Half of a Yellow Sun is a story of independence, war, betrayal and loss both for a nation and for a particular group of people swept up in it all. Set in the 1960s, it examines life in Nigeria on the eve of war and then during the chaos and violence of the Biafran war. While providing concise historical background on Nigeria and Biafra, Adichie, through her characters, shows how class division, race, culture, and gender fed into and were in turn influenced by conflict. […]
Nun assassins. I repeat, nun assassins.
If you’re not immediately intrigued by the idea of nun assassins, this probably isn’t the book for you. If you are intrigued by the idea, you should probably read this. Stat. Ismae grows up in an abusive home where she’s surrounded by dangerous men. Thanks to the kind intervention of the local witch woman, she escapes to the convent of St. Mortain, where she promises to serve the god of death. Her training teaches her how to kill someone in nearly every way imaginable. When […]
Sleeping Giants or I Wish This was The Iron Giant Instead by Sylvain Neuvel
I’m a big fan of epistolary novels, oral histories are particularly juicy and fun. Add in robots and aliens? The description sold me instantly! Sadly, the other problem with oral histories is that I inevitably compare them to Max Brooks’ World War Z. I realize that’s incredibly unfair as World War Z is an exceptionally awesome book, but that’s where my bar is set. Sadly, this book is nowhere near the level of World War Z. Short summary: big metal body parts are showing up […]
I will not submit.
I started writing this review about the academic epiphany I had while reading this book: the character mentions many writers, thinkers, philosophers, in quotations that made no sense to me. I felt incapable of what I chose as a career. But in the course of writing it, I realized that I got more upset about the book because of another characteristic of mine: that I am a woman. Submission carries such a heavy burden for real events that its pages fail to meet the expectations […]
“Historic people are usually revered for not for the innocence of their souls, but for the lack of incriminating evidence.”
Once upon a time, David McLain wrote a book. It was good, you should read it. Then he wrote another one, this one much longer. And this one was also good! This means that instead of his first book being a lucky stab in the dark, David McLain is a Good Author. They aren’t easy to find, nowadays. (Disclaimer: David McLain wrote another book before these two. I have not read it, and therefore have no opinion of it.) Alice Anderson has many titles. World’s […]
Are there any Liane Moriarty holdouts here?
I know that CBR participants are pretty fond of Liane Moriarty in general, but is anyone here still not sure if she’s for them? Let me help you. Do you like… Books with an ensemble cast where each character is more nuanced and developed than most books with a single protagonist? Books with multiple subplots, all absolutely engrossing, that are tied up so satisfyingly at the end, one by one, that it’s like popping bubble wrap, but are almost never too tidy? Adorable Australian lingo? […]
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