Life Update: Last weekend, I had the opportunity to attend my first ever Book Festival (I know, how do I even have the audacity to call myself a bibliophile) by partaking in the NOVA Teen Book Festival outside of Washington D.C.. It was better than I could have ever imagined!!
I was in the presence of some insanely gifted YA authors and felt right at home, geeking out all over the place, seeing genius in the flesh, and hearing the authors’ insights into what it takes to be a great writer for teens. I’m itching for another book related event, where I can bask in the realms of greatness and listen to accomplished writers speak sweet, sweet literary magic to my ever willing ears.
On to my reviews…
For this particular post, I was going to review A Woman is No Man by Etaf Rum, which was extremely well written in it’s infuriating depiction of what it means to be a Muslim Pakistani woman in a world controlled by the whims of men. I literally had to put this book down multiple times just to take a breath and not punch a wall. This is a particularly good conversation book, as it covers what it means to be marginalized as a Muslim woman bound by an extreme patriarchal society, the power the written word has as a means of silent rebellion, and the devastating shame, isolation and disposal endured by women in these circumstances as given by their families and their communities everyday. It’s one of those books that lights a fire and causes reflection. Read it.
I started Verity by Colleen Hoover right after finishing A Woman is No Man…and I devoured it in 12 hours. It. Was. Fantastic. And I must review it now. Let me tell you why:
- The protagonist Lowen, is a reclusive, struggling author who just lost her mother and finds herself in the fortunate position of being offered the writing deal of a life time.
- The client Lowen’s working for has undergone her own devastating loses and is mysteriously absent from the offer of the job.
- There’s an air of tragedy and undeniable creepiness to the place Lowen will be inhabiting in order to do her book research.
- There’s lots of steamy sex. Like, a lot. Well written though, not corny/lame.
- There’s twist, after twist, after twist. And I promise, you won’t see the final twist coming.
This reminded me a lot of The Woman in the Window by A.J. Winn. The paranoia, borderline unhealthy obsession between characters, and intense ending all added up to a spectacular suspense novel. Some people may not buy into this book, or may dislike how it wraps up. To those people:
I’d been coveting this book for awhile and was not disappointed. If you need a juicy, fast passed, heart pounding thriller, this is the book you should pick up next. Do itttt!
by Etaf Rum
Happy & healthy reading!
Alexis
