#taglinemode

Born A Crime, Stories from a South African Childhood | Trevor Noah | ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Synopsis: Trevor Noah is a boy of mixed heritage born during the end of South Africa's Apartheid. In this memoir, he recounts tales of navigating racism and social identity with his very unique situation. Being born of a white man and a black woman, his life was proof that a serious crime had been committed under Apartheid's ruthless law.

My thoughts: I was introduced to Trevor Noah, like a majority of his American audience, shortly before his take over of the Daily Show. I had never really been a big fan of the Daily show in the past, but it was one of those things that I added to my weekly media diet after Trevor. Trevor Noah is a charming, ruefully goofy comic who's tactful wit and natural charisma never cease to get a smile or a chuckle out of me.

If you've seen some of his stand-up specials, some of these stories will come as no surprise to you. There are familiar tales of his dog Fufi, and of his mother being shot. If you have never heard of Trever Noah before this, you are in for some of the wildest tales of your life.

Dark Rise | C.S. Pacat | ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Pacat's new tagline is "books about bisexual disasters by a bisexual disaster" and I'm absolutely living for that statement, FYI.

Synopsis: Victorian, London. In a time before recorded history, an ancient evil was sealed away by the final bastion of good. Now in modern times, the evil threatens to rise again and destroy all. What roles do our heroes play in this tale? Are they doomed to repeat their pasts, or will a new happiness emerge as roles begin to change.

Cemetery Boys | Aiden Thomas | ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

-- One of My Picks for the Book of the Year for 2021

Happy Belated day of the dead! Unfortunately on the real day of the dead, I was slaving away at work. I did leave a couple shots of good bourbon and a candle out for my ancestors, though!

Synopsis: Born to a conservative Latine family, Yadriel is determined to prove himself capable as a real brujo. However, throw in the unlikely ghost of Julien, a troubled youth from Yadriel's school into the mix, and otherworldly drama and hi-jinks ensue. This captivating tale weaves together traditional Latin folklore with an artistically modern coming of age story.

My thoughts: This book made me laugh, it made me gasp aloud, and it made me cry. The story is well written, well paced, and luxuriously decadent. Sometimes you hate to plug a tiktok well-loved, but this one really is deserving of the hype.

Terry Pratchett's Equal Rites ★★★★☆

I want to start off by saying I think the idea of Equal Rites came to Terry when he was writing a paragraph somewhere in the Color of Magic. I think there was a point in time where he was adamant that women could never be wizards. So then Equal Rites came along to say this: yes women can do magic and those are traditionally witches, but our main character of this novel is female and is a wizard. Which is supposed to break the world but it doesn't. So you'll have to deal with it. This book is the first introduction to Discworld's amazing witches, namely Granny Weatherwax. This book is arguably more about Weatherwax than Eskarina. Though you do get a lot of development of Eskarina.

This book gets 4.5 stars because:

Heartstopper V1 | Alice Oseman | ⭐⭐⭐⭐

This was a birthday gift from one of my IRL friends. I have never read Heartstopper before, and this is my first experience with it! synopsis: Charlie and Nick sit next to each other during a new semester at school, and Charlie convinces Nick to join the Rugby team. Shenanigans ensue!

Crying in H Mart | Michelle Zauner (⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐)

One piping hot evening spent balling your eyes out through Michelle Zauner's heartbreaking recollection over the loss of her mother. Check. Synopsis: Michelle Zauner is a half-Korean half-American woman who experienced the heartbreaking tragedy of losing her mother to cancer. The whole book revolves around her sharing anecdotes of her family, trying to piece together the strings of culture and her place in it. By the way, this is nonfiction! So this is as true to life as you can write in a self-recollection. My thoughts: I have picked up and put down Crying in H Mart about a dozen times in the past years. I would read a couple chapters, cry, and set it down resolved to finish it later. Today, my brain was craving deep rooted sadness and decided to plow my way through the last absolutely emotional pain filled chapters. If you are in the mood for an emotional curbstomping, Zauner's work is both prosaic and sobering.

A Lady for a Duke by Alexis Hall

Manga Break Time

Way of the Househusband v.1 | Kousuke Oono | ★★★★

Synopsis: A gag-series about a former Mafia boss Tatsu, on his quest to succeed in his new life as a househusband. This manga pits some really strong criminal element imagery against some super... domestic scenarios for comedic effect.

Opinions: This series is all about using strong visuals and situations to tell a dynamic story about Tatsu's new life as a househusband. It's not supposed to be deep or thought provoking, but. it is very nicely illustrated and it's. such a contrast between the scenario and the visual representation that's going along with it that it's absolutely hysterical.