Book Review: The Road to the City by Natalia Ginzburg
Delia is a teenager like many. Like we grow up to believe teenager girls are. Restless. Vane. Rebellious. Delia is 17, is one of many kids in a big family in a tiny town in Italy. Her sister left home at 17, married a sugar-daddy and moved to the City where she gets to wear fancy clothes and dine at nice places. The clothes that … Continue reading Book Review: The Road to the City by Natalia Ginzburg
Book Review: We, the Drowned by Carsten Jensen
There was a time when I didn’t shy away from big books. There was a time when I used to pick up a book set in a place I was soon to visit. There was a time when I traveled. There was such a time before COVID, before kids. That time might have passed, but We The Drowned by Carsten Jensen has stayed with me … Continue reading Book Review: We, the Drowned by Carsten Jensen
Book Review: Certain Dark Things by Silvia Moreno-Garcia or a Feminist Mexican Vampire Tale
Mexican female vampires are not intrinsically feminist, I would think. Previous to reading Certain Dark Things by Silvia Moreno-Garcia (2016), my only known reference was the horror/action-film El Santo vs las Mujeres Vampiro (or Santo vs Female Vampires – 1962). Female Vampires are called Vampiresas and if you look it up in the dictionary, Vampiresa is a Femme Fatale, a woman who takes advantage of … Continue reading Book Review: Certain Dark Things by Silvia Moreno-Garcia or a Feminist Mexican Vampire Tale
Book Review: The Masker by Torrey Peters
We all have heard of Torrey Peters right now. Haven’t you? Gorgeous trans-woman writing stories centering trans-women for trans people. Racy, honest, raw writing that might make us, cis-het, folks uncomfortable, googling a whole lot and feeling like we were not in on the secret. And that is a good thing. But before unconventional relationships between three woman trying to raise a baby together, there … Continue reading Book Review: The Masker by Torrey Peters
Book Review: The Divorce by Cesar Aira
Though Cesar Aira is one of Argentina’s most prolific writers, his works have been extensively translated to English, and he has even been shortlisted for the Man Booker Prize, he isn’t mainstream. And that is for a reason. Aira’s writing is experimental, confusing, and norm-shattering. While authors like Anne Garreta and the rest of the crew at Oulipo are testing the boundaries of language and … Continue reading Book Review: The Divorce by Cesar Aira
Top 5 books of July ‘21
1. The Fire Next Time. Baldwin’s classic originally published in 1963 gets a new reprint by Modern Library. This reissue in hardcover came out July 6th and *disclaimer* I was fortunate to get a free copy from the publisher. Baldwin is a literary rock-star both for his fiction and non-fiction, and The Fire Next Time has inspired other explorations on race by media celebrities such … Continue reading Top 5 books of July ‘21
Book Review: Gods of Jade and Shadow by Silvia Moreno García
This is the story of Casiopea Tun, an eighteen year old girl living with her mean and grumpy grandfather in a small town in Yucatán after the death of her dad. Her mom was grandpa’s favorite before she ran off and married a half-Maya journalist from Merida. Now, they are the undesirable poor relatives who he had to take in, and treats like servants. But … Continue reading Book Review: Gods of Jade and Shadow by Silvia Moreno García
Book Review: Aura by Carlos Fuentes
Aura is a spooky and mysterious read where the reader feels trapped in a weird dream; what is real? What is not? Are we stuck in a time warp? And there is so much left in the air and open for interpretation, that nothing feels settled; there’s no closure. But then again, don’t we feel like that in dreams? Fernando Montero, handsome young aspiring writer … Continue reading Book Review: Aura by Carlos Fuentes
Book Review: The Dangers of Smoking in Bed by Mariana Enríquez
If you loved Things We Lost In The Fire, odds are you’ll like this one as well. Enriquez repeats her successful formula with short haunting stories, most of them featuring teenagers or women in their early twenties layered with social commentary. Again we encounter orphans living on the street, transgender prostitutes, vanishing women and San Muerte followers, plus new themes that form part of Latin … Continue reading Book Review: The Dangers of Smoking in Bed by Mariana Enríquez
Book Review: A Concise Chinese-English Dictionary for Lovers
This book was so cute, and deep, sad and to be honest, relatable. I loved Zhuang’s character and got really frustrated at how she put up with her insufferable boyfriend. But that’s me in my thirties knowing that I might have done the same in my early twenties. That I also once long ago thought that love needs work, you gotta put in the time, … Continue reading Book Review: A Concise Chinese-English Dictionary for Lovers
Literary Infatuation 