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anathereader8's reviews
29 reviews
Sister Deborah by Scholastique Mukasonga
challenging
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
The story begins with Ikirezi, a young Rwandan woman, who was healed as a child by Sister Deborah, a healer with mystical powers coming from the Spirit. She recalls what she can remember about this figure, and later on in life, comes to Rwanda in search of the truth about Deborah.
Sister Deborah is a short but strong novel discovering the colonialism, christening and feminism in Rwanda at the verge of 19-20 centuries.
The novel has four chapters divided by the main events among which the first turned out to be confusing to me with all the spirits’ names, society ladder terms in Kinyarwanda and multiple narratives about the characters, the village. I lacked the knowledge of Rwanda, its culture and the history, so to fill out the gap I googled what I could to understand the story’s background on a deeper level. This effort helped immensely and I could navigate through the Sister Deborah’s story easily.
While reading, I had a feeling that the story wasn’t created by Scholastique Mukasonga but retold what she witnessed herself. I admire such writing skills as not everyone is capable of it.
I found the novel to be plot-driven however Sister Deborah herself developed dramatically—we follow her from the childhood in the US to the adolescence and adulthood in Rwanda exploring the painful truths of life with her.
Sister Deborah is for those who love exploring new cultures, observe their challenges throughout history; for those who love mystic stories, strong female characters. I should also mention the depth of baptism evolved in the plot as it plays major key in its development, so if you’re triggered by religion, Sister Deborah might not be a right fit for you.
I’m grateful to Archipelago for providing an early copy of Sister Deborah via NetGalley. It was a pleasure getting acquainted with Scholastique Mukasonga’s work. Sister Deborah’s English edition is released on October 29.
Sister Deborah is a short but strong novel discovering the colonialism, christening and feminism in Rwanda at the verge of 19-20 centuries.
The novel has four chapters divided by the main events among which the first turned out to be confusing to me with all the spirits’ names, society ladder terms in Kinyarwanda and multiple narratives about the characters, the village. I lacked the knowledge of Rwanda, its culture and the history, so to fill out the gap I googled what I could to understand the story’s background on a deeper level. This effort helped immensely and I could navigate through the Sister Deborah’s story easily.
While reading, I had a feeling that the story wasn’t created by Scholastique Mukasonga but retold what she witnessed herself. I admire such writing skills as not everyone is capable of it.
I found the novel to be plot-driven however Sister Deborah herself developed dramatically—we follow her from the childhood in the US to the adolescence and adulthood in Rwanda exploring the painful truths of life with her.
Sister Deborah is for those who love exploring new cultures, observe their challenges throughout history; for those who love mystic stories, strong female characters. I should also mention the depth of baptism evolved in the plot as it plays major key in its development, so if you’re triggered by religion, Sister Deborah might not be a right fit for you.
I’m grateful to Archipelago for providing an early copy of Sister Deborah via NetGalley. It was a pleasure getting acquainted with Scholastique Mukasonga’s work. Sister Deborah’s English edition is released on October 29.
Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin
emotional
inspiring
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
I got a book hangover 🙈
I hear a lot of good feedback on bookstagram about a book, and it seldom turns out well (so far). Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow is the one that is really good🤌🏼
The novel is so good that I started annotating it which rarely happens with contemporary literature. Yes, I’m a picky reader.
As a gamer myself, I enjoyed the plot being around games creation in 00s, when I was playing the most of the games mentioned in the book. I wish there was a game like Ichigo to play.
I’m not a fan of sweet romances, so seeing a story about love but under the other angle made me love the book even more. I would be sad if the book had another ending, to be honest.
Sometimes the characters irritated me, and made me question their logic, though most of the time I stood by Sadie. She amazingly showed the world from a female’s side with the glass ceiling reality, building a company in a male-dominant career. I was proud of her strength before one of the events happened in the book that made me detest her. At that tables-turning moment, Sam got my full attention and surprised me after being disappointing for about a half of the book.
I cannot not mention the writing of Gabrielle Zevin. It’s easy to read, visual, and rich. She made references to many games, art, and literature pieces. In one of my next posts I’ll share some books that characters got their inspiration from to create amazing games.
I hear a lot of good feedback on bookstagram about a book, and it seldom turns out well (so far). Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow is the one that is really good🤌🏼
The novel is so good that I started annotating it which rarely happens with contemporary literature. Yes, I’m a picky reader.
As a gamer myself, I enjoyed the plot being around games creation in 00s, when I was playing the most of the games mentioned in the book. I wish there was a game like Ichigo to play.
I’m not a fan of sweet romances, so seeing a story about love but under the other angle made me love the book even more. I would be sad if the book had another ending, to be honest.
Sometimes the characters irritated me, and made me question their logic, though most of the time I stood by Sadie. She amazingly showed the world from a female’s side with the glass ceiling reality, building a company in a male-dominant career. I was proud of her strength before one of the events happened in the book that made me detest her. At that tables-turning moment, Sam got my full attention and surprised me after being disappointing for about a half of the book.
I cannot not mention the writing of Gabrielle Zevin. It’s easy to read, visual, and rich. She made references to many games, art, and literature pieces. In one of my next posts I’ll share some books that characters got their inspiration from to create amazing games.
Before Your Memory Fades by Toshikazu Kawaguchi
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
I’ve heard a lot about the “Before your coffee gets cold” series, and when I came across the third book from it in my local bookshop I knew I had to have it on my shelf ✨
It’s an easy read, with excellent, realistic writing that captures the bustle a coffee shop. There are no overloaded descriptions—only the essentials— even these create an amazing picture.
At first, I was overwhelmed by the number of characters and their somewhat complicated relationships. A few pages in the first story “The Daughter”, I forgot about my worries. The author made it easy to navigate.
My favorite story is “The daughter”— perhaps because I’m a mother to two girls 😅 Second favorite is “The sister”, as it reminded me of past experiences with my cousins.
If you’re as sensitive as I am, keep a box of tissues at hand. And if you’d like, enjoy a cup of hot filter coffee while you read ☕️
It’s an easy read, with excellent, realistic writing that captures the bustle a coffee shop. There are no overloaded descriptions—only the essentials— even these create an amazing picture.
At first, I was overwhelmed by the number of characters and their somewhat complicated relationships. A few pages in the first story “The Daughter”, I forgot about my worries. The author made it easy to navigate.
My favorite story is “The daughter”— perhaps because I’m a mother to two girls 😅 Second favorite is “The sister”, as it reminded me of past experiences with my cousins.
If you’re as sensitive as I am, keep a box of tissues at hand. And if you’d like, enjoy a cup of hot filter coffee while you read ☕️
Good Inside: A Guide to Becoming the Parent You Want to Be by Becky Kennedy
informative
inspiring
reflective
5.0
I made record 96 highlights in a book to refer back to 🙈
Initially, all people are good inside. No one is inherently bad or unkind. Sometimes, situations are difficult, and people react to them differently. These reactions just reveal people’s needs. 🤍
Author‘s approach resonated with my inner parenting instincts. It answers all questions and addresses any hard issue we may face with our kids under 1 year old like mine or teenagers.
The book is not just for parents but for anyone who wants to improve their relationships with their spouse/sibling/parents/friends/colleagues/etc. It applies to every one of us.
I’ll return to this book when I face hard situations with my kids, my mom-battery is running low, or when I need some inspiration/motivation to gentle parent.
Initially, all people are good inside. No one is inherently bad or unkind. Sometimes, situations are difficult, and people react to them differently. These reactions just reveal people’s needs. 🤍
Author‘s approach resonated with my inner parenting instincts. It answers all questions and addresses any hard issue we may face with our kids under 1 year old like mine or teenagers.
The book is not just for parents but for anyone who wants to improve their relationships with their spouse/sibling/parents/friends/colleagues/etc. It applies to every one of us.
I’ll return to this book when I face hard situations with my kids, my mom-battery is running low, or when I need some inspiration/motivation to gentle parent.
Collected Early Poems by Georgia Douglas Johnson
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
4.25
Sometimes it’s nice to pick up poetry and discover a world completely different from the fiction we’re used to. Especially, if a poet is such a prominent person as Georgia was. She was a working wife and mom to two kids, and her husband was against her writing. Later— widowed— she provided for her family herself. All while she was pursuing her love to poetry no matter the difficulties. And it’s all in the beginning of the 20th century.
The collection is an emotional journey into motherhood, womanhood, and being a black person at the time. This book actually contains several collections that were originally published separately. I fell in love with the ones called “The Heart of a Woman” and “Motherhood.” They are delicate, thought-provoking, down-to-earth.
Definitely recommend this edition!
The collection is an emotional journey into motherhood, womanhood, and being a black person at the time. This book actually contains several collections that were originally published separately. I fell in love with the ones called “The Heart of a Woman” and “Motherhood.” They are delicate, thought-provoking, down-to-earth.
Definitely recommend this edition!
Жизнь Мухаммеда by Юрий Борисович Вахтин, Вера Федоровна Панова
informative
reflective
medium-paced
4.0
Weyward by Emilia Hart
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
A story of three women throughout different epochs united by blood, relationships with men, and witchcraft. 🧙🏼♀️
I loved that the novel is eventful and easy to read. The endings of each story are quite predictable though. I disagreed with the author’s perspective on men and was irritated by the ugly parallels between male characters in the novel.
I enjoyed Violet’s story but found Kate’s the least developed among the three. Altha’s (cool name!) is great regarding the topic of female friendship.
I loved that the novel is eventful and easy to read. The endings of each story are quite predictable though. I disagreed with the author’s perspective on men and was irritated by the ugly parallels between male characters in the novel.
I enjoyed Violet’s story but found Kate’s the least developed among the three. Altha’s (cool name!) is great regarding the topic of female friendship.
Babel by R.F. Kuang
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
5.0
It marked my third 5⭐️ read in 2024 and one of my all-time favorite novels. Swipe right for the blurb and some of the quotes that got my attention.
I heard a lot about the book, and everyone was amused by it, but I hadn't come across any detailed reviews. Still, I spent a fortune and ordered the book. I intended to read it in January, but I started it only in May.
At first, I was confused. The book turned out to be a linguistic and etymology lecture — luckily, I graduated with a BA in linguistics and translation. Still, it was hard to read the book. It took me 2-3 months to finish 200 pages. I didn't want to give up the book. I am glad now I didn't.
At around 300 pages the book has transformed into something you cannot put down. One plot twist after another, tens of good philosophical quotes to ponder.
The main character's development is huge and unexpected. I pitied Robin, supported him, and then questioned and hated him.
With Babel, I opened a world of dark academia and Kuang as an author. I will definitely read more of her books and dive more into the genre.
I heard a lot about the book, and everyone was amused by it, but I hadn't come across any detailed reviews. Still, I spent a fortune and ordered the book. I intended to read it in January, but I started it only in May.
At first, I was confused. The book turned out to be a linguistic and etymology lecture — luckily, I graduated with a BA in linguistics and translation. Still, it was hard to read the book. It took me 2-3 months to finish 200 pages. I didn't want to give up the book. I am glad now I didn't.
At around 300 pages the book has transformed into something you cannot put down. One plot twist after another, tens of good philosophical quotes to ponder.
The main character's development is huge and unexpected. I pitied Robin, supported him, and then questioned and hated him.
With Babel, I opened a world of dark academia and Kuang as an author. I will definitely read more of her books and dive more into the genre.