Welcome to another installment of Mini-reviews where I share my brief thoughts on several books that I have read.
Spoiler Alert by Olivia Dade
Date Read: February 13, 2022 & November 30, 2022
I’d been interested in reading this ever since it took BookTube by storm. My interest was also piqued because the main character is plus-sized. I enjoyed this romance, it had the perfect amount of steam. I also liked that it deal with some hard stuff, namely April’s relationship with her parents and how her mom continuously fat shames her. In some ways I could relate to that. I also liked Marcus and how he treats April. I really enjoyed it, and Olivia Dade has become a new favorite. 4/5 Stars.
Earthlings by Sayaka Murata
Date Read: February 13, 2022
I should have DNF’d this one, but some part of me wanted to keep going. I had been looking forward to it after reading the author’s previous work – Convenience Store Woman – but it was such a let down and disturbing. I understand that it is supposed to depict PTSD, but there was just too much that happened. The following are spoilers but it does contain physical, emotional and mental abuse; sexual assault; cannibalism and other stuff. It is a book that scarred me for several days I don’t know if I will read anything else by this author. 1/5 Stars.
The Wife Upstairs by Rachel Hawkins
Date Read: February 14, 2022
What sold me on this was that I’d heard it was a modern thriller retelling of Jane Eyre. I was nervous because I did not know if this could be pulled off, but Rachel Hawkins did it. I really loved how all the different components from the original work were included. It had some interesting twists and I am looking forward to reading more thrillers from Rachel Hawkins. 4/5 Stars.
Pure by Linda Kay Klein
Date Read: March 4, 2022
As someone who grew up under the influence of purity culture and still deals with some of the psychological damage it caused, I was intrigued to read this. I really appreciated everything that Linda Kay Klein shared and could relate to some of it, as well as well as some of the eye opening stuff. I highly recommend Pure for anyone who grew up in purity culture or would like to know more about it. It is definitely an impactful book. 5/5 Stars.
Cold Brew Corpse by Tara Lush
Date Read: March 8, 2022
I liked this second cozy mystery set in Devil’s Beach. I liked the several red herrings woven throughout the story. My only complaint is that the beginning seemed to drag a little. 3/5 Stars.
Today’s review is on Anne of Ingleside by L. M. Montgomery.
Date Read: March 16, 2022
About the Book
The sixth book in the Anne Shirley series.
‘It’s been lovely to be Anne of Green Gables again for a week, but it’s a hundred times lovelier to come back and be Anne of Ingleside’
There’s never a dull moment at Ingleside, Anne’s lively home: Anne is now the mother of five children – with a sixth baby on the way. But even with endless demands on her time, she couldn’t be happier and there’s nowhere in the world she’d rather be.
No matter what life brings – whether it’s the numerous scrapes her children get up to or Gilbert’s insufferable aunt outstaying her welcome by months – Anne faces every challenge with her usual verve for life. But then she begins to suspect that Gilbert doesn’t love her any more. She’s a little older, it’s true, but Anne is the same spirited redhead she’s always been. She hasn’t changed. But has he?
My Thoughts
This is kind of a different direction from the previous Anne books. While we do get some brief glimpses of Anne, most of the book follows her children, which makes sense, but I miss seeing Anne as she was before she has kids. Also, I found her a lot more cattier than she was before, and fat shames others. I do like that we get to know each child and their different personalities. I also love how they all share Anne’s love for imagination and how her and Gilbert cultivate that, or rather encourage it.
I also like how we get glimpses of what was going on culturally at the time, such as the theory of evolution and atheism.
Overall, this was an okay installment in the Anne series, but not my favorite. 3/5 Stars.
Welcome to another installment of Mini-reviews where I share my brief thoughts on several of the books I have read.
A Promise to Believe In by Tracie Peterson
Date Read: February 7, 2022
I originally picked this up for a project I was doing. This was okay, it held my interest. But it was generic Christian fiction. I think the one thing I liked was the main character realizing that she is not cursed and that she can live life to the fullest. I wish this had been a standalone, instead it builds up some of the drama that happens in the rest of the series. I do not plan on continuing with it. 3/5 Stars.
Anne’s House of Dreams by L. M. Montgomery
Date Read: February 7, 2022
I liked this installment of the Anne books. However, it definitely has a more somber tone. Don’t get me wrong, it still has some touches of whimsy that made readers fall in love with Anne Shirley in the first place. I enjoyed getting to know Anne’s neighbors, and I loved the glimpse we get into her early years of marriage to Gilbert. I sobbed when tragedy struck Anne, if you know you know. Overall, not my favorite in the series, but I can also understand why the author chose to allow Anne to go through those things. 4/5 Stars.
On the Banks of Plum Creek by Laura Ingalls Wilder
Date Read: February 7, 2022
I enjoyed this installment of the Little House series. It was interesting to see the contrast between how Laura grew up in near poverty, but her future husband’s family was somewhat well off (as seen in Farmer Boy). It was also interesting to read because it includes quite a bit that is included in the first few episodes of the TV series. 4.5 Stars.
The White Coat Diaries by Madi Sinha
Date Read: February 10, 2022
I’ll admit that what first drew me to this book was the gorgeous cover and I had somewhat low expectations of it. However, I loved it! It was a perfect blend of comedy and drama. I liked that the author wasn’t afraid to critique some of the problems with our health care system, specifically how hospital administrators seem to care more about about the dollar signs than actually helping people. My only complaint is that there is kind of a big time jump that takes place and then the book ends. But I definitely loved it and plan on reading more of Madi Sinha’s work in the future. 4/5 Stars.
The Strange Case of the Alchemist’s Daughter by Theodora Goss
Date Read: February 12, 2022
I had heard nothing but good things about this and I was looking forward to it. I enjoyed reading it. I loved how some of the most famous Gothic novels and how the offspring of those characters cross paths. I also loved how Sherlock and Watson also made an appearance. This did not quite live up to my expectations, but it was still good and I am planning on reading the rest of the series. 3.5/5 Stars.
Today I am excited to be apart of the book tour for ¡Ay, Mija!: My Bilingual Summer in Mexico by Christine Sugg hosted by TBR and Beyond Tours.
About the Book:
“An absolutely heartwarming and vibrant story of belonging, family, and the meaning of home. This book is a treasure.” – Julie Murphy, New York Times bestselling author of Dumplin’
In this bilingual, inventive, and heartfelt debut, graphic novel talent Christine Suggs explores a trip they took to Mexico to visit family, embracing and rebelling against their heritage and finding a sense of belonging.
Sixteen-year-old Christine takes their first solo trip to Mexico to spend a few weeks with their grandparents and tía. At first, Christine struggles to connect with family they don’t yet share a language with. Seeing the places their mom grew up—the school she went to, the café where she had her first date with their father—Christine becomes more and more aware of the generational differences in their family.
Soon Christine settles into life in Mexico, eating pan dulce, drawing what they see, and growing more comfortable with Spanish. But when Mom joins their trip, Christine’s two worlds collide. They feel homesick for Texas, struggle against traditions, and miss being able to speak to their mom without translating. Eventually, through exploring the impacts of colonialism in both Mexico and themselves, they find their place in their family and start to feel comfortable with their mixed identity.
Content Warning: body issues, colonialism, family trauma, diaspora
Christine Suggs is a comic artist and designer living in Dallas, TX with their wonderful partner, 1 dog, and 2 cats. They’re currently working on a YA graphic novel about spending their summers in Mexico as a teen, set to release in 2023 from Little Brown Young Readers. Christine’s work explores the intersection of their identities, namely being a queer, fat, Latinx leftist who loves all things cute. Bonus facts: their day job is in app design, they are an avid Dungeons & Dragons player, and they’re quite obsessed with their cats.
One of the first things that drew me to this book was the subtitle “My Bilingual Summer in Mexico”, it sounded interesting and once I read the synopsis I knew I had to read it. And I loved it! There are so many things that I loved about ¡Ay, Mija! and it is a great graphic novel memoir.
First, I really liked how the author grapples with feeling like they don’t fit in in either culture as half-Mexican, half-American. Not only that but there is a scene at the beginning of the graphic novel where some of their friends make some prejudiced and rude comments about Mexico when they share that they are going there for the summer. And I liked how it shows them internally getting angry with those comments.
Second, I loved Christine’s inner monologue/conscience, etc. It made me reminisce a little bit back to when I was a huge fan of Lizzie McGuire. I loved that their inner monologue was cheering them on almost the whole time, especially when they felt like some of their conversations with others in Spanish didn’t go well.
Third, I also liked the exploration of identity throughout the graphic novel, and not just whether or not Christine fits in more with her Mexican family. But it also shows them thinking through who they really are as a person, what kind of people they are attracted to, etc.
Another aspect that I really liked was how readers see Christine dealing with not feeling comfortable in their body. I think as someone, even as an adult, who struggles with that I felt seen.
The art style is gorgeous and I really loved the art work of the ceramic tiles at the start of each chapter. I also enjoyed getting to know Christine’s family, and how they welcome them in and take them around Mexico. There were some great moments and I felt like I learned a bit more about Mexican history as well. I liked that there was a good portion of dialogue in Spanish, and although I do not know a whole lot of Spanish, I felt like I was able to pick up on what was being said fairly easy.
Overall, I really enjoyed ¡Ay, Mija! and I highly recommend it for any one who loves graphic novels, stories about growing up and not feeling like you belong or there are two halves of you. I look forward to reading more of Christine Suggs work in the future. 5/5 Stars.
Meanderings of a BookWorm 