jordanrisa's reviews
203 reviews

Salt Houses by Hala Alyan

emotional hopeful reflective sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

A beautiful, moving multigenerational tale of a Palestinian family who clash over culture and yearn for the comfort of home as they are displaced in the midst of war, while attempting to keep their stories and histories alive. 

It’s a story of soft men and strong women, strained mother-daughter relationships, and perseverance. It’s a reminder that Palestinians are people in love and who experience heartbreak, people with dreams and with flaws, people with friends and families. It’s a necessary humanization, especially during this awful time when media and politicians seek to dehumanize them and as they become numbers and statistics in death toll counts. 

I smiled, I shed tears, and fell in love with its characters. I highly recommend, and recommend all to read it now. 

Cantoras by Caro De Robertis

adventurous dark emotional funny hopeful sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

A really beautiful novel. One with so much important history and a celebration of female friendship, queer love and chosen family. I loved getting to know each character and shed tears of both sadness and joy while reading this book. I think it would make such a good movie or tv show adaptation — we need more stories like this to be read and watched. Highly recommend. 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Sexual assault, Rape, and Torture

If My Body Could Speak by Blythe Baird

emotional reflective fast-paced

4.25

A collection of poems about the things girls do to be liked and accepted even at the expense of themselves. Poems about coming of age struggles as well as sexual assault and eating disorders, most of which resonated even if I hadn’t experienced them myself. It’s about forgiving ourselves for the choices we thought we had to make. I recommend.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Sexual assault, Rape, and Eating disorder

Happy Place by Emily Henry

hopeful lighthearted medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

I read the whole book in a day. This is my first Emily Henry book and I see why she’s so popular — this story was easy to follow, lighthearted and cute. It felt like watching a romcom. I loved that it wasn’t just a story focused on the romance, but also about friendships and family — and their expectations. I loved Sabrina, Parth and Chloe… the main characters I didn’t love so much. I know both of them had their problems that they were working through, but I just found Wyn to be incredibly insecure and Harriet to be incredibly naive and weak. I also wasn’t sold on their love story — besides them having good sex, I really didn’t see their chemistry or what would make them a convincing couple. I think I would have rated this higher if it weren’t for the predictable, disappointing and cliche ending. I understand why so many would love her books but while it was an enjoyable read, it wasn’t for me. At times her writing felt like something you’d see on a sign in TJ MAXX.

Cleopatra and Frankenstein by Coco Mellors

emotional funny sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

was hard for me to get into at first and was skeptical of all the hype but soon became a book i couldn’t put down. i was deeply invested in the characters and their stories (some of them more than others) but at the same time didn’t really like them — and wasn’t sure if i was going to be happy to follow along. by the end of it, though, i’m glad i did. it’s about love and loss and new beginnings. the writing is just beautiful and tender and i loved how fun it was to cast this book with actors for my own internal adaptation.

Yellowface by R.F. Kuang

dark funny mysterious fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

Could not put this down. Finished in a couple days and was completely absorbed. A clever story that had me glued to my book to find out what happens. RF Kuang did an impressive job at verbalizing the innermost thoughts of many white people in this time where marginalized voices are finally told.

Touches on cultural appropriation, the whitewashing of history to make it more palatable, internet takedowns, the non permanence and even the benefits of being cancelled, the irresistible desire for more — more money, more fame, and the white tendency to center themselves and play victim. 

A fun and frustrating read and one I definitely recommend.

The Idiot by Elif Batuman

slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A

1.5

Very stream of consciousness — like stepping into the main character’s head, which i think usually would interest me but her thoughts are so mundane that it was very difficult for me to care. Maybe I’m not smart or sophisticated enough for this book but I found it so boring, apart from the few beautiful lines that I ended up underlining. If this wasn’t the only book I brought on my trip, i would have not finished it. 

Her description of her (very dull and unlikeable) love interest remind me that those who we desire at the end of the day are really just some person with uninteresting habits and quirks to most people but somehow end up meaning something to us. That’s what I found most interesting about this book — that and the way we romanticize our lives or see our lives as a story — when all it really is a series of unremarkable moments lol. Thanks, Selin!

The Art of Gathering: How We Meet and Why It Matters by Priya Parker

informative reflective medium-paced

4.0

Really applicable book on gathering with thoughtfulness and attention and has great tips and reminders on the necessity of both inclusion and exclusion when it comes to gatherings, the significance of preparation and why it’s detrimental being a “chill host.” I highlighted a lot and hope to apply many learnings to my own gatherings — just think it could have been much shorter and just as effective. 

On Connection by Kae Tempest

hopeful inspiring reflective medium-paced

3.75

A small but mighty book about our need for connection and closeness to others in this current state of our individualistic and competitive society. Encourages the reader to self reflect and consider how what we put out there and what we consume helps or prevents us from connecting with ourselves and others. 

Natural Beauty by Ling Ling Huang

challenging dark mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

I was really excited about the premise of this book — the lengths we go for beauty for money or power and how we blindly and faithfully follow beauty trends or treatments without question or concern of its side effects. I think it was a great idea and the story was a pageturner, especially at the end, but I think it ultimately just felt so over the top and grotesque and unbelievable. I think so much of it was hard to wrap my head around and if executed differently and in a way that was more realistic, I think it would’ve been a much more powerful story. 

I enjoyed the themes of beauty and power, consumerism and self-worth and look forward to reading more books with similar lessons.