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About: Checkout my summer book haul of 26 exciting books, including a few perfect fall transition reads. I’m not just summarizing plots but digging into why I bought each book.
(more…)About: Checkout my summer book haul of 26 exciting books, including a few perfect fall transition reads. I’m not just summarizing plots but digging into why I bought each book.
(more…)About: As summer draws to a close, check out the summer books I loved from genres including romantasy and historical fiction, all rated 4.5 stars or higher.
(more…)The Gist: History, romance, and feminism are masterfully woven into a captivating WWII espionage tale.
Series: Standalone
Release Date: September 28, 2022
1943. After spearheading several successful advertising campaigns in New York, PR wizard Alix St. Pierre comes to the attention of the U.S. government and finds herself recruited into a fledgling intelligence organization.
Enlisted as a spy, Alix is sent to Europe where she is tasked with getting close to a Nazi who might be willing to help the Allied forces–but there’s also the chance he might be a double agent.
1946. Following the war, Alix moves to Paris and takes a position as head of publicity for the yet-to-be-launched House of Dior. But when a figure from the war reappears and threatens to destroy her future, Alix realizes that only she can right the wrongs of the past and bring him to justice.
The Three Lives of Alix St. Pierre is a thrilling, sumptuous work of historical fiction told in three timelines: before, during and after WWII. This completely immersive story takes readers from the dangerous, intrigue-filled rooms in Switzerland where elites of both sides mingled and schemed during the war, to the glamorous halls of the House of Dior in the golden age of French fashion and journalism.
Format: Paperback
Rating: 5-stars
(more…)About: My September TBR includes 7 books that I hope will get me in the mood for autumn. Included in my TBR is a recent Pulitzer Prize winner and a fun YA novel about a soccer prodigy I can’t wait to jump into!
(more…)About: My April Wrap Up unpacks my best reading month yet, and includes a mini-review of the 25 books I read.
(more…)The Gist: A whimsical historical fiction that explores feminist resistance to patriarchy over five centuries through magic and reclaiming autonomy.
Series: Standalone
Release Date: February 2, 2023
2019: Under cover of darkness, Kate flees London for ramshackle Weyward Cottage, inherited from a great aunt she barely remembers. With its tumbling ivy and overgrown garden, the cottage is worlds away from the abusive partner who tormented Kate. But she begins to suspect that her great aunt had a secret. One that lurks in the bones of the cottage, hidden ever since the witch-hunts of the 17th century.
1619: Altha is awaiting trial for the murder of a local farmer who was stampeded to death by his herd. As a girl, Altha’s mother taught her their magic, a kind not rooted in spell casting but in a deep knowledge of the natural world. But unusual women have always been deemed dangerous, and as the evidence for witchcraft is set out against Altha, she knows it will take all of her powers to maintain her freedom.
1942: As World War II rages, Violet is trapped in her family’s grand, crumbling estate. Straitjacketed by societal convention, she longs for the robust education her brother receives––and for her mother, long deceased, who was rumored to have gone mad before her death. The only traces Violet has of her are a locket bearing the initial W and the word weyward scratched into the baseboard of her bedroom.
Weaving together the stories of three extraordinary women across five centuries, Emilia Hart’s Weyward is an enthralling novel of female resilience and the transformative power of the natural world.
Format: Hardcover
Rating: 5-stars
(more…)Quick Take: My Mid-Year Book Freakout Tag explores twelve books, including my favourite 2023 read so far, a book that made me cry, and anticipated new releases. I also have a TBR list to read before 2024!
(more…)About: My March Wrap Up unpacks my best reading month yet, and extracts a quote from each of the 37 books I read.
(more…)The Gist: An impactful and important nonfiction on the reproductive justice fight in the USA, told from the perspective of an abortion provider and patient experiences.
Series: Standalone
Release Date: September 1, 2020
For a long time, when people asked Dr. Meera Shah, Chief medical officer of Planned Parenthood Hudson Peconic, what she did, she would tell them she was a doctor and leave it at that. But when she started to be direct about her work as an abortion provider an interesting thing started to happen: one by one, people would confide that they’d had an abortion themselves. The refrain was often the same: You’re the only one I’ve told.
This book collects these stories as they’ve been told to Shah to humanize abortion and to combat myths that persist in the discourse that surrounds it. A wide range of ages, races, socioeconomic factors, and experiences shows that abortion always occurs in a unique context.
Today, a healthcare issue that’s so precious and foundational to reproductive, social, and economic freedom for millions of people is exploited by politicians who lack understanding or compassion about the context in which abortion occurs. Stories have the power to break down stigmas and help us to empathize with those whose experiences are unlike our own.
A portion of proceeds will be donated to promote reproductive health access.
Format: Hardback
Rating: 5-stars
(more…)About: My May TBR includes 18 books that I want to read in May, including four books by AAPI authors to celebrate AAPI Heritage Month!
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