Actual rating 4.5 stars
Full review on: FLIPPING THROUGH THE PAGES

Guys, this book was incredible and I wasn’t really expecting it to be so good. It was brutal but honest. I seriously have so many feelings about this book that, maybe, this review doesn’t justify it.

This story is about Kiko, who is half Asian (a Japanese-American to be exact). She is trying to find her place in life while dealing with the stress of her family and her narcissistic mother, who is always surrounded by her own thoughts and always considered Kiko as inferior. She deals with her childhood trauma and social anxiety while in search of her real motive and the aim to get admission in an art school.

Let’s move to the points why I liked it so much:

++ Kiko is a perfect character and the representation of the social anxiety is just awesome. Though I haven’t experienced this kind of anxiety myself, I was still able to relate to Kiko. Her social anxiety makes it difficult for her to attend the parties. I felt for her through the whole book. It made me feel sad. But I was happy to see her transformation throughout the book.

++ Kiko’s family was really fucked up or if we call it in a decent way- messed up. Kiko’s mother was American, so she always despised Kiko because of her Japenese features and neglected her. She was so contained in herself that she didn’t care about any of her children. Kiko had a bad relationship with her brothers too. No one talked to each other like normal families too.

++ This book showcased an important issue- childhood sexual abuse. She was sexually abused by her uncle in her childhood and this incident left her traumatized for the rest of her life. Reading about sexual abuse was so disheartening and to look how one bad incident can affect you for rest of your life.

++ Oh, another wonderful OTP – Kiko and Jamie! Well, the main focus of the book was not on the romance (which I appreciate) but rather on the journey of Kiko. But I really loved the friendship between Jamie and Kiko.

++ it was interesting to read about growing up as a mixed-race. She always felt that she doesn’t “belong” to the society. Her mother hadn’t raised her with Japenese culture but it was interesting to see how she found out more about her roots and actually enjoyed those moments.

++ I appreciate the #ownvoices thing in this book. [a:Akemi Dawn Bowman|15068129|Akemi Dawn Bowman|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1514475391p2/15068129.jpg] is a Japanese-American with social anxiety herself, just as Kiko. It was interesting and heartfelt to see her own journey and her thoughts.

++ Wow, all the art stuff showcased was really interesting. Both Kiko and Jamie were into arts. While Kiko loved drawing and painting, Jamie was into photography. I really liked all that art stuff shown.

++ This story has the perfect ending. I really liked how Kiko was transforming towards the end, but at the same time, she wasn’t completely cured.

++ The writing style of Akemi is just awesome. I really enjoyed reading this book. Her writing style made the story fast-paced and emotional.

The only thing that I wanted to have was a little side story of Kiko’s brothers. Besides Kiko’s feelings, I also wanted to know what her brothers were feeling at the same time and how difficult it was even for them, to handle their terrible mother. But I guess, since the story was from Kiko’s POV, there wasn’t a room for it 🙂

This book has all the ingredients for a perfect read. I loved everything about the book, the plot, the issues, the characters. It conveyed so many emotions and was relatable. It was sad and funny at parts. This book was about friendship, love, family and more than that, is about discovering yourself. This book gives you hope that actually you can fulfill your dreams and can overcome your fear and struggles.

If you are dealing with anxiety, then you should definitely read this. Even if you love a YA contemporary having a #ownvoices rep, you need this book in your life.

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You often find some books which remain with you for a long time after you finish reading it. Same happened to me with Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine. I read this book way back in January and that book is still fresh in my mind till today. That only means that the book was amazing and it made its spot in my favourite books list.

The main reason that I liked this book so much is its main character, Eleanor. Though I am nothing like Eleanor in real life, I related to her on so many levels. She is an unlikeable character in the beginning but as the story progresses you can’t NOT like her. She will make you feel for her. You would laugh with her on her punchlines. You would cry for her. You would dream with her. She will make you fall in love with her.

In other words, this book is a rollercoaster of emotions. You will laugh, you will cry, you will get angry, you will be sad, but still, you would like every moment of that ride.

Truth to be told, I had no idea what to expect from this book when I started it. I had only heard rave reviews about it and everyone was praising it last year. It also won Costa Debut Novel award in 2018. I am generally lucky with the hyped books, but still, I was afraid about picking this one. But I am so happy that I loved this book so much.

Gail Honeyman has perfectly presented the mental illness concept and her writing will instantly connect with you. She has created a wonderful character, Eleanor. She is not perfect in any sense. She is flawed, lonely and straightforward, still manages to throw punches in between and you would laugh at her wittiness.

This book is character-oriented and the other lovable character is Raymond, Eleanor’s colleague, who soon becomes her friend. I loved how Raymond and Eleanor’s relationship was portrayed and how he made Eleanor come out of her loneliness. She used to make fun of him because of his dressing sense and all, but soon Raymond made her realise there is so much in the world to see. She went to a totally different place because of him. He even persuaded her to see a therapist which she never realised was needed for her. Raymond was a good addition to her life 🙂

Books like Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine definitely deserve all the hype and every reader should give this one a chance. This has left a deep mark on my mind. It is hard to find books which are full of emotions and yet are far from being overly-sentimental.

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We Should All Be Feminists is a very short transcription of Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie’s TED talk from 2013. I haven’t personally listened to this TED Talk but now I definitely should. This is quite well-written and is an interesting read.

In this transcription, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie talks about her own experiences as a native Nigerian and now an American. She talks about discrimination against women and more importantly she talks about feminism. She has used her real life anecdotes to present her view points and those anecdotes really made this essay interesting. She talked about how she was considered a feminist since her childhood. The dissection of the various comments she received is really interesting to read and draws our attention towards the male-centric attitude that our society has.

She talks precisely about why we all should be feminists and how it is different from humanism. When Adichie was talking about her experience as a Nigerian, I was perfectly able to relate to her because I am an Indian and I can see so many similarities. Our society has set so many standards and expectations for us women while the same is not applicable for the men.

"Because I am female, I’m expected to aspire to marriage. I am expected to make my life choices always keeping in mind that marriage is the most important. Marriage can be a good thing, a source of joy, love and mutual support. But why do we teach girls to aspire to marriage, yet we don’t teach boys to do the same?"

She quoted the American research where it was stated that the men were being paid more than their female counterparts for the same job. I really liked the point where she stated that all the talk about feminism and being equally paid wouldn’t have made sense if it was talked about 100 years ago because back then, the activities were all about physicality where as today, it is all about creativeness and intelligence.

“We spend too much time teaching girls to worry about what boys think of them. But the reverse is not the case. We don’t teach boys to care about being likable. We spend too much time telling girls that they cannot be angry or aggressive or tough, which is bad enough, but then we turn around and either praise or excuse men for the same reasons. All over the world, there are so many magazine articles and books telling women what to do, how to be and not to be, in order to attract or please men. There are far fewer guides for men about pleasing women.”

This book is really a must read if you want to read about gender equality. You would definitely want to applaud Adichie for her thoughts. It will definitely broaden your mind. Not just women, but all men should read it too.

"My own definition of a feminist is a man or a woman who says, ‘Yes, there’s a problem with gender as it is today and we must fix it, we must do better.’ All of us, women and men, must do better.”

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Before starting this book, I had heard so many great things about it. I never heard anything bad about this, so obviously my expectations were high about this. And yes, it didn’t disappoint me. In fact, it was way too good for my imagination. There are some stories which touch you deeply, and surely it was one of them.

My name is August. I won’t describe what I look like. Whatever you’re thinking, it’s probably worse.

This is a story about 11 years old August Pullman who doesn’t have a normal face. He has a rare medical facial deformity, which he refers to as "mandibulofacial dysostosis", more commonly known as Treacher Collins syndrome and a cleft palate. After his birth, he went through multiple operations on his face to look like what he was now. He was homeschooled by his mother until fifth grade. The story starts when his parents decide to send him to a private school called Beecher Prep. The story revolves around what difficulties Auggie (August) faces int he school, how everyone treated him, how he made friends there.

It was a fast paced story. There were small chapters and the story quickly progressed. It was not dragging one. The main thing that I liked most about this book was that there was not a single PoV of just August, rather there were 6 different POVs. Surely, it sounds a way more, but when you keep reading through each person’s chapters, you don’t feel it. Rather you would feel as if it was necessary to write the story from the perspective of all those characters. The persons having their individual PoV includes Via (August’s sister), Miranda (Via’s old friend), Justin (Via’s boyfriend), Jack and Summer (Auggie’s new friends at Beecher Prep). The added bonus in my copy was Julian’s chapters (Auggie’s classmate who didn’t like him at all).

I think there should be a rule that everyone in the world should get a standing ovation at least once in their lives.

The writing was simple and up to the mark. R.J. Palacio knew that what she was writing and what she had to present. Each character was shown flawed at first and then it was little sympathetic. I really liked how she portrayed Via’s thoughts. It’s true that it was most difficult for Via to handle his deformed brother and facing everyone’s reaction when they see him. But she also loves him a lot. Palacio perfectly managed both the conflicts. Similar conflicts were showed for Summer, Jack and Justin.

Julian’s PoV was an added bonus as I said earlier. It was very interesting to see how he changed from a bad boy to a good one and how his grandmother played an important part in that transformation. I really love the story that his grandmother told him.

Points I liked:
** How the story is told from everyone’s point of view and not just from August’s.
** How not just August’s life has been mentioned, but other people’s life too like Justin.
** How story didn’t stop when changing from one person’s pov to another one’s, rather it was progressive.

Things I didn’t like / wished would have been different
** I was disappointed by my copy. There were lots of editing errors and the whole Justin chapter was wrongly structured (though it’s not the fault of the story

Full review on: Flipping Through the Pages

One Part Woman is a story about Kali and Ponna, a married couple, who are unable to conceive even after 12 years of marriage. They are happy and sexually satisfied in their marriage but the only thing lacking is a child. Because of this, they are constantly being targeted by their neighbours and the whole village. Their relatives keep an eye on their property as there is no one inherit that. Kali and Ponna tried everything they could do to have a child. They went from one temple to another, performed every old trick, every ritual but there was no effect. Their final hopes were resting on the 18th day of a chariot festival when rules were relaxed and any consenting man and woman can have sex. This night would be the ultimate test to their love and marriage.

This story is a dark humour on Indian society where everyone starts asking the married couple to conceive a child soon after the marriage, especially in rural places. This story is set in South India and perfectly depicts the cultural aspects. It perfectly captures how people often frustrated with their own problems, try to interfere in others’ life. They would give lectures on how things can be changed, doesn’t matter how bad things are in their own lives. The double standards of the society have been beautifully depicted. It showed how people change according to their needs and behave accordingly.

I loved how nicely Perumal Murugan has captured the beauty and life of South Indian culture. The village is not a rich one but the author or I would rather say the translator, has captured the essence perfectly. From lying under a tree to playing in big fields to climb the mountains, all the scenes were vivid. In many ways, it reminded me of my own village, which I haven’t visited in years. In spite of the translation in English, the local flavours have been maintained perfectly by the translator.

I loved both kali and Ponna and adored their love for each other. They got married early (as it happens in most of the rural areas) but over the time they grew fond of each other. In spite of all the negativity around them because of lack of the child, they were true to each other about their feelings. They still had a sexually satisfied life. In spite of being forced by many to do a second marriage, Kali never agreed upon the idea and his love for Ponna only grew with time.

Ponna was a fierce woman and I loved how bold she was with her opinions. Whenever anyone tried to bash her or tried to say bad things to her, she was ready to defend herself and her husband. People considered her to be rude and many stopped talking to her, but she was a woman transformed into a fierce one because of all the societal pressure.

The only negative thing that stopped this book from being a five-star read for me is that sometimes I felt that descriptions were too much and that took my interest away from the story. About three-quarters of the story is about the problems that Kali and Ponna faced along with the description of their childhood and other backstories. Some of the old incidents were relevant to the story but I felt as if most of the stories that the author introduced in between were just for filling the pages. There were some childhood stories of Kali which I don’t think added much to the main plot.

Overall, this is an amazing book that holds a mirror to the Indian society about their double standards. It shows what the need of having a child can make people do. The characters are well drawn and the story is intriguing which will keep you hooked till the end. The end is little abrupt and I wish there was a clear ending but still, this is a story which shouldn’t be missed if you are interested in Indian literature or the problems associated with our societies.

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This is the first book of the mystery queen, Agatha Christie. It was written in the 1920s. The most famous detective of Agatha Christie is Hercule Poirot and this book is the first to feature him and his friend Hastings. I don’t know yet if any other character would appear in the next books or not, but let’s see.

I never thought that I would love Poirot right away, from his first appearance? He was definitely charming and witty. Poirot was an eccentric detective from Belgium and fled to England during WWI. I really liked his friendship with Hastings, who was opposite than him in nature. Hastings was a little on the dramatic side. He always tried to prove to Poirot that he can solve the case but he always jumped to the conclusions and never actually caught the hint that Poirot gave him. Poirot made fun of Hastings for this and those scenes were really funny. We get to see that funny side of Poirot apart from being an intelligent detective. Poirot is annoying and sometimes painful, but I guess that’s his best charm 🙂

I don’t read much murder-mysteries but I was surprised how much I really liked it. The mystery built by Agatha Christie was really great. It kept me hooked from the first page to the last. This novel has everything a good mystery novel should have. Colonel Hasting is the narrator of the story and I think Agatha Christie used this to benefit. By making Hastings the narrator of the story and not Poirot, w don’t get to see inside the Poirot’s head and thus the mystery was still mysterious 😀

The build-up of the novel is very slow. It will introduce you to each character one by one and will tell you their relationship with the murdered woman. At each point, you will get many clues and your mind will keep racing. At each clue, I guessed a wrong criminal. And well, that makes a good mystery, isn’t it?

This novel had been written almost 100 years back and yet I can say that it stood the test of the time. I can say that it is remarkably updated considering the time period it was written. There is some usage of old language but it fits perfectly with the current world and it would not divert you from enjoying the story itself.

There are too many characters in the story and it often made it hard for me to remember all of them. That’s the only thing that disturbed me and I gave one less star. Also, there was so much information in the beginning, probably in starting 100 pages. You can find yourself suspecting each of the characters, excepts the servants. This definitely makes it a bit puzzled.

The Mysterious Affairs at Styles by Agatha Christie is a murder mystery with all the perfect ingredients. If you haven’t read any Agatha Christie book, then I would suggest starting with this one. This will keep you hooked and will keep you guessing until the end. I can’t wait to pick up more of Christie’s work.

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This novella was quite good. This is set at least twenty years prior to the events of [b:A Spark of White Fire|37588503|A Spark of White Fire (The Celestial Trilogy, #1)|Sangu Mandanna|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1527637417l/37588503._SX50_.jpg|56738877]. It was interesting to see why Kyra did what she did and how it all turned the events that took place in the first book. I love this series so much, so that's why this novella felt a bit short for me. I don't want this story to end. I wish there was more detail about the three curses. However, I am glad Sangu provided this novella at all.

Full review on: Flipping Through the Pages

Representation: Black Bisexual MC

Pumpkinheads follows two teens, Deja and Josiah, for a day at a Pumpkin Patch that they worked for much of their high school years. Josiah likes a girl at the patch, and considering it was their last day at the patch, Deja convinces him to talk to this girl. Later throughout the book, we see the obstacles in their plan to meet that girl and a journey filled with food and beautiful art.

Full review on: Flipping Through the Pages

Representation: One of the MCs is hard of hearing, the other is non-binary and both are Chinese-Americans; has queer grandmothers, one of whom is Chinese-American and the other is Jewish

Mooncakes follow the story of Nova, who is a witch and has been living with her grandmothers and taking care of magical problems in the neighborhood, and Tam, who is a wolf and has been battling a demon in the woods. Nova and Tam meet after years and tries to find a way to stop the demon from resurfacing and in the process, their love blooms.

Full review on: Flipping Through the Pages

Representation: A Greek gay MC, a Samoan gay love interest, and multiple side characters of color

Bloom is a cute YA contemporary about Ari and Hector. Ari’s family owns a bakery but he is not interested in the family business. His idea of life is different. But then comes Hector who loves baking and gets a job at Ari’s bakery, and then the friendship and romance blooms.