The Arrivants: A New World Trilogy by Edward Kamau BrathwaiteMy rating: 4 of 5 stars A good collection of poems that address the topics of slavery and black Atlantic literature. As with all collections, some poems will speak more to the reader than others.The poems range from almost story-like in narration to very metaphorical and lyrical.As part of my Black Atlantic Literature class, this collection is a nice supplement to the autobiographical texts I had to read up to this point. View all my reviews

One Potion in the Grave by Heather BlakeMy rating: 5 of 5 stars Better than the first installment in this new series by Heather Blake, One Potion in the Grave had me hooked from the very first chapter.The author is starting to feel at ease with the new series and the new group of characters and this shows in the easily flowing writing style.The characters were funny, eccentric, entertaining and multidimensional and a joy to follow along in this story.As with all of the author’s mystery stories, I was unable to really figure out who the culprit was. The author keeps the story intriguing and fun.This installment is a definite…

The Winter Sea by Susanna KearsleyMy rating: 1 of 5 stars I am not quite sure how an author could turn an interesting idea and premise for a story into such rubbish. For the majority of the book I was under the impression that my inability to connect with the story was due to the fact that I was only ever able to read at best one chapter at a time. However, once I hit the 70% mark in the story, I knew that the problem was not with me, but rather with the author’s writing, the characters and the non-existing plot. I was so mad that I spent two…

Loving What Is: Four Questions That Can Change Your Life by Byron KatieMy rating: 3 of 5 stars When I started reading this book I had a very strange sense of deja vu until I remembered that the first chapter had been assigned as required reading in a previous course. I was glad that I had the opportunity to read the entire book, since the first chapter did hold some interesting points.In this book the author introduces her concept The Work, which provides a person the ability to see reality for what it is, reduce cognitive confusion and make peace with the uncontrollable aspects in life. The author simplifies that…

Narrative Medicine: Honoring the Stories of Illness by Rita CharonMy rating: 1 of 5 stars I really did not want to review this book, because every time I think about it I get too worked up and frustrated to form any coherent sentences that do not resemble a very long rant. But alas, let me start by asking a very sarcastic question: Who knew that physicians would actually be better in treating their patients, if they only listened?Well, the author uses that as her main argument for her book Narrative Medicine: Honoring the Stories of Illness, although not much “honoring” is actually present in this collection of personal experiences the…

Writing And Healing: Toward An Informed Practice by Charles H. AndersonMy rating: 4 of 5 stars I am always hesitant in reading collections of essays that are supposed to provide greater insight into a specific topic to actually accomplish their purpose. However, I was glad to realize that this collection actually, for the most part, contains essays that include the theoretical frameworks for writing for personal development and healing, practical advice and application options within the classroom and community settings, as well as provides guidelines to begin writing for one’s own personal writing practice.I will gladly return to most of these essays for future references not only in my academic…

Angelfall by Susan EeMy rating: 5 of 5 stars While browsing through the bookstore throughout the summer I kept finding this book and kept being drawn to it, but I was reluctant to give it a try due to some disappointments in the young adult fantasy genre I have already experienced. However, I was asked to read it and give my honest opinion. With raised eyebrow and slight hesitation I began and was amazed. I almost forget what good young adult fantasy books are until this story. It was great a story with a unique voice and individuality in a genre that is filled with identical characters and plot lines.It…

The Interesting Narrative of the Life of Olaudah Equiano: Written by Himself by Olaudah EquianoMy rating: 4 of 5 stars Truth be told, I was confused by this book, this “autobiography”. The title says The Interesting Narrative of the Life of Olaudah Equiano and it certainly was interesting. However, I kept asking myself why reading this autobiography felt more like reading Gulliver’s Travels than a former slave’s account of his life.It was very abridged, leaving out the horrors and tragedy that a slave may have witnessed by the hands of their owner. I sincerely do not want to sound bloodthirsty or in need of sensational stories, but the nature of…

Round the Moon by Jules VerneMy rating: 2 of 5 stars I was very disappointed by this sequel to From the Earth to the Moon. It seemed to me that the author followed an advice to change the narration style from narrator-focused to dialogue-driven, which diminishes the fantastic element that made the first part so interesting and adventurous.Having said that, as a result of focusing more on the dialogue between the three characters present and the nature of the story and narration as a whole, these three men felt absurd in their behaviour and speech. The progress of the journey and the “science” behind such a journey to outer space…

From the Earth to the Moon by Jules VerneMy rating: 5 of 5 stars Fantastic, fictitious, scientific and educational. I was surprised by the narrative style the author chose to adopt for a story of such a genre, but it certainly added to its appeal.Based on the synopsis I expected a bit more of an adventure story and less of a scientific endeavour explaining the foundation of how to travel into outer space. However, considering my scientific background and interest in astronomy, I was greatly intrigued by the mystery and fascination of the moon the author infused into this narration.The writing is simple, yet detailed. The author explains scientific processes…