Atiqa's Updates

Atiqa wants to read 'The Emperor of Gladness'

Wed, 01 Jan 2025 19:17:25 -0800

Atiqa wants to read The Emperor of Gladness by Ocean Vuong

Atiqa is on page 150 of 232 of The Message

Wed, 01 Jan 2025 19:15:51 -0800

Atiqa Mohammad is on page 150 of 232 of The Message.

Atiqa has challenged herself to read 15 books in 2025.

Wed, 01 Jan 2025 17:09:40 -0800

Create your own 2025 Reading Challenge »

Atiqa Mohammad liked a userchallenge

Wed, 01 Jan 2025 17:08:17 -0800

Atiqa Mohammad liked a userchallenge

Wed, 01 Jan 2025 17:08:14 -0800

Atiqa Mohammad liked a review

Wed, 01 Jan 2025 17:08:03 -0800

Atiqa Mohammad liked Nooreen's review of The Marrow Thieves:

Atiqa is currently reading 'The Message'

Wed, 01 Jan 2025 17:06:56 -0800

Atiqa is currently reading The Message by Ta-Nehisi Coates

Atiqa added 'Somebody's Daughter'

Wed, 16 Oct 2024 07:21:50 -0700

Atiqa gave 4 stars to Somebody's Daughter (Hardcover) by Ashley C. Ford
bookshelves: biographies, memoirs-personal-stories
[3.5 stars]

It was really difficult for me to rate this book. I agree with some of the other reviews that it was marketed as being about the author’s relationship with her incarcerated father, but it felt more focused on her complicated relationship with, quite frankly, an abusive mother. The author also shares her experience as a rape survivor, but I’m not sure how deeply it impacted her life (though, of course, it did). It was mentioned almost as a matter of fact—just one chapter in the book—without addressing the long-term effects.

I’m also left with unanswered questions: Did she graduate college? She mentioned struggling through her final year due to financial issues, but I’m not sure if she made it. And what happened between her and her brother, RC? He went from being “the person she loved the most�� (at least before her other siblings were born) to barely being mentioned, and it seemed like their relationship became strained after she left home. The book felt like a collection of journal entries, with the only consistent thread being her relationship with her mom and grandmother.

Now for the good—and the reason I rated it higher than I initially thought I would. Ford is an excellent writer and articulates her emotions clearly throughout the book. Often, authors with strained parental relationships take a definitive stance on whether their parent was good or bad. But as we all know, especially with family, it’s so much more complicated than that. Even when the whole world tells you that your parent had no right to treat you the way they did, it’s still difficult to reconcile their actions with how you should feel about them. Her feelings toward her mother, in particular, felt honest and real, and I really appreciated that part of her story.

Atiqa added 'You Are a Badass: How to Stop Doubting Your Greatness and Start Living an Awesome Life'

Wed, 16 Oct 2024 07:20:45 -0700

Atiqa gave 2 stars to You Are a Badass: How to Stop Doubting Your Greatness and Start Living an Awesome Life (Paperback) by Jen Sincero
bookshelves: i-own
I’m always reluctant to read these 'super popular, mass-produced self-help' books because they tend to be filled with clichés and often tell you what to do, but not how to do it. However, this book was a birthday gift, so I decided to give it a try.

I appreciated the author's personal anecdotes, though not everyone has the luxury of putting their life on hold to travel to India. Still, I understand that the message was probably about stepping outside your comfort zone.

While I did feel motivated to live my best life afterward, the book was still full of clichés and juvenile mantras.

Atiqa added 'The Forty Rules of Love'

Wed, 16 Oct 2024 07:19:53 -0700

Atiqa gave 5 stars to The Forty Rules of Love (Hardcover) by Elif Shafak
bookshelves: i-own, spiritual-enlightenment
This 'review' likely won't help you at all! All I can saw is that this piece of literature had a profound effect on me. I knew it would. Perhaps, that's why I have attempted to read it several times over that last four years but was never able to finish it. I sensed I would feel sad when it was over or perhaps I needed to read it at that right time in my life? Whatever it was, I am so happy I get to be one of the lucky ones who was able to finish reading it. Cover to cover, it was like a spiritual journey and one that didn't want to end. I am looking forward to re-reading it again one day!