This is such a fun book! It’s a quick read but it’s a small and simple way to connect deeper with Punjabi culture. I’ve had family across generations find joy and quite a few laughs in this book. One of the best books on my shelf. Perfect for a coffee table as well. People can skim through leisurely and spark conversations.

This was a cute and fun book! Some of Mia's insecurities can be annoying but adults can be insecure too so I guess I get it. I wish a little bit that Mia hadn't been so much "not like other girls." It seemed like she wasn't into anything that women traditionally like and that's what made her "the one." You can read my full review here: https://www.jasbeingjas.com/post/mr-right-across-the-street

While some of the imagery in these poems might seem cliche, like stars, the moon, fire, etc, Gill brings breathes new life into them with beautiful prose. This collection touches on some heavy topics but overall feels light hearted. You finish the collection feeling strong, peaceful, and empowered.

This is a great book about perseverance. My nieces and nephews love this book and they absolutely adore Fauja Singh. Would highly recommend! And the artwork is so beautiful!!

If you love fairytale retelling this is a book for you! The collection reimagines a number of fairytales in interesting ways. And with each retelling a poem/short story it’s a lot of fun without a ton of investment on the part of the reader if they end up not liking the twist.

I’ve been reading a bunch of Nikita Gill books this week and unfortunately, I did not enjoy this one as much as the others. I really enjoy her retelling and long form prose which I think the other two books had more of. This collection felt more like the style I consider insta poets which I’m not really a fan of. A few really nice poems but overall it didn’t really stand out compared to her other collections.

I loved this book. Thoroughly enjoyed it. The reimagining of some Greek myths and modern day goddesses is wonderfully done. I know poetry and stories about goddesses can be cliche but Gill does a phenomenal job tying it all together, and I appreciate her attention to lesser known goddesses and titans. A really thoughtful collection and probably my favorite of her books. Definitely satisfied the Greek mythology kick I’m on!

I pre ordered this book as soon as I saw it because it reminded me of Circe which I loved. This absolutely did not disappoint. Actually, it absolutely rocked. I was obsessed and couldn’t put it down and my heart is feeling very many things right now and I’m so glad I picked this for book club because I need to talk to people about it!

Wow. Content warning: sexual assault, child abuse, and alcoholism/addiction. I am not familiar with Canadian politics so I really didn’t know much about Jagmeet Singh or his politics when picking up this book so while many Canadians might know a bit about the contents of this book, I really think it should come with content warnings. This book definitely shares a lot of vulnerabilities. A lot of what Singh and his family have gone through are things the South Asian community tries to keep quiet or under wraps. But I think many of us will connect with some if not all of Singh’s struggles. I appreciate so much in this book but one thing I wish Singh acknowledged more was how financial privilege played a role in his life. I find that memoirs tend to skim over the that bit in an attempt to sound like the author is ‘just like us.’

This is a really quick read, bringing together the need for activism and presenting it through a more personal story. For a lot of people, this book might feel like preaching to the choir. But for anyone new to environmental activism I think this book can be really important in understanding how the path forward has to be inclusive. I kind of wish the book had been more in depth in a lot of ways, but I understand that this series is meant to be short books, and a space for reflection. I'm definitely going to follow the author though to stay up to date, as they are incredibly involved in fighting climate change and I'm interested in learning more about their work.