lochanreads's reviews
309 reviews

Feminism, Interrupted: Disrupting Power by Lola Olufemi

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challenging informative inspiring medium-paced

5.0

Feminism, Interrupted explores how vast feminism as an ideology is and adopts a fiercely intersectional approach to discourse about art, trans lives, sex workers, creativity and so much more.

It argues the case for a feminism that is so radical, it is unsettling, but in a good way. This book will make you question all the manifestations of social organising that we've all just come to accept as normal and turn it completely on its head.

I love the way this book discusses the theory of collectivism. It is poignantly summarised in this quote by Neha Shah, an anti-racist activist; "...๐Ÿ๐ž๐ฆ๐ข๐ง๐ข๐ฌ๐ฆ ๐ก๐š๐ฌ ๐ญ๐จ ๐›๐ž ๐ญ๐ซ๐š๐ง๐ฌ๐ง๐š๐ญ๐ข๐จ๐ง๐š๐ฅ ๐›๐ž๐œ๐š๐ฎ๐ฌ๐ž ๐ฉ๐š๐ญ๐ซ๐ข๐š๐ซ๐œ๐ก๐ฒ ๐ข๐ฌ ๐ญ๐ซ๐š๐ง๐ฌ๐ง๐š๐ญ๐ข๐จ๐ง๐š๐ฅ; ๐ฐ๐ž ๐œ๐š๐ง'๐ญ ๐ฎ๐ง๐๐ž๐ซ๐ฌ๐ญ๐š๐ง๐ ๐š๐ง๐ ๐ซ๐ž๐ฌ๐ข๐ฌ๐ญ ๐ญ๐ก๐ž ๐จ๐ฉ๐ฉ๐ซ๐ž๐ฌ๐ฌ๐ข๐จ๐ง ๐จ๐Ÿ ๐ฐ๐จ๐ฆ๐ž๐ง ๐š๐ฌ ๐š ๐ ๐ซ๐จ๐ฎ๐ฉ ๐ข๐Ÿ ๐ฐ๐ž ๐š๐ฅ๐ฅ๐จ๐ฐ ๐จ๐ฎ๐ซ ๐š๐ง๐š๐ฅ๐ฒ๐ฌ๐ข๐ฌ ๐ญ๐จ ๐ฌ๐ญ๐จ๐ฉ ๐š๐ญ ๐›๐จ๐ซ๐๐ž๐ซ๐ฌ."
The Mermaid of Black Conch by Monique Roffey

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adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

A tragic magical realism love story;  it was unsettling but fascinatingly deep. 
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The Boyfriend Project by Farrah Rochon

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emotional funny hopeful inspiring lighthearted medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

A corporate-style romance that's equally as cushy and swoonworthy.
The business professional verbiage was laid on a bit thick which was off-putting but I loved the push-and-pull dynamic between Samiah and Daniel.
A Song of Wraiths and Ruin by Roseanne A. Brown

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adventurous dark mysterious tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

An African-inspired, high stakes, vibrant fantasy novel. A Song Of Wraiths and Ruin is a brilliant, fast-paced debut and a beautifully woven story. It was a enchanting mix of adventure, sorcery, legend and romance. Loved it and excited for the sequel!
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Being Hospitable by Meka James

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hopeful lighthearted relaxing tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

2.5

Would've been 4 stars but this book was far too short and lacked in actual storytelling or development. It was essentially a 60-page porno. Everything about the characters' lives i.e. Charley's internship, Kiki's job, Kenneth's obsessiveness wasn't explored to their fullest potential. This book is mainly about the sex and can be easily read in one-sitting. I'd give it 5 stars for the fan service alone but the critic in me wishes there was a better attempt at actually crafting a fully developed narrative.
Luster by Raven Leilani

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challenging dark funny hopeful reflective
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

This book makes some really interesting observations about human interaction and thought. It seemed both overly gratuitous and oddly mundane. It is an unflinching book about a young black woman's life in the face of social disparity and constant hookups. Her only distractions are painting and her obsession with a much older man. There's a lot of tension between the three main characters in this odd cohabitation. It's perversely page-turning.
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The Reason I Jump: one boy's voice from the silence of autism by Naoki Higashida

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emotional hopeful inspiring sad fast-paced

2.5

 written from the thirteen-year-old perspective of a non verbal autistic boy, The Reason I Jump is a short memoir about Higashidaโ€™s experiences. It does homogenize the autistic experience without recognizing the complex diversity of the condition (which is bad as it reinforces negative stereotyping) and there is a lot of emphasis on identifying as person with autism rather than autistic person but it does provide insight into the mind of a non verbal autistic person who are rarely ever given the tools they need to be able to communicate. This memoir shows that for many non-verbal autistic people, there is a lot they want to communicate and they do enjoy human interaction but because they canโ€™t verbally say this many people are quick to assume otherwise. 
A Kind of Spark by Elle McNicoll

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adventurous challenging emotional inspiring fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.5

Brilliantly written juvenile fiction novel and a perfect resource for understanding how autism manifests differently in neurodivergent people. It has lovable characters and a happy ending.
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A Girl Like Her by Talia Hibbert

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emotional funny lighthearted tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

Very perceptive, accessible writing style. Very spicy content. Loved the character development even though Evan's story arc felt a bit contrived and seemed too desperate to pull on my heartstrings and make me want to deify him. Loved the autism rep; the focus of the story wasn't about the perils and challenges of living with autism but rather it was about the life of an autistic woman who loves comics as she navigates life and love.
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The Electricity of Every Living Thing: A Womanโ€™s Walk in the Wild to Find Her Way Home by Katherine May

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challenging emotional funny informative reflective medium-paced

3.5

An eye-opening account challenging the many misconceptions surrounding autism. This memoir tells of the experience of an autistic woman who has struggled with social interactions all her life, completely unaware of her neurodivergence. Her only solace is walking and so at the age of 38, she decides to go on a walking journey across the English South-West coast hoping to find herself. Told with eye-opening honesty and picturesque language.