Book review: The Silence of the Girls by Pat barker

OVERALL RATING: 7/10

Brief description: This is the female pov of the book 'Song of Achillies" - The womens pov. When the Greek queen Helen is kidnapped by Trojans, the greeks go sail in prusuit to fight the Trojans. After besieging the city and capturing the queen of Trojan, Briseis. Who is then condemed to be a bed slave to Achilles, the strongest warrior in Greece, and the man who had eradicated all of the ciry of Troy.

My Personal Thoughts: I havent made a book review in a while. Im not really that busy; its winter holiday for me. But I did have a hard time reading this book. Not because its bad or anything - i actually enjoyed it alot but i havent been that motivated to read.

I recently finished it finally and it was a good ending. I kind of predicted it but at the same time i didnt - yk? Like i didnt expect the ending but i had a sense of direction of how it would end. Honeslty, this book was very captivating. I was super hooked the day i bought it, i finished 200 pages in one sitting, but the book was pretty depressing. Some parts i was very indifferent to, It was pretty hard having to read r*pe scenes without feeling super uncomfartble - did not like how detailed they got sometimes.

I hadnt read the orignal book 'Song of Achillies' and i am now intrested in reading it. I seriously had to pause and question if Achillies and Partocules was gay at times at the start but i didnt want to be like that so i just thought they were weirdly close. After Patrocules died it pretty much solidified it for me. I felt kind of sad that Patrocules's death but again i was indifferent. It was kind of disstressing and awful to read how Achillies acted like, but i didnt feel bad tbh. Its like reading a serial killers love letters to his secert lover. Like cool you loved this person but u are a horrible person so how could i feel sympathy?

I felt bad for the women in this story, esspeically Briseis. I dont blame her or how she acted - i dont even wanna imagine how it must be like or how i wouldve dealt with it. Shes a really strong women and its evident throughout the story and i really like how even though she went through all this traumatic and awful stuff, she still stook through it for the other women in the huts. All the women in that book deserve a hug. I dont think i liked a single man in that whole story, Patrocules was nice but i just had a weird vibe with him. Respect though or talking to Briseis like a normal human being.

Overall, its not much my book even though i was really intrested throughout. I see why this book won Womens prize for fiction, its a complex book that isnt too hard to read and is very intresting to read. 7/10 because it was written really well and scarly captured the view of these women amazingly.

OFF TOPIC: I dont celebrate christmas but happy holidays to anyone. I have gotten some gifts from some online friends and i got the whole twisted series gifted. I dont like booktok books that much - esspeically romance. No hate to them but sometimes their kind of corny. I finished 'Love Theoratically' and i really enjoyed it - Might make a review but idk. I will be making a review on Twisted series. I barely made it through Twisted love - i have no clue how im going to get through the rest. Pray for me, ill make a review when im done all the books.

Cinnamon cookies recipe: No gluten, No dairy - Just perfection.

Simple cinnamon cookies that are dairy free and gluten free that taste just like normal cinnamon cookies

Allergies: Rice flour

Ingredients:

Steps

Enjoy.  🙂

Book review: Before your memory fades Toshikazu Kawaguchi

OVERALL RATING: 8/10

Brief Description: A cafe that has an urban legend of going back in time where you immerse in a story in each chapter of people who are willing to go into the past. There are many rules on when going into the past; its strict. You only can stay in the past till the coffee gets cold and you could not change the past.

You read through 4 chapters of 4 people and what they deal with and how they cope with the death and the past.

My Personal Thoughts: When i tell you this book is sad. IT IS SAD. I had cried 3 times. 3 CHAPTERS. I would've cried on chapter 4 but i litreally was dried out completely. I think this book was hard to read at the start because i didnt really want to read it. It took me like 4 days to read it after i bought it and when i started i remeber thinking "Boringgggg" And then suddenly i finished chapter 1 and i was in tears.

The first chapter made me cry the most. Everytime there is a story that mentions a mother and daughter realitonship i am crushed.

I dont want to explain what happens because i think its good just going in it without any knowledge of it. But all i can say is you need to go into this blind, i went into it blind without knowing other than some reviews of some people crying on tiktok and i thought "ok dramatic" and then i started reading it and omgggggg. KILLED ME.

Its really worth reading. I think this is the highest i gave a book a rating. I dont think the ending was as satisfying as i wanted. I was like "omg wow! Theres gonna be a happy ending!?" And then i spoke to soon. I couldnt cry because I was laughing at how I had guessed right.

Second chapter also killed me aswell. The fact the dead wife was acting so kindly and trying to hold it in made me just bawl. It was really well written honestly because it was making me forget the chapters and pages, that i just was imaging the story and enjoying it every sentence.

Third chapter was pretty sad aswell. I dont have a sister or brother so i didnt think i would cry but i found it so devestating and this desperation after all the charcters would leave their loved ones just made it so heartbreaking.

Overall would reccommend to read it again. Would i reread it? Im leaning on yes but usually i dont like re reading books. Id like to re read a book that satisfys me everytime i read it and this is just sad, so probably woudlnt read the book unless I would wanna refresh my memory on it.

About me

My blog ^

I go by Turkey on this. I like Taylor swift, Ella fitzgerald, Rick montgmery. I typically also enjoy songs on random bands aswell.

I like reading but im trying to read as much as I can, so i made this blog just so i can get intrested in writing about the books i read and summarizing them. I dont really know if this blog is more of a review or a book reccomendation page, your opinon.

I like penguins, they are cute animals. I like learning about stuff. I dont know if i will ever start writing about things i learnt, maybe one day.

Personally enjoy all the colors except black. Love pink and brown, very pretty combo. I like to express my like of these colors through my nails.

Im allergic to alot of things; Diary, Tomato, Pineapple, Cilantro, Cocnut etc. It sucks but i deal with it.

I like watching movies, my favorite movie is 9 - 5. The song aswell is so good, Dolly parton is wicked. I like plays, I like hamailton, wicked and heathers.

book review: The bastard of istanbul by Elif Shafak

OVERALL RATING: 7.9/10

Brief descripition: The book starts of with a women who goes into a hospital to get an abortion ultimately failing to do so in the process.

fast forwards to 20 years later where we meet Asya Kascanzi that lives in istanbul with her extended family. One day her mysterious american armenian cousin comes to visit her trying to find secerts of both their families pasts..

My Personal Thoughts: When i first saw the book i was skeptickal at first. I love drama fiction, esspeically when its to do with family drama. This book had alot of strong language and so many new words i had no clue meant. I liked the challenge of reading it; plus there were no spelling errors. I actually didnt have an underlying favorite charcter, i loved and hated each charcter throughout the story.

Ending was very bittersweet, I did not like the ending. It felt very sudden. In the end when theyy were talking about Asyas father and how they had mentioned Zahilia (her mother) had been r*ped i kind of as a thought said "oh maybe its her brother because she weirdly doesnt feel excited for his arrivel to istanbul and maybe her brother had r*ped her." Did i even for the slighest think i was right? NO, i didnt want to believe it was true and after finding out that disgusting truth i didnt know how to feel. Like I liked Mufasa but then we find out he r*ped Zahilia, HIS SISTER??? Yeah tottally caught me off gaurd, and it was mentioned in the last pages and i was just trying to finish the book and BOOM. And then HE DIES. OUT OF THE BLUE??? AND LIKE I FELT SO BAD FOR ROSE, HIS WIFE. Like she was finally goes out of the US and goes to this country and the MOMENT SHE STEPS IN THE COUNTRY, HER HUSBAND JUST DIES. I didnt really like rose during the book because she was really annoying and it became tedious to read her dialogue, but after she had asked her daughter in the end to translate whats going on because she didnt know that in islam after the person dies, they bury the corpse immediately and must've been such a shock for her.

One thing i wanted to touch in the book was the display of islam and religion through out the story. Me, i am a muslim since birth so whenever there is Islam mentioned in the book i get really nervous but i was plesantly suprised to see good repersentation. Maybe because the author is muslim so obviously that would make sense. its very apparent that the displays of islam is portrayed perfectly but the whole djinn thing with Aunt Banu really made it sort of intoreable to read in a way. But i will say, seeing that perspective was intersting esspeically how ive all my life never wanted to get into that side of the world and islam, for my saftey and others. So seeing it and the dangers it gives was a great warning and to show how even talking with djinn is bad.

There was a part in the story when they had Asya and Aramoush both discuss in the chat room about Armenian and Turkish Massacre in 1915. The whole chat room was talking with Asya and cursing her people for what happened and how her people are ignoorant and they dont want to face what had happened then. And Asya says this quote that even the author had pointed out as never said before. It was so true and exactly how i felt when reading this passage because i was getting frustrated at how these people were acting and just ranting at Asya for something that even she didnt even know until Aramoush had arrived.

"Tell me, what can i do as an ordinary Turk in this day and age do to ease your pain?"

Page 261, And wow. What a quote. And then following that. It was written by the wise man behind the screen, Baron Baghdassarian. He says:

"Turks have been in the habit of denying their wrongdoings, the Armenians have been in the habit of savoring the cocoon of victimhood."

Page 263, Beautifully sums up the wisdom behind this book that bring into light about the situation.

I really loved the maturity that Aramoush and Asya had gained throughout the story. Both learning and understanding each other and learning more about how to love their culture and their past by one another was just perfect and beautifully unified the story all together.

All in all, i think this story was good. I defenitly was glued to the book some days and then some times it would be 30 pages and then im doen for the day. Its story could have some working, esspeically that end with how abruptly we were thrown with all that information. Would i reccommend it? Yes, but only to a certian demographic of people. And dont ask what type of people, i dont know. Just you will know after you read it.

Book review: Killers of a certain age by Deanna Raybourn

OVERALL RATING: 7.8/10

Brief Descripition: 4 old ladies: Billie, Mary Alice, Helen and Natalie have worked for a secret assasination organzation called 'The museum' and forty years have been assasians. When they each are at the time of their life where they are retiring and decide to go on a cruise ship when all of a sudden the get attacked by The museum...

My Personal Thoughts: To be completly honest, i really enjoyed this book. I had alot of fun reading it and it was super fun. I wondered how they could write an action kind of novel in a book. Like how do you even write action scenes but Raybourn proved me wrong. This book is more a thriller/mystery/action type o book and i seriously suggest people read it. I was gonna give it a 8 but everytime they would mention art and descriptions of the art in the book, especially when at the end when they killed the baroness and at the end when they were trying to kill Vance i just got so bored and confused so it kind of ruined the vibe.

I actually thought i found a spelling error but then i found out that the word 'diffident' is a real word. I thought she was saying different but nevermind she wasnt. So there was no spelling errors which is great. I hate when a book has spelling errors it just looks dumb.

The start of the book, so like the first 50 pages were so bored. I think it had a good plot but i was reading it and just felt bored. But ater the first 50 pages, it was like i was stuck. The story was so intresting and thrilling, i loved how the book described every move. Sometimes the fight scenes in this made no sense, like at the end or example. When Billie was fighting Vance, half way i thought "what the hell is going on" and like "how is that move even humanely possible."

Billie was my favorite charcter. She had this kind of cool macho Sylvester Stallone in tusla king feel. It was cool to see a badass and older women who isnt some weird quiet "ive seen so many things and im so dainty and delicate and misunderstood" type of main charcter. Even her realtionship with Tarverner wasnt all angry and stupid, it was really mature and lovely.

During the time when they had killed Sweeney and Helen paused when shooting i thought that maybe Helen had something she was hiding and couldve done some whole betrayel act and played more into that because alot of back stabbing was happening throughout the story, but thats just my opinons honestly.

Overall, would i read it again? Maybe i could. When i rate things 7-8 usually means i really liked the book but it couldve been better and i MIGHT re read it but not 100% likely to. I think the size of the story was really good and i enjoyed it alot and it wasnt a hard read. It did however take me 2 weeks to actually start reading the book but that was only because i had alot to do with school and midterms. But now that i finally got to read it i thourghouly enjoyed it and i will be suggesting people to read this book aswell. I added an actualy picture of the book because last review looked a little dull so i put thisi to make it look prettier.

Book Review: Love untold Ruth Jones

Overall RATING: 5.8/10

Brief Description: The book consists of 4 women: Grace, Alys, Elin and Beca. A story of mothers and daughters rekindiling and trying to get through life during struggles that they all faced through out the years. From Beca, a 16 year old student going through her GSCE till Grace, a grandmother who is just turning 90. The story starts off as Grace is turning 90 years old and doesnt want a giant commotion, she just wants to have a quiet celebration and time with her family nothing else. But Elin and the rest of her family all want to suprise her with a birthday party.

My Personal Thoughts: The book was alright. I think 500 pages might be a little excesive, do i believe there were some chapters that couldve been cut out of the book entirely? Defenitly. I did pick out some spelling errors which set the mood off and looked a little funky when reading, did have to re read it a few times. The start was good, it was clear to know what was going on and who is who. I enjoyed the dynamic between Elin and Beca because i could relate to it in a way with my mother. I also thourghouly enjoyed graces charcter and how they put this mysterious telling on Alys, i genuninly was excited to know who this Alys girl was. But i will say i feel the story wouldve been better if we didnt get Alys's POV. It wouldve been cooler if they just made her this mysterious charcter and then give us her POV when she rekindled with Grace. I didnt really care enough for Alys's POV's and i wouldve been able to enjoy it more if they didnt come RIGHT after Elin and Becas POV's (Those 2 had some of the best POV's in the whole book) And would alwayssssss give us Alys's boring pointless POV right after this intense fight between Elin and her husband. Like no girl, I DONT CARE ABOUT YOUR RECOVERY SORRY (Not really, litreally they were so boring i even skipped some pages from Alys's chapters LOL.)

Some parts of the story were just unnecesary and some stuff i could just perdict by how the story was going. For example: When Beca kissed Soozi and realized she was gay i already knew it was going to happen from the moment she met Soozi. Unpopular opinon and i dont know if anyone will agree on this but, Beca being gay had no point in this story. Like i would get if Elin or anyone else got like angry at her for being gay and then we had some drama with that but like Beca just came out to Elin and was like "Omg! Yes queen lesbian slayyy! I support even though you failed all your GCSE!!! Go QUEER!" GIRL. Doesnt make any sense and was POINTLESS. I feel Ruth couldve really gone into a more deeper part of that but she just added this unnescary giant plot and just gave it just a anticlimatic finish.

On the contrary, i will say Beca failing her GCSE was TOP TIER storyline. Tell me why i was litreally SHAKING when Beca was getting her results. I like how Ruth doesnt give us a happy ending, showing a real raw and true way of how these usually go. Beca didnt just magically get all A+ (Forgive me if my GSCE knowledge is wrong, i do IB) But she actually failed and i think Ruth really portrayed that failure well. I loved Erin's reaction to it. Loved the irony that she is the head teacher and her daughter failed all her GSCE execpt for a few. The way Ruth displayed the fight between Elin and Beca after getting her results was so well written. I was really feeling devestaed and stressed out, almost as if it was me who failed. So really well done on that.

Now the reason i gave this book a 5.8 was because i felt that i kind of forced myself to read this. I did finish it in 2 days but i also did pull a all nighter so.. I think the ending was what just brought the rating all the way down. First off, i am not homophobic in any way. I think queer couples should be added into a storyline WHEN NECESSARY and that it fits the plot and timeline but i think near the end Ruth just gave up and realized she had free will and started throwing in a bunch queer couples. Grace being in a realitonship with Cissie was so OUT OF NOWHERE i kind of love it. Defenitly twisted the plot REALLL fast, not to mention GRACE DYING???!??!!? I legit had to GET UP from my bed because i couldnt believe what i had just read. It was SUCH A GOOD PLOT TWIST, it was so sudden i was like "omg NOOO" I really loved Grace (Kind of) and her death was super shocking. But i still stand that her being in a realtionship with Cisse was as if said again........ POINTLESS! If Grace maybe showed a secert that she was like running from the government or hiding a dark family secert or something else IDK! Really anticlimatic and kind of made me cringe.

The ending was kind of sweet, i liked the bittersweetness of it. I was just happy that Elin got a happy ending and didnt go back to her CHEATING HUSBAND SCUM BAG. When i thought that she was gonna go back to her husband for a moment i actually almost punched a whole in that book and was gonna stop reading it all together. But THANKFULLY, by the grace of god (and my begging) she did not. But i wish Ruth continued the realitonship between the gardner and her, but all and all i get not starting anything, its realistic. I liked Elin the most, defenitly my favorite charcter and felt like i could relate to her the most.

My least favorite charcter had to be Alys. I dont really hate anyone to be honest, i actually liked alot of the charcters and none of them really irked me or ticked me off. But im just saying Alys cause i could not STAND her in the flashbacks between Alys and Grace. It reminded me of that quote where it went "The daughter and father secerlty ridicule the mother" or something along the lines. She irked me then with her sheer ignorance and disrespect but again she was a teenager so i wasnt like blaming her for doing this, again she witnessed her father die so i could imagine the trauma that causes.

Overall, would i read it again? Maybe, but i would only read certian parts. A 500 page story that could be fitted into 300 pages. Sooooo yup. I would recommend to read it was really intresting and was a good kind of drama/ family drama book.

First Tumblr Post

This is my first tumblr post. I do not know how to work this but it looks kinda understandable? LOL

Heres a pic of a cute penguin

I cant find a tag for penguin.