KJK Reads

Rating: 4 Stars Themes: Short Stories, Disability  Thoughts: I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily. I got suggested this anthology after having read and enjoyed Casper E. Falls’ Survival and Other Surprises last year so I went in with a few predictions and I wasn’t let down. The opening essay ‘Dystopia: A Crip Genre Essay’ by Ella T. Holmes is the only piece of non-fiction in the collection but opens it up really well with what we can expect to encounter throughout the different stories. As with all short story collections, some felt stronger than others but in a collection like this it’s natural that we’ as readers will feel a stronger connection to the stories we feel represented in. I liked that there was a story focusing on shortsightedness as the disability as it’s something we often don’t think about when discussing disability day to day but in those kinds of situations they’d struggle just as much as the rest of us. There were a...

Rating: 4 Stars Themes: Romance, Short Story, Firefighter Romance, Single Parent Thoughts: I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily. This is my first Gunderson book and I wasn’t prepared for how cute it would be. First of all Colton is sooo cute and having a single dad romance may become one of my new favourite tropes because it led to both some really cute parenting moments and also some vulnerability I don’t often see in other romances. Rachel having to teach the firefighters pickleball after playing a competition with them is both cute and funny, showing the reality of social media lifestyles since we know they can play but the clips for socials don't. I also loved the water fight moment as it showed a cute and fun moment between the characters in the moment and then with Rachel editing and sharing the content later it gives us that moment with Jake’s reaction before showing how easily things can spiral when shared. Overall, I could fe...

Rating: 3 Stars Themes: Non-Fiction  Thoughts: This books an interesting enough summary of the Titanic from the idea starting through to what happened to survivors after. It is pretty much a whistle stop tour in order to be able to cover everything in a pocket sized book and many of the points that were made were only briefly mentioned. Especially the fire in the coal bunker which research in the Smithsonian showed could have weakened a segment and contribute to the overall sinking but the book only mentioned there had been a fire prior that had been extinguished (and some researchers speculate there’s a chance with such big bunkers it could have still been smouldering undetected till it was too late). I did like that at the end there was a glossary to help with the nautical terms and lists of tourist sites and films and stage shows for people to look into it further beyond the 1997 film we all know.  Favourite Quote: “People are just too fascinated by the story of the Titanic...

Rating: 3 Stars Themes: Romance  Thoughts: I was quite intrigued with the premise of this one as someone who loved the OG Gossip Girl and Clueless and making up the character sounded like a great mix up of the two. However, I didn’t end up liking either of the main characters. Violet is such a snob as well as starting off as a complete doormat and although she did grow a backbone throughout the story she didn’t seem to lose the thinking she is better than everyone else attitude just stopped caring what others thought of her. Cain is equally insufferable, I understand growing up struggling then finding out there was all this money that could have made life easier as an adult would hurt, he seemed dead set on hurting everyone around him. While the nickname of Duchess for Violet was cute, he found every opportunity to dig at her and put her down, even when hitting on her and/or being vulgar to get a rise out of her. The ending and epilogue was cute but the romance didn’t feel like it ...

Rating: 3 Stars Themes: Children's Fiction Thoughts: I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily. This is a cute way to look at different families and explain it to very young children. I liked that the two penguin dads were included as that not only links back to another book for further reading but is a great example they can see in real life too. Some of the animal mixes worked well like the pony and donkey which again can be seen in a mule or hinny in real life. However, some of them, though cute, were unrealistic like the otter and raccoon who are known to fight in the wild which means if kids start asking not everyone can be shown as real which can make the younger ones start questioning even more. The artwork itself is stunning and the poem like text makes it more fun for children.  Favourite Quote: “Although they are different, they're lovely to see. There's love at the heart of each family.”

Rating:  4 Stars Themes: Plays, LGBTQ+ Thoughts: I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily. I’m still quite new to plays but I think this is the closest to tears I’ve come with to with a play before. It is really emotional and shows the human impact of LGBTQ+ people in Nazi Germany and concentration camps. It shows the way in which human behaviour can be shaped by extreme circumstances with how Max’s relationship with Rudy changes. It also shows the limits to human capacity by the ending and the way in which Max, Rudy and Horst are shown by the end. Favourite Quote: “Well, for once, you're right. It is silly. There are queer Nazis. And queer saints. And queer geniuses And queer mediocrities. No better, no worse. Just people. I really believe that. That's why I signed Hirschfield's petition. That's why I ended up here. That's why I'm wearing this triangle. That's why you should be wearing it.”