sara_m_martins's reviews
331 reviews

An atmospheric read about rural and moral poverty, "Unsettled Ground" follows twins Jeanie and Julius, and their dog Maude (does not die!), mainly from Jeanie's perspective, as they deal with their mother's death and the repercussions of it. 
In their 50's, living with their mother in a cottage and isolated from broader society for the most part, they start to truly navigate the world and, with that, their dire economic situation. Dealing with poverty, in particular rural poverty, but equally moral poverty (being without responsible adults that teach you how to be in the world), we see the consequences of the cycle of poverty, and of the lies and omissions from their mother. There is also a strong theme of illiteracy which I think it was a very strong, important and unusual perspective.
The writing was very atmospheric, which augmented a feeling of discomfort I had throughout the book.
The plot is on how the cycle of poverty feedbacks onto itself, a spiral that keeps going down, which is amplified by the moral poverty of the characters - their ignorance on what systems exist that can support them (and refusal to ask for/accept them). However, about 75% of the way through the "it gets worse" is drastic, with a change in gears that lost me for a sec, and needed a recalibration (

the starting point for Claire Fuller was "a vandalized caravan" in the middle of the woods, and I think it was the way she found to get there

). 
Their subplots of Julius' romance, and the family's love of music were a nice break from the main plot. I also think Jeanie can be read as asexual, from subtext, although I don't think it was done on purpose. 

 the millennial mental health version of Mr Men, this book is the autobiographical account of Alfonso Casas dealing with his "monsters" (AKA different mental health issues). think "inside out" but the cast is depression, social anxiety and toxic thoughts.
perfect for millenials, the gen z with their darker dryer than dry humour, and everyone else too, this book is a fun, humorous way to get inside the shadow realm of our mind.
As Alfonso says, this is just the story of someone learning to deal with their monsters. and isn't that what we all need to do?
ALSO it has lgbtq+ rep/author! 

 

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own. thank you to netgalley and the publisher

Persephone's Children is an unique, different memoir. 
The vibes are "memoir x poetry collection" - made with an assortment of different formats, each Fragment tells you a new bit of the author's life. The writing style also contributed to the poetry feel. 
This creative non-fiction creates a different type of interaction with the book and with the "story", and seems particularly fitting when discussing the parts of a life that deal with pain, abuse, discrimination/oppression and trauma. 
Most of the book deals with heavy, dark moments /periods of McCandless life, mainly regarding her abusive relationships, and her road as a survivor. Other themes include race (biracial), eating disorders, sexual assault, being a mother, abortion, being a woman.


TW/CW: abortion, relationship/domestic abuse, sexual assault, racism, eating disorders, medical issues (specifically in giving birth).

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher. 

adorable animals on the cover is the steadfast way to get me to pick something!
ngl, the description did freak me out a little bit, and i went in into this challenging this book to win me over - and it did that quite well, overall! (the pets did help immensely)
the "cop falling for the sister of the murderer of wife" is a hard sell, even in lesbian romance, but i appreciated how P.J. chose to tell this story & the central issue being discussed (should we blame people for other's crimes when they weren't involved) was very well put and thought-provoking! 
the romance did manage to win me over, the characters were loveable and the thriller b-plot interesting enough. i don't love the cop narrative, i think a private detective would be better in many ways, but i "suspended disbelief" on that particular point. 
contrary to most, i don't think the pacing was weird but i'm also currently binge-watching the L word, so maybe i'm not the best judge right now... 

my condolences to the family and friends of the author, who sadly passed away in June. 

 I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own. thank you to netgalley and bold strokes publishing

I think this book is relevant for those interested in USA History. I never heard about this revolution before, as a non-American and someone who also did not pursue history/humanities. So, for me, everything was new, but from other reviews, i can gather that this is new also for people from the US / who know about this piece of History, because this book talks about the perspective of children, women and free Black people in this revolution - what they lived before, during and after. 

The Southampton Revolution started August 21st 1831, so we’re right now on its 190th anniversary.

This is quite an academic text, but understandable to non-academics, although it remains a very dense read and slow-paced.

 

 Rating based on the average of all stories together.

In Our Words is a collection of short stories that have central queer characters of colour. Most had fantastical elements, but mostly very low-/soft-fantasy, which i prefer.
There were some amazing stories, but the best was Sweet Potato, with a strong runner-up in Granddaughter of the Dragon! I also really enjoyed Depth of Love and Her Mother’s Love, both of which touch on grief, which is something i like to read about.
While most had good concepts, in many the issue i had mainly was the writing style, which affected how i felt about the characters, or the writing pace of the story - a few stories would have benefited from a bit more breathing space. Stories usually deal with the family and/or a romantic partner.
Overall, I think it's worth a read, even if just for a couple of these, because when they are good, they are really good!

Stories I enjoyed: (star rating out of 5; small comment)

(english below)

Uma história que repete O Principezinho em citação e em alma, comovente para todas as idades. 

Paola Peretti descobriu há mais de quinze anos que tem uma doença genética rara, de nome Doença de Stargardt, que leva a uma perda progressiva de visão até à cegueira completa. Mafalda, a menina de 9 anos (e meio!) que seguimos neste livro, tem um fado similar: dentro de seis meses, a doença macular degenerativa levará a uma cegueira irreversível.

Através deste livro, e usando os olhos de Mafalda, Paola Peretti dá a experienciar aos leitores como é passar por este processo, fornecendo uma representação essencial sobre estas doenças pouco conhecidas. Porque não só de não-ficção se faz a comunicação de ciência e educação para a saúde! A literatura pode representar esse papel de forma fantástica! 

Mafalda/Paola diz-nos algo que vale sempre a pena recordar: “que o verdadeiro sentido da vida está dentro de nós, que somos sempre mais fortes do que aquilo que imaginávamos e que só com a ajuda de todos podemos ser inteiros, livres e felizes”. 

Porque o essencial é invisível aos olhos. “Encontra a tua rosa, Mafalda. O teu essencial. Uma coisa que possas fazer mesmo sem ver.”

********

A story that repeats The Little Prince in quotations and in soul, a moving tale for all ages.

Paola Peretti discovered more than fifteen years ago that she has a rare genetic disease called Stargardt Disease, which leads to progressive loss of vision until complete blindness. Mafalda, the 9-(and a half!)year-old girl we follow in this book, has a similar fate: within six months,  macular degeneration will lead to irreversible blindness.

Through this book, and using Mafalda's eyes, Paola Peretti gives readers the experience of what it's like to go through this process, providing an essential representation of these little-known diseases. Because science communication doesn't need to be all non-fiction! Literatura can fit that role in a fantastical way! 

Mafalda/Paola tells us something that is always worth remembering: “that the true meaning of life is within us, that we are always stronger than what we imagine and that only with the help of others can we be whole, free and happy”.

Because the essential is invisible to the eyes. “Find your rose, Mafalda. Your essential. Something you can do even without seeing.”