Reader's Copy!

Available now!

Susan Nguyen's "Diar Diaspora" is a tender, meticulous letter to a lost generation. Switching between Suzi, a second generation Vietnamese American, and her father, a first generation Vietnamese immigrant, we see how much trauma can shift and travel. Using first hand encounters, newspaper headlines, and research, Nguyen guides through the end of.the Vietnamese War and its aftershocks including mass punishment, the Vietnamese Boat People, American xenophobia and more. At a time when the fate of refugees around the globe seems more precarious than ever before, Nguyen's poetry is worth reading with keen eyes and an open heart.

Zahra's Paradise by Amir

challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

4.5

Part mystery, part political commentary, Zahra's Paradise covers the aftermath of the Irani elections of 2009. When Mehdi Alvani goes missing after a student protest, it is up to his mother and his brother to find out what happened. They follow the trail of breadcrumbs through corrupt political offices, aristocratic homes, and even a secret underground print house. The level of detail and suspense in this comic were wonderful and kept the reader engaged. I teared up at the horrific ending, especially as a mother myself.

The Moon That Turns You Back: Poems by Hala Alyan

challenging dark emotional hopeful reflective fast-paced

4.25

Thank you Ecco & NetGalley for the Advanced Reader's Copy!

Available March 12th 2024.

There's something familial about Hala Alyan's work that grips the soul and slowly turns it until you can't help but view the world in a different way. I love the poems in this collection, the way Alyan plays with form, expanding and questioning the very fabric of poetry itself. At the same time, her stories center around traditional themes - motherhood, immigration, and relationships. I devoured these poems, each unlike the other yet together a symphony, like a box of sticky baklava, licking remnants off my fingertips and a delicious echo in my ears.

We Were the Universe by Kimberly King Parsons

dark emotional funny lighthearted reflective sad medium-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

3.0

Thanks Knopf and NetGalley for the Advanced Reader's copy!

Available May 14 2024.

Wild and expansive, Kimberly King Parson's We are the Universe is a touching debut. The story follows Kitty's struggle to balance the grief of her sister's suicide along with her new role as a mother & an ever growing sense of loss of purpose. It's bitingly funny when Kitty goes through her day to day with her daughter Gilda and comments on the other moms, toddler classes and more. At the same time, Kit's own past as a troubled, drug addled teenager with a complicated family life is never far behind. At it's best the book is split between these two dynamics, switching indeterminately to manic observations and tired situations. I laughed, I wiped my eyes a few times, and mostly I wondered - what are we take from here? But maybe that's just the point- the gift is in the grift.

God Mornings, Tiger Nights by Nuha Fariha

emotional reflective sad medium-paced

5.0

I am biased as I wrote this book, but I hope others enjoy it too!

Golden Rage Vol 1 by Chrissy Williams, Lauren Knight
Did not finish book. Stopped at 31%.

It was very disjointed and I felt disconnected from the characters.