readtotheend's reviews
1319 reviews

Dayswork by Chris Bachelder, Jennifer Habel

informative slow-paced

2.0

I think this would be fascinating for fans of Herman Melville.  But for me, it was work to get through this book.  It droned on and on (I listened to this one on audio) and did not interest or engage me.

Dear America: Notes of an Undocumented Citizen by Jose Antonio Vargas

challenging informative reflective medium-paced

4.0

I feel like this memoir gave such an honest and inside look at what it is like for undocumented individuals who do not qualify for DACA but are in the same situation. Children who came to this country as a child, too old to be a DACA recipient and unable to apply for citizenship. As Vargas mentions in the book, Asians are a huge number of people in this situation and as someone who did immigrate here in the 1970s as a 1 year old through sponsorship of a family member, I can only imagine how overwhelming it would be to feel like you can be kicked out at any time from the only place you've known as home because of something completely outside of your control. I learned a lot from this book and I think a lot of Americans will as well.

We Deserve Monuments by Jas Hammonds

emotional mysterious reflective sad slow-paced

3.0

This one didn't quite work for me although I think I'm the outlier in this situation because many people seem to love this one. I think it just tackled so much that it got overwhelming with the number of characters and their situations. I enjoyed the representation in this book and how this book tackled intergenerational trauma. The family dynamics and history was what worked well for me and the part of the story I enjoyed the most. I feel like if it was pared down a bit I would've liked this a lot more. I did listen to it on audio and perhaps reading it in print would have been better for me but I just don't know.

The Boy At the Back of the Class by Onjali Q. Raúf

adventurous emotional informative reflective fast-paced

4.0

I thought this was a great age appropriate book that discusses the refugee experience. It started a bit slow at first but turned into a beautiful story about friendship, kindness and compassion. I thought the mission to reach the Queen to enact change was really very precious. I shed tears reading this book!  If you liked this, I highly recommend Other Words for Home by jasmine Warga! 

Talking at Night by Claire Daverley

emotional reflective sad slow-paced

3.75

This definitely gave me Normal People vibes. They're different though. I felt this book had a lot going on and felt like it was very slow paced at times. But maybe once I got about half way, it moved a lot faster. I liked that this took us beyond high school to when they are adults but I think that made me even more frustrated with Rosie. I was #teamWill alllll the way and all the stars are really for Will. I'd even throw another star or two in for Will (and his grandma). It was kind of a quiet, reflective read. It was good on audio as well. 

No One Does It like You by Katie Shepard

hopeful reflective medium-paced

2.0

This was not a very memorable read. I just finished it a couple days ago and I already barely remember it and I felt the same way about it while I was reading it - I'm not going to remember any of this. The characters were kinda bland and the storyline was too. Even though it's a second chance romance, I didn't really feel anything for the characters until maybe the very end?  It was just easy reading but not very fun.

The Trial of Mrs. Rhinelander by Denny S. Bryce

informative reflective tense medium-paced

3.75

I enjoyed this book but when I found out it was based on the actual Rhinelander vs. Rhinelander case from the 1920s, it blew my mind.  I'm thinking in particular about one courtroom scene and to find out that it was partially true was shocking! This historical fiction novel really brings to light the racism, colorism and classism of the time. It did have dual timelines and I preferred the 1920s and kept wanting to go back to that story.  This was great on audio.

When You Trap a Tiger by Tae Keller

emotional informative reflective slow-paced

2.5

I knew going in that I already struggle with magical realism but the Korean folktales really appealed to me.  Unfortunately, it wasn't enough to make this a successful read for me. I did enjoy the parts about family and loved the relationship between the kids and halmoni though.  

The Stationery Shop by Marjan Kamali

emotional reflective sad medium-paced

5.0

Once I started reading this book, I just could not stop. I even read it while brushing my teeth and I haven't done that since I was a child.  The story swept me away. My heart hurt for many of the characters. I learned more about Tehran in the 1950s. It's tragic in some ways but still heartbreakingly beautiful. I loved The Lion Women of Tehran and now want to re-read it after reading this book. Roya and Bahman will be in my heart a long time. This book was wonderful on audio and in print, can't go wrong either way. Just amazing storytelling.

Seven Summers by Paige Toon

emotional hopeful reflective sad medium-paced

4.0

This one started a little slow for me but once I got into the story it was a nonstop read until the end. This is why I don't like to DNF books because some books just take a little time to get going but it's soooo good!  I kept trying to figure out which way the book would go and it has many twists and turns in the journey. It keeps you on your toes and pulls at all the heartstrings in your body.  It has friendship, family, grief and love.  It has romance but it goes deeper than that - realistic fiction + romance which is what I love to read.