Review: Finding Freedom

 About the Book:

From Erin French, owner and chef of the critically acclaimed The Lost Kitchen, a TIME world dining destination, a life-affirming memoir about survival, renewal, and finding a community to lift her up

Long before The Lost Kitchen became a world dining destination with every seating filled the day the reservation book opens each spring, Erin French was a girl roaming barefoot on a 25-acre farm, a teenager falling in love with food while working the line at her dad's diner and a young woman finding her calling as a professional chef at her tiny restaurant tucked into a 19th century mill. This singular memoir--a classic American story--invites readers to Erin's corner of her beloved Maine to share the real person behind the "girl from Freedom" fairytale, and the not-so-picture-perfect struggles that have taken every ounce of her strength to overcome, and that make Erin's life triumphant.

In Finding Freedom, Erin opens up to the challenges, stumbles, and victories that have led her to the exact place she was ever meant to be, telling stories of multiple rock-bottoms, of darkness and anxiety, of survival as a jobless single mother, of pills that promised release but delivered addiction, of a man who seemed to offer salvation but in the end ripped away her very sense of self. And of the beautiful son who was her guiding light as she slowly rebuilt her personal and culinary life around the solace she found in food--as a source of comfort, a sense of place, as a way of bringing goodness into the world. Erin's experiences with deep loss and abiding hope, told with both honesty and humor, will resonate with women everywhere who are determined to find their voices, create community, grow stronger and discover their best-selves despite seemingly impossible odds. Set against the backdrop of rural Maine and its lushly intense, bountiful seasons, Erin reveals the passion and courage needed to invent oneself anew, and the poignant, timeless connections between food and generosity, renewal and freedom.

My Review:

Thank you to Celadon for sending me an arc of this book in exchange for a review.

I normally don't read memoirs, but because I won a copy of Finding Freedom in a giveaway, I thought I would give it a go! Finding Freedom was such an unexpected read that I really ended up enjoying. I will say that I was very hungry reading all the descriptions of food, so have a snack handy if you decide to pick it up.

Things I liked:
- I loved learning about Erin's journey of becoming the renoundchef she is today. You really see her strength and her vulnerability, which made the book feel really raw at times. I can't help but admire her strength and tenacity and hope to find myself. Her journey with her mental health/addiction was an unexpected turn of the book that I really appreciated. She is very honest and forthcoming of her struggles throughout this book, and that inly added to my admiration for her.
- I'm not a big foodie, but after this book I think I might be one now! I adored all descriptions of the food. From the set up/decor of the restaurant, to the many dishes they serve, it was all so vivid. Like I mentioned before, I would really recommend having a snack handy when reading this book.

My only complaint was that there was so much description at times that I had a hard time paying attention. It wasn't uncommon to turn the page and see giant blocks of text without paragraph breaks.

Review: Firekeeper's Daughter

 Hello friends! I'm back with another review of one of my highly anticipated reads of the year.

About the Book:

Debut author Angeline Boulley crafts a groundbreaking YA thriller about a Native teen who must root out the corruption in her community, for readers of Angie Thomas and Tommy Orange.

As a biracial, unenrolled tribal member and the product of a scandal, eighteen-year-old Daunis Fontaine has never quite fit in, both in her hometown and on the nearby Ojibwe reservation. Daunis dreams of studying medicine, but when her family is struck by tragedy, she puts her future on hold to care for her fragile mother.

The only bright spot is meeting Jamie, the charming new recruit on her brother Levi’s hockey team. Yet even as Daunis falls for Jamie, certain details don’t add up and she senses the dashing hockey star is hiding something. Everything comes to light when Daunis witnesses a shocking murder, thrusting her into the heart of a criminal investigation.

Reluctantly, Daunis agrees to go undercover, but secretly pursues her own investigation, tracking down the criminals with her knowledge of chemistry and traditional medicine. But the deceptions—and deaths—keep piling up and soon the threat strikes too close to home.

Now, Daunis must learn what it means to be a strong Anishinaabe kwe (Ojibwe woman) and how far she'll go to protect her community, even if it tears apart the only world she’s ever known.

Review:

Firekeeper’s Daughter struck a place close to home that I didn’t expect. Daunis, the main character is biracial (half white and half indigenous). As a biracial reader, I really related to her experience of limbo between two cultures she cares deeply for, and struggling to belong to both. I’m not Indigenous, but I’m half Chinese and I think the biracial representation is pretty universal. 

This book is heavier than I expected as it tackles some heavy subject matter including racism, sexual violence, violence against women, drug/alcohol addiction, and grief. It was hard for me to read at around the 70% mark because of the sexual violence and the off-page rape scene, so I think it’s important for reader to know about the content matter before diving into this book. 

My only criticism was the pacing of the book, sometimes it felt like so much was happening that it was hard to keep up, and other times it dragged a bit. But overall, I think Firekeeper’s Daughter is an amazing crime thriller combined with a coming of age story that is filled with rich traditions and customs of the Ojibwe tribe. 

Thank you so much to the publisher for sending me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!

Every Last Fear Review

 Every last Fear:

I didn’t really know what to expect when I went into this book because I don’t read a ton of thrillers. I was a bit intimidated, but I really enjoyed this book!

My favorite thing about Every Last Fear was the characters. Most of them were extremely smart and deeply flawed, but still likable to an extent. I adored Agent Sarah Keller and her husband Bob. Evan and Bob are devoted husbands and fathers and in the thriller genre that is very unusual but so very refreshing. Even Matt's friends were a devoted and loyal group and provided him a support system he so desperately needed. The characters were all given clear and concise voices. 

Another thing i really enjoyed was the writing! The writing and storyline flowed easily, and it was full of suspense! 

This was a fabulous introduction to an author I’m confident we’ll be seeing more of in the future.

Review: The Genome Odyssey

 About the Book:

In The Genome Odyssey, Dr. Euan Ashley, Stanford professor of medicine and genetics, brings the breakthroughs of precision medicine to vivid life through the real diagnostic journeys of his patients and the tireless efforts of his fellow doctors and scientists as they hunt to prevent, predict, and beat disease.

Since the Human Genome Project was completed in 2003, the price of genome sequencing has dropped at a staggering rate. It’s as if the price of a Ferrari went from $350,000 to a mere forty cents. Through breakthroughs made by Dr. Ashley’s team at Stanford and other dedicated groups around the world, analyzing the human genome has decreased from a heroic multibillion dollar effort to a single clinical test costing less than $1,000.

For the first time we have within our grasp the ability to predict our genetic future, to diagnose and prevent disease before it begins, and to decode what it really means to be human.

In The Genome Odyssey, Dr. Ashley details the medicine behind genome sequencing with clarity and accessibility. More than that, with passion for his subject and compassion for his patients, he introduces readers to the dynamic group of researchers and doctor detectives who hunt for answers, and to the pioneering patients who open up their lives to the medical community during their search for diagnoses and cures.

He describes how he led the team that was the first to analyze and interpret a complete human genome, how they broke genome speed records to diagnose and treat a newborn baby girl whose heart stopped five times on the first day of her life, and how they found a boy with tumors growing inside his heart and traced the cause to a missing piece of his genome.

These patients inspire Dr. Ashley and his team as they work to expand the boundaries of our medical capabilities and to envision a future where genome sequencing is available for all, where medicine can be tailored to treat specific diseases and to decode pathogens like viruses at the genomic level, and where our medical system as we know it has been completely revolutionized.

Review:

★★★

I won this book in a giveaway, so I had no idea what I was getting myself into reading this. I would like to first off that genome stuff is really complicated, and even though Ashley makes it more simple to understand, I still had a little trouble. What's nice though is that I'm currently studying genomes in my Bio class, so I was able to discuss some of these concepts with my professor, so that helped a lot.

My favorite thing about The Genome Odyssey was that it didn't read like a textbook. Ashley made the story of all the experiments really interesting and engaging; so much so that I felt like I was with the team working on their projects. I also loved how the author focused on the human element of science and discovery. He really cares about the families and people he encountered over the course of his research. It made the book so much easier to read because I actually connected with a lot of the people involved.

So if you're looking for a well written book that'll teach you loads about genomes, look no further!

Review: What Big Teeth

 About the Book:

Rose Szabo's thrilling debut is a dark and thrilling novel about a teen girl who returns home to her strange, wild family after years of estrangement, perfect for fans of Wilder Girls.

Eleanor Zarrin has been estranged from her wild family for years. When she flees boarding school after a horrifying incident, she goes to the only place she thinks is safe: the home she left behind. But when she gets there, she struggles to fit in with her monstrous relatives, who prowl the woods around the family estate and read fortunes in the guts of birds.

Eleanor finds herself desperately trying to hold the family together — in order to save them all, Eleanor must learn to embrace her family of monsters and tame the darkness inside her.

Exquisitely terrifying, beautiful, and strange, this fierce gothic fantasy will sink its teeth into you and never let go.

Review:

★★★★

Oh man I'm such a fan of weird book with creepy and sinister vibes, bonus points if there is some body horror. What Big Teeth checked all those boxes, and was unlike any other YA book I've read for a long while. It has similar vibes as a Tim Burton movie, and other people describes this as The Addams Family meets Wilder Girls- both some of my favorite creepy stories. 

This book follows Eleanor, who is returning home after years away at boarding school. But when she arrives home, her family is not how she remembers them and the story unfolds from there. 

My favorite thing about this book was the slow reveal of everything. Elenor's family are really creepy from the page we meet them, but we only begin to find out why piece by piece. It made for a slow but suspenseful pace that had me on the edge of my seat the entire book. And the supernatural elements also added to the atmosphere of the book! 

If you love monster families, creepy gothic houses, and the supernatural, then What Big Teeth is definitely the book for you! 

Review: Land of Big Numbers

 Thanks so much to the publisher and Bookish First for sending me a copy of this book in exchange for review!

Synopsis

A debut collection from an extraordinary new talent that vividly gives voice to the men and women of modern China and its diaspora

Gripping and compassionate, Land of Big Numbers depicts the diverse and legion Chinese people, their history, their government, and how all of that has tumbled—messily, violently, but still beautifully—into the present.

Cutting between clear-eyed realism and tongue-in-cheek magical realism, Chen’s stories coalesce into a portrait of a people striving for openings where mobility is limited. Twins take radically different paths: one becomes a professional gamer, the other a political activist. A woman moves to the city to work at a government call center and is followed by her violent ex-boyfriend. A man is swept into the high-risk, high-reward temptations of China’s volatile stock exchange. And a group of people sit, trapped for no reason, on a subway platform for months, waiting for official permission to leave.

With acute social insight, Te-Ping Chen layers years of experience reporting on the ground in China with incantatory prose in this taut, surprising debut, proving herself both a remarkable cultural critic and an astonishingly accomplished new literary voice.

Review

★★★

This was a book I didn't remember entering the raffle for, so I was surprised when I won and it showed up at my door. To be completely honest, Land of Big Numbers is a book I would have never picked up normally, so I'm glad that Bookish First granted me the opportunity to review it because I did end up enjoying it.

Land of Big Numbers is a short story collection, each following different characters touching on aspect of Chinese culture. It covers a large range of topics, and most of the stories have a speculative element that I loved. Some have more obvious connections to an element of Chinese history/government, and others have a more broad insight into the culture and human nature in general. I am a Chinese American, so some aspects were more new to me than others, but I think it would be more difficult for someone non-Chinese or someone unfamiliar with the culture to completely understand. That's not to say that this book is hard to follow along, as I think you can still gain a lot from this book no matter where you're from.

If you enjoy short story collections, or something about human nature then Land of Big Numbers is definitely a book you should check out!!

Starfish Review

So I won this book in a giveaway, but I wasn't really sure what to expect from it. I didn't know it was middle grade so that was a nice surprise!

Starfish follows a young girl named Ellie, who faces many bullies at school for her weight. In addition, her best friends moved away leaving her feeling lonely and friendless. Her mother also keeps making snide comments at home, and leaving hints for her to get a weight-reducing surgery that Ellie is terrified to even consider. Fortunately, Ellie has allies in her dad, her therapist, and her new neighbor, Catalina, who loves Ellie for who she is.

My favorite part of Starfish was that it was written in verse. There were short half poem half vignette style snippets that were simple but also extremely profound. I could really empathize with Ellie and her self-hatred, and it was so heartwarming seeing her begin to open up to her therapist and realize her self worth. I think that this will be an amazing book for young girls to read and feel validated. 

Super Fake Love Song Review

 If you’re looking for a teen romance that doesn’t require much commitment, then look no further. Super Fake Love Song was a cute read, and I loved how cheesy it was, but I wasn’t the most invested in it. It played on typical tropes, but put a little twist on it and I enjoyed that aspect of the book. My favorite part was the friendship between Sunny and his best friends. Their banter was so fun and I actually chuckled at a few lines. I also loved how obviously he crushed on Cirrus. He was so adorable, and I didn’t finds character as annoying as the protagonist from David Yoon’s previous book. The representation was awesome, and I’m so pumped about the rise in Asian MC in YA.

A couple things that prevented me from really loving this book was the piling miscommunication between Sunny and Cirrus. I know that the plot rides on him and his little white lie about being in a band. I think its a lazy plot device and it’s way overused at this point. Other than that, I think this is a sweet love story about a boy finding himself and learning about his own interests! 

The Beautiful: Review

The Beautiful: Review

This book is amazing! I love that it brings back vampires (an old favorite), but in a very different way. Celine was such a lovable main character! I loved how snarky, smart, and sweet she was, and she deserves the world. Her story arch was so satisfying to watch unfold. The whole time I was rooting for her and Bastien :) The chemistry between the two was great, and I was desperately wanting them to kiss. Also, Bastien was just so precious! 

Plot wise, the mystery kept me on my toes. I thought I had predicted the twist, but I was totally off! New Orleans is such a rich and sinister setting, and Renee Ahdieh made it feel so atmospheric. 

Overall, I just loved about almost everything in this book and need a sequel stat!

4.5 stars

Four Dead Queens Review

Four Dead Queens Review :(



I don't think it is fair for me to give a rating since I DNF'ed this book at 200 pages, but it was just soooo unbelievably boring. I only cared about the bits following Keralie, but the book alternates between her perspective and one of the queens. I didn't care why they were dying, and how their storyline related to Keralie's. I don't even really know what I wanted, but it wasn't this :( I really wanted to like this book since it got so much hype and the cover is just gorgeous, but sadly this just isn't for me.

I will say the writing was good for a debut novel, so I would definitely consider reading Astrid Scholte's books in the future! I just hope the plot and characters are more interesting than this one :(

Recent Reads 7/07/19

Recent Reads

Instead of doing full review of these books, I thought I would do mini reviews of them! So here are the books I have recently read:

(P.S. click the links of the books for the synopsis of the books :))

The Hate U Give: 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟 

So while I have had this book for a while now, I didn’t pick it up until recently because I was scared I wouldn’t love it as much as everyone else did. But I am glad to say that I LOVED IT. This is such an important story, and it clearly deserves all the hype. Even though Star and I are very different, I still found myself identifying with certain aspects of her. She was scared and confused, but believed in her relationships with her friends and family, but most importantly she believed in herself to stand up for what she believed was right. I recommend this to anyone who hasn’t read it yet!

A Curse So Dark And Lonely: 🌟🌟🌟🌟 

This is another hyped book that I was skeptical about. I have seen it all over Instagram and I know that it was a Fairyloot book as well. Originally, I wasn’t interested, but then one of my friends recommended it to me, and Brigid Kemmerer is coming to a bookstore near me with Kasie West, so I decided to pick it up. Boy am I glad I did. This was such a good retelling of Beauty and the Beast; it may even be one of my favorites. The representation is awesome and important as you don’t see many fantasy books with disables main characters (Harper has cerebral palsy). I couldn’t put it down and devoured this! 

Letters To The Lost: 🌟🌟🌟🌟

After enjoying A Curse So Dark And Lonely, I wanted to check out Brigid Kemmerer’s other books. Letters To The Lost was such a surprise. Going into it I knew it dealt with grief, but actually reading it and being in both the main characters heads made me feel so many emotions. It was hard reading about Declan’s self destructive behavior was painful to read, and the whole time I wanted to grab his shoulders and shake him to realize that he deserves so much more. Juliet has her own hardship and grief to overcome, writing letters to her mother to cope. She was so strong, and their friendship and eventual romantic relationship was balanced so well and developed naturally. I will definitely check out more of Brigid Kemmerer’s books. 

Always Never Yours: 🌟🌟🌟🌟

I’m still debating between a 3.5 or 4, so for now I’ll round it to a 4. Going into this, I had pretty high expectations. And while I still really enjoyed it, Always Never Yours was not my new favorite book. I love the whole Romeo and Juliet “retelling” following a modern Rosalind idea. The Shakespeare references were fun and I loved Megan’s character. The love interest Own was also really sweet and genuine, and throughout their whole friendship I was giggling at how cute they were together. The one thing that I really didn’t like was the cheating aspect. i think it could have been easily avoidable 
:( 

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