booktrovert – Page 18 – Cannonball Read 17

It’s not always about linear plot development

Fiona and Jane by Jean Chen Ho

August 1, 2022 by booktrovert Leave a Comment

CBR Bingo – Bird, because this is a book about friends – birds of a feather, flocking together This is a tale of two women, told in short vignettes that are almost stories unto themselves. Each story centers on one of two friends – Jane and Fiona. In the first two chapters, we learn more about Jane and Fiona’s respective family backgrounds – both have roots in Taiwan, but Jane was born in American and feels more estranged from her dad, who returns to Taiwan […]

Survival is not enough.

Black Cake by Charmaine Wilkerson

July 28, 2022 by booktrovert Leave a Comment

CBR Bingo – Shadows (because of the shadowy life of their mother) Have you ever noticed how certain professions seem to run in families? If I were to look for a long-lost relative of mine, I would probably lay money that they’d turn out to be a teacher, most likely a special education teacher – especially if they’re from my dad’s side. A grocer or some other caring profession – day care provider, or nurse – would also be in my family’s wheelhouse. That’s a […]

More Memoir-Manifestos, please!

All Boys Aren't Blue by George Matthew Johnson

July 28, 2022 by booktrovert 4 Comments

CBR Bingo – Bodies, because this book is all about how the author came to accept his identity – his life in his queer, Black body – it’s a letter of acceptance for everyone who might need it, which includes all of us. I loved this memoir – this vulnerable, beating heart of a book – which explores the life of a young, queer Black man growing up in New Jersey. Johnson describes how he came to accept himself even as he struggles with two […]

A rose in the concrete

The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas

July 28, 2022 by booktrovert Leave a Comment

CBR Bingo – Snake, thanks to Officer Cruise and others like him that cannot understand their fear is not more important than the lives they take 16 year old Starr Carter is a master at code-switching. Growing up in Garden Heights, she is used to her community being full of lively characters full of love who look out for one another amidst gun shots and drug deals. When she is at home, she feels slightly isolated from this community, who sees her as an outsider […]

Ours

What's Mine and Yours by Naima Coster

July 26, 2022 by booktrovert Leave a Comment

CBR Bingo – Heart, because these characters ultimately have so much love for one another This is the story of two families in North Carolina, spread across multiple decades. The story opens in 1992, on the day of a tragedy that impacts young Gee for the rest of his life. Another family is tangentially impacted by this event, but the stories of Gee’s family and the Ventura’s will come to be more fully entwined throughout the novel. The novel bounces around in time, ending in […]

Return from Vacation – Various books!

Stories of Your Life and Others by Ted Chiang

Dead Silence by S.A. Barnes

Last Night at the Telegraph Club by Malinda Lo

We Were Liars by E. Lockhart

July 24, 2022 by booktrovert 2 Comments

I’ve just returned from our family vacation – where me, my husband and daughter caught Covid (there’s not many great times to catch Covid, but catching it while staying with your extended family in a vacation rental is definitely a supremely shitty time to catch Covid). My brain still feels a bit foggy, but as I return I’m excited to read all the posts about CBR Bingo. I am going to post my reviews from vacation reads (all completed after July 15) and claim their […]

Zirza on A Gothic Classic for a ReasonIt's one of those wish-you-could-read-it-again-for-the-first-time books. I loved it.
Emmalita on “It came to something when you found yourself hoping that the footsteps you heard were ghosts.”I loved the ending! I don’t think it’s been out long enough to talk about why though.
Dixie on Track Her Down by Melinda LeighI am just starting Track Her Down and I have read them all in order till now and thought I...
Roland of Gilead on How can you give us the gift of a crazy character named Rando Thoughtful and then just as suddenly take that gift away? We need to talk, Uncle Stevie.I came across this randomly years after it was written because I was searching "Random Thoughtful. But I have the...
Emmalita on “Only you, Em, would refer to heartbreak as a distraction. I think I would have a more sympathetic response if I asked to marry a bookcase.”Oh my goodness, Gallifrey was beautiful. I’m sure her mittens were gloriously murdery.

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