A Place for Us by Fatima Mirza - Book Review

Time for another - way longer than intended - I should probably change the name of this thing I do, but I am also committed to the project. help. #60secondbookreview of "A Place for Us" by Fatima Farheen Mirza - a book that felt like being wrapped up in a warm blanket - so cozy.

"A Place for Us" by Fatima Mirza is a *debut novel* ( holy moly how is this her first novel, it's so good!?) it follows an Indian American Muslim family. The book begins at the wedding of the eldest daughter, Hadia. Hadia has decided to invite her brother, Amar,  to her wedding even though he has been estranged from their family for the last three years.

Through the next 400 plus pages, you get a very close look at the interpersonal relationships of this family. The novel moves forward and back in time and shows the reader how the parents met, how the siblings have interacted with each other, and also each of the characters individual lives, and possibly most important, how the parents interact with their children. And after all of that depth, the reader gets a very good sense of why Amar is estranged from his family and just how complicated his return will be for all of the characters.

I really enjoyed reading "A Place for Us", and I think one of the reasons it works so well is the author's ability to make you feel like you are a part of this family - by the end of the novel you know all of their in's and out's - and because of that it is also does an excellent job of exploring identity. How family and religion can aide but also complicate that process. One you think you've found that, once you feel like you know yourself, your families fight against that image can be a misguided attempt at showing their love, but it can also be one of the most harmful things you experience. 

I did struggle a bit to get into this book, it's a common criticism of the book, so it's nice not to feel alone in that - the hurdle for me was that the book jumps around quite a bit in the timeline of this family, and also between different characters. But, once I was all in, I was all in, and also really want this book to be adapted to film, really rooting for this to happen!

Have you read "A Place for Us"? What were your experiences while reading the novel, which characters did you connect with most? Comment down below and let's chat about it!

Did You Ever Have A Family by Bill Clegg - Book Review

There are books and plots that are easy to explain, and then there's this book! "Did You Ever Have A Family" by Bill Clegg is told from half a dozen different perspectives, all of whom are involved in a tragedy that happened - a home explodes the night before a wedding, and in the home are the bride, and the groom, as well as the boyfriend of the mother of the bride. The perspective changes each chapter but they all come together to explore grief and blame and healing. One thing about this book is that it demands your full attention, there is no reading this with one eye on the other eye on the book and the other eye on your phone or a television screen. The writing in the book is beautiful and haunting and there are parts of this book that will cause me anxiety for years to come. I generally don't enjoy books with a bunch of different narrators, I think it gives it a very disjointed feel and that's definitely the case in this book, so for that reason I wouldn't recommend it. Have you read "Did You Ever Have A Family" by Bill Clegg? If so, comment down below and let me know what you thought of this book! If not, drop a recommendation below for a book with multiple narrators that you enjoyed!

All We Ever Wanted by Emily Giffin - Book Review

Time for a #60secondbookreview! And this week, we'll be discussing "All We Ever Wanted" by Emily Giffin.

The Immortalists by Chloe Benjamin - Book Review

"The Immortalists" by Chloe Benjamin begins as a historical fiction novel set in 1969, and follows a family of children who visit a fortune teller. The fortune teller swears that she can tell them each the day that they will die. Each of the siblings after getting their "death date" have a slightly different reaction to the news - some are frightened, others are comforted or even ambivalent. The book then follows each sibling through their lives, and as a reader we are left to wonder did having their "death date" influence the decisions the characters made or was that date more than just a prediction? Just as an FYI, there is some pretty explicit sexual content at the beginning of this book, so just know that going in. Regardless, I started out really enjoying this book, it was a strong four. I liked the ideas presented and the thought experiment of that, but as the book continued on it was more of a three star read for me. I think the novel starts out a lot stronger than it ends, but because of the ideas in it, I still think it's a really interesting read. Have you read "The Immortalists" by Chloe Benjamin? Let me know what you thought of it below!

Before I Let You Go - by Kelly Rimmer - Book Review

Everything Here is Beautiful by Mira T. Lee - Book Review

The Great Alone by Kristin Hannah - Book Review

Many thanks to the publisher and author for providing me an early copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Ginny Moon- by Benjamin Ludwig - Book Review

This book is one that grabbed me right away because of the description and the reviews. "Meet Ginny. She’s fourteen, autistic, and has a heart-breaking secret… Ginny Moon is trying to make sense of a world that just doesn’t seem to add up…." I had to know what Ginny's secret was, and I was really intrigued by the idea of an autistic narrator-  while there have been a couple of well known books from that perspective, I haven't read a book like this before and wanted to see how that might work as a narrative choice. Read more to see my thoughts on "Ginny Moon" by Benjamin Ludwig. 

One of the Boys by Daniel Magriel - Book Review

" I did not want him to hit me. I did not want him to have to hit me." - One of the Boys

Reading "One of the Boys" by Daniel Magriel is a lesson in the power of parental love over children. In 176 beautifully written pages, Magriel explores the vulnerability and limits of such a crucial relationship. Between drugs, divorce, and abuse the relationships between "the boys" in this novel are pushed to the limits. Overwhelming, shocking, and heartbreaking, " One of the Boys" explores how meaning and stability are defined in our relationships and within ourselves.

"Setting Free the Kites" by Alex George Book Review & Video Review

 

Robert Carter and Nathan Tilly's friendship begins in an unlikely place-  their middle school's bathroom.  Nathan saves Robert from a dreaded middle school swirlie- and their friendship naturally takes off from there! "Setting Free the Kites" by Alex George tells the story of the friendship between Robert and Nathan, who find each other during a particularly tumultuous time in their lives. Certainly, a time when they needed a friend the most. P.S. I absolutely *loved* this book. Check out my video review below and keep reading for even  more thoughts about this novel!