Frying Plantain by Zalika Reid-Benta

Rating:

3 Stars

Thoughts:

Psychological Fiction, Black Stories by Black Voices, Coming of Age, Thought Provoking, Immigrant Experiences, First Generation Canadian-Jamacian, Mother Daughter Relationships

Thoughts:

An important coming of age story for many to read.

This book shows Kara's struggles as a first generation Canadian-Jamacian in a way many of us cannot comprehend, such as being considered basically Canadian and therefore too white/not Jamaican enough by the other kids on her Jamaican block.

It also demonstrates the struggle to earn an income and become better educated through the housing Kara moves through and also the time her and her mother spent living with nana.

There is also a strong theme of mother daughter relationships with Kara feeling a strained one with her mother through the pressure to succeed and focus on school to earn a better life. But also through Kara's mother and nana's strained interactions such as spending the bare minimum time there on Christmas day, staying in her room while living under her mothers roof and the constant battles that seem to occur anytime the two are together.

Favourite Quote:

"To be able to stay in the group, thick skin was a must - being able to take an insult was respected just as much as being able to throw shade."

Comments

Mint and Murder by Carly Winter

Rating: Stars Themes: Short Story, Cosy Mystery Thoughts: Thoughts: I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily. I had to read this book, seeing it was available, after reading Pipers Piping and Puppies last year. I did read it as a standalone (it’s not the first time I’ve read a series out of order and likely won’t be the last) I managed to follow along fine although I’m sure I’d have understood the relationship dynamics better had I read it in the correct order. I found the story great and as for the mystery I was guessing myself right the way through until Sam figured it out. Sam is a strong female main character who feels worth investing in so I may have to go search some more of the Heywood Herbalist series out. I enjoyed seeing Sam interact with her friends as they had great chemistry and it felt real, and also really liked Sam’s interactions with Doug as it added another layer of humanity to her and reality to the town. I would love ...

Porn is Not Sex Ed! by Jessica Melendez

Rating: 3 Stars Themes: Non-Fiction, Young Adult Thoughts: I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily. In the age of lessening sex education this book could be a great tool to help bridge the gap. I appreciate the talk to an adult bits that can encourage children to start to have conversations that are important but they often think are cringy. The note to trusted adults bit at the end is great too and there’s quite a few useful activities to help the messages really sink in. Some of the points here such as fetishisation and body image are really important ones that I never learned that young (which could be the reason I had such poor body image as a teen) and for the most part the book talks to kids on their level although some areas may feel a little immaturely worded for older teens. With thanks to Hachette UK and Netgalley for my advanced digital copy of this book.

The War of Sober by Edward Rand

Rating: 4 Stars Themes: Non-Fiction, Self-Help, Addiction, Psychology Thoughts: I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily. This is a great book not just for addicts trying to establish and maintain their sobriety but also psychologists, counsellors and the people working with them. It approaches the experience of addiction from the perspective of going to war and may help those who can’t get along with the 12 steps, contingency management or other forms of therapy traditionally used. It’s also helpful to have Edward detail his own experiences and approaches throughout so it feels less clinical and shows he does know what he’s talking about when he mentions the difficulties so it comes across less patronising than some self-help addiction books. Favourite Quote: "It doesn't matter what happened yesterday. Win or lose, if we are still alive, we must decide to be different today and then make the correct choices today, because friends, ...

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