ambershelf's reviews
1295 reviews

Ernest Cunningham is a self-published author who writes guides on how to write crime novels (what a niche genre

After her mother's death, Maneka Roy returns to India from America after 12 years. She finds herself in a new world, where the once-rural town of Hrishipur is prospering with money flowing from Western investors and rising Indian wealth. Through the lenses of different characters connected with Maneka, Mukherjee brilliantly portrays a modern India divided by class and education.

I particularly resonated with Maneka's POV. As someone who's nearing my 10th year leaving Taiwan, the longing to return home, the feeling of being slowly unanchored, the uncertainties of drifting away from my culture & family, and the alienations when I'm being called "you Americans" are beautifully explored in DREAM BUILDERS.

I also adore the juxtaposition of modern India and rural America, and how from the lenses of the characters in DREAM BUILDERS, Maneka's quiet suburban life sounds a bit "backward-country-y."

DREAM BUILDERS is an impressive debut that explores family, identity, gender roles, and survival in a city that is rapidly modernizing and increasingly Americanized.

Thank you to librofm for the ALC.

In her attempt to translate THE WHITE MAN'S BURDEN by Rudyard Kipling from English to Tagalog, Christine Imperial reflects on the Philippines' complex colonial history, her family's fractured heritage, and her identity as a Philippine American.

MISTAKEN is a collection of poems and essays written in experimental styles. Some paragraphs about the history of the Philippines and her family are interspersed with Imperial's annotations and reflections. It took me a bit of back and forth in the beginning to figure out the structure of the book, but once I got into a groove, MISTAKEN became an intimate and beautiful read.

There's a lot of Tagalog that could've conveyed more nuance and depth for readers who understand the language; I'd love to see some own voice reviews of this book! Imperial also includes pictures and ads in MISTAKEN, which makes for a refreshing reading experience for those up to the experimental writing style.

Thank you to The Ohio State University Press for the gifted copy!

Won Lee, the first Asian American in the NBA, is dubbed "The Wonder" after he stuns the world in a seven-game winning streak. He grapples with his new-found fame and racism against Asians in sports as he starts a relationship with Carrie Kang, a big studio producer attempting to bring K-drama into the US. WONDER follows Won and Carrie, two Asian Americans fighting for opportunities to be seen in industries where Asians are often underrepresented/nonexistent and finding their places in a country that isn't particularly welcoming.

As a non-basketball fan—ngl I wasn't paying much attention to all the sports talk

This short story collection follows a cast of Black Americans and Afro-Latinx living in Puerto Rico, Pittsburgh, Louisiana, Miami, and beyond. With quiet yet moving prose, McCauley takes the readers on a journey of seeking belonging and securing freedom.

As with most anthologies, some stories left an imprint on me while others didn't. In Torsion, a single mother kidnaps her son from foster care because home is defined by bloodline, even if it smothers her kids. In When Trying to Return Home, a woman who lost her mom feels disconnected from her Latinx heritage and is afraid to speak Spanish; home is where her mother is, and she's lost that forever. In Liberation Day, a nun leaves her covenant and moves in with her sister, for home is not where god is but where love blossoms.

With powerful storytelling, McCauley asks the readers: What is home? How do we find and build one? How do we return?

Thank you to Libro.fm for the ALC.

Bodie Kane, a successful true crime podcaster, is invited back to her high school to teach a course. One of her students decides to investigate the death of Bodie's roommate, Thalia Keith, a beautiful rich white girl who died on campus, and the subsequent conviction of Omar Evans, a black athletic trainer employed by the fancy boarding school. As Bodie retraces her memories, she wonders about her innocence and complicity in perhaps rushing to a wrongful conviction.

QUESTIONS is a fast-paced and binge-able mystery that examines racism, classism, and sexism with a story too familiar to America. Death of a wealthy white girl, the conviction of the only Black man on the scene, and an institute built to uphold white supremacy and the patriarchy.

I particularly enjoy Makkai's reflections on connecting irl cases involving violence against women and wrongful convictions and how she seamlessly weaves Bodie's story and reality. QUESTIONS also explores the #metoo movement, the agency young women have or don't have in relationships, cancel culture, the "power" of the Internet, etc.

True to its title, QUESTIONS is a mystery that leaves more questions for the readers than answers. The ending especially isn't what I was expecting; while I (think I) understand what Makkai is trying to depict, I wanted just a bit more impact from the final chapters. Nonetheless, QUESTIONS is an unputdownable story: I finished the 10-hour audiobook in a day (at 2.3x speed of course

Hana Westerman is a Māori detective juggling single motherhood and the pressure of her career in Auckland's Central Investigation Branch. When mysterious videos lead her to multiple bodies that are seemingly unrelated, Hana finds herself chasing New Zealand's first serial killer. While Hana is busy figuring out the connection behind the deaths, she is also forced to confront her past actions when she was a junior police officer and her Māori identity working in the police force.

BETTER THE BLOOD is a fast-paced mystery thriller that reads like a movie. As someone who has trouble visualizing books, I could almost "see" the actions in my head while listening to the audiobook.

I particularly love the inclusion of Māori philosophy, tradition, and history in BETTER THE BLOOD and exploring the cultural nuance as a Māori detective. In the book, Bennett asks the reader: Can justice be achieved from within the system? How do we forgive but not forget the brutality of colonialism? What do reparations mean to our community and us as an individual?

I'm in no way comparing the oppression experienced by different communities. But for those who read THE TREES (Percival Everett) and wanted more examination of POC in the police force and the complexities of being used as a tool to oppress one's own community, BETTER THE BLOOD is a powerful and riveting book that goes deeper into this topic.

Thanks to Libro.fm for the ALC