Recently Read - January and February 2022

                 Hello everyone! It has been so long since I wrote one of these, so these are the full reviews of January and February’s books.

A Man Called Ove – Fredrick Backman – 4.5 Stars

I adored this book. I finished it late into the night with tears streaming down my face. I couldn’t imagine a more perfect ending for this story. It is a heart-wrenching tale of grief and belonging mixed with humour and a reminder that our parted loved ones are never too far away.

The character of Ove is, on the surface, a gruff and miserable man who wants nothing more than to be alone. Through the background flashbacks and his reluctant relationships with the people around him, readers realize the depth of Ove’s compassion and need for companionship.

The way the story is written is fantastic. Ove’s life is slowly unfolded in such a tailored way which makes the ending both devastating and full of joy. The frame narrative is unexpected and serves the novel well. I remember so many of my old co-workers suggesting this to me, and I’m so glad I did.

A Noise Downstairs – Linwood Barclay – 4 Stars

                A co-worker of mine gave me this book with a warning. She said it was a slow burn, and she’s absolutely right. In the beginning, there are a lot of different characters with different jobs and different lives that are all somehow interwoven. Initially, I wasn’t convinced. However, all that exposition paid off.

                This book takes use into the mind of a man who has suffered tragedy and now thinks he is losing his. Mind all those different characters play some role in his life, and many times, I wondered which character was messing with Paul. I can truly say it kept me on my toes until the very end.

                As I said, the exposition was truly worth it. I found myself guessing the ending many times and I was never correct. Just when I thought I had something figured out, the next chapter would prove me wrong. Barclay manages to create so many characters with so much depth and fear and anguish while also maintain the integrity of the main character, Paul. I highly suggest this book for those who love thrillers.

Rage Become Her: The Power of Women’s Anger – Soraya Chemaly – 3 Stars

                It took me a long time to get through this book. I re-started it several times before I could actually get into it properly. It is a highly academic book based on research. It very much reads like an essay and while it is very interesting and well written, you need to be a certain type of reader and in a very focused mindset to get through it.

                Something I found interesting is that in the last part of the book, it reads like a self-help book. Chemaly discusses ways that women can get in touch with their own anger and how to use it for their own power. This is ultimately a very important book for women.

An American Marriage – Tayari Jones – 4.5 Stars

                I enjoyed this book so much. Tayari Jones poignantly captured a relationship under strain while also creating a narrative about racial injustice in the judicial system. When Roy is wrongfully convicted of a crime and is put in jail, we see how the marriage to his wife Celestial is put under pressure.

                The narrative is created through letters as well as typical communication. It is stunning writing and shows so much disconnect between the pair as well as what goes on in their own, private thinking away from each other. Readers see the heartbreak, loneliness, and second guessing that happens for both. This is not an action-packed novel but one that is character driven. I cannot recommend this enough for the writing and the story.

Cupid Calamity – Kelly Kay and Evie Alexander – 4 Stars

What an absolute joy this book is. I am honoured to have received an ARC copy of this book, and if I wasn't reading it before bed, I probably would have finished it in one sitting.

Readers are granted not one, but two whirlwind romances full of steamy moments, laugh-out-loud situations, and dreamy scenarios sure to set the imagination of any lover of romance aglow.

I also adore the fact that this book intertwines the worlds of both authors, and I cannot wait to see what pleasures their next collaboration will bring

Children of Blood and Bone – Tomi Adeyemi – 4 Stars

                This is a re-read done for a book club. The original review from August 2020 still stands. I still think this book is amazing, and the only update to add is that the script for the movie is currently being written by Adeyemi herself, and I couldn’t be more excited.

Milkman – Anna Burns – 4 Stars

                This is definitely a tough book to read. There is almost no punctuation or paragraphs. It’s not a book for anyone who will struggle with that.

                That being said, I think this is a very important book for women. When “middle sister” is caught up in swirling rumours about interacting with a man that carries a lot of negative connotations, we see how much it impacts her state of being. This is the story of how much a woman’s name is tarnished through gossip. Set against political flurries with a cast of characters identified only through description, Burns creates a novel exposing how surveillance affects women specifically as well as the larger community.

Their Eyes Were Watching God – Zora Neale Hurston – 4 Stars

                I cannot believe I had not read this book yet. I was supposed to read it for a course in my exchange year, but any English major will tell you how that truthfully goes. I know this is an America classic, and I absolutely adored it.

                Hurston does a fantastic job at building up her main character. I completely fell in love with Janie and rooted for her with every decision she made. I was enraged when she became a shell of her former, energetic self and filled with hope when she used her voice to speak out. The poetic nature of Hurston’s writing as well as the incorporation of slang made for the most wonderful intersection of culture and literature.

By Chance Alone – Max Eisen – 4 Stars

                This is a stunning book of survival. Max Eisen tells the story of his survival in Auschwitz-Birkenau. However, there is a significant amount of time dedicated to life both before and after. It’s a different side of a memoir that added so much to my overall understanding of the psychological impacts of both the concentration camp and survival. I don’t think I’ve ever read a book that covers how difficult it was to create a life for yourself after liberation.

                The most powerful part of this memoir is the importance of the relationships in Eisen’s life. Whether it was a family member, a kind neighbour, the man he worked with, or someone willing to give him advice, Eisen’s survival was supported by a number of people. The title of the book is an apt description and a testament to those people. He was prompted to share his story if he survived, and this is the outcome of that. I am so grateful that Eisen was able to write this incredible story.