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thebakersbooks's reviews
270 reviews
Ikenga by Nnedi Okorafor
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
4.5/5 stars — an action- and emotion-filled quest for justice
As a kid fascinated by superheros, I would've loved this book! As an adult who likes the Hulk specifically, I enjoyed sharing that with main character Nnamdi, and enjoyed even more when he acquired his own Hulk-like form via a magical ikenga given to him by his dead father.
In Ikenga, Nnamdi, his mother, and his best friend mourn the death of Nnamdi's father, an upstanding police chief who cared for his community and never accepted bribes. Nnamdi suspects local criminal elements are behind his father's murder; he sets out to solve the mystery, sleuthing as his usual twelve-year-old self and punching out bad guys as his massive, shadowy alter ego. He grapples with grief and anger as he learns to control "The Man." One of my favorite aspects of the book was the baked-in message that boys can and should feel a full range of emotions. I also liked Nnamdi's friend Chioma—their rapport felt like a throwback to childhood, and I think/hope it'll read as equally genuine to kids today.
My only quibbles with the book were a bit of classism at the beginning (Nnamdi thinking his mother is better than the other people selling goods at the market because they’d once had more money and status) and the way the whodunit turned out at the end.It felt to me like Nnamdi should've been right with his second accusation (of the new, corrupt police chief). Having the guy who published the newsletters be the murderer felt a bit far-fetched, in my opinion. Overall, though, it was a really entertaining read/listen with an excellent narrator and a plot that held my attention. I'd definitely recommend it to middle-grade readers (8-12) and the lower end of the YA range as well!
Content notes: death of a parent, some violence
As a kid fascinated by superheros, I would've loved this book! As an adult who likes the Hulk specifically, I enjoyed sharing that with main character Nnamdi, and enjoyed even more when he acquired his own Hulk-like form via a magical ikenga given to him by his dead father.
In Ikenga, Nnamdi, his mother, and his best friend mourn the death of Nnamdi's father, an upstanding police chief who cared for his community and never accepted bribes. Nnamdi suspects local criminal elements are behind his father's murder; he sets out to solve the mystery, sleuthing as his usual twelve-year-old self and punching out bad guys as his massive, shadowy alter ego. He grapples with grief and anger as he learns to control "The Man." One of my favorite aspects of the book was the baked-in message that boys can and should feel a full range of emotions. I also liked Nnamdi's friend Chioma—their rapport felt like a throwback to childhood, and I think/hope it'll read as equally genuine to kids today.
My only quibbles with the book were a bit of classism at the beginning (Nnamdi thinking his mother is better than the other people selling goods at the market because they’d once had more money and status) and the way the whodunit turned out at the end.
Content notes: death of a parent, some violence
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death of parent
Minor: Violence
The Twisted Ones by T. Kingfisher
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
4.0
4/5 stars — well-written, unobjectionable horror, but didn't knock my socks off
I'm far from a horror aficionado (I'm a huge wimp, if we're being honest), so I didn't have the context to understand how this book was situated within the legacy of the genre. I only found out in the end matter that the author had drawn on previous famous works, so I'm sure I missed lots of interesting lampshading and twists on horror tropes. That said, I really liked this book! I really appreciate horror where nothing (too) awful happens to women just because they're womenand the dog doesn't die .
Oddly, my quibble was that I didn't actually find <i>The Twisted Ones</i> scary. Really at all. There were a few chilling moments and at least one well-timed "jump scare" (is it still called that outside of movies/TV?) but either this wasn't the kind of horror I find scary or it was aiming for a low shiver factor. Regardless, I don't need to sleep with the lights on...but I'm also glad I wasn't planning to walk in the woods anytime soon.
Aside from being a minor letdown on the fear scale, this was a solid, fun read. I liked all the characters, was captivated by the subtleties of the plot, and found the measured escalation of mystery and horror impressive. I recommend this book to horror fans and fellow wimps alike!
Content notes: implied forced impregnation of a minor character (no rape or antagonistic person involved); mention of miscarriages; implied child death; a range of body horror throughout
I'm far from a horror aficionado (I'm a huge wimp, if we're being honest), so I didn't have the context to understand how this book was situated within the legacy of the genre. I only found out in the end matter that the author had drawn on previous famous works, so I'm sure I missed lots of interesting lampshading and twists on horror tropes. That said, I really liked this book! I really appreciate horror where nothing (too) awful happens to women just because they're women
Oddly, my quibble was that I didn't actually find <i>The Twisted Ones</i> scary. Really at all. There were a few chilling moments and at least one well-timed "jump scare" (is it still called that outside of movies/TV?) but either this wasn't the kind of horror I find scary or it was aiming for a low shiver factor. Regardless, I don't need to sleep with the lights on...but I'm also glad I wasn't planning to walk in the woods anytime soon.
Aside from being a minor letdown on the fear scale, this was a solid, fun read. I liked all the characters, was captivated by the subtleties of the plot, and found the measured escalation of mystery and horror impressive. I recommend this book to horror fans and fellow wimps alike!
Content notes: implied forced impregnation of a minor character (no rape or antagonistic person involved); mention of miscarriages; implied child death; a range of body horror throughout
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror
Minor: Child death and Miscarriage
The Bandit Queens by Parini Shroff
dark
emotional
funny
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Never given something .75 of a star before but this deserved better than 3.5. If not for the main character's egregious fatphobia (I stopped counting after four instances in the first chapter), this would've been 4.75 stars for me. Hope this author has no fat friends.
All about Me: My Remarkable Life in Show Business by Mel Brooks
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
reflective
slow-paced
3.5
To Boldly Grow: Finding Joy, Adventure, and Dinner in Your Own Backyard by Tamar Haspel
adventurous
informative
slow-paced
3.0
As nice as it is to see more fellow Jewish people getting in on the homesteading trend, this is very much a 'billionaire teaches you how to become a billionaire' type book. Sure you can find joy, adventure, and dinner in your own backyard...if you can afford to move out of a city, buy land in Cape Cod, several boats, a truck, etc. Frustrated to say the 'how to have a happy marriage' tips sprinkled in are very much in the same vein: "find your soulmate in your forties, then—"
I also knew nothing about this author going in and if I'd been aware she was a nutrition writer who would drop the (now medically outdated, besides being fatphobic) term 'obesity' right and left, I would not have picked it up. One can happily do all the activities in this book while "obese," heath as an end goal is ableist even outside that framework, and none of that needed to be included in this book! Just teach us how to pluck a damn turkey.
That said, the tips are forthright, the honesty often hilarious at the author's own expense in a way I appreciate, and I learned two gardening things I actually CAN use in my postage-stamp backyard and am excited to try come spring.
I do not recommend this book.
I also knew nothing about this author going in and if I'd been aware she was a nutrition writer who would drop the (now medically outdated, besides being fatphobic) term 'obesity' right and left, I would not have picked it up. One can happily do all the activities in this book while "obese," heath as an end goal is ableist even outside that framework, and none of that needed to be included in this book! Just teach us how to pluck a damn turkey.
That said, the tips are forthright, the honesty often hilarious at the author's own expense in a way I appreciate, and I learned two gardening things I actually CAN use in my postage-stamp backyard and am excited to try come spring.
I do not recommend this book.
Last Night in Montreal by Emily St. John Mandel
Did not finish book. Stopped at 0%.
Did not finish book. Stopped at 0%.
Not for me, and I'm not sure why this author comes so highly recommended.
When the Angels Left the Old Country by Sacha Lamb
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
mysterious
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
This is one of those stories that's like a sigh of relief. From the bottom of my queer Jewish heart, thank you to the folks who brought this book into the world. As happy as I've been to see queer Jewish novels popping up in the YA sphere, it means even more to know there's stuff like this for adults too. I don't write "real" reviews anymore but I'm saving my notes from this book in case I get around to it—this work deserves a full review of its literary merits as well as my fan[redacted]ing over how it feels like coming home.
The First Sister by Linden A. Lewis
adventurous
mysterious
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
such a solid concept, but the pacing really drags in the middle because of the multiple POVs
The Invited by Jennifer McMahon
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.0
Why is it that whenever white women try to do feminism, even as entertainment, they do it by leaving everyone else out in the cold? I kept expecting the other shoe to drop and the 'thriller' side of the story to come from the fact that a couple who all but go around singing "this land is my land" is building a house on indigenous land while venerating the settlers who stole it and having no concept of the actual history. But no, of course *witchcraft* is all that matters.
Terrible book (and full of ableist language, never challenged, up to and including the r slur from a child character meant to be sympathetic). Plus of course the awkward fat kid character received no positive *anything* in this story until he underwent a physical transformation in the last ten pages, at which point people liked him and good things happened to him.
Not reading anything else by this author.
Oh, and great call making the only queer-coded character the bad guy. Well done. And this from a fellow queer person, too.
Terrible book (and full of ableist language, never challenged, up to and including the r slur from a child character meant to be sympathetic). Plus of course the awkward fat kid character received no positive *anything* in this story until he underwent a physical transformation in the last ten pages, at which point people liked him and good things happened to him.
Not reading anything else by this author.
The Accident Season by Moïra Fowley-Doyle
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0