perfect_leaves's reviews
452 reviews

The Library Book taught me for more than I ever thought I needed to know about the Los Angeles Public Library. The premise of the book is an investigation of the 1986 fire that shut the library down for months (the repairs and renovations weren't finished for years). To this day no one knows for sure what happened, but Susan Orlean follows the story of Harry Peak, the primary suspect. During her investigation, we learn about the history of the library and how the system operates today. The Library Book is not particularly fast paced, but it's good nonetheless.

Book content warnings: suicide, homophobia

How We Desire is a refreshing essay on identity, specifically where sexuality is concerned. Emcke writes about her Christian upbringing, which was filled with specific rules and boxes to follow and fill. Her essay discusses the importance of giving children complete information regarding their bodies. In a way, she also gives a nod to representation: Emcke didn't fully realize who she was and she couldn't put a name to her feelings because she didn't have examples to draw from. Throughout her essay, she also contemplates the suicide of her classmate. Emcke suspects becoming the homophobic taunts his classmates directed at him are part of the reason for his death. She recognizes her classmate was always on the fringes, and perhaps it was his sexuality that pushed him out of the group.

I'd recommend the book because it's a coming-of-age essay. Although it does not focus on one defining event, it does show the progression of Emcke's identity from childhood until adulthood. Emcke is honest and thorough in her discussions, even mentioning how the way she presents herself must change depending on the context (because, in some parts of the world, her identity could mean death for her and those around her). I might keep this one in my collection in case someone I know needs to see something like it.

DISCLAIMER: I'm writing this review several months after I finished reading the book, so some of the details are not as clear in my head. I've tried my best to summarize my overall impression, though.

I'm not going to lie, the cover is 100% of the reason I selected this book. It's rare to find a Muslim on the cover, and it's even rarer for that Muslim to be a hijabi.

When I first started reading, I was excited because I immediately related to the characters. Ayesha is a teacher (like me) who's only going it because it's a "safe" career choice compared to her writing ambitions. Khalid presents as a "fundamentalist Muslim" whose new (islamophobic) boss is doing everything in her power to get rid of him (been there too, sort of). I couldn't wait to see what would happen, but the book fell flat for me. Ayesha At Last reads a lot like a South Asian drama. It has all the typical characteristics: a love triangle, family member secrets, family members who don't communicate with each other, an "evil aunty" and an external villain.

Unfortunately, while I have the patience to watch a TV show with those things, I don't have the patience to read several hundred pages of it.

Here's what I liked:
- diversity of characters
- certain elements of the plot
- the authenticity of the characters
- realism

Here's what I didn't like
- NONE OF THE CHARACTERS SEEM CAPABLE OF HAVING A CONVERSATION AND I HATE WHEN THAT HAPPENS.

Yes, that one thing is enough for me to knock two stars off. That and the book lasted a bit too long, in my opinion.

That said, I'm still going to recommend this book. Why? Because it's so rare to see this particular set of characters in a book. And I imagine they might resonate a bit better with South Asian readers than with me (a Black American). So although I personally didn't *love* the book, I still recognize that it's a good book and that it's worth reading. It simply wasn't my cup of tea.

Elsewhere home is a collection of short stories following the lives of various women (and a few men) in Africa. Many of the stories explore the characters' experiences straddling the line between their "home" in Africa and their home in Europe. Some of them are comfortable with their dual identity, while others are not sure whether they fit in to either place. We see various degrees of wealth, and each story is beautifully written. I personally don't particularly like collections of short stories, but I like Aboulela's work in general, and this is an excellent piece to add to the collection.

Instructions for a Funeral was a challenge to get through, even though I listened to them using text-to-speech software. The sentences were beautiful but far too long. More often than not, the long sentences didn't add much to the narrative. Each story was difficult to follow and although there are some themes worth exploring, but the novel doesn't go as deeply into them as I'd like. This collection contains "atmospheric" and "emotional" stories, rather than plot-driven narrative. Basically, if you enjoyed Cormack McCarthy's The Road, you'll probably enjoy Instructions for a Funeral. Otherwise, you may find a few good stories here and there but half the stories are pretty forgettable. I'm grateful I received the review copy, and perhaps someone will enjoy this collection, but not me.

All our Trials explores the intersection between race, gender, sexual orientation and the American "justice" system. Although racialized people made inroads during the Civil Rights Movement of the '60s, systematic changes didn't begin until much later. Racialized people continued to remain active. This book is extremely detailed, citing prominent voices, movements and publications of the time. Women were being thrown into jail for acts of self-defense, for protecting their families and even for looking at someone the wrong way. Thanks to the efforts of these valiant women (and men), we have a more intersectional feminist movement that helped decriminalize homosexuality and other queer identities and helped ensure imprisoned racialized people have basic human rights. I'm rating the book 4/5 stars because although it's very good, it covers a LOT of ground and is pretty dry. Still worth the read if you want to learn more.

Trigger warnings: domestic violence, police brutality, sexual assault

I quite like L. Penelope's writing style, so this book was definitely a good read. It didn't rely too heavily on information from book 1, but you definitely wouldn't fully understand the gravity of the situation or the relationships between the characters without reading Song of Blood and Stone first. This is a very Jack-centric story, and it explains his relationship with Darvyn. I'm assuming the information is necessary, but I don't understand how it ties into the rest of the story just yet. I wonder if the three of them will meet again...