Although the story and style grabbed me from the beginning, I started the book a little slow. I think I was not in the right mindset - I was reading it through the lenses of my current reality, and I couldn't help to consider some of the comments on one of the characters (Eriko, a transgender woman who takes the protagonist under her wing when her grandmother dies) to be insensitive.

After taking a step back and reminding myself of the context in which it was written (1988, a time when people called each other from phone booths and not cellphones), I managed to take a step back and see that this is a forward-looking book for its time, including in how it deals with a variety of gender-related issues.

Short, heartbreaking, hopeful, and romantic. Great little read.

As per the title, in 'What We Talk About When We Talk About Rape,' Sohaila Abdulali explores the topic of rape and all that comes with it - the taboo, the guilt, the crime, the anger, the shame, the light after darkness, the survival. For me, this book's power lies in how she talks about it: with transparency, making such a heavy topic turn somewhat light without losing its seriousness.

It's not an easy book to read, as you may have gathered by now, but an incredibly important one! I cried with it, I laughed out loud, I got angry, and I felt proud, thankful, humbled, and empowered by the words of Abdulali. 'What We Talk About When We Talk About Rape' is a must-read.

In general, I liked this book, but I wasn't wowed by it. There are some nice poems, the ones that make you want to use them for Instagram captions. I absolutely adored the first two poems, Sea of Strangers and New Beginning, for example. But a few months down the line, I don't remember them anymore. In short, I found this collection good but unremarkable.

'China Witness' is my second book by Xinran, the first being 'The Good Women of China,' which I highly recommend. 'China Witness' is a personal quest to safeguard memory and heritage by collecting information from the generation of today's grandparents and great-grandparents who lived through a century of change in China. But some things bothered me about the author's questioning style - like she wanted people to say what she wanted to hear. The stories were fascinating, though.

'I Am Malala' is the memoir of the Nobel Peace Prize laureate and girls' education advocate, Malala. It focuses not only on her personal experiences but also talks about the politics, history, and culture of Pakistan (and Afghanistan, to a certain extent).

'Homegoing' is a multigenerational historical fiction by Ghanaian-American author Yaa Gyasi, writing from the beginning of the slave trade in the 1700s to today's time. It starts with two sisters' story: one a slave and the other a slave trader's wife (don't worry, this is not a spoiler, it's written in the back cover), unraveling in the US and Ghana.

Although slavery is a central theme of this story, don't be fooled that it is all there is to it. I want to emphasize that if in your well-meaning intentions of reading books by authors who are black about things other than slavery, you decide to skip this book, you'll be missing out on a masterpiece.

I don't have words to describe the beauty of this book. Every single chapter and how they interconnect is pure perfection. Each character is multifaceted, complex, and perfectly imperfect.

It is one of my favorite reads this year and an all-time favorite too.

I enjoyed this book, and I read it in one sitting. I got "One Day" by David Nicholls vibes, so if you liked that book, this is a perfect pick for you!

It touches on important subjects and describes the social inequalities and inland regional differences in Ireland nicely. Although some scenes are 5-star worthy, characters sticking to old and problematic behaviors all the way to the last page of the book put me off (which I am sure was the author's intent, but it was just too frustrating for me as a reader).

Ultimately, I don't have strong feelings about it: it's a nice, short, and light read.

Djamilia Pereira de Almeida é uma autora luso-angolana, nascida em Angola e criada na periferia da capital portuguesa, Lisboa. Seguindo seus passos, 'Luanda, Lisboa, Paraíso' conta a história de um pai e um filho que se mudam de Luanda para Portugal.

O livro trata de temas como a solidão, migração, colonialismo e racismo. Entretanto, nada disso é dito, mas apenas insinuado em toda a história.

Luanda, Lisboa, Paraíso" é um livro que é ao mesmo tempo delicado e impactante!

Em 'A Chave de Casa', a autora Luso-Brasileira-Turca, Tatiana Salem Levy, conta a história de uma jovem mulher que embarca em uma viagem de volta às suas origens. Mas mais do que isso, é uma viagem interna, na qual a personagem principal enfrenta seus traumas, medos e arrependimentos.

A Chave da Casa' é um dos meus livros favoritos!

In a series of sarcastic and funny comics, Liv Strömquist talks about gender norms and stereotypes and how people are impacted by a hetero normative and patriarchal society. All whilst trying to answer the question "what is love?" I quite enjoyed it!