The Literary Adventures of an Opinionated Bookworm

What do you do when intimacy is lacking between you and your partner? Sinead Moriarty's novel, About Us , seemed to be all my fears about marriage and kids rolled into nearly 400 pages, as she tells the story of three couples struggling with intimacy in different ways who all turn to the same therapist in the hopes of rekindling the intimacy they have lost.  About Us This book follows Ann and Ken, empty-nesters nearing the years of unknown that retirement brings, Niall, Alice and their hectic life raising four kids, and Orla, a young teacher struggling with intimacy in many aspects of her life. All of these characters struggle within the privacy of their own home, but their stories are interconnected, which is one of my favourite types of stories.  Probably because of my position as a person in my early twenties, I struggled to connect with the characters and their relationship struggles, but not because the book was poorly written. I found Moriarty's writing style to be stron...

There is a lot I want to say about Yoga Pant Nation  by Laurie Gelman, but going into depth would involved spoilers and I'd rather not spoil anything for those who actually might enjoy this book. Nevertheless, I will try my best to explain why this book only received 1 star from me.  Checklists Yoga Pant Nation  is about a mom/grandma who navigates the world of kids, PTA meetings, spin classes, and, well, that's it really. Other than that basic description, I have no idea what this book is about. Four chapters in, and I could not tell what the plot was. Every chapter was just the protagonist checking things off her to-do list, and while it is impressive that a checklist was published as a novel, I fail to see the hook. The only juicy part of this book occurred when the protagonist's granddaughter's father, Raj, sues for custody of his daughter, presumably because his mother wants more time with her granddaughter. From there, a battle of the grandmas ensues. However, thi...

This reading rut I was in was a painful experience that unexpectedly came to an end when I picked up Seven Days in June  by Tia Williams. I was taken on an unexpected journey, torn open while reading about the love story of Eva and Shane. Now that the story is over, I wish it had never ended. 7 days to fall in love, 15 to forget Fifteen years after Eva and Shane first fell in love, they meet again during a writers panel hosted by a mutual friend. Although they had not spoken to each other since their love ended, they were forever in each other's thoughts when writing their respective novels, a fact that only they were aware of. Even after so many years, their feelings are still electrifying, but one question remains, can they overcome the events of the past? Sometimes, reading a romance novel can seem formulaic, but this story broke every formula I have ever experienced in my literary adventures. Each chapter told me something about Eva and Shane that I genuinely did not expect. On...

Ancient Greek myths have been told and retold for centuries; reshaped and rewritten in ways that may seem impractical, or more practical, depending on your point of view. Rick Riordan shook up the literary world with his series, Percy Jackson and the Olympians , and Margaret Atwood gave Penelope a voice in The Penelopiad . Add to this list of retellings, Medusa  by Rosie Hewlett, the story of how Medusa came to be a monster whose infamy lasted for thousands of years.  But who was really the monster in this one? Abandoned by her mother, Medusa was raised in the Temple of Athena by a lonely priestess, and as she grew older, she dedicated her life to the goddess of war and wisdom. As a young woman, news of her beauty spread far and wide, even to the ears of the gods. Enter Poseidon, god of the sea, embarrassed when the people chose Athena over himself, and set on getting revenge.  Medusa  is an interesting take on an infamous tale, and was so interesting that I read it ...

I consider audiobooks a treat, as listening to someone read to you can be a special event. Jonny Appleseed  was a particularly special experience, however, as it was narrated by the author of the novel, Joshua Whitehead. Because of this, listening to the story of Jonny felt all the more authentic, as it was read exactly as the author intended. Saying it in those words makes it sound like a divine event, but that is kind of what it felt like, every word spoken exactly as it was meant to be read. Jonny Appleseed Another reason why this book was an interesting read is because it tells the story of a two-spirit Indigiqueer named Jonny, a person who tells their story of finding their identity by weaving culture, sexuality and gender together in a delicate web. Finding one's identity within the context of family, community, and the rest of society is a careful dance, especially when the person you are is not always someone society wants to accept. Nevertheless, Jonny defies obstacles thr...

For as long as I can remember, I have had a deep, nearly obsessive, fascination with the past. The stories I was drawn to were ones of kings and queens, knights and wizards, myths and legends. Regardless of the truth behind these stories, the language and the heroic characters that populated the tales created a romantic attachment that lasts to this day.  Even now, I prefer stories of fantasy and adventure to those of real life, and in admitting this I feel like I have failed in my duty as a bookworm, as I only just finished reading The Lost Queen by Signe Pike, even though it was published in 2018.   The Lost Queen I have to sincerely thank Netgalley and Atria Books for giving me access to this ebook, because it was truly a wonderful adventure. The story begins when Languoreth, daughter of a King who still follows the Old Ways of their ancestors, is a child who just lost her mother and must learn to navigate womanhood in a changing world. As the years pass, Languoreth ex...

Throughout centuries of stories of the achievements of the human beings, there have been women (either openly or in the shadows) who have done amazing things for themselves, as well as for others. They worked in sciences, mathematics, athletics, arts, and social justice movements all around the world, sometimes with severe personal consequences.  Goodnight Stories for Rebel Girls I love these books because they are a collection of stories of those amazing women who have achieved things that might have gone uncredited at the time, or who are well known and in the spotlight. However, this particular edition 100 Real-Life Tales of Black Girl Magic  was especially powerful, because Black women have often been pushed to the side of the narrative, even when they are crucial to the story. The women included in this edition are from many countries, circumstances and generations, but they all changed the world through their actions. Definitely 5 stars! I want to add a small note here, ...