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aishaayoosh's reviews
127 reviews
Daisy Jones & The Six by Taylor Jenkins Reid
4.0
What immediately strikes you is how well the documentary writing style of this book works.
It bounces from thoughts and narratives of each member of the band, everyone battling with their own daemons in a world full of excess and debauchery.
The concept is so interesting, I almost thought the band was real and this was about real people.
That said, I wasn’t quite as enamoured as most people are about this book to give it 5 stars, but it was effortless entertainment!!
It’s different, fun, fast paced, empowering.....
Pure escapism!!
It bounces from thoughts and narratives of each member of the band, everyone battling with their own daemons in a world full of excess and debauchery.
The concept is so interesting, I almost thought the band was real and this was about real people.
That said, I wasn’t quite as enamoured as most people are about this book to give it 5 stars, but it was effortless entertainment!!
It’s different, fun, fast paced, empowering.....
Pure escapism!!
House of Stone by Novuyo Rosa Tshuma
5.0
Following in the footsteps of the likes of Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie comes Novuyo’s debut novel and I love it!
Clever, ambitious and a very unusual approach to a historical fiction that leaves you so impressed!
“The wordplay and absurdist plot lines act as comic relief, but the author never lets us forget the serious stuff even for a minute, and it is this balance that makes the book work. By the end she has managed to not only sum up Zimbabwean history, but also all of African colonial history: from devastating colonialism to the bitter wars of independence to the euphoria of self-rule and the disillusionment of the present. It is an extraordinary achievement for a first novel.” Helen Habila.
^^^She summed it up!
If you want to know more about Zimbabwe’s complex and tragic history, especially from the view point of the Ndebele people....this is your book!!
Clever, ambitious and a very unusual approach to a historical fiction that leaves you so impressed!
“The wordplay and absurdist plot lines act as comic relief, but the author never lets us forget the serious stuff even for a minute, and it is this balance that makes the book work. By the end she has managed to not only sum up Zimbabwean history, but also all of African colonial history: from devastating colonialism to the bitter wars of independence to the euphoria of self-rule and the disillusionment of the present. It is an extraordinary achievement for a first novel.” Helen Habila.
^^^She summed it up!
If you want to know more about Zimbabwe’s complex and tragic history, especially from the view point of the Ndebele people....this is your book!!
The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt
3.0
A page turner yet underwhelming ....
Great writing but very convoluted....
Two hundred pages too long and overhyped!!
Great writing but very convoluted....
Two hundred pages too long and overhyped!!
Think And Grow Rich by Timothy Joseph Meagher, Napoleon Hill
2.0
This book is definitely written in archaic language that makes hard reading.
It’s a little difficult to relate to at times because the references and illustrations are so old and this is when it gets very loquacious.
Be warned it’s extremely sexist, but get past that and there are some good ideas.
Saying that, there are other books on the subject of success and self-development with the same ideas that read better.
All highlights I found interesting are shared ...enjoy :)
It’s a little difficult to relate to at times because the references and illustrations are so old and this is when it gets very loquacious.
Be warned it’s extremely sexist, but get past that and there are some good ideas.
Saying that, there are other books on the subject of success and self-development with the same ideas that read better.
All highlights I found interesting are shared ...enjoy :)
The Architect's Apprentice by Elif Shafak
5.0
I absolutely loved “40 rules of love” and decided to chance another Élif Shafak novel. I’m not sure which one I prefer, I’m in love with both!!!
She writes a true story weaved into fiction of a Turkish architect & his apprentice, well known for his glorious creations; Mimar Sinan. As gifted as Michelangelo, but not widely known because such is the bias of art history.
Plot-rich and character-driven, the novel is deliberately archaic, stemming as if from a rich body of Turkish folk literature. And like all good folk stories, it conveys deeper meanings about human experience. Contradiction is not only a motif in the plot, it’s at the heart of the book itself.
Beneath the facade of coming across as a simple novel, The Architect’s Apprentice explores issues of power and bigotry, creativity and freedom, but its overarching theme is love. The love of learning and learning about love
She writes a true story weaved into fiction of a Turkish architect & his apprentice, well known for his glorious creations; Mimar Sinan. As gifted as Michelangelo, but not widely known because such is the bias of art history.
Plot-rich and character-driven, the novel is deliberately archaic, stemming as if from a rich body of Turkish folk literature. And like all good folk stories, it conveys deeper meanings about human experience. Contradiction is not only a motif in the plot, it’s at the heart of the book itself.
Beneath the facade of coming across as a simple novel, The Architect’s Apprentice explores issues of power and bigotry, creativity and freedom, but its overarching theme is love. The love of learning and learning about love
Atomic Habits: An Easy & Proven Way to Build Good Habits & Break Bad Ones by James Clear
5.0
“The only way to become excellent is to be endlessly fascinated by doing the same thing over and over. You have to fall in love with boredom”
I was reading this whilst I’m studying (& also in full time work), to give me a kick up the arse really!
It’s what we already know but it helps to read it and bring it to the forefront of your mind.
Going through this book before I went to bed, knowing I had to be up at 5am and hit revision. I was pumped!! I was in my bubble...phone off..social life relatively out (say yes at times because you need reward)...saying no no no (believe me this has caused disappointments, but the people who understand will stand by you so don’t worry about those that cause ruckus in your life!).
There are times in your life where a real focus is required and this book helped through that.
Focus on a system that works indefinitely...I now find myself waking up at 6am (maybe not 5am..work in progress) on autopilot with no alarms! It’s bliss! Implementation of this works for whatever you want it to!! It can be life changing.
Highly recommend for anyone who needs a kick up the back side to get their shit together
I was reading this whilst I’m studying (& also in full time work), to give me a kick up the arse really!
It’s what we already know but it helps to read it and bring it to the forefront of your mind.
Going through this book before I went to bed, knowing I had to be up at 5am and hit revision. I was pumped!! I was in my bubble...phone off..social life relatively out (say yes at times because you need reward)...saying no no no (believe me this has caused disappointments, but the people who understand will stand by you so don’t worry about those that cause ruckus in your life!).
There are times in your life where a real focus is required and this book helped through that.
Focus on a system that works indefinitely...I now find myself waking up at 6am (maybe not 5am..work in progress) on autopilot with no alarms! It’s bliss! Implementation of this works for whatever you want it to!! It can be life changing.
Highly recommend for anyone who needs a kick up the back side to get their shit together
Mornings in Jenin by Susan Abulhawa
5.0
Mornings In Jenin is an emotional rollercoaster.
I don’t really know how to review this book. I’ve just put it down and it’s moved a lot in me. I’m angry, frustrated, sad, pissed off....
Will there ever be hope for the Palestinian people??!
How long until it ends?! Will Israel never stop?? The refugees of the holocaust became the aggressors of people who welcomed them into their homes, their land, their way of life??!
For lack of better words ...I’m fucking triggered!!!
#FreePalestine
I don’t really know how to review this book. I’ve just put it down and it’s moved a lot in me. I’m angry, frustrated, sad, pissed off....
Will there ever be hope for the Palestinian people??!
How long until it ends?! Will Israel never stop?? The refugees of the holocaust became the aggressors of people who welcomed them into their homes, their land, their way of life??!
For lack of better words ...I’m fucking triggered!!!
#FreePalestine
Letters of a Businessman to His Son by G. Kingsley Ward
5.0
Third time I’ve read this!! I cling to this book with all
my heart. I lost my first copy and searched everywhere for a second one, because I hear my dads voice when I read it. He delivered the same... spoke the same... Legend!
my heart. I lost my first copy and searched everywhere for a second one, because I hear my dads voice when I read it. He delivered the same... spoke the same... Legend!
The Unlikely Adventures of the Shergill Sisters by Balli Kaur Jaswal
5.0
Book Mail by Shelter Box Book club.
To be honest I wasn’t expecting to like this one ... but it surprised me. I like a book that turns out to be such a light, easy read with so much adventure, fun, culture and drama
To be honest I wasn’t expecting to like this one ... but it surprised me. I like a book that turns out to be such a light, easy read with so much adventure, fun, culture and drama
The Boy At the Back of the Class by Onjali Q. Raúf
5.0
This book centres on one of the huge global issues of our time: the refugee crisis. It does so with enormous sensitivity and even humour.
The author tackles people’s attitudes toward refugees throughout the book. This is mostly done via children relaying and querying what they have heard adults saying to them.
It is this questioning, and the conversations that follow, that the book brings to light the many views and opinions in society on this issue.
The children in this book trying to help Ahmet (the refugee boy) find his family have a very strong sense of empathy and upstanding moral upbringing.
The children raise difficult questions to their parents and adults around them, which in turn as a reader makes you put those questions to yourself to form your own opinions.
For me it plainly stands out how important it is for parents & adults alike to nurture this in our children & family youngsters, guide them the best way we can towards kindness, love and standing up for what is right!
This book’s greatest strength is how it opens up conversations instead of shutting them down. The Boy at the Back of the Class is not only a well-written book that begs the reader to keep reading, but also one that opens up a dialogue that we need to be having with our young people!!
The author tackles people’s attitudes toward refugees throughout the book. This is mostly done via children relaying and querying what they have heard adults saying to them.
It is this questioning, and the conversations that follow, that the book brings to light the many views and opinions in society on this issue.
The children in this book trying to help Ahmet (the refugee boy) find his family have a very strong sense of empathy and upstanding moral upbringing.
The children raise difficult questions to their parents and adults around them, which in turn as a reader makes you put those questions to yourself to form your own opinions.
For me it plainly stands out how important it is for parents & adults alike to nurture this in our children & family youngsters, guide them the best way we can towards kindness, love and standing up for what is right!
This book’s greatest strength is how it opens up conversations instead of shutting them down. The Boy at the Back of the Class is not only a well-written book that begs the reader to keep reading, but also one that opens up a dialogue that we need to be having with our young people!!