17A Keong Saik Road

Charmaine Leung

Abandoned by her family who birthed too many girls, Koon is sent away to be sold in a little place called Singapore. She is there adopted by Yu Lin, the Madame of a brothel at 17A Keong Saik Road. Yu Lin is a ma je, a woman sworn to celibate, focused on growing her business and the financial future of her adopted daughter.

The book is the story of Koon, growing up in an entertainment house, and her daughter, the writer, as she comes back to Singapore and heals the torn relationship with her home country.

There is a lot of information about the history of prostitution in Singapore, entertainment houses and opium dens, but also the fast growth of the country, which was interesting. Also some interesting bits about how feeling like you come from an "inferior" background impacts your growth and social interactions. And a lot about the resilience of women and intergenerational healing that I found quite touching.

On the negative side, I did not enjoy the writing too much as it sometimes read a bit like a list of statements rather than a story, with a bit too much repetition for my taste. Still a very unique story tho!

📚 Read if you are interested in the less told history of Singapore.

Almond

Won-Pyung Sohn

Yunjae's brain is not like the others'. Yunjae's amygdalae are too small, and he cannot feel emotions like others can. Page by page, he tries to learn how to appear "human," and the range of what the human mind is made of. In contrast, Gon, another child a bit out of place, is filled with too many emotions, and explodes violence and anger at the face of the world. As the author puts it, this is the story of two monsters getting to know each other.

I loved the book deeply, and simply couldn't put it down. The characters are written with so much love and empathy, and it's such a beautiful way of writing about these topics.

📚 Read if you are sometimes a bit confused by other humans and what it means to be normal.

A concise Chinese-English dictionary for lovers

Xiaolu Guo

20yo Zhuang leaves her small town in China for a year in London, where she will learn the English language, but also love, loneliness, and her way into adulthood.

This book is her diary: every chapter is a new word, and the experience that made her learn this word. And throughout the book, her English improves. This part, particularly, is incredibly touching, because you get to know her, only progressively, as she finds her language.

Overall, it's both a hilarious and deeply sad journey. I found the construction brilliant for storytelling, and cleverly executed.

📚 Read if you want to understand how it feels to live in a country that speaks a different language.

Affections

Rodrigo Hasbún

Hans Ertl, mountaineer and camera man, worked for Leni Reifenstahl on several of her nazi propaganda movies. After WWII, he escaped to Bolivia. Hans is happy: He can start anew, explore this new world and its mysteries, create the life he wants.

Based on real events, the book follows Hans' family, in their quest for identity, on the other side of the world. How to make a life in Bolivia? How to build a path that resembles them? And, the most important question of all: How to find what defines them?

I really enjoyed the book! I felt that it gave a good overview of Bolivia in the 60s and 70s, in particular the Che's guerrilla efforts. I enjoyed the writing: straight to the point and beautiful.

📚 Read if you want a quick and emotional journey into Bolivia's history, or if you like books about family dynamics.

An equal music

Vikram Seth

It's a bit difficult to describe this book, so let's say it's about music, and love. Interestingly, the main character is a bad person, self-indulging, cruel, delusional and disconnected from reality. but somehow the character makes sense: he is not badly written, he is just bad. Why do we always write about good people?

Overall, i didn't like the book. The music part is devoid of emotions. The love story between the main character, Michael, and Julia, is ungrounded and unpretty. Sharing a name with her made reading Michael's behavior even more painful.

Their love goes as follows:

- After what seems to be a short fling, Michael disappears from Julia's life. After months of trying to contact him unsuccessfully, she moves on, gets married eventually and has a child.

- Michael, regretting his actions, feeds this imaginary love in his loneliness, for 10 years. Until he sees her in a bus and starts "tracing her down" (his words). He then forces himself into her life, cruelly.

It's painful to read, and of course problematic, but also hard to understand granted the book doesn't ground this "love" in anything strong.

📚 Read if you are tired of perfect main characters.

Blackout

Marc Elsberg

Righteous hackers get a hold of the European electricity grid and shut it down. While the leaders of the world try to resolve the situation, Manzano, an Italian hacker, conducts his own investigation.

The book is very well researched, so you'll learn quite a bit about how the electricity grid works and how much we depend on it: In just a matter of days, the whole of Europe is back to the stone age. Overall, the book is written as a fast paced thriller and is a somewhat light read (ironically).

While i really wanted to love this book, the writing didn't work for me: There are many characters and i found them to be written quite similarly, and i was quite confused. (+ i need to mention the few borderline sexist jokes.)

📚 Read if you want to learn about the importance of electrical power in great details.

The Book of Disappearance

Ibtisam Azem

The premise of this book is very simple: What if all Palestinians vanished overnight? While published in 2019, it's obviously and deeply relevant today. In the book, Ariel, a Zionist journalist, investigates the disappearance, and in particular, why his neighbor and friend Alaa left without a trace. When Ariel finds Alaa's diary, a long letter to his proud Jaffian grand-mother, he gets a glimpse of how it feels to be Palestian in Tel Aviv.

Overall, this book is both necessary and excellent. The story is built with a series of snapshots and memories, exposing the roots of the conflict, and its consequences. It is also a book about the importance of writing:

- the importance of Ariel writing to report on the disappearance (and how he chooses to write about it),

- the importance of Alaa writing to keep his grand-mother's memories alive,

- the importance of the author herself writing to share these stories, and

- the importance of reflecting on who writes history, and who gets credit for it (i'm trying really hard to not spoil the book to you but this is key and so well done!)

This book got to my heart so easily, because of the topic, obviously, especially in the current context. But also because of the superb writing: the author writes about suffering, but there is so much love and compassion in her words, it's gentle and touching. If you read the first chapter and it reaches you, then you'll love the entire book.

📚 Read if you want a somewhat tender and compassionate perspective on Palestinian history.

Butter

Asako Yuzuki

A woman is accused of seducing men, exploiting them for their money, and murdering them. But the twist is: She enjoys eating, and she is fat. How can such a woman be a seductive figure in a country that pressures women, and their bodies, so strictly?

The book presents sexism in Japan, the control of women, the loneliness of men. It's an interesting read, and I really enjoyed the more nuanced and sometimes paradoxical conversations on feminism.

📚 Read if you are interested in feminism in Japan. And do not read if you struggle with ED.

The borrowed

Chan Ho-Kei

Follow the history of Kwan Chun-dok, a fictional super genius detective who can solve the most intricated cases using only half an evidence. The story is told backwards, from 2013 to 1967, imprinted with Hong Kong's history, especially the transformation of the police.

The Borrowed is a hyper fast-paced thriller, with over-the-top plot twists, dramatic revelations, convoluted ramifications, and straight forward but wholesome characters. It's not perfect but it's definitely delicious and you'll have a lot of fun overall if you don't take it too seriously.

📚 Read if you enjoy over-the-top detective stories.

Cloud Atlas

David Mitchell

I found this book to be a masterclass on storytelling, a real treasure. From a traveling diary, to telling a story by the fire, going through movie script, religious scriptures, and the tension of a good thriller, it's a ride.

From what I have heard from friends, it's a hit or miss: either you love it, or you don't finish it. So try at your own risk!

When I started reading it, I wrote "cloud atlas is an evilish intertwining of stories, mixing mid-sentences. i think it will be fantastic." and I think it sums it up nicely.

📚 Read if you want to witness the many ways of telling a story.

Chronicle of a Death Foretold

Gabriel García Márquez

One thing is certain: Santiago Nasar is going to be murdered today. In the light of this certainty, many questions arise: Why will he be murdered? How will he be murdered? And most importantly, if he is to be murdered and the whole city is aware of it, why did no one stop it?

This book is an exploration of the diffusion of responsibility, and why, as humans, we sometimes fail to do the right thing. While I loved the premise, the concept, and the elegance of the writing, I also struggled to follow everything, getting confused by the many characters. The ending touched me somewhat, but also left me with more questions unanswered than not. I feel this is a book to read twice, and I will possibly change my rating if I read it a second time.

📚 Read if you enjoy open-ended mysteries and are interested in a city-scale one.

The city we became

N.K. Jemisin

Have you ever thought of cities as living entities? The back and forth of humans acting as blood cells, the daily rhythm as heartbeat?

In this book, New York wakes up. However, it doesn't go exactly as planned: Another city does not want New York to exist, and starts a battle of metropolitan scale. Each neighborhood, Manhattan, Brooklyn, The Bronx, Queens, and Staten Island, must now also take human form to defend a city that they love (and hate) dearly.

I found the concept interesting, and was very much looking forward to reading this book. And I think those of you who enjoy over-the-top and chaotic stories, with a sprinkle of social justice on top, will absolutely love it. For me, however, it was a bit frustrating that the concept is only superficially explored (and there was just too much swearing 🫣). Bonus tho, the book contains the Navier-Stokes equations (for some reason).

📚 Read if you want to get to know New York City, personally.

The Colonel and the Eunuch

Mai Jia

In Shuangjiacun, the "Twin Village", there is a very enigmatic man. Some people respect him immensely, and call him the Colonel. Some people despise him, and call him the Eunuch. But what could this mysterious man have possibly done to deserve such treatments?

The narrator investigates this mystery as he grows up, showing the perception of the story from three life phases: the naive childhood, the rebellious adolescence, and the nuanced adulthood. Hearing story after story, he unravels the life of the fascinating man, fatally tangled with the history of China.

I loved the three layers of interpretation, i think this is a great way to tell historical fiction. Here in particular because it was also aligned with the larger sentiments in the country. And as the author worked for Chinese intelligence services, there are some interesting insights as well. However, i found the book a bit too slow for my taste, especially as some of the mysteries didn't quite hook me.

📚 Read if you want a rural perspective on the recent history of China, in particular the Japanese invasion and the cultural revolution.

Crooked Plow

Itamar Vieira Junior

Grandma finally left for a walk in the woods: It is time! The two sisters, Bibiana and Belonísia, possessed by the infinite curiosity of youth, quickly run into grandma's room to open the treasure she keeps hidden under her bed. But they will find much more in the old suitcase: they will find their heritage and their destiny.

Crooked Plow is a coming-of-age story, of two sisters on a Brazilian fazenda in the Bahía region, who discover what it means to become a woman, and, crucially, what it means to be black. And, in that path, unravel the meaning of freedom.

I really enjoyed this book! I found it so beautifully written, with a sprinkle of magic. I found the theme was well tackled, portraying the cycles of suffering and injustice black folks in Brazil went through. I also really loved the characters, who they are but also what they represent.

📚 Read if you are interested in Afro-Brazilian history. Read if sisterhood means everything to you.

Dig

A. S. King

Marla and Gottfried have 10 millions on their bank account. Because they believe in the wisdom of struggle, they did not pass on any of that money to their children. This is the story of their estranged grandchildren, growing up as white kids in Pennsylvania. And this is the story of the ghost haunting them.

I have rarely enjoyed a book that much. It's deeply and disturbingly humane. I found the characters nuanced, endearing, and very well written, they made me remember how it feels to be a teenager (for better and for worse). And again, a book that feels like a riddle to solve.

Finally, let's just say you'll hope for resurrection on Easter.

📚 Read if you want a page turner about white privilege.

Dune

Frank Herbert

Dune is about the battle for the planet Arrakis, host of the precious Spice.

It's quite a unique Sci-Fi story because it takes a much more emotional angle (not that common in the 60s!). I also particularly enjoyed the arc on the manufacture of religion, much stronger than in the movies.

The last part of the book is a bit more strategy-focused, but still a nice read overall.

📚 Read if you want sci-fi with interesting characters.

The Fellowship of the Ring

J.R.R. Tolkien

We all know the story by now, Frodo and a bunch of friends go into a very lengthy hike to destroy a precious ring.

I had tried to read this book as a child and did not managed. I tried again now and simply could not put it down.

If you are used to fast-paced books and tight stories, this can seem quite slow. But somehow, to me, it made it feel very real, as if someone (Frodo) would really be writing their own story as it progresses. Slow phases are slow, fast phases are fast.

📚 Read if you want to see where Fantasy started.

The Fifth Season

N. K. Jemisin

You are a mother, and your son has been murdered. You feel a rage so deep it shakes the earth. You have contained your powers and hidden in shame for too long. Today, they will see exactly what you are capable of. Today, they will see what happens when the world truly ends.

The Fifth Season tells three stories, intertwined with each other, painting a world where magic is controlled and harnessed. If you like books with a lot of creativity, intrigue, and that feel like a riddle to solve, you will have a blast.

The only thing i sometimes didn't like is how some scenes came a bit out of nowhere, like the author tried to fit too many things in, but it's still a must read kind of book to me.

The narrator writes directly to you, which makes certain parts of the book particularly powerful, and i really enjoyed it.

📚 Read if you want strong (as hell) and angry characters.

Homeless

Liyana Dhamirah

There are homeless people in Singapore. Liyana explains her struggle, as a 22 years old homeless pregnant woman, living in a tent in Sembawang Park, and how she forced her way through unlucky situations to become an entrepreneur. It's a story of resilience, friendships, and kindness, but also a different outlook on "crazy rich Singapore".

Overall, it's a very interesting (real) story about wealth inequalities and social support in Singapore, but also the culture of the Singapore Malay community. After wondering about these topics for a little while now, it was interesting to get an insider perspective.

The writing is not the most magnificent, but it's a quick and "to-the-point" read, so definitely recommend if you are curious about these topics.

If you care about gender equality, this book will give you a lot of reasons to get upset, so be prepared for the ride.

📚 Read if you want to understand how it feels to be homeless in crazy rich Singapore.

Hour of the Star

Clarice Lispector

The narrator is trying to put words together to tell us about a girl. She's a girl like thousands of other girls in Rio, invisible, insignificant, too poor for her life to matter in the grand scheme (or system) of things. But why is she like this, why is she not trying to be different? She annoys him, but why?

And who is he to write about her? To understand her, to convey her, to explain her, he needs to find who he his and why his words should have the power (or the duty?) to portrait her.

Hour of the Star is a novella of ruminations on identity, poverty, and the art (or deep honesty) of writing. I found it absolutely gorgeous, touching, (and heart breaking, oh, so heart breaking). I also enjoyed the subtle hints (intentional or not, i'll never know, but let me thrive in confirmation bias) that the mind is equal to the body.

If you like well constructed and explicit books, this might not be for you. This is more of a crazy and poetic invitation to questions. In particular, the constant self-reflection of the narrator telling the story of this girl is immensely precious (especially for the final scene, but I won't spoil!).

📚 Read if you want to witness a transparent and honest quest for oneself, within, but also in relation to others. Or if you want to question what poverty does to identity.

The house of doors

Tan Twan Eng

When I went to Malaysia, I was craving books with human characters, humans with their nuances and dissonances, and this book gave me quite a bit of this. Beautifully written too.

It's set in the early 1900s, following the life of a British woman in Penang, as she experiences the limits of her righteousness, in the midst of the 1911 Chinese revolution and a murder trial.

The book also challenges the racist, sexist, or homophobic common stances at the time. And some beautiful excerpts on doors with history. I cried a lot.

As i was reading the book, i was wondering how it may feel to a Malaysian writer to write such realistic racist characters…

📚 Read if you are interested in the history of Malaysia.

The House of the Spirits

Isabel Allende

There is something special about Clara. Besides her constant absent-mindedness, she seems to be communicating with spirits. "But this will pass," Nana says, "as soon as she starts growing up."

The book traces the story of four generations of a Chilean family, blending magical realism and historical fiction. I absolutely loved it, so much so that I can't detail everything I liked about the book, only a few main points.

The book offers a fairly thorough portrayal of recent Chilean history. Isabel Allende was a journalist, and it shows in the detailed way she writes about key events. She was also part of President Allende's family, which gives the whole book an extra emotional depth.

Moreover, I found the transition and contrast between a magical, childlike world full of floating tables, green-haired mermaids, and friendly spirits, and a world of armed political conflict, atrocious consequences, and deep pain, to be very well executed.

Finally, Isabel Allende emphasizes the role of women as both historytellers and key bearers of resistance, in a subtle yet powerful way.

📚 Read if you enjoy multigenerational stories that help you understand today's world, with a sprinkle of magic dust ✨

How do you live?

Genzaburo Yoshino

Copper is a 15-yo Japanese boy, second shortest in his class, gets good grades, and has very good friendships.

The book interleaves Copper's life experiences (a theory of humans as particles, a naive adoration for Napoleon, an unforgivable mistake) with his uncle's diary of learnings, reconnecting these experiences to science, history, and philosophy.

It's an interesting read, it helped me understand Japanese culture a bit more, and i can imagine the extra importance of this text at the time of writing (1937). A lot of it is wholesome and the writing is very playful which i liked.

I found it a bit too simplistic at times, but i guess that also makes sense granted the main character is so young.

📚 Read if you want a scientific and philosophical view on growing up.

In the time of the butterflies

Julia Alvarez

The journalist takes one last turn past the old tree and arrives at Dédé's house. Dédé takes a deep breath. Once again, she will have to tell the story of her revolutionary sisters, the Mariposas. Once again, she will have to explain to the world, and to herself, why she is the only one who survived.

The author sequentially gives a voice to each of the four Mirabal sisters — Dédé, Minerva, Patria, and Mate — heroes of the revolution in the Dominican Republic. The book is very well researched and describes the sisters' lives up to their tragic fate in the fight against the dictator Trujillo.

I found the book very touching, as the author gave each sister a very personal voice, making her easy to relate to: heartbreaks, sisterly quarrels, a search for meaning. Rather than being portrayed as purely heroic figures, they are presented as everyday women facing struggles that all women can relate to. This also means that the book becomes extra painful as the history unfolds.

📚 Read if you seek empowered female characters who hold true to their principles.

Intermezzo

Sally Rooney

Peter, the beauty, and Ivan, the brains, attend their dad's funeral. Everything seems to oppose the two siblings. Peter, popular and charming, goes through life on weed power, and his chapters are made of words rather than sentences. Ivan, the chess prodigy, thinks deeply about everything, a self-conscious human desperate for normality, and his chapters are analytical and dissecting.

The book follows their going through grief. The thing about grief is that everything feels suddenly too intense and can only be digested bit by bit. As Ivan and Peter try to make sense of something that doesn't, the nuances of their personalities are revealed. It's a deep dive into their brains, into their feelings, as intimate or un-noble as they may be.

And as they find similarities, and connection, the writing styles also seem to converge.

It took me a while to get there, as I struggled through the first chapter, but the book definitely snatched my heart. The author is insanely good at writing characters. I felt naked the whole way through, as if the author understood exactly how it feels to be human and grieving (a bit too much! I felt read rather than reading!).

Bonus: The story also touches on what it means to be a man in today's world, and I think it handles this complex topic quite elegantly. It's also about how love (intentional and accidental) helps heal from grief. And finally, there are some interesting bits on embodied cognition.

📚 Read if you enjoy stories about rebuilding relationships.

Julia

Sandra Newman

A modern female perspective on George Orwell's nineteen eighty-four. Relive the dystopian tale from the perspective of the Julia character, trying to make sense of a world that doesn't.

The depiction of the surveillance regime and its impact on people (especially women) is very well done and never ceases to be relevant.

I quite liked the arc about Julia's sexual liberation in a world where sex is a crime, but also how fantasies she believes to be her own are controlled and manufactured.

Overall, i really enjoyed the book. I found the author to be very good with timing, playing with my feelings easily, and i loved her witty writing.

📚 Read if you want a female perspective on nineteen eighty-four.

La horde du contrevent

Alain Damasio

I had wanted to read this book for 5 years, and was not to sure how to feel after finally reading it!

This books is the story of a Horde, walking for decades against the wind, to find its origin. The story is told from the perspective of the horde rather than singular characters, making the storytelling quite unique.

There's a lot that I loved about it: the psychological aspects or going through something as physically demanding as walking against the wind for decades, the question of how one defines their own life goals and the question of when perseverance is a strength or a curse.

But I felt the book didn't age well, especially regarding how male and female characters are treated.

📚 Read if you want a crazy demonstration of perseverance.

Light from uncommon stars

Ryka Aoki

Katrina, a young trans musician, mingles with aliens and The Devil on her path to greatness.

Chaotic, fun, touching, full of empowered characters, I really had a great time with this one. Extra points as it was my frist time reading a mix of sci-fi and fantasy.

📚 Read if you are looking for utter wholesome chaos.

The mountains sing

Phan Quế Mai Nguyễn

This story is a multi-generational exploration of Vietnam's history. Diệu Lan comes from a wealthy family in Northern Vietnam, and explains her survival of the great hunger and the land reform's violent redistribution of wealth. Hương, her grand daughter, tells her waiting for her loved ones fighting in the war, the guilt and the pain of those who come back, and the implications of the reunification between North and South Vietnam.

It's a very powerful and painful read as it's the story of a country stained with blood, where 7 million tons of bomb were dropped, and still poisoned by Agent Orange four generations later.

The generational storytelling is very well suited for this story, as you see Diệu Lan fighting for her children's survival, while you know they will be sent to war a few years later.

It's also a story about kindness, love, and forgiveness, which honestly is very well needed as this is such a tough read.

📚 Read if you are curious about the history of Vietnam.

The motorcycle diaries

Ernesto "Che" Guevara

In the early 1950s, Ernesto Guevara and Alberto Granado embarked on a six-month motorcycle journey through South America. This diary shows the transformation of a young and innocent Ernesto, fueled by love and booze, into a socially aware, soon-to-be revolutionary man: Che Guevara.

I found this book an important, or even necessary, read. Besides providing an interesting overview of the various ways of living in South America — and importantly of the poorer corners of the continent — it also pokes a deep hole into our daily reflections: Are we doing enough? Are our lives really making the world a better place? Working in education, I ask myself: Are we mostly helping students who are already thriving, or are we changing the system to give everybody a chance?

One aspect I found a bit uncomfortable about the book, and worth reflecting upon: Ernesto and Alberto often rely on the generosity of those they meet (sometimes even using borderline tricks) to finance their trip and food. However, they are both of middle-class origin, and when things go south, they can and do end up buying a plane ticket to end their adventure and return to their lives. I think this is worth noting: while one can live in poor environments and live like the poor, there is still a huge difference between those who have a safety net and those who don't.

📚 Read if you are questioning the meaning of your life and want to shake up your thinking a bit. Read if you are interested in a mind-travel through South America. Read if you want to learn what makes a revolutionary.

Nod

Adrian Barnes

From one day to the next, everybody on planet Earth finds themselves unable to sleep, except for a few thousands. The book explores the decline of human minds, day after day, sleepless night after sleepless night, as a deep dive into human nature, especially its ugly angles.

It's an insolent book, but when someone unapologetically transcribes their brain on paper, the only thing we can do is witness and be grateful. And in that sense, this book is precious. It is also a disturbing premonition of the author's end of life. And it fantasizes about the deconstruction of capitalism in interesting and touching ways.

However, if you are looking for a book with resolution, this is not the one. The book explores its concept in depth, but no convincing explanation is provided. And sometimes, it felt a bit too confusing for me.

📚 Read it if you're angry and want to see the world burn (or painted yellow).

Norwegian wood

Haruki Murakami

Norwegian wood is a moody book about a boy turning 20, trying to understand love, sex, and death. And ultimately growing up. While i found parts of it well done (e.g. depiction of mental illness), i don't think i'd recommend it.

On the positive, i found it to be a very true book about what breaks a brain, the sneaky and slow way, or the sharp and deep way, about how hurt people hurt people (in so many ways), about how love feels conditional on healing, and how scary it is to need people when all you can do is be alone.

But it really felt like a story narrated by a secondary character, a character so empty that others crave to fill him with stories. The only notable thing about him might be that he is turning 20.

📚 Read if you are interested in how love and mental illness can co-exist.

The naked don't fear the water

Matthieu Aikins

A book with a beautiful title, about the real story of Omar, a migrant fleeing Afghanistan.

I loved how the story mixes with history and discussions on the evolution of what it means to be a migrant and a refugee. And the societal and philosophical implications of related laws and policies. And the power of one photograph.

Note: it does feel a bit icky at times as the narrator (the journalist) is not the main character (the afghan migrant), making some of the intentions feel disingenuous (e.g. hoping Omar takes a more dangerous route because it's more interesting to write about). Gets better in the second half.

Still recommend warmly because it's very insightful and beautifully written.

📚 Read if you are interested in a real story about fleeing Afghanistan.

The name of the wind

Patrick Rothfuss

Kvothe tells the story of his teenager years, the chronicles of a sassy young man seeking the name of the wind. Because names are powerful.

It's a touching, deep, wholesome, funny at times, and magical story. Definitely one of the best fantasy books i have read, the passion and brilliance of the author are tangible. It's full of crazy imagination intertwined with a sprinkle of science.

📚 Read if you like prodigy kind of journeys.

Our share of night

Mariana Enriquez

Juan is a tall, blond, sick and scarred single-father with a dark secret. Before sickness takes him, he has only one wish: Protect his son from the darkness. Whatever it costs…

I had very oscillating feelings about this book: sometimes i was hooked, sometimes i was bored; sometimes i found the writing well executed, sometimes it made me cringe. I really enjoyed the order the author picked to progressively reveal information, going back and forth in time and giving voice to different characters. But the book sometimes felt more like it was written for teenagers or young adults, but also quite inappropriate in terms of topics touched upon…

Initially, I wanted to read it for two reasons: ☝️ I love horror, ✌️ it's set in Argentina. But ☝️ it didn't feel like a horror book (the scenes supposedly scary are too absurd and random for me and thus not believable), and ✌️ it is very loosely related to Argentinian history so I didn't learn much about Argentina either. These disappointments probably stained my perception of the book overall.

Finally, and this is usually a make or break for me, I didn't like much how the characters were written, I didn't find them believable, and was a bit frustrated by their lack of communication skills.

📚 Read if you want some disturbing family drama set in Argentina.

Pachinko

Min Jin Lee

Pachinko is a book about four generations of a Korean family through the 20th century, and specifically how it feels to be a Korean immigrant in Japan.

I loved this book deeply, it's full of touching characters and rich stories, and it gave me laughs and tears (but mostly tears).

It's a book about not having a home, about racism (and benevolent racism), about what stories are worth telling, and about family love and duties.

📚 Just read it.

Piranesi

Susanna Clarke

This is the story of Piranesi, exploring the maze he lives in, and carefully, scientifically, taking note about what he observes and learns about. He reports the number of doors, the number of corridors, the number of skeletons, and also the activity of the mysterious Other.

It's a beautiful and intimate journey into the author's imagination, a very unique read that i keep thinking about and get inspired by.

If you know these books, it has some resemblance to The slow regard of silent things, the poetic and tender discovery of a universe that you can never fully grasp, as well as some Lovecraft-like tones, the question of what is real and what is not and why.

📚 Read if you want to break your brain a bit.

Prophet

Helen Macdonald & Sin Blaché

An imperfect diner suddenly appears in the middle of nowhere, and Rao, a truth-teller, and Adam, a perfect soldier, are asked to investigate.

This book is two things merged together for no reason whatsoever:

- a sweet love story between two vastly oblivious characters, healing each other

- some sci-fi reflections on military, and thus weaponized, drugs against ptsd

It's witty, funny and absurd at times. A very strong opening, a strong ending, but a weaker core as the two threads are conflicting a bit.

📚 Read if you want one of these strong love stories.

Red Mars

Kim Stanley Robinson

What if humanity (or at least part of it) were given a blank slate to start all over again? A very red, very dusty, and very rocky blank slate — but still, an opportunity to begin anew.

Red Mars describes the journey of a hundred humans determined to establish a colony on a cold new world far away from home. This book is as much an engineer's guide to the galaxy as it is a reflection on human nature, immigration, and what life is worth.

Overall, I really enjoyed the book. I truly felt like I was on Mars myself (I read it in the Atacama Desert, which probably contributed to that feeling). I also greatly appreciated that the author explores the question of colonizing and terraforming Mars from many different perspectives — scientific, social, economic, cultural, and more. I was fascinated by many of these aspects and in awe of the amount of research that went into creating this book.

One downside is that the characters sometimes feel a bit like caricatures. At times I didn't mind, as it gave me hints of social issues to reflect on without spoon-feeding me solutions. But occasionally, I did find myself wishing death upon some particularly shallow characters. If that's a pet peeve of yours, you might struggle with this.

One note: I read the Kindle edition containing the full trilogy, and it includes several spelling mistakes and missing words, which was disappointing.

📚 Read this if you want to feel like you're on Mars, trying to make it a home. Or read it if you sometimes wonder how things might unfold if we were given a second chance.

Red Sorghum

Mo Yan

It's the story of a field of Sorghum in the Gaomi region, shades of gold, green and red under the blue sky. The field is the witness, of love, of violence, and of history. The field tells the story of the Japanese invasion and the civil war in China. The field tells the cruelty of men and dogs, intertwined by fate.

I loved this book so much, it's beautiful and incredibly well written, with careful attention to photography. It also helped me understand that part of history much better. It's a difficult read: it goes into great details when describing violence, so don't read if this kind of stuff doesn't sit right with you.

Interestingly, as the narrator tells the story of his grandparents, the only stories that are told are the ones that were witnessed. This adds an interesting aspect to the storytelling, making everything more real.

📚 Read if you are interested in the history of China, or if you want to read a masterpiece.

The pursuit of love

Nancy Mitford

The bizarre story of a English upper-class family, following dramas of the mind and the heart. The book came out in 1945, and might have felt like a relief back then, but it's not really my cup of tea.

📚 Read if you want drama.

The shadow of the wind

Carlos Ruis Zafón

The shadow of the wind is tenderness made of words. It's a coming-of-age story, guided by books (relatable).

It makes you think about the moments that defined your life, that make your story. Not the big steps and the big decisions, just the precious connections and heart breaks that shaped how you feel.

It's cheeky and tender, with beautiful wholesome characters.

📚 Read if you want a tender and slightly whimsical coming-of-age story.

The stolen bicycle

Wu Ming-Yi

The narrator loosely describes the disappearance of his father, and the bicycle he left behind. The story reads like a long chain of thoughts, navigating from one scene to the next without warning, which can be a bit disconcerting if you like well structured books. That being said, you'll learn about butterfly collages, about war elephants, and way more about bicycles than you'd ever ask for.

I really enjoyed the slow, disconnected, and somewhat meditative storytelling. Also the honest humane relationships. this book is full of characters sharing their stories and vulnerabilities with strangers, and it's quite pretty.

There's also a lot about the history of bicycles, as modern objects, status symbols, or war vehicles, which is somewhat interesting although i didn't manage to get very hooked by that part of the book.

📚 Read if you want a meditative ride that also looks gorgeous on your bookshelf.

Tomorrow, and tomorrow, and tomorrow

Gabrielle Zevin

When Sadie and Sam first played Super Mario together, they realized that they might have just met someone truly special.

Some things in life happen only once. Meeting someone whose creativity fits yours so well that you both feel seen and inspired, this is one such thing. "Tomorrow, and tomorrow, and tomorrow" is about the beauty, the intensity, and the uniqueness of a creative relationship. And it is a love letter to game design.

As someone who loves everything video games (playing them, talking about them, designing them, programming them, sharing them,...), i was both excited and terrified when starting the book. But as soon as I started, I found it captured this love for games and their design so well: I could feel the excitement of coming up with a unique mechanics idea, of designing stories and interaction that make people f e e l, of sharing this process with someone as excited as you are.

As a woman in a field that is mostly made of men, I particularly enjoyed how Sadie's feelings, interactions, and driving forces were described, as well as some of the difficult choices she had to make.

As a child from the 90s, this book took me back and made me feel so much child-like excitement, that i am grateful.

All in all, this book felt precious to me, and I am very happy it exists.

I just want to mention one aspect as it might infuriate some of you: This is one of those books where you'll end up SCREAMING at the characters to make them TALK with each other. (But if you put it in the context of the 90s, it also makes sense)

📚 Read if you are interested in game design and the powerful relationships that shape one's life.

The vegetarian

Han Kang

Mr Cheong, who thrives in the comfort of an unexciting life, decided to pick an obedient wife: Yeong-hye. As such, he is left deeply shocked when his quiet and servile companion makes the extreme decision to become vegetarian. His wife turns out to have opinions and desires of her own, as well as struggles and pains. His wife turns out to be deeply human. And he simply cannot take it.

The book draws the portrait of Yeong-hye through three gazes, getting progressively closer: her husband's, her brother-in-law's, and her sister's. You, and the characters, get very little insight into her actual thoughts, yet it's so easy to understand her. They all look at her attempt to turn from an animal to a tree.

I found this storytelling super interesting. Because the characters don't get her at all, they're so confused, but as the reader, it's so easy to understand her. It's like you witness an obvious situation, that people struggle to grasp, and you feel Yeong-hye's isolation, and how they are pushing her away.

Overall, it's a very artistic book about mental illness, some aspects are very beautiful (in the dark sense) and so well executed. But it also felt very cruel sometimes, a bit too much.

📚 Read if you could enjoy a crazy and somewhat artistic take on mental illness.

Ways to escape one's former country

Baltensperger + Siepert

18 stories of migrants' journeys into Switzerland. Not romanticised, not dramatised, just real stories.

📚 Read if you want a transparent description of what it means to espace to Switzerland.

Wednesday's child

Yiyun Li

This book is a collection of short stories about sadness, and, consequently, death, brutal or slow, imposed or chosen. It's a difficult book, because the writing is too good to read and not feel.

An example of storytelling i liked:

A grandma who is a bit poor goes to a garden sale and finds an ice cream maker in the shape of a soccer ball, for 2$, original packaging.

She buys it for her twin grandkids.

When they receive it, the twins' parents say thank you for the present, but that the money was unnecessary.

The grandma asks "what money?"

Apparently there was a card and a 100$ bill in the ice cream maker package.

The paragraph tells that story. But it also tells the story of the original person who gifted that present and put heart (and money) into it for it to never be opened.

📚 Read if you are trying to understand where sadness comes from (but warning again: this is a tough read).

Whisper

Chang Yu-Ko

It's just a little girl, whispering broken taiwanese words into your ear. But her voice is the last thing you'll hear before she rips your life out and finds her next victim. What does Minako want? How to end her anger?

I love horror, especially when it comes from the East, so i had very high expectations. But in the end, it's a very classic plot: voices and visions of dead children, the protagonists investigating the cause of their death to free them and end the curse. All of this intertwined with Taiwanese folklore tales.

I think in the end it didn't come together quite well. The human characters are ugly people, and I guess it's a bit difficult to write a ghost that's actually scary when the humans are already so terrifying. There is also a (brave) redemption arc for the main character, but he is so awful that it's tough to root for him. That being said, I couldn't drop the book, so something did work!

Finally, depends on what you are looking for, but know that there is no resolution, so maybe only read it if you like open horror stories.

(The pages are so soft!)

📚 Read if you like horror and Taiwanese folklore.

Welcome to the Hyunam-Dong Bookshop

Hwang Bo-Reum

After her burn out, Yeongju decides to open a bookshop. She puts a lot of love and care in building this space, but also the business around it. Throughout the book, the bookshop becomes the refuge for various characters, and hosts their reflections on life, but also on the strongly work-focused Korean culture.

I didn't enjoy this book much, I felt the characters were lacking personality, and the conversations were a bit too empty or simplistic for my taste.

📚 Read if you want to open a bookshop because the process is described in great details.

Zone

Mathias Énard

Francis Servain Mirković, a former intelligence agent, takes the train from Milano to Rome. For 515 kilometers, he lets his mind wander. Kilometer after kilometer, page after page, the landscapes revive old memories from the "Zone," this mediterranean area marked with centuries of deeply rooted conflicts. A literary train of thoughts if you will.

Technically, this is an absolute masterpiece. It's a 515-page long sentence aligned with the kilometers between Milano and Rome, which is already impressive per se. Also, the author has a thorough understanding of the history of this area, and shares real stories embodied by various characters.

To me, it's also a very impressive dive into what war does to a human mind, deeply honest and touching as you spend these 515 pages in the turmoil that is Francis' mind. On a more personal note, this book was very important to me as it helped me understand my family's history much better.

I just removed one star because, as someone with only little knowledge of history, i felt lost at times. But i still enjoyed the ride (haha) thoroughly.

📚 Read if you want to get a better understanding of the balkan war and the history of Palestine, and navigate through a unique literary experience.