KJK Reads

Rating: 4 Stars Themes: Historical Fiction, Crime, Novella Thoughts: This short story helps dramatise and contextualise the murder of David Rizzio  (private secretary to Mary Queen of Scots). It is an emotive book showing the helplessness of Mary during this episode in her life and also that of those who get pulled along in the plot but realise it isn’t going to end in favour for them either. 

Rating: 2 Stars Themes: Romance, Contemporary Romance, Music, Young Adult Thoughts: I really struggled with this book. The two main characters are unnecessarily messy and it essentially tries to romanticise emotional affairs and makes the characters terribly unlikeable. I also hated the way that Ridge treated Maggie both by emotionally cheating and also infantilizing her due to her disability despite Maggie (who should be the expert on her own condition and how it impacts her) feeling she is able to handle a thesis’ and internships and other things that help her feel more like others and productive, he nags her to give it up and just be looked after so much she no longer feels able to talk to him about it which makes him such a bad boyfriend even before Sydney comes into the picture.  Favourite Quote: "Sometimes in life, we need a few bad days in order to keep the good ones in perspective."

Rating: 4 Stars  Themes: Nonfiction, Disability, Biography, Activism, History, Middle Grade, Mental Health Thoughts: This book works hard to tread the fine line between providing inspiration to the young disabled people who read the book and shaming those who are reasonably limited by their disability or encouraging them into becoming inspiration porn for ableists.  It is well researched and provides not only a glossary to explain conditions and terms that many outside of the disability (and medical) community may not understand but helps explain alongside the individuals how their condition comes to affect them individually.  Favourite Quote: "We all have the power to shine our own light. Everyone deserves to live in an inclusive and accessible world and feel like they belong. A world that embraces difference rather than tries to hide it, and a world where every person's story is valid."

Rating: 4 Stars  Themes: Historical Fiction, Holocaust, Contemporary Fiction, World War II, Adult Fiction Thoughts: I really enjoyed this book. I thought Sage’s affair, whilst morally inexcusable, showed how little she thinks about herself and the morally complex nature she is used to which makes it easier for her to consider Josef’s request. Overall, this book tackles forgiveness in a multifaceted way with Sage being asked to forgive Josef for his past crimes while also needing to forgive herself as she feels responsible for the death of her mother (who forgave her just before her death). The addition of Leo and his views on hunting war criminals adds another position of forgiveness. Minka’s story/past adds the heartwrenching details of what happened to her  family during the Holocaust and contextualises exactly what crimes it is that Josef is asking for forgiveness for.  Favourite Quote:  "Forgiving isn't something you do for someone else. It's something you do for...

Rating: 4 Stars Themes: Graphic Novels, Nonfiction, History, War, Comics, Historical, Politics Thoughts: This is such a short but important read. With the extremist terror attacks and press coverage on refugees, many among us lack the reasons that cause refugees to flee their country of origin and why they don’t just stop in the first country. This shows us in depth why these things occur both with the text details and such detailed illustrations.   Favourite Quote: "How can we live here, in tents, in the middle of a forest, when it is so cold and muddy? ... I don't feel safe or at peace at all. I am always tired and angry ... It took me two months to get used to the idea that this was our life now, that we are truly refugees."

Rating: 4 Stars Themes: Thriller, Mystery, Crime, British Literature, Detective Thoughts: I love that Matheson doesn’t shy from tackling issues of race and religion that many other authors tend not to highlight. The initial victim is Caleb Annan who is a black man and a pastor killed in London which already makes the case a potentially charged case which is not helped by a local MP intervening and insinuating that Henley is essentially a race traitor for spending time to identify the tortured to near death white man also found at the scene. Henley, Pellacia, and Ramouter can all be seen struggling and coping with the mental health issues and trauma arising from their encounters with Olivier in the previous book in different ways to also highlight mental illnesses further (on top of the handling of the illnesses of some of the victims in the case). 

Rating: 4 Stars Themes: Romance, Contemporary Fiction, Dark Thoughts: This is a weird book for me. It is supposed to be a slow burn as the book spans across a few years but the majority of that time is skipped. However, despite that I could feel the growing tension and definitely see why Bridget started falling for Rhys. Rhys’s father was predictable for me although since it didn’t change things initially it didn’t really matter too much to me.  Favourite Quote: "There's no such thing as just a story. Every story is important. Including yours."