whatskatiereading's Reviews (521)

FIREKEEPER’S DAUGHTER is marketed as YA and a thriller, but I feel like a lot of readers would enjoy this book. It would be difficult to list out all of the themes this book touches on, but one of the big themes is struggling with one’s belonging to a community. The main character Daunis is half white and an unenrolled tribal member, and she struggles with feeling fully accepted by some members of the Ojibwe community. This was interesting for me to read and think about, though I must point out that I am not an own voices reader. I would highly suggest seeking out own voices reviews of this book since I cannot properly speak to the experience of being a Native person. The author weaves a lot of Ojibwe words, practices, and history into the book, which I really enjoyed. I loved learning about the traditions and history of the Ojibwe tribe. Again, seek out own voices reviewers for an accurate review on this aspect of the book. 
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I really loved reading FIREKEEPER’S DAUGHTER and am excited to hear it has been picked up for a tv show! Daunis is a smart and strong character that I’m really looking forward to seeing on screen. Boulley’s writing was interesting and kept me engaged throughout the entire book. Thank you BookishFirst and Henry Holt for my copy! 

 My cousin is a Genetic Counselor, so I was excited to read THE GENOME ODYSSEY to learn about her line of work and be able to chat with her about it. While the book is extremely well-written, I was not able to finish it. I was never that great of a science student growing up. General ideas were always very interesting, but those classes were consistently the most difficult for me. All of that being said, I think science is SUPER cool and interesting--I just think I do better with science related topics in a visual setting like a documentary. I wanted to start out with this disclaimer because I don't think this book is bad by any means, I'm just not the best audience for this book.

I will say I enjoyed the different patient stories and how genetics were used to identify and treat certain medical conditions. The book reminded me a bit of the tv show House in this way. Using science and technology to help solve a medical mystery. This topic is one that I would love to learn more about, but the book was a bit too dense for me. I will be sending my copy on to my cousin who I'm sure will love this book! 

Thank you BookishFirst and Celadon Books for my copy of LAST CALL! LAST CALL is true crime, but it’s also a commentary on the ways in which the gay community (specifically in New York City) was seen through the eyes of the law and society in the 1970s - 1990s. The book only scratches the surface of that second part, with the majority of the book talking about the five victims of the Last Call Killer and the lead up to the arrest and trial of the murderer. Some of the names and locations were hard to follow at times, but I think it was just because there was so much information packed into one book. Once I got about 3 or 4 chapters in I got used to the format and ended up flying through the book.

I thought the social commentary around the crimes was excellently reported. Green included a lot of really great information, exploring why these crimes weren’t heavily reported and how these crimes were able to go virtually unnoticed outside of the gay community. If you are interested in true crime I would definitely recommend checking out LAST CALL. 

This story unfolds in Beirut, Damascus, and the United States bouncing between the 1980s and present day. Idris, Manza, and their three adult children (Ava, Mimi, and Naj) are brought together by Idris’ desire to sell his childhood home in Beirut. With the family coming together, we learn about them as individuals and about their relationships to one another. Like any family, they have their secrets that we slowly learn about throughout the book. The large majority of the book takes place in the past, showing the events that led Manza and Idris to move to California. While this book is a work of fiction, the backdrop of Syria and Lebanon in the 1980s creates a story that seems very real. The historical nature of this book was very insightful. The author managed to pack a lot of history and insights into an incredible story. 

As someone who prefers shorter books, this one was on the longer side for me (440 pages). Longer books tend to intimidate me, or I find myself zoning out during parts that I don’t find interesting. Alyan’s writing had me invested from the beginning and there was not one page that had me losing interest. This beautiful family saga tapped into so many emotions, it’s hard to sum it all up. As a music lover I really enjoyed Naj and Mimi’s storylines, though Manza is hands down my favorite character. I really hope this book gets a lot of buzz this year because I thought it was absolutely fantastic. Thank you BookishFirst and HMH for my copy of The Arsonists’ City!