Special thanks to Algonquin Books for inviting me to be on the blog tour and for providing the ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Goodreads: Silence Is a Sense Publisher: Algonquin Books Release Date: 16 March 2021 Genre: Literary Fiction
Panda Rating: (5 pandas)
A young woman sits in her apartment in an unnamed English city, absorbed in watching the small dramas of her assorted neighbors through their windows across the way. Traumatized into muteness after a long, devastating trip from war-torn Syria to the UK, she believes that she wants to sink deeper into isolation, moving between memories of her absent boyfriend and family and her homeland, dreams, and reality. At the same time, she begins writing for a magazine under the pseudonym “the Voiceless,” trying to explain the refugee experience without sensationalizing it—or revealing anything about herself.
Gradually, as the boundaries of her world expand—as she ventures to the neighborhood corner store, to a gathering at a nearby mosque, and to the bookstore and laundromat, and as an anti-Muslim hate crime shatters the members of a nearby mosque—she has to make a choice: Will she remain a voiceless observer, or become an active participant in her own life and in a community that, despite her best efforts, is quickly becoming her own?
TL;DR: March 15 marked ten years since the start of the Syrian war. Millions of people have been become refugees and internally displaced and hundreds of thousands of people have lost their lives. These are numbers that are so LARGE that it’s impossible to comprehend. What is it like for people to literally watch their nation crumble right before their eyes? To have to choose between leaving and living or staying and (very possibly) dying? As stated in an interview, through this book, AlAmmar set out to ‘dispel the abstractions’ of the literal crumbling of a nation and to ground the magnitude of such devastation and loss through a personal narrative and she does an INCREDIBLE job. Poetically written, thought-provoking and emotionally explosive, this isn’t an easy read at all but my gosh is it absolutely worth it! This will undoubtedly be one of the most impactful books I read in 2021 and I highly recommend it.
Hello, hello and welcome back to another episode of WWW Wednesday, a weekly meme hosted by Sam @ Taking On A World of Words, which means I’ll be answering these questions:
What did you read last?
What are you currently reading?
What will you read next?
Wow, it really doesn’t feel like I’ve read a lot since last week but apparently I’ve managed to finish five books? Surprise to me! LOL. It might not help that I haven’t actually marked these as read on Goodreads and neither have I properly reviewed them either. Oopsies, one thing a time though… 🤣
Artificial Condition (The Murderbot Diaries #2) by Martha Wells ★★★★☆ Repeatedly chants: I love Murderbot! Because I really really do and I would read all the books with Murderbot as the protagonist. This one was slightly less exciting than book one but we got to dive a bit more into Murderbot’s psyche and we also get to meet ART, who I also loved! 😂 Buddy reading this series with Leslie and we’re both loving it and can’t wait to continue! Series RTC.
Namesake (Fable #2) by Adrienne Young ★★★★☆ Namesake was a really satisfying conclusion to the Fable duology. The story picks up immediately where book one ends and it’s full of pirate-y goodness, many more high-seas adventures, and delicious deceptions and twists! This second book is less focused on world building and character development, but it has a very fast-paced plot that leaves little time to dwell on it. Check out my review!
So, we’re back with another Top Ten Tuesday, a weekly meme hosted by Jana @ That Artsy Reader Girl. This week’s prompt is:Books On My Spring 2021 TBR.
Oh, how wonderful would it be to experience spring… 🤔 I miss having four seasons, but I digress! If you’re not new to my blog you know by now that I don’t do TBRs, rather I try to stick with possibility piles (and even then they don’t go 90% of the time lol)! That said, it’s always fun to think of the books that I want to read soon, and actually, a few of these are blog tour reads, buddy reads, and ARCs so I *will* be reading them soon enough! Needless to say, I’m super excited for all of these titles 😍 And on that note, here are the reads I’m hoping to pick up in the coming month(s):
Hello Mondays, welcome back to #5OnMyTBR, a meme created by the wonderful E @ The Local Bee Hunter’s Nook. This bookish meme gets us to dig even further into our TBRs by simply posting about five books on our TBR! You can learn more about it here. You can find the full list of prompts (past and future) at the end of this post!
This week’s prompt is: Mythology.
I struggled to find books for this prompt today for some reason. I’m sure I have quite a few on my list since I love books based on mythology but I’ve completely blanked on it? 😂 I tried to come up with ones that were based on non-greek or norse mythology but those take up the bulk of my ‘mythology’ TBR but I’m glad that I found at least three books based on other mythology. Without further ado… Let’s get to it!
It’s 1917, and World War I is at its zenith when Hazel and James first catch sight of each other at a London party. She’s a shy and talented pianist; he’s a newly minted soldier with dreams of becoming an architect. When they fall in love, it’s immediate and deep–and cut short when James is shipped off to the killing fields.
Aubrey Edwards is also headed toward the trenches. A gifted musician who’s played Carnegie Hall, he’s a member of the 15th New York Infantry, an all-African-American regiment being sent to Europe to help end the Great War. Love is the last thing on his mind. But that’s before he meets Colette Fournier, a Belgian chanteuse who’s already survived unspeakable tragedy at the hands of the Germans.
Thirty years after these four lovers’ fates collide, the Greek goddess Aphrodite tells their stories to her husband, Hephaestus, and her lover, Ares, in a luxe Manhattan hotel room at the height of World War II. She seeks to answer the age-old question: Why are Love and War eternally drawn to one another? But her quest for a conclusion that will satisfy her jealous husband uncovers a multi-threaded tale of prejudice, trauma, and music and reveals that War is no match for the power of Love.
Welcome back to Goodreads Monday! It’s been a very hot minute since I did one but I figured I might as well get back into it! This weekly meme was started by @Lauren’s Page Turners and it invites you to pick a book from your TBR and explain why you want to read it. Easy enough, right? Feel free to join in if you want to! I’ll be using a random number generator to pick my books from my insanely long GR Want-to-read list.*
*Sorry if a book has been featured twice. I need to make better note of which ones I’ve done already!
Goodreads:Namesake (Fable #2) Publisher: Wednesday Books Publication Date: 16 March 2021 Genre: Young Adult Fantasy
Panda Rating: (4 pandas)
Trader. Fighter. Survivor.
With the Marigold ship free of her father, Fable and its crew were set to start over. That freedom is short-lived when she becomes a pawn in a notorious thug’s scheme. In order to get to her intended destination she must help him to secure a partnership with Holland, a powerful gem trader who is more than she seems. As Fable descends deeper into a world of betrayal and deception she learns that her mother was keeping secrets, and those secrets are now putting the people Fable cares about in danger. If Fable is going to save them then she must risk everything, including the boy she loves and the home she has finally found.
TL;DR:Overall, a very satisfying and neatly wrapped up conclusion to this duology. If you love stories full of action, a strong female lead, a cast of morally grey characters that you also can’t help but root for (mostly), and a setting in which the sea comes to life off the pages, I would highly recommend checking out these books! Also, major cover appreciation to this set of covers because they’re STUNNING!
We’re back with another Sundays in Bed With… meme! This meme dares to ask you what book has been in your bed this morning and is hosted by Midnight Book Girl. Come share what book you’ve spent time curled up reading in bed with, or which book you wish you had time to read today!
This is feeling a bit like déjà vu because I said I was starting the book last week but really, I ended up reading something else. This time though I am actually readingSilence is a Sense. Our narrator is a Syrian refugee whose trauma has led to her to stop speaking and we basically follow her story as she observes the lives of her neighbours through the windows of the apartment block and as she grapples with processing everything she has experienced in Syria and in fleeing Syria to get to where she is now. It’s a very heavy book and I’m also getting a bit confused at times as we get present day scenes mixed with flashbacks to Syria mixed with dreams and I’m not sure what’s real and what’s not sometimes. There’s a lot packed into this book and I hope my review will be able to do it justice!
A young woman sits in her apartment in an unnamed English city, absorbed in watching the small dramas of her assorted neighbors through their windows across the way. Traumatized into muteness after a long, devastating trip from war-torn Syria to the UK, she believes that she wants to sink deeper into isolation, moving between memories of her absent boyfriend and family and her homeland, dreams, and reality. At the same time, she begins writing for a magazine under the pseudonym “the Voiceless,” trying to explain the refugee experience without sensationalizing it—or revealing anything about herself.
Gradually, as the boundaries of her world expand—as she ventures to the neighborhood corner store, to a gathering at a nearby mosque, and to the bookstore and laundromat, and as an anti-Muslim hate crime shatters the members of a nearby mosque—she has to make a choice: Will she remain a voiceless observer, or become an active participant in her own life and in a community that, despite her best efforts, is quickly becoming her own?
Happy Friday book lovers! We’re back with another First Lines Friday, a weekly featurefor book lovers hosted by Wandering Words. What if instead of judging a book by its cover, its author or its prestige, we judged it by its opening lines?Here are the rules:
Pick a book off your shelf (it could be your current read or on your TBR) and open to the first page
Copy the first few lines, but don’t give anything else about the book away just yet – you need to hook the reader first
Finally… reveal the book!
First lines:
“I saw my mother raise a man from the dead. “It still didn’t help him much, my love,” she told me. But I saw her do it all the same. That’s how I knew she was magic.”
Do you recognize the book these first lines come from?
(SUGGESTED BY M.T. WILSON @ THE LAST BOOK ON THE LEFT) Prompts: Have you noticed any trends in the genres/categories you read in the last few years? What seems to be trending now? What do you think the next trend will be? What trends would you like to see? Are trends healthy for the book world?
I thought this topic was pretty interesting but not a particularly easy one since it’s not something I’ve given much thought to prior to today. I also don’t know if what I’m saying “qualifies” or is relevant because I’m not sure what was trending beforehand so maybe some of these are old trends and I’ve only just now noticed them? Once I started thinking about it I started to notice much more than I thought and I’d love to hear your thoughts on this topic!
WHAT’S TRENDING?
I tend to read a lot of fantasy and romance but I also enjoy a good thriller now and again. Here are some of the trends that I’ve noticed in these genres:
Romantasy (Romance+Fantasy): I feel like the combination of romance and fantasy has become even more popular in recent years especially with books like the ACOTAR series.
Podcasts: A popular trend that I’m absolutely loving is the use of podcasts in thrillers/mysteries. I’m a fan of mixed-media formats but podcast scripts are a new form of telling the story that I’ve come to enjoy thanks to books like Sadie!
Retellings: I think, especially in the YA fantasy genre, this is probably the most popular trend I’ve noticed in recent years. How many times have we seen the Beauty & the Beast, Little Mermaid, Cinderella, and Snow White retellings? Honestly, I love a good retelling so I’m not even mad but I love to see that other less popular stories are being retold, too (Twelve Dancing Princesses, Red Shoes, Peter Pan).
Women supporting women: I don’t know if it’s just me reading the wrong romances at the start but I got really tired real fast with all the romances where women treat each other terribly over a man. I’m so over women being pitted against each other (in general and for that reason specifically) so I’m really happy to see more romances where women are supportive and don’t do terrible things to each other because they “deserve him more”. We need more women supporting women and I love to see it!
Fandoms or celebrity arcs: I’ve noticed this mostly in the contemporary genres, both YA and adult, and more specifically in romances. I’m noticing more stories about the “real lives” of celebrities and celebrity related romances (Dumplin’, Spoiler Alert, Daisy Jones and the Six). There’s also stories about the “real lives” of superheroes and about fandoms and popular conventions (The Extraordinaries, Renegades, Geekerella).
YA thrillers in school settings: I’m not sure if this is a “new” trend or anything but I’ve noticed a lot of YA thrillers/mysteries with high school settings in recent years (One of Us is Lying, Truly Devious, Good Girl’s Guide to Murder). I don’t know what it is about the school setting that works but I’ve really enjoyed the ones I’ve read.
Own Voices/Diversity: I don’t know if I should say these as “trends” because it feels odd thinking of them as such, as it sounds like they’ll disappear or fade away; but, as far as I’m aware, there are a lot more books that are being categorised/labelled as own voices in recent years compared to previously. It’s also a lot easier to find diverse books and not just in terms of cultural representation but also disability and mental health rep. I’ve loved seeing it in a lot of romances that I’ve read lately (The Kiss Quotient series, The Brown Sisters series, The Bergman Brothers series) and I hope we continue to see much more of it for always–like I said, I hope these aren’t trends that’ll “go out of fashion”.
WHAT COULD POSSIBLY BE NEXT?
I honestly have no clue what could be trending next. I think a trend that could possibly be making a comeback are books with vampires and witches. Again, I don’t know if it’s a trend that’s ever really died out to begin with but I’ve started noticing more of them coming out lately. I also have a feeling that with our pandemic reality perhaps the dystopian trend could also make a comeback?
I’d love to see more of the trends mentioned above because although some of them can get a bit tiring (i.e. the same retellings lol) I’ve still really enjoyed seeing most of them in books! Keep giving me those strong female protagonists and their healthy and empowering relationships with those around them.
ARE TRENDS HEALTHY fOR THE BOOK WORLD?
I don’t think it’s a simple yes and no answer because it can be both good and bad. One of the more ‘obvious’ downsides is that once a trend really picks up in a certain genre (i.e. retellings) you can be sure to expect a lot of future releases to follow that trend. This over saturation of the market definitely gets a little tiring when you’re looking for something different in that genre but end up finding only the same or similar stories. Alternatively, this can obviously be seen as a good thing especially for those who love to read them and want more similar books!
In the end, I think readers should (and hopefully do!) read whatever they want to regardless of what’s on trend. As I said at the start, I never really payed much attention or given much thought to what is or isn’t trending in the genres I read, as I pick whatever strikes my fancy. It’s definitely interesting to think about though!
What are your thoughts on book trends? Have you noticed any of these trends in the books you read too? Do you think trends are healthy for the book world or should they be “done away with”?
Hello, friends! We’re tackling some more tags/awards today and since I didn’t do one last week, I’ve decided to tackle two of “The Outstanding Blogger Award” tags from Becky @ Becky’s Book BlogandStephen @ Stephen Writes. Becky and Stephen are such wonderful people and have awesome blogs! Their reviews are always so thorough and well-written and I always enjoy reading their thoughts 😍 They’re also two of the most supportive and friendly bloggers I’ve encountered in the blogosphere, so please do check them out cos you won’t regret it! ❤️
The Outstanding Blogger Award was originally created by Colton Beckwith. Also, I don’t know if rule #5 below still applies since 2020 has come and gone but I’m still gonna do this tag anyway! 😂
Nominate 10 bloggers. Ensure that they are aware of their nomination. Neither the award’s creator, nor the blogger that nominated you, can be nominated.
At the end of 2020, every blog that ping-backs the creator’s original post will be entered to win the 2020 Outstanding Blogger Award!
BECKY’S QUESTIONS
Do you have any bookish or non-bookish goals for 2021?
I actually do have a few bookish and non-bookish goals that I’m tackling this year! My main bookish goal this year is to read 150 books (Goodreads Reading Challenge) but I’m also aiming to read more of my existing backlist, read more diverse books especially by South/Southeast Asian authors, and I’m hoping to continue growing my book blog! I wrote a whole post about my goals & hopes for 2021 if you’d like to check it out 😊
Which books are you most looking forward to reading in 2021?
Ohoho, there are so many books and it’s always so freaking hard to narrow them down to smol lists, such as this list of 10 anticipated releases for the first-half of 2021. Since last year I’ve also decided to start making yearly release lists on Goodreads that I’m interested in, so you can check out these 111 books *cough* I’ve shelved (HAHAHA) but here’s a taste of some titles:
What are you currently reading?
I’m reading two ARCs at the minute: The Songbook of Benny Lament and Namesake. I’m really enjoying both although they’ve very different genres (one is historical literary fiction and the other is YA fantasy) but both also have pub days just around the corner(ish)! 😉
Do you prefer series or standalones?
Hmm… it really depends! I really enjoy series but sometimes I get tired of waiting forever for the next book to come out so I mostly prefer series that are already finished before starting them. It also depends on how long a series although there are some exceptions! 😜
Which animal best describes your personality?
Well, if my blog name isn’t quite the giveaway I don’t know what would be 😂 I’m quite a lazy bean plus I love to sleep and eat. I know there’s more to them than that but we’ll keep it simple 😂 I also think elephants can be a good match as they’re sensitive and emotional creatures and very family oriented (pandas & elephants are my two fave animals besides the doggos)!
Do you have a favourIte book or author?
I have so many! It’s a bit cliche but the two books that’ve stuck with me the longest are Pride and Prejudice and Persuasion! I’m not much of a re-reader but these two have been re-read quite often 🥰 Some new authors I’ve recently discovered over the last two years are T.J. Klune, Talia Hibbert, Taylor Jenkins Reid, Elizabeth Acevedo, Helen Hoang and Kristin Hannah, to name a few!
Describe your blog in three words.
Um… Playful, Passionate, and Welcoming? I’m sorry, I’m really bad at these 🙈 LOL
STEPHEN’S QUESTIONS
Is there a particular genre that you feel you should read more of?
I feel like I should always be reading more non-fiction! I have a yearly goal to read more non-fiction and I tend to … not exactly increase the number but I do at least read one or two non-fiction books every year. I want to at least read five which should be hard considering I tend to read 100+ books yearly but my attention tends to stray very easily whenever I read non-fiction 🙈
What is your favourite book-to-film adaptation?
Okay, this is going to be so lame but I don’t know? I realise that I tend to either only read the book or only watch the movie. The only book+movie combo that I can recall doing (not including HP) is Pride & Prejudice, Persuasion, and The Hobbit. I really struggled with The Hobbit (book) though! So I guess I’m gonna have to go with Pride and Prejudice, the 2005 version! I know it’s not 100% accurate but it will never not be a favourite! 🥰
We have spent a lot of time at home in 2020. Have you found (or rediscovered) any new activities that you enjoy doing?
I started journaling again during the pandemic. I used to journal a lot quite often growing up and although I don’t do it as often (now) and I don’t have those really pretty bujos that everyone seems to have, it’s been a pretty cathartic process! I tend to get stuck in my head a lot and so it really helped me sort through my jumbled mess of thoughts and feelings!
Which writing or blogging achievement are you most proud of?
It’s something that still shocks me whenever I think about it but I’m quite proud to have over 500 followers! I know stats are just “blah, blah, whatever.” I just didn’t think that such a number would be possible for me when I started blogging! I was so intimidated about immersing myself in the community and the imposter syndrome was really really real (and on most days still is)! So I’m quite proud that I’ve been able to connect with so many readers and bloggers and hope I can continue to do that in the years to come! ❤️
What is your favourite type of blog post to write?
It’s probably the most difficult post for me to write but I really enjoy making discussion posts when I can or when I feel inspired! I tend to do a lot of weekly memes on my blog and they’re obviously a lot of fun and I love doing them too but I feel like discussion posts add ‘next level’ vibes to my blog (even if my posts aren’t super special)!
Are you able to finish a book in one sitting?
I do quite often with my bouts of insomnia! A lot of the romances that I tend to binge read are usually read in one sitting in the late/early hours of the night/morning 🤣 It does depend though! I also tend to read graphic novels in one sitting and also some novellas, too! I think I once managed to finish a whopping 670 pages in one sitting overnight one time–it was Mariana Zapata and her books are chonksters but compulsively readable!
Which of your 2020 reads has the most beautiful cover?
Ooh, this is a toughie because I loved so many covers! To narrow down the choices I decided to only stick to the books published last year and even then it’s a tie for me between the cover of Fable and Unravel the Dusk! Love the details on both covers 😍
And that’s a wrap on The Outstanding Blogger Award questions from Becky and Stephen! I had so much fun answering these and so I think I’m going to do a mix-match of some of these questions.
MY QUESTIONS:
What is your favourite read of 2021 so far?
Which writing or blogging achievement are you most proud of?
Which of your most anticipated 2021 reads has the most beautiful cover?
Describe your blog in three words.
Which animal best describes your personality?
Are you able to finish a book in one sitting?
What’s the next book you predict will be a 5-star read for you?
I’M TAGGING:
No pressure to do this if you’re not into tags! I’m tagging:
dinipandareads 