What Zara Hossain is Here illustrates better than most books I’ve read is just how needlessly convoluted and ridiculously backwards our immigration system is and how it isn’t actually benefiting us to do things the way we currently are. I recommend this book first and foremost for this small glimpse into the immigrant experience.
Category Archives: Book Reviews
Book Review: Anna K: Away by Jenny Lee
If while reading Anna K you thought to yourself, “what that book needs is some more K-pop,” then have I got the sequel of your DREAMS! This book is the chunky monkey ice cream of teen dramas. It is just so much stinking fun to DEVOUR in a single sitting. Which, is what I love to do anyway!
Book Review: We Run The Tides by Vendela Vida
This book is described as a mystery and even as a thriller. I would, however, classify We Run The Tides as contemporary fiction the likes of Little Fires Everywhere by Celeste Ng and Trust Exercise by Susan Choi. It is a story of teenagers that is written as much for adults to enjoy and relate to as for their younger counterparts. And, admittedly, that is my absolute favorite genre of fiction.
April Reading Wrap-Up
A is for April and A is for ARCs!! Here’s a glimpse at what April looked like for me.
Book Review: We Are Satellites by Sarah Pinsker
This is my first Sarah Pinsker novel and it exceeded all of my expectations! The story is one part speculative sci-fi, one part family drama, and one part full blown conspiracy! What a ride!
Book Review: Clap When You Land by Elizabeth Acevedo
I am blown away by the talent that is Elizabeth Acevedo. Both her voice and style of writing generated such tangible imagery for me that I was literally move to tears at moments. This book is truly stunning on all counts.
Book Review: A Phở Love Story by Loan Le
In A Phở Love Story Loan Le has managed to illustrate the immigrant experience – as well as that of second generation Asian American teenagers – sincerely and respectfully while still keeping the overall tone of the book lighthearted and profoundly hopeful. If that doesn’t deserve five stars then I honestly don’t know what does.
Book Review: Leave The World Behind by Rumaan Alam
If you are into the kind of film where you don’t see the monster until 2/3 of the way through, then have I got the thriller for you!
Book Review: Hurricane Summer by Asha Bromfield
Hurricane Summer was such an experience. I am overwhelmed by how much nuance and imagery this single story holds. This book is proof that we can sometimes learn just as much from fiction as nonfiction. The mentions of colorism and colonialism in particular were so poignantly and elegantly done that I could have spent a whole novel on the ins and outs of that alone. That plot though… I could feel it developing from page one – like a storm building on the horizon.
Book Review: Folklorn by Angela Mi Young Hur
Stationed at a research center on Antarctica, Elsa Park is confident that she’s finally put as much distance as she can between her and the generational trauma of her Korean-American family. When a “ghost” from her past reappears unexpectedly, Elsa must come to terms with her history – both myth and fact – whether she’s ready to or not.
Girl on Books 