I have recently found myself gravitating towards fairytale and mythology retellings in my reading. I had seen some pretty mixed reviews on this title, so I was interested in what I would think of the story. If you only know the Disney version of The Little Mermaid and are expecting this to be some kind of Ursula backstory, you're going to be disappointed. Henning, the author, definitely used the original fairytale and the history of Denmark (the setting of the fairytale) to shape the plot. I thought the writing was clever and entertaining. While this book is classified under the YA Fantasy genre, I can see readers of all ages enjoying it.

I did not know that this was the author's debut novel until I went to review it on Goodreads and let's just say I am shocked! I will definitely be seeking out more of Davis' work in the future because of how much I enjoyed this title. The Dollhouse is an excellent piece of literature, going back and forth between the stories of two women living in NYC in the 1950s and the present day. If I had to describe this one, I would call it a historical fiction mystery novel with feminist undertones. Davis is a master of descriptive writing and wrote the settings, New York City in both time periods, beautifully. The story itself is fast-paced, easy to read, and I would recommend it to a wide variety of readers.

With the switching of narration in every chapter, this story felt very intimate. Certain scenes are shown multiple times from different viewpoints and at some points I almost felt like I was intruding on the characters' lives, witnessing these raw, emotional events. While Red At The Bone is not a very long book, Woodson successfully addresses how race, class, sexuality, and gender can impact a family and their experiences. It was a beautifully written book and I considered giving it five stars (if Goodreads did half-star ratings, this one would probably be a 4.5), but the storyline was just not exciting enough for me. That being said, the author successfully crafted a deep and meaningful story with beautiful language. Do not pick this novel up for its storyline alone, but rather for its astute observations of family dynamics.

The premise of this book was really interesting. Every year on January 1st (Oona's birthday), she travels to a different year of her life. As the title suggests, she is literally living her life out of order. Some of the time leaps are bigger than others, but Oona learns to make the most out of her time in each age and appreciate the relationships she has during the year. Personally, I didn't like Oona and thought she was annoying. The choices she makes in this story are destructive (but I understand they also helped move the plot along - who wants to read a story where the character's life is stagnant?). Also, I believe I may have been too young to fully appreciate this book. As a twenty-year-old, I do not think I can fully grasp the different stages of aging and the experiences that come with that yet. Someone who has more life experience may enjoy this book more than I did.

A Thousand Beginnings and Endings is a collection of short stories written by fifteen female authors of Asian descent. The stories are modern retellings of traditional tales derived from East and South Asia. I found myself getting swept away in each story and loved to learn the mythology of different cultures. However, my favorite part of this book was the sections following each story. The authors wrote a short explanation of their upbringings, the original tales, and what inspired the story they crafted for this anthology. Unlike other short story collections, this one felt very personal and had a clear intent: to share the culture and mythology of different Asian cultures with western readers. I absolutely loved this one and highly recommend adding it to your reading list!

As a white, heterosexual, cis-woman, I am constantly on the lookout for books that will educate me on the experiences of others. White Tears/Brown Scars highlights the experiences of women of color in modern society and actually challenged my idea of feminism. It is one thing to say that you are an intersectional feminist, but it is another thing to actually practice that ideology in your life on a daily basis. Hamad, the author lays out a well-researched history of colonialism and capitalism and how those concepts have negatively impacted women of color. She also focuses on how white women have and currently are playing a huge role in the oppression of women of color. This is an important book because it touches on some major topics that are often left unsaid when focusing on feminism due to scholars not wanting to "rock the boat" with white women. When this book comes out, I hope that many people take the time to read this title and reflect on their own behaviors that are unintentionally contributing to the oppression of others.
(PUB DATE: 10/06/2020)
(I received a digital copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions expressed above are my own.)

I absolutely adored this sweet romance novel. Ashton and Jasmine are cast opposite of each other in an "Americanised telenovela". While they are both actors with cultural roots in Latin America, they could not be more different. Jasmine broke into the Hollywood scene through soap operas and is no stranger to publicity (good and bad) while Ashton worked his way to fame by starring in telenovelas, but leads a very private personal life. Both of the actors need this project to be a success to help move their careers to the next level. But can they play on-screen lovers without actually falling for each other? This book gave me serious Jane the Virgin vibes and was just such a fun read. Daria, the author, does a fantastic job creating a diverse set of characters for this novel and even threw in some steamy romance scenes for us. I cannot express how much I loved this book through this review, so just add it to your reading list and thank me later.

While I had never read Percy's work before, I had seen many people in the book community praise him on his ability to write really scary stuff. I can confirm this and say that Suicide Woods is and will probably be the scariest literature I have/will read this year. However, out of the nine short stories and one novella, I really only enjoyed about half of them. The two stories that really stood out to me were "The Heart of a Bear" and "The Cold Boy". I don't want to write any summaries because the stories are pretty short and I do not think I can properly describe them without giving away spoilers. However, if you are looking for a terrifying collection of literature to read this fall, this is the book for you.

I had really high expectations for this title due to the interesting blurb on Goodreads and the gorgeous cover. However, this novel was very character-driven rather than plot-driven and those type of stories usually do not excite me. After the untimely death of Graham (this isn't a spoiler, it's literally in the description), two women, Frieda and Annie (his ex and current wife) are left to figure out how to overcome their grief and continue with their lives. I definitely think there is a strong theme of death and rebirth in this story, but it just isn't told in the most interesting way. For me, the plot had some pacing issues and failed to keep my attention very long. I ended up having to read only small sections at a time in order to actually finish this book.

As the 2020 Pulitzer Prize Poetry winner, I knew that I definitely wanted to read this title sooner rather than later. Brown, the author, features a number of poems in this collection and chooses to focus most of his writing on the topics of race and sexuality. He uses his own experiences with these topics in addition to beautiful language and concise writing structure to craft each piece. While it is hard to pick a favorite poem, I want to mention that "Bullet Points"really stood out to me. As I read it (and reread it again and again) I found myself getting more and more emotional. The scenarios the author mentions in his work are not exaggerated. Please take the time to read this collection and reflect on how you contribute (indirectly or directly) to the oppression of others.