KJK Reads

Rating: 3 Stars Themes: Fiction, Morocco, Historical Fiction Thoughts: This was a little difficult for me to read as it is a culture unlike my own and I had to keep googling things which meant I was rereading to fix the disjointedness I created by stopping but I learnt so much and am glad that I did read it. The king is a complex character with the toughness to rule being in full view when Mohamed reflects on the past but the vulnerability of a dying man shows in stark contrast as he shares the current moments with each other. I also found the contrast of all the different personalities of people in the antechamber interesting and how they got along (or not) when it came to their days and the king's favour. Favourite Quote: “Before harming others, hatred poisons the heart of those who harbour it, and it erodes and gnaws away at you, kills you, bit by bit.”

Rating: 5 Stars Themes: Memoir, Holocaust  Thoughts:  This book is so enlightening seeing the sisters journey for so long. The first half of the book covers before the war and their experiences in the concentration camps. It’s interesting that the block leader took enough of a liking to them to ultimately save their lives but it’s such a shame they couldn’t save Sergio as we can feel the guilt and regret that left them carrying their own lives. I enjoyed learning of their time in Lingfield as a Brit I had no idea of the place but I think I’ll be looking further into it now, especially knowing of the work Anna Freud does and that it was a project of hers. It’s great that they were able to get a happy reunion despite thinking their parents dead as most of the books I’ve read there was no such luck and it was great to see the other side since I know some families did have some members survive. I think the ending was so important, especially since it was translated in 2020 so was ...

Rating: 4 Stars Themes: Graphic Novel, Childrens, Middle Grade  Thoughts: I managed to get my hands on this book second hand for a steal and had to read it to check the age was appropriate for the boy I had bought it for or if I needed to keep it for a few years. Not only is it the perfect age and hopefully able to entice him into reading but it also made me smile in a few points too.

Rating: 2 Stars Themes: Short Stories  Thoughts: I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily. I wasn’t quite sure what to expect going into this book as the reviews seem to either love it or find it a waste of time and after reading it I can kind of see why. The short book is made up of 25 stories each taking its own approach which gives us an insight into lots of different lives to our own. However, there is no flow through each individual one which at times felt disjointed and sometimes it took me till nearly the end of the story to figure out what/who it was about. Though I won't be reading this one again, it is no comment on the author's skill and I may look into a full story written by her instead in the future. Favourite Quote: “Your memories, your youth, your strength, your life: the factory had taken them. All it had left you was weariness, the mortal weariness of forty years of work.”

Rating: 4 Stars  Themes: Psychological Fiction, Mental Health Thoughts: I picked up this book as I thought the blurb had an interesting premise and seeing it was an award winner I thought it would be well worth a shot and I wasn’t disappointed. K tells the story of his life to the African God of stories, sharing a difficult story through honouring his heritage. K himself is such a complicated individual and as we see his difficult childhood at the beginning we can understand how the troubled child can develop into a struggling adult. I did enjoy seeing his relationship with P develop from caring for a baby brother into 2 men trying to navigate adult life and the ways in which mental health struggles can force a divide between families. This book may be short and each chapter split so that it can be jumped in and out of as needed but I absolutely devoured this one and only put it down as needed (sleep got in my way of reading it all in one sitting). Favourite Quote: “My body require...

Rating: 3 Stars Themes: Non-Fiction, Holocaust Thoughts: This is something completely different to the Holocaust books I have read before but I found it in my library and it being about local history piqued my interest. The beginning of the book is mainly around the history of the war and the Holocaust itself which I mainly knew but the paragraph all about the men DLI themselves was new and interesting and set the scene perfectly for them to be at Belsen. The book is very educational and I really liked the amount of references and further reading that was provided at the end for each different thing so I can learn more about the DLI and Belsen specifically without having to go hunting for their specific resources.  Favourite Quote: “Never forget the six million who died in the Holocaust. If we forget, it may happen again.”