Take a photo of a barcode or cover
1.72k reviews by:
purplepenning
"I don’t think I could be blamed for being slow on the uptake. It isn’t like one gets conscripted as a demon hunter on the reg."
Fun, action-packed fantasy that brings Chinese folklore to the modern Bay Area in the style of Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Genie is just trying to ace school, volleyball, and the Harvard admissions process but, okay, guess she'll fight raging demons with an egocentric almost-god in her spare time.
Excellent for snarky, smart teens who want snarky, smart main characters and kick-ass adventure without a ton of romance drama.
"Genie Lo, caring about strangers, bearing the weight of the world? No one was more surprised than me."
Fun, action-packed fantasy that brings Chinese folklore to the modern Bay Area in the style of Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Genie is just trying to ace school, volleyball, and the Harvard admissions process but, okay, guess she'll fight raging demons with an egocentric almost-god in her spare time.
Excellent for snarky, smart teens who want snarky, smart main characters and kick-ass adventure without a ton of romance drama.
"Genie Lo, caring about strangers, bearing the weight of the world? No one was more surprised than me."
YA fantasy with a mostly Latinx cast of characters and a queer main character. It includes some borrowed and some invented magic systems. Lagged in the middle and the characters didn't quite capture me but the world building was interesting enough to lead me on to book two (book three out fall 2020).
This is a book that sneaks up on you. You can summarize it in a sentence: Older sister Korede (our narrator) keeps getting called in to clean up after little sister Ayoola's unfortunate habit of killing her boyfriends and it's really starting to mess with Korede's conscience, her uber-tidy life, and her long-standing crush. It's a fast read, which I wasn't sad about — I have a hard time hanging out with unlikable characters for too long — and I wasn't sure what I thought of it immediately after I finished. I'm still not sure what I think about it, but I'm sure that the more I think about it, the more interesting it gets.
While the subject matter is dark, the tone and structure are light, almost disassociative, which, given the narrator, is kind of brilliant. I didn't find it funny, but there is a dark, situational humor to it (and some astute, cutting commentary). I also wouldn't call it a mystery or a thriller, but it is page-turner. To me, it's straight contemporary fiction that explores themes of disconnection (family, society, self), misogyny and female empowerment, hierarchies of loyalty, legacies of trauma, and more.
Content note: murder, child abuse, stealing, lying, cheating, police corruption, misogyny, sibling rivalry and yin-yang trope, femme fatale trope, possibly unreliable narrator, colorism, classism
While the subject matter is dark, the tone and structure are light, almost disassociative, which, given the narrator, is kind of brilliant. I didn't find it funny, but there is a dark, situational humor to it (and some astute, cutting commentary). I also wouldn't call it a mystery or a thriller, but it is page-turner. To me, it's straight contemporary fiction that explores themes of disconnection (family, society, self), misogyny and female empowerment, hierarchies of loyalty, legacies of trauma, and more.
Content note: murder, child abuse, stealing, lying, cheating, police corruption, misogyny, sibling rivalry and yin-yang trope, femme fatale trope, possibly unreliable narrator, colorism, classism
.jpg)
A Sloth's Guide to Mindfulness (Mindfulness Books, Spiritual Self-Help Book, Funny Meditation Books)
Picked this up with zero expectations, not even knowing the general layout, length, or anything other than what the cover indicates. Did not expect to be so moved by it! It's a short, simple, playful, gracious, surprisingly effective, illustrated guide to mindfulness. The black-and-white illustrations of our friendly sloth guide completely charmed me. I honestly think this did more to help me along the journey of mindfulness than anything else I've read on the matter.
3.5 stars for charming historical fiction with enough Jane talk to help sustain a fan's interest and enough character-driven development to please readers of post-war period pieces. The little village of Chawton and the estate there (where resides the last of Jane Austen's relatives) are beautifully drawn, and the book is populated with a slightly quirky cast of characters brought together by village life, their love of Austen's writing, and their increasingly urgent need to help preserve something of her history there. I think the blurbs are correct that fans of The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie society would be pleased with this one as well.
I felt like there were some pacing issues — the first half in particular progressed very slowly for me — and some realistic dialogue that was just a shade too realistic, tipping into vague at times. It was occasionally like listening from the next room and missing some of those important nonverbal elements that flesh out a full understanding of what's being said.
Overall, though, an interesting premise and angle, solid writing, and an enjoyable read. My thanks to @netgalley
and @stmartinspress for a digital ARC.
Content notes: substance use, addiction, grief, loss of baby, sexual assualt
I felt like there were some pacing issues — the first half in particular progressed very slowly for me — and some realistic dialogue that was just a shade too realistic, tipping into vague at times. It was occasionally like listening from the next room and missing some of those important nonverbal elements that flesh out a full understanding of what's being said.
Overall, though, an interesting premise and angle, solid writing, and an enjoyable read. My thanks to @netgalley
and @stmartinspress for a digital ARC.
Content notes: substance use, addiction, grief, loss of baby, sexual assualt
Well dang. Loved the premise, the setting, the family, the extended cast of characters, the representation, and THAT COVER. Sadly, the writing just didn't do it for me. It was in serious danger of being a DNF.
When Mama Joy unexpectedly dies, leaving her Harlem knitting shop and brownstone in the hands of her four adopted sons, Jesse (the youngest) is determined to prove his worth and keep it open. Lucky for him, their girl-next-door family friend, Kerry, is willing to help. But Kerry is on her own quest to prove herself, a quest that may demand she distance herself from the shop and from Jesse. How and when will they discover their mutual long-standing crush? How and when will they discover a way to save the shop?
It was definitely the how and when that let me down. The pacing seemed really off (I don't think we got to see a real man knit until like 17 chapters in!). The writing structure also seemed unrefined and repetitive, the characters underdeveloped, and even the dialogue, which had cute, snappy moments, was inconsistent and hard to follow at times. Especially in the first half, we spent far too much time moping around in our main characters' heads. Yes, they had just experienced a significant loss, so yes, it made sense for them to be sad and introspective, but it didn't make sense for readers to be that fogged for that long.
If you like diverse, slow-burn, friends-to-lovers stories that heavily feature family dynamics and include main characters that challenge each other, then perhaps you'll be able to overlook some of the writing issues and enjoy this one far more than I did. Plus, there are three more hot Harlem brothers to write into a series and yes, #WeNeedDiverseRomance.
Content notes: foster care system, death in family, objectifying language, off-screen drug overdose, absent parents
When Mama Joy unexpectedly dies, leaving her Harlem knitting shop and brownstone in the hands of her four adopted sons, Jesse (the youngest) is determined to prove his worth and keep it open. Lucky for him, their girl-next-door family friend, Kerry, is willing to help. But Kerry is on her own quest to prove herself, a quest that may demand she distance herself from the shop and from Jesse. How and when will they discover their mutual long-standing crush? How and when will they discover a way to save the shop?
It was definitely the how and when that let me down. The pacing seemed really off (I don't think we got to see a real man knit until like 17 chapters in!). The writing structure also seemed unrefined and repetitive, the characters underdeveloped, and even the dialogue, which had cute, snappy moments, was inconsistent and hard to follow at times. Especially in the first half, we spent far too much time moping around in our main characters' heads. Yes, they had just experienced a significant loss, so yes, it made sense for them to be sad and introspective, but it didn't make sense for readers to be that fogged for that long.
If you like diverse, slow-burn, friends-to-lovers stories that heavily feature family dynamics and include main characters that challenge each other, then perhaps you'll be able to overlook some of the writing issues and enjoy this one far more than I did. Plus, there are three more hot Harlem brothers to write into a series and yes, #WeNeedDiverseRomance.
Content notes: foster care system, death in family, objectifying language, off-screen drug overdose, absent parents
Modern Desi interpretation of "Persuasion" from the author of "Pride, Prejudice, and Other Flavors"!
Ashna Raje has given up just about everything to preserve her father's restaurant and memory, but can she give up her paralyzing fear to enter and win a reality cooking show? She desperately needs the cash but her dignity may need her to stay as far away as possible from surprise celebrity contestant and Brazilian footballer Federico Silva. They definitely have chemistry (and a history) but is it all a recipe for disaster or persuasion?
This is a clever, nuanced, multilayered nod to Austen's original story and covers some pretty heavy themes, like childhood trauma, mother-daughter relationships, female friendships, suicide, death of a parent, off-screen spousal rape, cultural oppression of women, PTSD and panic attacks. I wouldn't consider it a rom-com although it does heavily feature a romantic relationship with some familiar romance-style conundrums and communication issues. This reads more like contemporary women's lit to me, which I think is appropriate for an interpretation of Persuasion. Also, I love that cover.
Ashna Raje has given up just about everything to preserve her father's restaurant and memory, but can she give up her paralyzing fear to enter and win a reality cooking show? She desperately needs the cash but her dignity may need her to stay as far away as possible from surprise celebrity contestant and Brazilian footballer Federico Silva. They definitely have chemistry (and a history) but is it all a recipe for disaster or persuasion?
This is a clever, nuanced, multilayered nod to Austen's original story and covers some pretty heavy themes, like childhood trauma, mother-daughter relationships, female friendships, suicide, death of a parent, off-screen spousal rape, cultural oppression of women, PTSD and panic attacks. I wouldn't consider it a rom-com although it does heavily feature a romantic relationship with some familiar romance-style conundrums and communication issues. This reads more like contemporary women's lit to me, which I think is appropriate for an interpretation of Persuasion. Also, I love that cover.
