December 22, 2020

Lit Tidbits: Pithy Picks V


I cannot let the year go by without reviewing a few of the best books read this year. Sometimes a book is so good that it has to sit on my mind before forming my opinion into words. I want the story to sink in. I want the characters to marinate. I want the ending to serve me satisfaction long after I've turned the last page. I want to see how long it stays with me and if "OMG this book was so good" vibes still stand later. Well, Bookhearts, I am happy to say the books below absolutely earned 5⭐️. Check out my pithy reviews below.

Title: Heart Bones
Author: Colleen Hoover
Published: August 2020
Pithy Review: An unexpected death forces Beyah to reach out to the father she hardly knows. If she can just get through the summer, a new life begins and she never has to look back. On paper, she has nothing in common with new neighbor, Samson. She's poor; he's wealthy. She's neglected; he's privileged. But they are both sad and drawn to each other. A summer fling turns into hearts being dragged out to sea. There is so much misguided anger and moments that tore at my heart strings. These two young adults were meant to cross paths. This novel is among Colleen Hoover's absolute best!
Quote Grab"Hearts don't have bones. They can't actually break." ~ pg. 156
Recommend or Nah? ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Title: The Wives
Author: Tarryn Fisher
Published: December 2019
Pithy Review: Imagine being identified by the day of the week because it's the only day you see your husband. Thursday's husband, Seth, has two other wives. She has never met them and knows nothing substantial about them, not even their real names. It's part of the unusual arrangement that she agreed to only out of love for Seth. But one day, she finds something that makes her question the marriage and what little she's been told. Something that tells a totally different story about the man she married. Listen when I tell you that my mind is still spinning. The characters are so imperfect. This novel is thee most shocking, twisted thriller that I've read in 2020. Standing ovay, Tarryn Fisher! You done did it with this one, girl!
Quote Grab"Realization is a slow boil." ~ 84% 
Recommend or Nah? ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️







Author: Elizabeth Acevedo
Published: May 2020
Pithy Review: The writing: Beautiful. The subject: Realistic. The culture: 100%. The cover: Gorgeous. This book is the little sister of Tayari Jones' Silver Sparrow (one of my all-time faves). Written in verse with alternate narration, this YA novel is unputdownable. It is about loss, forgiveness, travel and family ties. Like every summer, Camino Rios goes to the airport to greet her father. He visits her in the Dominican Republic every year. But this time, the airport is filled with people crying and no passenger arrivals. In NYC, Yahaira Rios is called to the principal's office for bad news: her father died in a plane crash. The girls are miles apart and clueless of the other's existence. In the loss of Papi, they gain a part of him back in a sister.
Quote Grab"I grab my worries by the nape." ~ pg. 114
Recommend or Nah? ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️



AuthorFrederick Joseph
PublishedDecember 2020
Pithy Review: With the exception of conversations with other artists/activists such as April Reign, Angie Thomas and Rabia Chaudry, this book is like every other. The interviews are what sets it apart! It is a black friend talking to other friends advising white friends on how to be better. Be more mindful. See color. Pronounce names correctly. Negate stereotypes. Recognize we have similar experiences but treated much differently. If you had to pick just one book on this topic, choose Frederick Joseph's and thank me later! 
Quote Grab"Because to see my color, to see my culture, to see my race, would also mean taking responsibility for how white people have historically treated people my color, with my culture, from my race." ~ pg. 35 
Recommend or Nah? ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

 

No comments:

Post a Comment