September 2, 2023
Check out my blog post on Dancing Into the Light
September 19, 2023
For YA Lovers, especially those who are obsessed with #thesummeriturnedpretty, you NEED to check out this Canadian YA with lots of #JennyHan feels!
Summer at Pine Lake by Alyssa Delle Palme follows Sarah Williams for the summer after she turns 18. Sarah and her family have come to her Grandmother's cabin every summer and after the recent loss of this family matriarch, Sarah couldn't imagine being anywhere else this summer. But when her crush on the boy next door begins to evolve, her best friend from home seems to be falling for the younger boy next door (this is where the #teamjeremiah and #teamconrad vibes come in), and something fishy is going on with her Dad who recently moved permanently to BC even though he's still married to her mom... Sarah begins to realize this summer isn't just a normal one at Pine Lake, it is one that will change her life!
There was lots I enjoyed about this book. As I mentioned before, it really had a lot of the great things Jenny Han includes in her YAs, but it is set in Canada and written by a Canadian author. The imagery and descriptive writing both help the reader really imagine this lake town and the community feel. Additionally, the author was able to tackle some interesting content such as sexual harassment in the work place and grief, while also connecting with YA readers in areas they are familiar with, such as breakups, peer pressure and going away to college.
I think this is a debut for this author, and at times the writing definitely comes across that way. There were so many great things about this book, but there were also a few areas I could see need a bit more work. I think that the jumping back and forth between past and present was confusing at times, I understood that the author wanted to connect to Sarah's childhood and her grandmother's presence, but at times it was a bit hard to follow. Additionally, there were areas I think could have been explored further and fleshed out a bit more, such as her time in BC and her feelings and relationships with some of the secondary characters. That being said, it was still a great book, it just left me wanting a bit more! I look forward to seeing what this author comes up with next!
Thanks to Breys Book Tours for giving me the chance to read and review this one!
Check out all of the fun with this read along in my post here!
I read Solitary by Albert Woodfox as the August #foldchallenge: A book written by an author with lived experience in the justice system. I also read Harvesting Freedom for this challenge topic, but I am really glad I read both since they couldn't be more different and are both great in their own way. In Solitary, Woodfox shares his life story which includes his years as a troubled youth in Louisiana, and his time in Angola Prison, 40+ of which were in solitary confinement. The treatment he received while institutionalized is horrific and the fact that he managed to survive at all is incredible, but the fact that he was a leader, role model and advocate for himself and his fellow inmates is truly unbelievable.
There were moments I felt a little too much detail was included, especially related to specific court cases, but for the most part, the writing is excellent and the story is a good length with decent pacing. I learned a lot about a world I know little about, and also saw the impact that race has on treatment in prisons, especially in the past when there was segregation, though I'm sure there are still challenges in this area today. It made me want to know more about the Canadian prison system, and the impact on Indigenous people who make up the majority of our prison population. Maybe a good future read!
See my full post here
In complete un-Angie-fashion, I managed to finish my September adult selection for the #FOLDchallenge during the actual month of September! However, in true Angie-fashion the audiobook version was abandoned for the physical copy about 25% of the way in... you win some, you lose some.
I chose Five Little Indians by Michelle Good. I started listening to the audiobook and was instantly drawn in, perhaps too much in some ways. The emotional nature of the stories in this book was triggering at times, and I felt I needed to switch to reading rather than listening. While still full of powerful moments, reading it at my own pace and putting it down when I needed a moment fit better for me.
This book alternates main characters between chapters, but the narration is third person, so even though the stories jump around a bit, readers aren't necessarily waiting for the next chapter to see a different perspective, but instead each chapter offers another part of the story. Each of the characters have things in common, with the main commonality being their time at an Indian Residential School called the Mission, but also experience the PTSD in different ways and lead very different lives after leaving the school. Some of the characters cope with addiction, while others try each day to work towards great goals. Some characters try to reconnect with friends or family, while others feel constantly on the run. The trauma experienced at the school stays with each of them forever, and the coupled with the racism and discrimination they experience, makes life even harder.
I would definitely say this is a must-read for all Canadians, and while it is emotional and there are definitely some triggering moments, it is also a really interesting and thought-provoking book, one I would absolutely recommend.
See my full post here
Unfortunately, I am just not a fan of collections of essays or anthologies so this one was a bit doomed from the start. The content and ideas were great, but the writing style made it hard for me to hold my attention. I also thought it was great that the author included stories of so many different people who have real experiences to share, however, using their first initial only made it hard to tell if these were the same people or a new person with the same initial. I would have much preferred other aliases such as made up names or organizing the writing to stick with one story at a time rather than being theme based (ie. tell A's whole story before telling J's story vs talking about A and J in one chapter then mentioning A again later on). Names also just tend to be more memorable and allow the reader more of an opportunity to connect with the stories. Once I started struggling to follow I started skimming, which admittedly makes it even harder to follow but is a bad habit that I tend to get into when I can't follow something easily from the beginning lol. I did end up finishing the book though, but only dove in for short periods of time in sections I found more interesting than others.
See my full post here
I started reading this one at my cabin at the end of August, but with school starting it took me way too long to finish it!
Yellowface by RF Kuang tells the story of two young adult writers, June and Athena who are somewhere between acquaintances - rivals - friends and are both finding different levels of success in the writing world. When June witnesses Athena's tragic and unexpected death, she suddenly becomes involved in Athena's life in more ways than she ever imagined.
I loved the suspense and plot in this book, as there were many moments where I thought I knew what was going to happen and then something entirely different ended up happening. I also loved the exploration of artists pretending to represent cultures that they are not a part of. Finally, the discussion around the ups and downs of becoming a writer were also something I found interesting and insightful.
This book is fantastic and I would highly recommend it! While it wasn't quite what I was expecting, it was so much better than I could have imagined. Definitely worth checking out and I will definitely have to add the author's other books to my TBR!
Check out my full post here.
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