I picked up this book for Roxanne Gay's book club, the Audacious Book Club and wow! I am so glad that I did. This entire archive is amazing. I want everyone to read the piece on Ocean Justice. The variety of pieces included in this archive is incredible. I learned so much, and I walked away with so much to think about. In some ways I wish I hadn't rushed to finish it in time for the book club discussion, but I also got this from the library so in some ways I had to finish it by a certain time anyways. But I tabbed so many things to go back to and continue to explore even after I'm done reading the book.

Dr. Nikky-Guninder Kaur Singh has a way of taking something very academic and making it accessible. She doesn’t just do a great job of telling the reader the story of Guru Nanak Dev Ji. But adds context through historical background to help us really appreciate the revolutionary nature of the first Sikh. I am by no means a religious scholar but the context she adds throughout this book, especially the context related to language and the nuance behind various translations is empowering for anyone who wishes to engage further with Sikhi and directly with gurbani.

I’m not a fan of Rupi Kaur’s work but I heard this one was different. To be honest it didn’t really feel different. I still finished the collection in like 30 minutes because there were so many quippy one liners that kind of just make me roll my eyes. But having read the first two and now this one I will say that some of the poems in home body feel more authentic than the ones in milk & honey or the sun and her flowers. I think the issue is those poems feel few and far in between when looking at the collection as a whole. Also while I do feel that a lot of the poems dont feel genuine and feel kind of forced, I do want to add that I don’t think Rupi Kaur is lying about her experiences with sexual assault, & I wish the book had added that content warning considering her style of writing is pretty blunt.

I love stories about women. This wasn't some super scandalous read but it was entertaining and I loved all the characters! And I loved so many of them even though they had their faults. Everything was so well balanced and I just really enjoyed the story. And I was so excited to find out who this person is that Georgia almost forgot about. By the end of the book I felt giddy with her!

This is such a great book. It’s the book I needed as a kid. It’s the book I imagine so many kids need now. Beautifully written. Lekha is a protagonist you root for with your whole heart. I will be sharing this book with all the kids in my life.

This was a nice book, but it felt a bit repetitive, especially by the end. I wish there was more context around the issues/countries in each introduction instead of an almost summary of the diary entries provided by each of the girls featured. But overall it's a really sweet project and I would definitely get this for young girls in my life, maybe as they are about to head into the teen years. You can read my full review here: https://www.jasbeingjas.com/post/girlhood

Oh my god. Where do I even start? Jasmin Kaur is an amazing story teller. The story has so many layers, but it's all woven together with so much care. The pacing, the prose, the details. Just everything! There were moments that had me very emotional but I held it together and then on the last page, I found big fat tears streaming down my face. This is honestly, such a beautiful book.

I can not describe how lovely this book is. The stories of each woman are special on their own but they are woven together so beautifully! The way they are connected is so well done. I was enjoying reading it, and I didn’t even realize how emotional and attached to these woman’s stories I had become until I was on the last page of the epilogue and tears started to roll down my cheeks. This is the first book I’ve read by the author and I cannot wait to read all the rest. Highly recommend!

Wow! I am really starting to enjoy novels in prose, and I was expecting that in Home is Not a Country. I was not prepared for what a touching story this would be. I really feel for Nima. Her feelings come across as really authentic. Nothing was over done or overly dramatized. It was just told really beautifully. And then the supernatural element in the book was not something I was expecting when I picked up this book, but it was awesome! I really was not expecting to enjoy that part of the story but it was just a really great story. Highly recommend.

I enjoyed this book! I was worried for a minute that it would thoroughly break my heart, but I think I’m okay lol. Stories like these are a great reminder of how mental illnesses are treated poorly and how the stigma persists even today. This is the first book by Paulo Coelho I’ve read and will definitely be reading more. Even the others in this series sound great!