Abbreviations #140: Stamped: Racism, Antiracism and You, The Little Book of Skin Care + Save Me the Plums

Stamped: Racism, Antiracism and You is the young adult adaptation of the original work Stamped from the Beginning , and it's done by Jason Reynolds in conjunction with author Ibram X. Kendi. And it's brilliant. It takes the detailed information provided in its adult counterpart and distills …

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Abbreviations #138: America is in the Heart, When Breath Becomes Air + Crying in H Mart

Carlos Bulosan is a name I’ve heard mentioned many times, but it was only this year that I finally took the plunge and picked up America is in the Heart . In this memoir, which is often considered a cornerstone of Filipino-American literature, Bulosan shares his life story. He begins by describing h…

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Abbreviations #137: Rule of Wolves, The House in the Cerulean Sea + The Shadow of Kyoshi

I’m always nervous about picking up a title that is extremely hyped up by the online book community I’m a part of, and The House in the Cerulean Sea was no exception. This adult fantasy standalone from TJ Klune had earned a lot of love and praise from readers, with particular emphasis on how wholes…

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Abbreviations #136: Stamped from the Beginning, The Library Book + The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck

I’ve been waiting for my library hold to come in for Stamped from the Beginning since last year. It’s one of those non-fiction reads that intimidated the heck out of me when I first thought about picking it up, but I felt so strongly that it was something I had to read. When it finally came in, I i…

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Abbreviations #135: What's Not to Love, Dial A for Aunties + Luck of the Titanic

I picked up What’s Not to Love for two reasons: 1) I’ve enjoyed the other novels from Wibberley and Siegemund-Broka and 2) this is a rivals-to-something-more romance. Alison and Ethan have been competing at everything since high school began, each one determined to outdo the other in all things inc…

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Abbreviations #134: Somewhere Between Bitter and Sweet, That Way Madness Lies + Bring Me Their Hearts

Before I begin telling you more about Somewhere Between Bitter and Sweet , I must give credit where credit is due: I decided to read this one because of my friend Lili . Somewhere Between Bitter and Sweet is about two main characters: Penelope Prado, a girl who must choose between her parents’ desire…

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Abbreviations #133: If I Had Your Face, A Room with a View + The Enchanted April

I’d heard a fair bit about If I Had Your Face from friends prior to picking it up (though it was Kristin raving about it that finally had me convinced I needed to give it a shot). This debut fiction novel is about four women and their lives in Seoul: lovely Kyuri employed at a room salon who makes …

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Abbreviations #132: The Song of Achilles, Black Sun + How to Stop Time

It’s really hard for me to summarize Black Sun . I started reading it without any real knowledge of what to expect -- and that really worked for me. Feel free to check out the synopsis on Goodreads, but I’m just going to dive straight into my review. This multi-narrative adult fantasy series starter…

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Abbreviations #131: I Wanna Be Where You Are, When You Were Everything + Sia Martinez and the Moonlit Beginning of Everything

I’m always down for a road trip story, and I Wanna Be Where You Are is one that’s been on my radar for some time. Chloe dreams of being a ballerina and is willing to do whatever she must in order to pursue her ambition… including taking an unsanctioned road trip to audition for her dream ballet com…

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Abbreviations #130: A Court of Silver Flames, Chain of Iron + Legendborn

If you’re a longtime reader of this blog, you’ll already know that I’m a Sarah J. Maas fan and will absolutely pick up and read absolutely anything she releases. A Court of Silver Flames is her latest novel, a spin-off continuation of her well-known A Court of Thorns and Roses series that centers …

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