I found Cecilia on Tiktok. She lives on Svalbard, an island close to the North Pole. The island is so close to the north pole that it experiences 4 m I found Cecilia on Tiktok. She lives on Svalbard, an island close to the North Pole. The island is so close to the north pole that it experiences 4 months of complete darkness and 4 months of complete sunlight every year. It’s cold and brutal but magical at the same time. She loves it. This book is a journal of sorts covering a year on Svalbard. I’m glad I splurged on the print edition. The photos are gorgeous, the paper weight is substantial, and it smells good. This is like a children’s reference book but for grownups, and I mean that in the most fun and respectful way possible. Because of the abundance of photos and and infographics, it was a quick read. Five stars. ...more
Some people are great at setting convincing arguments, and then there’s me. I was raised not to argue, to be nice, whatever. That only gets you so farSome people are great at setting convincing arguments, and then there’s me. I was raised not to argue, to be nice, whatever. That only gets you so far and now that I’m in a “Imma stop shutting up now, thank youâ€� phase of life, I wanted to learn now to create convincing arguments. Seven pages of notes later, I’m in a decent place if I’m ever asked to debate a political issue, but the jury is out as to whether I can apply this knowledge to my personal and professional life. Some people on Å·±¦ÓéÀÖ say Hasan’s too political, but that’s only if you think treating people decently if they’re not Christian or Jewish is a political issue and not a moral one. ...more
Parts of this book were tough for me to read because of Mama Elena's abuse of Tita and the random acts of wartime violence. That's on me. I don't enjoParts of this book were tough for me to read because of Mama Elena's abuse of Tita and the random acts of wartime violence. That's on me. I don't enjoy cruelty, even when they are part of a larger magical realism fairy tale.
But unwrapping Tita's power over the food she cooks was delightful, and even though the ending was bittersweet, discovering (view spoiler)[that these stories seem very exaggerated because they were told as family stories to our narrator, who is Tita's great-niece (hide spoiler)] made me smile ear to ear. The writing is beautiful, even when the scenes are far from.
CW: physical and emotional child abuse, death of a child, rape, wartime violence ...more
1) Elin Hilderbrand who is my age peer but somehow always manages to make me and her middle aged women prIf I want a summer book my go-to options are:
1) Elin Hilderbrand who is my age peer but somehow always manages to make me and her middle aged women protagonists feel dumpy and old.
2) Emily Henry, who writes about people in a completely different stage of life than I am, but who imbues them with such warmth and realism that I can't help but root for them.
Funny Story has romance, sadness, humor, family drama, spicy scenes, wacky friends, books*, and my favorite recurring Emily Henry character of all: summer. We all know how her stories end, and that's okay. Give me the predictable ending as long as I have some sand in my shoes by the end of it.
*but not in the "if you do not read 200 books a year you're merely a dressed-up chimpanzee and not an intelligent human" way that some books about reading tend to be
This was so good it makes me want to go back and dock another star from Happy Place. ...more
Loading...
