Category: Books

Be My Guest: Reflections on Food, Community, and the Meaning of Generosity

Be My Guest: Reflections on Food, Community, and the Meaning of Generosity by Priya Basil

Rating: 4.5 out of 5.

Print Length: 144 pages
Format: Hardcover
Publisher: Canongate Books
Genre: Nonfiction, Food, Memoir, Essays, Philosophy, Cooking, Food and Drink, Politics, Biography Memoir

When I completed my final day of my internship at Canongate Books, Edinburgh in July 2019, this book was hot off the press. I had to wait to get my hands on it, and now that I have, I am intrigued to view food from a different angle because it is full of insights, questions, and interesting thoughts.

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Kitchen Yarns: Notes on Life, Love, and Food

Kitchen Yarns: Notes on Life, Love, and Food by Ann Hood

Rating: 4.5 out of 5.

Print Length: 256
Format: Hardcover
Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company

Would you believe me if I told you that I once applied for a PhD in English with a topic on food memoirs? Unfortunately, I was not accepted, but my love for reading about how food impacts different cultures, lives, habits, and cuisines remains undiminished.

TW: Death, Suicide, Family Loss

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An Astonishing Color of After

An Astonishing Color of After by Emily X.R. Pan

Rating: 4 out of 5.

Print Length: 480 pages
Format: Hardcover
Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers

Hello Readers! It’s been ages since I posted a book review. Nevertheless, I now have a membership to the Douglas County Library @dclcolorado, & I am guilty of making way too many simultaneous book reservations. Thus, I think, is the delightful life of a bookworm.

TW: Mental Illness, Suicide, Mental Health, Social & Family Issues, Death, Depression, Racism

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Metamorphosis

Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka

Rating: 3.5 out of 5.

Print Length: 108 pages
Format: Paperback
Publisher: FiNGERPRINT! Publishing

My first introduction to Kafka was in Prague, Czech Republic. The Head of Franz Kafka is a moving sculpture by David Černý which is 11 meters tall and made of 42 rotating panels. A year later, thanks to The Big Book Box, I received Metamorphosis as part of their January 2021 Anniversary box. Huge shout-out to the @TBB team for including this lovely novella with so many other bookish goodies!

Franz Kafka was a Prague-born and based German-language writer of Jewish origin, one of the most influential and appreciated writers of the 20th century [1]. His work fuses elements of realism and the fantastic. Metamorphosis  is one of the finest examples of absurdist fiction. So if this is your first time reading about Kafka, let me point out why this is a must read that can be finished quickly.

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The Midnight Library

The Midnight Library by Matt Haig

Rating: 5 out of 5.

Print Length: 304 pages
Format: Ebook
Publisher: Canongate Books

Before getting my hands on this eBook from Edinburgh Libraries (forever thankful), I have seen rave as well as one-star reviews of this book on Instagram. I own two books by this author – Notes on a Nervous Planet and Reasons to Stay Alive. I would not consider it a complete self-help book, but it is about the author writing his views, thoughts and experiences while dealing with his mental health. Matt Haig is a person who brings forth issues about anxiety, mental breakdown, panic attacks, depression and so on in his books, and The Midnight Library is a fictional story that weaves in all these issues. In this book, we meet Nora Seed, our protagonist who suffers terribly from loneliness.

TW: Suicide, depression, death, loss

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My 5 Latest Graphic Novel Reviews

Hello!

As the temperature soars to 44.2°C (I am not kidding – check the latest news here), I am seriously rethinking my options to relocate. However, with the second wave of coronavirus sweeping the country and vaccinations being rolled out in phases for adults above 40 years old, I miss my university days in Edinburgh. I suppose a lot of people have reached their point of burnout but are still slogging it through the days with some routine (if there is any in the first place). Before I sound glummer, let me share the good part of my reading. In today’s post, I have compiled my short reviews on graphic novels that I received as ARCs previously. So, without any further delays, let us dive in.

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