Gifts are complicated things. The simple premise of giving someone something they need, love, or want is what actually complicates the definition of a gift. Gifts, before anything else, function like a contract that requires the exchange of goods and/or services until someone dies, or decides to break off the relationship with the gift giver. … Continue reading
Tag Archives: books
Geography and Conversations About Race: a review of Reni Eddo-Lodge’s “Why I’m No Longer Talking to White People About Race”
Talking about race is exhausting. It is emotionally draining, stressful, awkward, painful, scary, and sometimes really dangerous. To have a conversation about race, or any hard topics like gender, sexuality, and class, requires a level of vulnerability that demands patience and practice. People from different sides of the spectrum often come to the table with … Continue reading
A Review of “Idaho”: forgetting and remembering
I am not going to lie, the decision I made to read this book was heavily based on the cover. What is that old saying again? Anyway, I found myself drawn to the strong yellows and greens and I had also seen this book everywhere. It was popping up in book stores, in my library, … Continue reading
Asian Invisibility In Western Literature: a review of Ann Y. K. Choi’s “Kay’s Lucky Coin Variety”
I am going to cut to the chase on this review. Like the title suggests, there is a problem with the way that Asian literature is represented, or to be more precise its lack of representation, in the Western world. Many scholars and teachers have suggested to me over the years that Asian literature cannot … Continue reading
Easy and cheap ways for self-care with a book flair
Self care was a buzzword for 2017 with a lot of articles floating around on social media talking about ways to look after yourself ranging from tips on meditation to weekly manicures. Self care has both emotional and medical aspects to it. Self care is ultimately about making time to put yourself first. However, there … Continue reading
“Sleeping Beauties”: a feminist look at this father/son written novel
First of all, let me start by saying this book is long. Over 700 pages long. It is not something for the faint-hearted, however, I will say that in audiobook form this novel is still long (25+hrs of listening time), but digestible. This was the first Stephen King and/or Owen King novel that I have … Continue reading
“Without You, There Is No Us”: a review
Disclosure: This page may contain affiliate links. Clicking through for additional information or to make a purchase may result in a small commission. Suki Kim’s book Without You, There Is No Us: My Secret Life Teaching the Sons of North Korea’s Elite was written in 2014. I really enjoyed this book. It was a powerful … Continue reading
My Year of Reading
If you’re like me, you are probably freaking out that 2018 is just around the corner. I don’t know why I am surprised at the end of each year that a new one is coming, yet here we are. This year has had some big highs and even bigger lows, but when it comes to … Continue reading
“Milk and Honey”: poetry review
Rupi Kaur’s poetry collection Milk and Honey burst onto the literary scene in 2015. It quickly turned from a self-published collection to being picked up by a major publishing house and turning into millions of sales around the world. Poetry in the twenty-first century is not at the forefront of general literary interest. More often … Continue reading
“From Here to Eternity”: a review of Caitlin Doughty’s latest book on death
From Here to Eternity: Traveling the world to find the good death is Caitlin Doughty’s latest book. Part anthropological study, part travel memoir Doughty travels to far and wide places around the world to learn about how different cultures deal with and treat death. This book feels like the natural flow-on from her previous book … Continue reading
You must be logged in to post a comment.