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whatsallyreadnext's reviews
624 reviews
The Storm We Made by Vanessa Chan
Moving back and forth between 1930s British-occupied Malaya to 1945 Japanese-occupied Malaya, we are introduced to Cecily and her children Jujube, Abel and Jasmin as they navigate their lives through these difficult years. Unbeknownst to the children, their mother Cecily has been harbouring devastating secrets for nearly a decade and her own guilt surrounding her actions in the 1930s, which inadvertently led to the start of Japanese occupation.
The Storm We Made is a strong debut from Chan, who doesn't shy away from the brutality of this occupation, resulting in a memorable novel that certainly won't be forgotten for me anytime soon. It's a story of love, family, deceit, secrets and guilt, and it will surprise and shock you. I'm pleased to see this book feature on multiple 'Must Read Books of 2024' lists from bookshops and the media as I hope more people will read this important novel.
emotional
sad
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
4.5
I'm often drawn to historical fiction books set in East and South-East Asia as a way to learn more about historical events that aren't usually taught in schools or spoken about much. I didn't know much about the Japanese occupation of Malaya (what Malaysia was called before it became independent) during 1941-1945 and hadn't read any books about this until now.
Moving back and forth between 1930s British-occupied Malaya to 1945 Japanese-occupied Malaya, we are introduced to Cecily and her children Jujube, Abel and Jasmin as they navigate their lives through these difficult years. Unbeknownst to the children, their mother Cecily has been harbouring devastating secrets for nearly a decade and her own guilt surrounding her actions in the 1930s, which inadvertently led to the start of Japanese occupation.
The Storm We Made is a strong debut from Chan, who doesn't shy away from the brutality of this occupation, resulting in a memorable novel that certainly won't be forgotten for me anytime soon. It's a story of love, family, deceit, secrets and guilt, and it will surprise and shock you. I'm pleased to see this book feature on multiple 'Must Read Books of 2024' lists from bookshops and the media as I hope more people will read this important novel.
Piglet by Lottie Hazell
dark
emotional
funny
fast-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
4.0
Diary of a Void by Emi Yagi
dark
funny
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Being a big fan of Asian translated fiction, this book has been on my radar for a little while and its premise certainly intrigued me. I often find that Japanese fiction has its quirks and is a bit different and I'm totally here for that!
In Diary of a Void, thirty-something Ms Shibata is the only woman in her office and is expected to do all of the boring tasks that no-one else wants to do, such as making the coffee, clearing away her co-workers' dirty cups, and this is on top of her job's responsibilities.
She becomes so frustrated with this that one day, she announces at work that she's pregnant so can no longer do these menial tasks as the smell of coffee triggers her morning sickness. Suddenly, she's treated much better at work, but the thing is, she now needs to keep up this pregnancy lie for nine months and beyond.
This was an interesting exploration of the role of women in Japanese society and the expectations set on them, with humour interspersed and a blurring of the lines between what's real or not.
It was a fairly quick read for me over a couple of days and I was motivated to keep reading to find out how and if Ms Shibata kept up with her lie. If you enjoyed books like Sayaka Murata's Convenience Store Woman or Mieko Kawakami's Breasts and Eggs, then I think you'll like this unusual read!
In Diary of a Void, thirty-something Ms Shibata is the only woman in her office and is expected to do all of the boring tasks that no-one else wants to do, such as making the coffee, clearing away her co-workers' dirty cups, and this is on top of her job's responsibilities.
She becomes so frustrated with this that one day, she announces at work that she's pregnant so can no longer do these menial tasks as the smell of coffee triggers her morning sickness. Suddenly, she's treated much better at work, but the thing is, she now needs to keep up this pregnancy lie for nine months and beyond.
This was an interesting exploration of the role of women in Japanese society and the expectations set on them, with humour interspersed and a blurring of the lines between what's real or not.
It was a fairly quick read for me over a couple of days and I was motivated to keep reading to find out how and if Ms Shibata kept up with her lie. If you enjoyed books like Sayaka Murata's Convenience Store Woman or Mieko Kawakami's Breasts and Eggs, then I think you'll like this unusual read!
The Moon Represents My Heart by Pim Wangtechawat
adventurous
emotional
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
4.0
The Gentleman From Peru by André Aciman
hopeful
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
The Bullet That Missed by Richard Osman
funny
lighthearted
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? No
4.5
I feel like Christmas and January are the perfect time of year to read Richard Osman's cosy mystery series The Thursday Murder Club. I read the 2nd book in January 2023 and the 3rd one, The Bullet That Missed, last month.
I really enjoyed having a nice, easy read, and revisiting the Thursday Murder Club, made up of a group of four pensioners (Elizabeth, Joyce, Ibrahim and Ron), who live in a sleepy, fictional town in Kent, as they band together to solve yet another murder mystery.
This time around, they're investigating a cold case from a decade ago, which resulted in a murder when a car was driven off a cliff, yet no body was ever found. It's not before long that Elizabeth finds herself in danger against a new enemy with the group racing against time to solve the mystery.
The characters are very lovable with their individual quirks and it was a funny read too. You wouldn't expect anything less from Osman in terms of humour, even reading the acknowledgements at the end was amusing! I enjoyed trying to work out the murder mystery myself, with a few of my own speculations throughout, but I'm never 100% correct as Osman throws in just enough twists and red herrings along the way - or I'm just rubbish at guessing!
I really enjoyed having a nice, easy read, and revisiting the Thursday Murder Club, made up of a group of four pensioners (Elizabeth, Joyce, Ibrahim and Ron), who live in a sleepy, fictional town in Kent, as they band together to solve yet another murder mystery.
This time around, they're investigating a cold case from a decade ago, which resulted in a murder when a car was driven off a cliff, yet no body was ever found. It's not before long that Elizabeth finds herself in danger against a new enemy with the group racing against time to solve the mystery.
The characters are very lovable with their individual quirks and it was a funny read too. You wouldn't expect anything less from Osman in terms of humour, even reading the acknowledgements at the end was amusing! I enjoyed trying to work out the murder mystery myself, with a few of my own speculations throughout, but I'm never 100% correct as Osman throws in just enough twists and red herrings along the way - or I'm just rubbish at guessing!
Undoctored: The Story of a Medic Who Ran Out of Patients by Adam Kay
emotional
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
4.0
Heartstopper Volume 5 by Alice Oseman
emotional
lighthearted
fast-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