must reads by
"She laughed. Because she knew she was not perfect. And that made her more beautiful."
-Avijeet Das
Ratings and Recommendations
This page is designed to give people a little preview of each book I am recommending. There will be no spoilers, only teasers, and a star-rated review. Keep in mind these ratings and recommendations are only a paragraph or two long, maybe more, and are made to give you a brief synopsis. If you wish to get further information on any book I recommend, either click the photo of said recommendation OR click above on my 'Blog'. Either option will take you to where you can read my full book review, but as a fair warning, the review may contain some spoilers and in detail talk about all my recommended books. I hope you all enjoy!
4/5
December 2023 Book Choice
The Family
Naomi Krupitsky
The Family is set in the 1940s/1950s in Brooklyn, New York focusing on the Italian Mafia. Our two protagonists, Antonia and Sophia, best friends, practically sisters, they grew up next door to each other and witnessed the true conflict of growing up within the mafia life and what that means for them as adults.
The author, Naomi Krupitsky, does a wonderful job of trying to get the reader to understand the struggles of needing ‘the Family’ for protection while also needing to be protected from ‘the Family’. Within the multiple story lines of this book, Krupitsky almost forces the reader to feel any and all emotions. It is a telling tale of how you can be best friends and your lives can divert fully away from each other, but then merge back as if no time has past. One minute you are angry at 'the Family', the next you are sad with Antonia, happy for Sophia, and as I said above, your emotions are everywhere.
If you are looking for a little bit of history and a love story mixed in, not just romantically, but friendship as well, then I would recommend The Family. It is a beautifully written testament to truly sticking to your loved ones sides through thick and thin, no matter the cost.
3.5/5
November 2023 Book Choice
Woman Of Light
Kali Fajardo-Anstine
Women Of Light follows the protagonist Luz, a 17-year-old tea leaf reader and laundress, as she battles love, loss and being forced to grow up. This novel was set in 1930s Denver, Colorado where the author, Kali Fajardo-Anstine, shines a light on what it was like to live in that day and age as indigenous and hispanic people. The author gives us readers a history lesson in how people made money back then, how people met each other and fell in love, how people died, and more importantly, how people were treated. Spoiler alert: they were treated poorly. Women especially.
Two major themes throughout this book are racism and oppression which Luz sadly has to deal with both of them head on. Early on we learn that Luz lives with her brother and aunt, but when Luz’s brother gets run out of town, a lot of responsibility falls onto Luz’s shoulders. Now with responsibility and growing up, then comes love.
Now if history isn’t your favorite and romance is, this book is a solid contender. The author added a love triangle to spice up Luz’s life, and it does just that. Luz’s love interests both taught her about herself and life, and that is a great way to learn. Now by adding the romance bit to this novel was an interesting choice, and one I’m not necessarily happy or mad at, but either way, give this book a read and you’ll understand what I mean.
4.5/5
October 2023 Book Choice
Being Heumann
Judith Heumann
Being Huemann is a memoir completely narrated by our author, Judith Heumann, disability rights activist. This memoir follows Heumann’s life from being paralyzed due to polio at a very young age, to her co-leading a sit-in for Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act.
Throughout this memoir, Heumann explains all the trials and tribulations she went through in her life and how those challenges changed her and shaped her into the person she came to be. Heumann went into how the stances she took and the knowledge she learned became her superpower. Heumann explains that she led a difficult life, but she doesn’t use it as an excuse. She goes into detail how being disabled forced her to truly fight for herself and others who needed change.
I highly recommend this book because this memoir wasn’t just like any memoir. It was a call to action. It forces the reader to realize that even if you are not directly affected by something, you should still stand up and fight. Stand up and fight for human rights because we are all human, no matter our disability or our race or our gender. Stand up and fight for yourself, but most importantly, stand up and fight for others who can’t do it themselves.
4/5
September 2023 Book Choice
Neruda On The Park
Cleyvis Natera
Neruda On The Park tells the story of a Dominican family living in New York, whose lives have been thrown for a loop due to a new condo development moving across the street from their direct neighborhood. This major plot conflict causes a riff between our two protagonists: Eusebia, the mother, and Luz, the daughter.
The author, Cleyvis Natera, does a great job splitting the novel between the story telling of both Eusebia and Luz’s perspectives. Between both stories we read about Eusebia’s struggle with trying to stop the new development from starting up, while at the same time, Luz is fired from her job and begins a relationship with the boss man leading the new condo development. Both women throughout the book are trying to live their lives and protect their loved ones, but their secrets keep getting in the way.
Reading the different sides of Eusebia and Luz really puts into perspective the frustration and fear secrets can cause. As readers we relearn the lesson that keeping secrets from family and friends, even if you mean well, can cause more harm than good.
Although most of the book there is the major conflict of gentrification which is a very important topic to discuss, Natera also does a great job with adding in a major plot twist at the end that made me gasp. If you are looking for a book with real life relation as a history lesson, as well as a bit of surprise, be sure to pick up Neruda On The Park.
4/5
August 2023 Book Choice
Kaddish.com
Nathan Englander
Kaddish.com introduces us to our main protagonist, Larry, a man raised in the Orthodox Jewish community in Brooklyn, New York. This novel starts with Larry visiting his father on his deathbed where we learn that Larry is a firm non-believer in the religion he was raised into. Larry’s father does not agree with Larry’s lack of religion choice, but he has always supported and loved Larry despite this.
This novel has 28 chapters, all of which are narrated from 3rd person. Larry, renamed Shuli a few chapters in, is our main protagonist and we hear his story of how you can alter your beliefs via real life events and by past and present teachings and life lessons.
Once Larry’s father passes, it is brought to Larry’s attention that he is now the “head of the household” and has to fulfill certain duties and responsibilities in that role. One main duty is to read the kaddish - a Jewish prayer for the dead, that must be said every day for eleven months. Larry’s sister, Dina, does not take well to the news of Larry refusing to recite the kaddish, which inevitably puts their father’s soul in jeopardy. Dina then gives Larry a way out saying that if he does not recite the kaddish, he must give someone else his rights and they must recite the kaddish in his place. That is exactly the loophole that Larry was looking for. Larry finds kaddish.com, a website that has boys in Jerusalem add a dead family member's name to their list that they recite daily, to take the responsibility off of people in Larry’s position.
Larry’s decision to hire a stranger to recite his father’s kaddish is something that will have long lasting very personal effects on Larry. Our author, Nathan Englander, paints a hilarious, sometimes depressing, but profound compromise that captures the struggles between a world of religious tradition and human modernism.
5/5
July 2023 Book Choice
The Heirloom Garden
Viola Shipman
The Heirloom Garden is a heartwarming story about two women named Iris and Abby, and how they help heal each other, and their families, through “hope.” Our author, Viola Shipman, delicately tells the story by jumping back and forth from the mid-to-late 1940s to the year 2003. Shipman knows how to pull her audience in by giving them a story that has war history, family struggles and beauty all rolled into one.
This book is comprised of 16 parts; the prologue, 14 main chunks and an epilogue. Within each part of this book, there are several chapters narrated by our two main protagonists, Iris and Abby. To make it even sweeter, each part is titled after a particular flower, and within that chapter, the certain flower is always mentioned, and shown why the flower is important.
This story starts off in the prologue, in the year 1944 with Iris. We learn that Iris lives in Grand Haven, Michigan, has a husband named Jonathan, who is away at war, a daughter named Mary, and a beloved hobby of tending to a plot of land that her and her fellow military wives call the “Victory Garden.” Within that same stretch of pages, Iris is in the Victory Garden and receives saddening news that Jonathan has been killed. The prologue then continues in year 2003 introducing us to Abby and her family. Abby is with a realtor looking at a house to rent for herself, her husband and daughter. The house in question resides next to another house with a 10 foot tall fence wrapped around it. Abby questions who lives next door and the realtor helps us come to realize that the person residing in the house next door is Iris. Iris also owns the house Abby and her family decide to rent out, now making her Abby’s new landlord. This story continues on with how a shrew of an old lady can come to open her doors to a family with struggles similar to her own.
Shipman does a wonderful job at captivating a reader’s attention and stirring that reader’s emotions in this book. From chapter to chapter I went from laughing and feeling apart of this family’s story to crying and wanting to comfort each character. I would recommend this book to anyone who loves the art of storytelling and loathes it all the same. This book packs a lot of emotion into one punch so be ready.
4.5/5
June 2023 Book Choice
Trumpet
Jackie Kay
Trumpet is a truly emotional story of a famous trumpet player, Joss Moody, his wife Millie, and their son Colman. Jackie Kay, the author of this story, does a great job with showcasing a life of love within a family, the building of trust within this family and then the after effects of how a lie can tear down that foundation of trust.
There are no numbered chapters in this book, but there are 35 consecutive parts. Each part is narrated by a different person in Joss Moody’s life and each person that voices a chapter is unique within themselves and how they knew Joss, which makes the story that much more compelling.
Without giving away too much about the story, Joss unfortunately passes away and leaves Millie and Colman to grieve him. During the grieving process, the press gets involved due to Joss being such a famous and acclaimed musician. A certain journalist reaches out to both Millie and Colman because she wants to write a book on who Joss Moody was. Now Millie and Colman are each grieving Joss in their own ways. Millie is grieving the love of her life, the person she adopted a son with and shared a life with, while Colman is grieving a father who he believes has lied to him his entire life.
In this book you will find betrayal, love, anger, and many more emotions. Be prepared to have mixed feelings while reading this book, but keep your mind open. It is a beautifully written story that needs to be shared.
4.5/5
May 2023 Book Choice
Things We Lost To The Water
Eric Nguyen
Things We Lost to the Water is a story about a mother and her two sons who fled their home country of Vietnam in the late 1970s and moved to the United States; New Orleans.
This book has 5 different parts, and each part has multiple chapters. Each chapter is written by our 3 main characters: Hương, a now single mother, Tuấn, and Bìhn, two brothers.
The author, Eric Nguyen, does a great job of putting into perspective the life of a first-generation immigrant who was forced to flee her home country, leave her husband behind, and become jobless, homeless, and a single mother all in a completely foreign country. Nguyen also shows the perspective of second-generation immigrants who are searching for their own identity in a new country, that doesn't necessarily feel new to them. Nguyen does a great job with showcasing Hương, Tuấn, and Bìhn's different and individual struggles throughout this story.
I would recommend this book to anyone wanting to read about a culture, not of their own, as well as to acknowledge the life of an immigrant searching for a new and better life.
4/5
April 2023 Book Choice
A Loss For Words: The Story Of Deafness In A Family
Lou Ann Walker
A Loss for Words: The Story of Deafness in a Family is a real-life story of a daughter who grew up with a mom and dad who are both deaf, but she is not deaf.
There are 3 different parts of this book; Watching, Listening, and Learning. Each part has multiple chapters, all of which are written from the perspective of our author, Lou Ann Walker.
The book starts with Walker telling her family that she was writing this book. Walker then continues in the "Watching" section and tells us readers about her life, her siblings, and her mother and father. Walker tells us how her parents met and fell inlove as well as how each of her parents became deaf and the differences in their lives because of the deafness. She also continues the story by telling us how she and her two sisters, Kay and Jan, who are all not deaf, lived their lives in a "profoundly deaf" household.
Throughout this book you will find humor, sadness, anger, heartbreak; really any emotion you can think of. Walker does a great job of highlighting the struggles of having deaf parents, while also making it a point to mention the triumphs which can be rare in a personal account story. I urge anyone who wants to put yourself in someone else's shoes to read this emotional story.
5/5
March 2023 Book Choice
Women Don't Owe You Pretty
Florence Given
Women Don't Owe You Pretty is a book telling everyone that you owe nothing to the world, especially being "pretty." Florence Given is a UK author and in this book, she touches on modern feminism, what it is like to be a woman, how to embrace self-love, self-acceptance, and much more.
I would recommend this book to any woman exploring who she is, to any teen girl growing up, or honestly my grandma. Of course, there are certain things in this book that would make my grandma gasp with astonishment, but that is the point. The author covers many topics as she brings to light issues with our society as well as how to love yourself and you over anyone else.
If you want a book to laugh, cry, and learn to appreciate the woman you are meant to be, give this book a read. You will not regret it.
5/5
February 2023 Book Choice
Four Hundred Souls
90+ Authors
Four Hundred Souls is “A Community History of African America, 1619-2019.” Technicality-wise, this book has 10 different parts, with 8 chapters per part, and each part ends with 1 poem. Each chapter is separated by a stretch of years, so you are able to travel through time while you read.
The different authors of this book tell you many different stories about what shaped African American history throughout the 400 years mentioned in the title. The authors also make it a point to mention the future when referencing the past which is one of the main reasons why I recommend this book.
The authors input their own opinion on some topics, but for anyone who is unsure, just know that this book is an informational read and it discusses topics that we, as humans, should not shy away from. To anyone who takes the leap and reads this book, just take yourself out of the situation and focus on the words. It is a beautifully written piece about African American history and it discusses these harsh topics so, we as humans, do not repeat them in the future.
4/5
January 2023 Book Choice
The Blackwater Lightship
Colm Tóibín
This story takes place in Ireland during the 1990s. The major topic focuses on Helen, Declan, Lily, and Dora. Declan has been diagnosed with AIDs and Helen, his sister, Lily, his mother, and Dora, his grandmother take care of him in his final days at Dora's house in Cush.
The story follows mainly Helen's toxic relationship with Lily and how Helen tries to hide her true feelings in order to be there for Declan. Two of Declan's friends, Paul and Larry, end up staying with all the women at Dora's house and they all have to learn to get along to help Declan.
I recommend anyone to read this book because it is a beautiful story of healing deep wounds within yourself and within a family in times of struggle.
4/5
Beyond The Wand
Tom Felton
Nostalgic. If you are like me, a major Harry Potter fan, you will feel very nostalgic while you are reading Draco Malfoy's book. I say Draco because there will never be a better Draco than Tom Felton himself.
Throughout this autobiography, you learn about Tom's family, his acting career, and how his life was before, during, and after the making of the Harry Potter movies.
It is a bit of a slow start, I warn you, but to feel the full effect, I urge you to continue reading and try and see things outside of the magical bubble of Harry Potter.
5/5
A New Model
Ashley Graham and Rebecca Paley
An amazing read talking about self-love, building a career for oneself, different family, friend and romantic relationships, and all in all, a must-read.
This book starts off with model, Ashley Graham, talking about her trials, tribulations as well as successes with her modeling career with being a "bigger girl". Even if you aren't interested in her model story, she talks about how she learned to love her body and how to appreciate her mind. This book showed me how to love yourself in a different perspective.
5/5
It Ends With Us
Colleen Hoover
If you value loyalty, friendship, bravery, and love and are looking for an emotionally stirring read, this is the perfect book for you. Keep in mind this book is rated for 18+ readers so there are some topics and scenes that may not be appropriate or for the faint of heart. This book however will drag you through a rollercoaster ride of emotions that's for sure. This book starts off with a woman named Lily Bloom just after her father's funeral. She tells you about her past life with her parents, friends, and schoolmates, while also showing you what her life is like in the present. You learn about who she is as a person, who she wants to be, her Ellen DeGeneres obsession, how she came to love Boston, and much more. There is heartbreak, love, tough decisions, betrayal, and a killer ending. Purchase this book if you want to be as sucked in as I was.