samihami's Reviews (112)

Baldwin’s commentary and personal insight into religion, race and family is truly spectacular. 
His pen writes magical words and will cast a spell on you. 
It is a necessity to read this at least once in a lifetime. 

I liked it but from what I heard, I had high expectations which weren’t met. 
It’s cute and easy to read but the repetition of, for example,  information about the characters was annoying to me. 
I thought I was going to underline everything and will immediately buy the next books but no. I’m okay having read this one and no more. 
I don’t regret it and I enjoyed reading it, but I won’t necessarily read the next ones or reread it. 
I recommend it to someone who wants a quick and easy read that still conveys characters with complex stories in a world full of mysteries. 

Kazuo Ishiguro has a way with words that will draw you into the story and you never want to let go. 

Dustin Thao is a word magician.
Exploring grief from the perspective of a graduating teenager whose boyfriend died is so unique and yet it feels like anyone can relate. 
It is about the fear of letting go and staying. It is about loss of love and what good can come out of it. The cycle of love and relationships, letting people go and inviting new in. 
Truly a masterpiece. Can’t wait to read the new book. 

Wilde really went out of his way and bravely published this provocative piece about immorality, murder, sin, and homosexuality. 
The transition from innocent and naive to paranoid and selfish is masterful and well portrayed. And the last paragraph is EPIC. 
Dorian’s personality is peculiar and I still can’t decide whether I root for him or wish he received his punishment earlier. Lord Henry (also known as Harry) is annoying self-centered controlling misogynist and I hated him every time he opened his mouth (kudos to Wilde for writing him so well). And poor Basil will forever stay in my hear. 
This revised 1891 version includes academic introduction (read after reading the story), which gives so much insight into the background of the work and author, and notes throughout the story to provide cultural, historical, and editorial context. So buy this one if you wish to read the story, because you will be more immersed in the story and view the bigger picture of it all. 

Coco Mellors is genius and you need to read this book. 
The characters are so diverse! From a gay Polish man (trans woman?) to a woman who’s best friend is her mom, from British young broke depressed girl to older rich alcoholic. They are all unique and literally jump out through the page. 
Mellors write unlikeablility so well—I really hated some of the characters!
The writing also isn’t just in one form but is refreshing and changes throughout out.  
I stunned, mindblown, and speechless. I can’t wait to read Blue Sisters (her new book) and will read anything she posts—even her shopping lists. 

Dear potential readers,
Stop lingering, sit down and read this work of art. 
Kath and Lily’s journey in the 1950s America and the exploration of Chinatown, Chinese identity, and familial and societal values in the contrast to white America, McCarthyism, and Lavender Scare is so insightful and rich of emotion and opinion.
It is backed up by research into which Malinda Lo dives into at the end of the work, citing her sources. 
LNATTC isn’t just a work of fiction made from the writer’s imagination but a fictitious story based on real stories and experiences from the time, supported by Lo’s family’s experiences. 
Truly a charm and gift. 

Taylor Jenkins Reid has outdone herself! 
I flew through this masterpiece. It’s poetic, romantic, mysterious, real, sad, and emotional. Reid plucked all of my strings and left me craving more. 
The romance(s) in this story is messy and chaotic and frankly just human. 
Don’t be fooled by the hetero-seeming title of the work because this is packed with queer characters and stories. The parallels between Evelyn and Monique deepen the transition between past and present as Evelyn shares every detail of her career and personal life, something often hidden or altered to the eyes of the public. 
I will forever be grateful for this work. And I WILL be rereading this
Reid has a way with words and character design and will just keep you hooked to the pages and never want to put the book down. 
Thank you!

I understand that Edgar is historically important and was revolutionary in the culture of literature and writing but I just couldn’t wait to finish this collection. 
There were stories that I genuinely enjoyed (The Gold Bug, The Premature Burial, The Black Cat-which I have read before individually, and Some Words with a Mummy) but most were boring, confusing, or just off. 
He tries to set a scary and dark mood but many times it was flat or straight up sill (

an orangutan is the murderer?! Seriously?!

). 
I will give him another chance, of course, but I’m not impressed and the charm of his name has disappeared for me. 

This wasn’t for me.
The idea and message are okay but the writing really set the book back. 
It was repetitive, simple and annoying.
At some points in the end it also seemed dismissive of the experience in depression. Basically telling people to change their perspective and cheer up because ‘it’s actually not so bad’. 
I didn’t care about Nora or her lives, it was a bit strange and confusing. 
I would consider this a children's book dressed as an adult. It really didn’t strike me as adult fiction.