Read.Read.Read. | A Book Blog

Daughters of the Lake by Wendy Webb (Review)

noreply@blogger.com (Milka) — Tue, 08 Jan 2019 15:02:00 +0000

Release date: November 1st, 2018
Author link: Goodreads - Website - Twitter
Publisher: Lake Union Publishing
Pages: 317 (Kindle edition)

Description (from Goodreads):

After the end of her marriage, Kate Granger has retreated to her parents’ home on Lake Superior to pull herself together—only to discover the body of a murdered woman washed into the shallows. Tucked in the folds of the woman’s curiously vintage gown is an infant, as cold and at peace as its mother. No one can identify the woman. Except for Kate. She’s seen her before. In her dreams…

One hundred years ago, a love story ended in tragedy, its mysteries left unsolved. It’s time for the lake to give up its secrets. As each mystery unravels, it pulls Kate deeper into the eddy of a haunting folktale that has been handed down in whispers over generations. Now, it’s Kate’s turn to listen.

As the drowned woman reaches out from the grave, Kate reaches back. They must come together, if only in dreams, to right the sinister wrongs of the past.

I am not sure if I have ever read a book quite like this before. Daughters of the Lake is a mix of a thriller/mystery and a paranormal novel. All in all, it ended up being quite different than I expected.

Daughters of the Lake was a total cover buy for me and I ended up purchasing it without taking a glimpse on the synopsis. I also started to read it the moment I bought it, which is uncommon for me because I have a tendency to hoard on books I don't plan on reading right away.

I am happy I didn't give any attention to the synopsis or to reviews of this book because if I had known about the paranormal element (ghosts) I probably would not have picked this one up. By the time those elements make their first appearance I was already so deep into the story that I didn't find it justifiable to give up with this just because I don't like that kind of elements in stories in general.

Kate has separated from her husband, quit her job and moved back to her parent's house. Things are not going at all as she had planned and in addition to everything else she has been having extremely vivid dreams in which she feels like she is inhabiting the body of someone else. When the body of a woman is found from the beach next to her parent's house, detectives are baffled. No one seems to know who the woman is or where she has come from. No one other than Kate, who has seen the woman before...in her dreams.

As Kate travels to visit her cousin in the house that used to belong to her ancestors, Kate starts to find out more about her past and the woman from her dreams. Secrets are revealed, connections are made, crimes are solved. In many ways, Daughters of the Lake is a great multi generational story about women of a particular family, women with a shared destiny.

I enjoyed the gothic atmosphere of the novel and especially the chapters that focus on the events from the early 1900s caught my interest with their family secrets and tales. Kate is a fairly interesting character on her own, but for me the connections that she has with the women from the past were the real highlight of Daughters of the Lake.

One thing that constantly annoyed me was the casualness with which the people around Kate take her tales of ghosts and dreams and haunting. Maybe I am too skeptical for my own good, but seriously, if someone were to tell me that they are seeing ghosts and bodies of women they are dreaming of I would probably not be like "okay, cool, let's have a drink." I constantly kept wishing that people would question Kate, because that would have made her an unreliable narrator and thus the book would have likely been even more interesting than it was as it is.

+ multi-generational tale of women

+ gothic atmosphere and interesting description of locations, especially the house in which Kate's ancestors used to live in

- the way in which those around Kate accept her stories about ghosts etc. is not very believable

Rating:

If you liked Daughters of the Lake you might like:

All the Ugly and Wonderful Things by Bryn Greenwood (covers an extended period of time in the life of a particular family through multiple points of view)
The Enchanted by Rene Denfeld (set in a prison, the way the narrator describes things seems somewhat paranormal and/or magical at times, absolutely one of my favorite books of all time)
Burial Rites by Hannah Kent (desolate location, mystery, a story of a woman)

What others have thought of Daughters of the Lake:

2019 Reading Challenges: Helmet Reading Challenge & Reading Women Challenge

noreply@blogger.com (Milka) — Thu, 03 Jan 2019 20:00:00 +0000

Although the idea of setting detailed reading plans for the upcoming year has never really worked for me, there are a couple of reading challenges I am planning to participate in. These challenges, The Helmet Reading Challenge and The Reading Women Challenge seem broad enough and thus allow me to read a variety of books from the fields of fiction and non-fiction.

The Helmet Reading challenge is quite popular in Finland and the 50 different challenges refer to some current themes like Brexit and global warming. Though the idea is to read 50 different books, it is completely okay (in my opinion at least) to count the same book towards multiple challenges if you feel like it.

Though most of the books I read in 2018 were written by women, I would like to gain some variety to the authors that I read books from by introducing myself to authors from different cultures, economic backgrounds, and so on. I believe the Reading Women Challenge will offer me encouragement to do just that. There are 24 four challenges (plus 2 bonus challenges) and it seems likely that I will include some books in both reading challenges introduced on this post.

The challenges I am most excited about from the Helmet Reading Challenge (full list available here):

9. A book recommended by someone under 18 years old

If I have blog followers under the age of 18, please recommend me some books! I think this particular challenge is great and it will be interesting to see what kind of books children/teens/young adults recommend.

20. The book deals with a culture that you are not familiar with

I definitely want to read non-fiction for this. I think culture can be interpreted quite widely in this context, so there are a lot of options to go with.

24. Book chosen from a bookshelf with your eyes closed

I think I will have to do this at the library because I know my own bookshelves quite well and can thus "cheat" in the process of selecting the book.

The challenges I am most excited about from the Reading Women Challenge (more information available here):

4. About or set in Appalachia

I don't know much about the Appalachian culture, so maybe I can read a book that fits into the culture challenge mentioned above as well. This list by Bustle introduces some books set in Appalachia that can be of assistance for this challenge.

7. Featuring a woman in science

Since I work as a scientist at a university it would be interesting to read something with a university setting. There are also a number of non-fiction books that could be used for this challenge. Once again, Bustle has a good list to start with!

16. Book by an Indigenous woman

I read Heart Berries: A Memoir by Terese Marie Mailhot in 2018 and loved it, so the idea of reading more by an Indigenous female author is super exciting to me. If you have any recommendations, let me know in the comments! Maybe I will finally read some Louise Erdrich?

Are you going to participate in any reading challenges in 2019?

Let me know in the comments!

Don't forget that you can also chat with me on Twitter (@milkamilka) and Instagram (@avoraciousreader).

Top 10 Books of 2018

noreply@blogger.com (Milka) — Sun, 30 Dec 2018 20:30:00 +0000

It is that time of the year again... time to list my favorite books of the year.

This year, instead of doing the kind of massive wrap-up post that I’ve done in the previous years I decided to take the simple route and just share the best ten books I read in 2018. Please note that some of these books were not published in 2018.

Also, surprisingly there are quite a few titles by Finnish authors on this list. All of the Finnish books included are currently only available in Finnish, but I will add a note to the text if I know that an English translation is in the works.

The books are in no particular order!

I’ll Be Gone in the Dark: One Woman’s Obsessive Search for the Golden State Killer by Michelle McNamara

My absolute favorite book of the year. Not only a brilliant true crime tale but also an account of obsession and a desire to find answers and a solution for all of those touched by the crimes of the Golden State Killer.

Engaging, intriguing, fast-paced and incredibly well written. McNamara truly was a master of her graft.

Michelle McNamara unfortunately passed away before this book was published.

Ehkä tänä kesänä kaikki muuttuu by Sisko Savonlahti

A refreshingly honest look into a life of a thirty something single woman living in Helsinki. Savonlahti writes about difficult topics with humor and identifying with the unnamed narrator was at times extremely easy (though being able to identify with the fictional people I read about is not a necessity, at times it can be a great addition to the reading experience).

A strong debut novel that makes me excited about what comes next.

I believe an English translation of this novel is currently in the works.

Sivuhenkilö by Saara Turunen

A late addition to my list that I read just before Christmas. Turunen’s novel deals a lot of the same themes as Savonlahti’s novel — being single, living in the city, struggling with the expectations society sets for us, and so on — and does it with similar brilliance and honesty.

Focuses a lot on the struggles of creating art and the relationship between art and commercialism. Additionally the novel approaches discussions related to gender in a way that definitely made me as a reader think about a lot of different things.

Rouva C by Minna Rytisalo

Interesting, touching, thrilling and detailed story about a famous Finnish writer, Minna Canth, and her journey especially into becoming a wife and a mother.

I really loved this one and how it sparked my interest for Minna Canth, her works and the time period during which she lived.

Extremely well written -- the way Rytisalo writes made it easy for me to transport myself to the time period during which Minna lived and to the settings from which she found herself from.

Rules of Civility by Amor Towles

One of my favorite Booktubers (ABookOlive) named this as one of her favorite books so I obviously had to check it out.

Thrilling, romantic, sad, exciting, intriguing, unputdownlable. This book was everything I wanted and so much more.

Also, this would make a BRILLIANT film.

Dead Mountain: The Untold True Story of the Dyatlov Pass Incident by Donnie Eichar

I read two books related to mountaineering this year -- Dead Mountain and Jon Krakauer's Into Thin Air. Though both were brilliant, I decided to only include Dead Mountain on this list because it intrigued me more, probably because it reads more like a true crime novel than Krakauer's book.

Dead Mountain is a thrilling page-turner about the mysterious disappearance of a Russian group of mountain climbers and a story of a man, Donnie Eichar, who becomes obsessed with finding the answers to the mystery.

If you have already read this one, I highly recommend checking out Bea Uusma's The Exhibition, my favorite book of 2017.

Chernobyl Prayer: A Chronicle of the Future by Svetlana Alexievich

This one was so heavy and difficult to get through at times, yet extremely important and one of the most touching, if not the most touching, book I have read within the past few years.

A collection of accounts and recollections by a number of people affected by the Chernobyl disasters, Chernobyl prayer feels extremely personal and heartbreaking. Alexievich, herself also affected by the disasters, has put together a well-rounded description of events and effects in a way that makes the reader definitely look at the disaster in a whole new light.

If We Were Villains by M.L. Rio

I do not often read books like this one, which one could categorize under the genres of thriller and/or mystery, mostly because I often feel like books that fit under those genres are predictable and very generic.

If We Were Villains is neither. It fed my Shakespeare obsession, offered me a set of characters that I didn't really know what to feel about, and a mystery that kept me turning the pages until the very end.

This one has often been compared to Donna Tartt's The Secret History which is no wonder, because both books are brilliant and go beyond the generic thriller/mystery tropes in intriguing and challenging ways.

Educated by Tara Westover

Tara Westover's Educated is probably THE non-fiction book even those who don't normally read non-fiction managed to read, or hear about, in 2018. It won the Goodreads awards, was featured on New York Times' top 10 books of the year list, and gained acclaim from left and right.

It is no wonder, though, because Educated is absolutely fascinating.

Though Tara's education is the main focus of this novel, her family and their beliefs as well as her upbringing play a huge role as well. In a sense, Educated feels very timely considering the fact that the education system in the United States seems to be in sense of turmoil at the same time as the government and politics in the country are going through changes that not many expected before the 2016 election.

The Secret History by Donna Tartt

Though this book has been on my TBR for YEARS, I only managed to pick it up this year. Though I feel sad that I had not allowed myself a chance to introduce myself to this brilliance before, I feel that if I had read this, for example, during my late teens I probably would not have appreciated it as much as I did now.

The Secret History is thrilling, intriguing and fast-paced. The characters are intelligent and wonderfully pretentious -- they are horrible, yet you cannot stop reading about them.

Definitely worth all the hype!

What were your favorite books in 2018?

Let me know in the comments!

Don't forget that you can also chat with me on Twitter (@milkamilka) and Instagram (@avoraciousreader).

To Be Honest by Maggie Ann Martin (Review)

noreply@blogger.com (Milka) — Wed, 26 Dec 2018 10:47:00 +0000

Release date: August 18th, 2018
Author links: Goodreads - Website - Twitter
Publisher: Swoon Reads
Pages: 304 pages (hardcover)

Description (from Goodreads):

Savannah is dreading being home alone with her overbearing mother after her sister goes off to college. But if she can just get through senior year, she'll be able to escape to college, too. What she doesn't count on is that her mother's obsession with weight has only grown deeper since her appearance on an extreme weight-loss show, and now Savvy's mom is pressuring her even harder to be constantly mindful of what she eats.

Between her mom's diet-helicoptering, missing her sister, and worrying about her collegiate future, Savvy has enough to worry about. And then she meets George, the cute new kid at school who has insecurities of his own. As Savvy and George grow closer, they help each other discover how to live in the moment and enjoy the here and now before it disappears.

Inspired by my love for Dumplin' (both the book and the movie) I felt like picking up a young adult novel for the first time in a long while. Body positivity is a big deal for me so I am always a bit weary when it comes to books like this.

When Savannah's sister moves away from home Savannah is left at home with her weight-loss obsessed mother who has recently competed in a competition similar to The Biggest Loser. Savannah doesn't have the kind of body her mother would like her to have and she is constantly reminded of that -- her mother monitors her eating, gives "friendly" suggestions of what to eat and what not to eat, and even destroys a perfectly good batch of cookies because treats like that are not accepted by her.

Though Savannah is pressured by her mother to lose weight, this book does not focus on Savannah's diet or her struggles with her self-image. In fact, Savannah seems completely fine with how she is and looks and spends time worrying about her mother rather than herself.

Though, as mentioned, this novel is not about weight loss, it has such a prominent role in the novel that it could be triggering for some. Savannah's mother is toxic and reading about her antics made me angry. Yes, I the novel itself and myself as a reader tried to understand the mother and her thinking, but honestly, for most of the novel she is the WORST.

The relationship between Savannah and her mother is at the center of this To Be Honest and though Savannah's friendship and romantic life are discussed on the novel as well, the mother-daughter relationship takes over everything. Especially Savannah's friendship with a girl called Grace feels really undeveloped and in every sense Grace is truly Savannah's sidekick -- she has function in the story only when Savannah needs her.

The budding romance between Savannah and George is cute but I couldn't help but to feel annoyed at times when George so obviously shows he is interested and still Savannah keeps telling everyone that "there is no way he would like a fatty like me." I think this aspect annoyed me the most because I know I am exactly the same. At the other hand, George's signs of attraction were SO OBVIOUS that Savannah not seeing them didn't feel very realistic.

There is this side plot involving a school paper and a story about the high school athletic program that is not discussed enough to my liking -- honestly, the author could have added 100 extra pages to this novel to develop that story more.

Overall, the experience of reading about fat girls is always a refreshing, positive experience when it is executed in this manner.

+ Fat protagonist who is happy with herself and how she looks

+ Multi-dimensional mother-daughter relationship

- The plot line focused on the school paper is extremely interesting but the author does not spend enough time on it

Rating:

If you liked To Be Honest you might like:

Damsel Distressed by Kelsey Macke (Cinderella retelling, a fat protagonist who struggles but not because of her weight, adorable romance)
Pretty Face by Mary Hogan (it has been AGES since I read this one, but I remember loving the story of a California girl traveling to Italy and realizing that curvy can also be beautiful)
Dumplin' by Julie Murphy (even thinking about this book and the brilliant movie made out of it kind of makes me want to sob from happiness and fat girl magic)

What others have thought of To Be Honest:

Vicky Who Reads (3/5 stars)
Book Loaner
Novel Ink (4.5/5 stars)
Howling Libraries (5/5 stars)

Hello again. It has been a while.

noreply@blogger.com (Milka) — Sun, 23 Dec 2018 21:05:00 +0000

Hello my friends! It truly has been a while since I have updated this blog. Though it is a pity, I won't be too hard on myself about this long period of inactivity since the last time I shared a post in March A LOT has happened.

I am not sure whether I updated you on my new job on February. Well, I am not doing that job anymore. I worked as a digital planner in a marketing/advertising agency for a while, but that job just wasn't a good fit for me. On the upside I got some good experience that will likely be beneficial for me at some point in the future.

I have been interested in the idea of continuing my studies to the doctoral level since my undergraduate degree, but I never expected that I would do it so quickly after getting my masters. Also, I never expected that I would do it on a field other than film/media studies. Well, I guess I was wrong since I can now say that I have been a doctoral student at a business school since September. Yes, me, a film/media buff and a bachelor and master of arts in a business school.

Everything has been so new and exciting and I love it. Learning new things, applying what I already know to a new field, and spending time with so many intelligent and interesting people has been an absolute dream come true and something I never expected to happen to me so soon after getting my masters.

I am working on a project that focuses on the branding of healthcare services. Getting a chance to familiarize myself with branding literature, brand management, and the healthcare marketing field has been much more interesting than I expected and I can't wait to see what kind of work I get to do in the future. I have a four year contract with the university so by the fall of 2022 I should be defending my doctoral thesis. Sounds both super scary and exciting.

I moved to my own place in April and I have absolutely loved it here. I live in a suburb about 8 kilometers from the city center. My parents like nearby and I have all the services needed close by. The university campus is about 5 kilometers away, but I have been working quite a bit from home as well since I feel like it is much easier for me to concentrate here.

I also welcomed a new family member to my home at the beginning of December (the dog pictured above). His name is Pasi and he is absolutely adorable. He will celebrate his 10th birthday on January, but since he is so healthy I am hoping that we will have many years to spend together.

As those who have been following this blog for years might remember, I am absolutely obsessed with Christmas. I have been posting Christmas movie reviews on this blog previously, but unfortunately I don't think I will have time and patience to do it this year. I have watched about 50 Christmas movies so far this year, so maybe some sort of recommendation post could be possible if that is something you are interested in.

Despite all of the new things in my life books have remained as a constant, dear part of my life. I have had this blog for such a long time and I have loved sharing my experiences about books here with you. Now feels like a great time to start again. I won't put too much pressure on myself, but I promise that I will try to post something new at least once a week. At one point in time I used to post EVERY SINGLE DAY and I admire myself for that, but right now that is just not an option.

I hope you have enjoyed this little update and look forward to seeing more posts by me. I hope you all doing fine and getting excited about the holiday season. Let me know in the comments how you are doing and what you have been reading recently.

Also, if you want to hear more from me, don't forget to follow me on Twitter @milkamilka and on Instagram at @avoraciousreader.

Exciting 2018 Releases: March

noreply@blogger.com (Milka) — Thu, 01 Mar 2018 13:00:00 +0000

It is time to list some exciting March releases! Let me know in the comments if you are looking forward to reading any of these books or let me know if there are any awesome releases I am missing for my list.

I Was Anastasia by Ariel Lawhon (March 27th by Doubleday Books)

Tyler Johnson Was Here by Jay Coles (March 20th by Little, Brown Books for Young Readers)

The Room on Rue Amélie by Kristin Harmel (March 27th by Gallery Books)

The Beauty That Remains by Ashley Woodfolf (March 6th by Delacorte Press)

Tangerine by Christine Mangan (March 20th by Ecco)

In Her Skin by Kim Savage (March 27th by FSG)

Bygone Badass Broads: 52 Forgotten Women Who Changed the World by Mackenzi Lee and Petra Eriksson (illustrator) (March 6th by Abrams Image)

Ask Me About My Uterus: A Quest to Make Doctors Believe in Women's Pain by Abby Norman (March 6th by Nation Books)

The Sun Does Shine: How I Found Life and Freedom on Death Row by Anthony Ray Hinton, introduction by Bryan Stevenson (March 27th by St. Martin's Press)

Girls Burn Brighter by Shobha Rao (March 6th by Flatiron Books)

Let me know in the comments which March releases you are looking forward to reading! And don't forget to connect with me on Twitter @milkamilka and on Instagram @avoraciousreader.

Educated by Tara Westover (Review)

noreply@blogger.com (Milka) — Mon, 19 Feb 2018 08:00:00 +0000

Release date: February 20th, 2018
Author links: Goodreads - Twitter - Website
Publisher: Random House
Pages: 352

Description (from Goodreads):

An unforgettable memoir in the tradition of The Glass Castleabout a young girl who, kept out of school, leaves her survivalist family and goes on to earn a PhD from Cambridge University

Tara Westover was seventeen the first time she set foot in a classroom. Born to survivalists in the mountains of Idaho, she prepared for the end of the world by stockpiling home-canned peaches and sleeping with her “head-for-the-hills bag.” In the summer she stewed herbs for her mother, a midwife and healer, and in the winter she salvaged in her father’s junkyard.

Her father forbade hospitals, so Tara never saw a doctor or nurse. Gashes and concussions, even burns from explosions, were all treated at home with herbalism. The family was so isolated from mainstream society that there was no one to ensure the children received an education, and no one to intervene when one of Tara’s older brothers became violent.

Then, lacking any formal education, Tara began to educate herself. She taught herself enough mathematics and grammar to be admitted to Brigham Young University, where she studied history, learning for the first time about important world events like the Holocaust and the civil rights movement. Her quest for knowledge transformed her, taking her over oceans and across continents, to Harvard and to Cambridge. Only then would she wonder if she’d traveled too far, if there was still a way home.

Educated is an account of the struggle for self-invention. It is a tale of fierce family loyalty, and of the grief that comes with severing the closest of ties. With the acute insight that distinguishes all great writers, Westover has crafted a universal coming-of-age story that gets to the heart of what an education is and what it offers: the perspective to see one’s life through new eyes, and the will to change it.

Educated by Tara Westover was one of my most anticipated releases of 2018 and it definitely did not disappoint.

Tara Westover's memoir is filled with interesting family stories, heartbreak, resilience, strength, and much more. It is both touching and thought-provoking, personal yet universal.

Tara Westover, Ph.D, was seventeen years old when she first set foot in a traditional classroom. Educated in an unconventional homeschooling system (unconventional in the sense that there really was no encouragement for her to study in the first place) Tara never really imagined her to be a person who would fit into a traditional school environment.

Her future felt very pre-determined for her -- marrying early, giving birth to children, assisting her mother with her midwife-business or her father with his many business endeavors. When one of Tara's brothers moves away from home to attend university against their parents' wishes, Tara begins to think that there might be a possibility for her to escape her pre-determined future as well.

It was so interesting, yet kind of terrifying, to read about Tara's childhood and the things that she has to witness living in a family that does not believe in government organized education or in the assistance of trained physicians and nurses. Seeing her mother suffer from brain injury and not getting help from the doctors or seeing her brother burned and scarred leaves a mark that she is probably never able to fully erase.

Tara's father is one of the most interesting "characters" to read about. The synopsis calls him survivalist, which I guess is true to an extent since he does prepare for the end of the world. I find it interesting, though, that the synopsis does not really mention the religious aspects of Tara's father believes at all.

Maybe the publisher thinks a mention of religion could drive some readers away. I personally had read about this book from elsewhere and knew about the religious content before picking this one up.

Tara's family attends church services at the local Mormon church but according to her father, they seem to be the only true believers in their community. His religious believes are the reason he doesn't want his children to go to a government-owned school or to a hospital. If an accident happens, according to him it was the wish of God.

I am not a religious person at all which is why I find it extremely difficult to understand Tara's father's reasoning. His decisions made me consider how I would act in situations the family finds itself in and though I did not relate to Tara's father in any way, I found it extremely intriguing to read about him.

His decisions and actions definitely have left a mark not only on himself but on all the members of his family as well.

The violence Tara has to witness and personally go through in her home was angering and heartbreaking. The status of women in her community is horrible and painful to read about. Getting to witness how Tara's perception of herself and what she has gone through changes as she spends time away from home is extremely interesting and brilliantly executed.

The more time she spends away the more she starts to realize that what has happened to her since her childhood is not normal or deserved. It is the result of toxic masculinity and age-old gender stereotypes.

Tara's educational journey is so inspirational and highlights her personal strength. The way she is able to, slowly but surely, get acclimated to this whole new world for her is described brilliantly.

I constantly found myself rooting for her and wishing for all the best. Finding her areas of academic interest and questioning things she has been taught in her home takes time, but once she gets a chance to make her own mind it is proved that her ideas are original, brilliant and worth examining.

All of the academic research she mentions in the book sounds like something I would love to get my hands on.

Westover is a strong writer and is able to piece her story together in a way that makes the reader want to keep turning the pages. Though I was not able to relate to her family background, her struggles at university and finding her way in the academic world were issues which made me think about my own university years.

While I believe those who can relate to Tara's family and educational background are in minority within the readership of this book, I believe her universal story about the struggles of growing up in an unconventional environment, finding her way on her own, and making decisions against her parents' wishes are issues many readers can identify with.

I highly recommend Educated to everyone and hope that this was only the beginning of Tara Westover's writing career.

Rating:

The Secret History by Donna Tartt (Review)

noreply@blogger.com (Milka) — Fri, 09 Feb 2018 08:00:00 +0000

Release date: September 5th, 1992
Author links: Goodreads
Publisher: Knopf
Pages: 745 (Finnish translation)

Description (from Goodreads):

Truly deserving of the accolade Modern Classic, Donna Tartt's cult bestseller The Secret History is a remarkable achievement - both compelling and elegant, dramatic and playful.

Under the influence of their charismatic classics professor, a group of clever, eccentric misfits at an elite New England college discover a way of thinking and living that is a world away from the humdrum existence of their contemporaries. But when they go beyond the boundaries of normal morality their lives are changed profoundly and for ever.

This book has been around for almost as long as I've been alive but only one of us has been slated as a "modern classic."

Donna Tartt's debut is so hyped and acclaimed that I felt very hesitant picking it up. When the page count of a book goes over 400 I usually start to hesitate. I have a very hard time giving up with books, even if I don't enjoy them, which often leads to me not reading at all if I am in the middle of a book I don't care for at all.

I am so happy that I made the decision to pick Tartt's debut novel up from my TBR pile because it was awesome!

The Secret History is intriguing, intelligent, interesting, and more. Most of the characters are quite unlikable yet I couldn't help being interested in what happens to them. The college campus setting fits perfectly to the story and I love how Tartt takes her time in establishing the surroundings the characters inhabit.

The discussions about literature, history, ancient Greece, and more challenged me and made me want to do more research. Though the characters feel like complete snobs they do not feel like caricatures -- having been a part of university community for a number of years I know there is always a group of people like the characters of The Secret History lurking around somewhere.

The Secret History, in my opinion, would make a perfect book club book or a class reading since it brings up so many questions about morality, class, status, and more. While reading it I wished I had someone close to me reading it too so I could discuss it with someone.

If I ever reread this one I will definitely make sure I am reading it with someone else.

I read the Finnish translation of this novel so I can't really comment on Tartt's use of language. The translation was really good and the way the story is narrated is done in a way that the suspense lasts to the very last page. For my potential reread I will definitely pick up the original edition, though, so I can experience this book in English.

Rating:

February Freebie: Desktop Wallpaper [English + Finnish]

noreply@blogger.com (Milka) — Mon, 05 Feb 2018 19:37:00 +0000

Recently I have fallen in love with Pinterest after years of inactivity. As a result of that, I have also grown interested in working on all sorts of graphics as you might have guessed from the increased use of graphics on my blog.

I love switching my desktop wallpaper monthly and usually find myself looking forward to selecting the new background to use. Though I love the selection available online I decided to try making my own wallpapers this year.

I was so pleased with the first wallpaper that I decided I would share it here. Feel free to download the background for your own use and let me know in the comments if you have any suggestions for improvements.

[Since I have a lot of Finnish followers on my blog I decided to provide the calendar design in Finnish as well!]

download png - download jpg

lataa png - lataa jpg

If you want to see more content by me you should follow me on Twitter @milkamilka and on Instagram @avoraciousreader.

Books for Children (#1)

noreply@blogger.com (Milka) — Mon, 05 Feb 2018 08:00:00 +0000

I became a Godmother a few months ago and since then have been avidly looking for children's books to add to my little Godson's collection.

I went ahead and requested a few books from Netgalley thinking that I would start posting my thoughts on children's books once in a while here on my blog.

As my Godson grows I hope we will be spending more and more time reading books, so the frequency of these posts will likely increase then.

But without further rambling, here is the first batch of books! If you have any recommendations, please leave them in the comments -- I would love to hear which books you've been reading with the little ones in your life.

Caillou Plays Hockey by Anne Paradis (adapted) and Mario Allard (illustrations)

As some of you might know, ice-hockey is a BIG deal for me. Luckily, it happens to be quite a big deal for the mother of my Godson as well, which means that he will be raised to be a hockey lover. I even bought a hockey jersey for him as a christening present.

In Caillou Plays Hockey Caillou wants to play with the bigger kids but quickly realizes that the game is too fast for him. By teaming up with a kid of his own age Caillou practices his skills and develops into a much stronger player.

The lesson is simple: do not compare yourself to others but rather develop your skills through practice. We are all different and that is what makes the world so wonderful.

I loved that Caillou's father takes Caillou to buy hockey equipment from a secondhand store. Every page on the book has a purpose, so deciding to use the secondhand store as a setting clearly had a purpose.

I will definitely be reading this one to my Godson once he gets a bit older and starts his own hockey career (yes, I am determined that he will be a professional hockey player.)

Polar Bear Postman by Seigo Kijima

Polar Bear Postman focuses on Mr. Milk, the Postmaster at the Polar Bear Post Office. When Mr. Milk gets a letter from red-crown cranes asking for his help in searching for their baby chick, Mr. Milk rushes for help.

The illustrations on this one are quite simplistic and yet they manage to be engaging in many different ways. The main visual complaint I have has to do with the stylization of the text. The text looks really simple and kind of plain and I while reading this one I kept thinking of all the visually interesting and engaging things that could have been done.

There is a clear dichotomy of the good vs. bad present in the book in the form of animals -- there are bad animals that don't help Mr. Milk on his journey to find the little chick as well as good animals that decide to offer their assistance. The lesson is, naturally, that good always wins.

No One Else Like You by Siska Goeminne and Meryl Eyckerman (illustrator)

"People come in different colors, shapes, and sizes. There are people with wiggly toes or skinny legs, with freckles in the summer and goosebumps in winter, with short arms or very long ones that can reach anything."

I really liked this one. Especially the illustration following the quote above featuring people of different colors, ages, and sizes spending the day at the pool, left an impression on me.

"People are fragile. You shouldn't drop them because they might fall to pieces. They love a little care: food and drink, but also hugs and sympathy. Or pay them a compliment -- that makes them glow inside."

As you can probably sense from the title alone, No One Else Like You is all about our unique aspects and the fact that we are all different -- even just a little bit. The illustrations in the book are wonderful and I loved the approach it takes to simply, yet effectively, illustrate the fact that we should respect different beliefs, styles of dress, and so on.

I am definitely ordering this one to my Godson with my next book purchase.

Look for Ladybug in Plant City by Katherina Manolessou

Look for Ladybug in Plant City comes with more than 500 things to spot.

Looking for the little details in the illustrations is fun and I can imagine they could ignite a lot of conversations with children. Also, a lot of time could be spent by asking the child to look for certain things, count certain things, and so on.

The colors on the book are beautiful and vibrant -- I read this one of my iPad and I can just imagine how impressive the detailed illustrations look on paper.

The only thing I found kind of strange about this book was the ending as Daisy, the main character of the book, doesn't end up finding her ladybug. The ladybug is right next to them though, so maybe it is the task of the reader to realize that the ladybug was safe and close to them after all the search.

Home Sweet Home by Mia Cassany and Paula Blumen (illustrations)

"Peek inside apartments, houses, and backyards as our friends lead you on a journey around the world. Where would you choose as your home sweet home?"

This one was definitely my favorite of the bunch!

Home Sweet Home introduces different homes around the world through animals. For example, there's Dash, an old dog living in Cape Cod, a cat called Arun from Myanmar, and a cat called Mimi from Toronto.

The illustrations are wonderful -- the style, the use of color and the clear distinctions between the different homes are impressed me. I also loved how many little details every single home includes since I believe those little details will ignite conversations with the little reader about different places, customs, and so on.

Please share your children's book recommendations in the comments below!

Monthly Wrap-Up - January (Favorite Books, Movies, TV, Podcasts, and Songs)

noreply@blogger.com (Milka) — Sat, 03 Feb 2018 11:41:00 +0000

The first month of the year is over and it is time for my monthly wrap-up!

Books read in January 2018:

The Secret History by Donna Tartt

Vihan ja inhon internet by Emmi Nieminen and Johanna Vehkoo

Everstinna by Rosa Liksom

The Witch Doesn't Burn in This One by Amanda Lovelace

Bloom by Beau Taplin

Educated by Tara Westover

The Beginning of the World in the Middle of the Night by Jen Campbell

The Reader on the 6.27 by Jean-Paul Didierlaurent

Akvarelleja Engelin kaupungista by Jukka Viikilä

The number of books read:

The number of pages read:

2402

Favorite book of the month:

I finally read The Secret History by Donna Tartt and it is definitely worth all the hype. I pick up long books very hesitantly, but I am happy that I was brave enough to pick this one up. It was the first book I finished this year and I have a high suspicion that it will make my top books of the year list.

Least favorite book of the month:

Bloom by Beau Taplin wasn't a bad book, it just happened to be the worst of a spectacularly good reading month.

There were some really good poems here, but in general, it didn't leave much of an impression on me. I enjoyed it while reading it, but now that I look back I don't remember much about it.

Favorite movie of the month:

I didn't watch a lot of films this one, so I am going to cheat a little bit with this category and mention BBC's North and South miniseries as my favorite movie.

I have owned this miniseries on DVD probably since 2010 and I watched it a couple of times back then. Now, rewatching it again, I quickly realized the filming locations look VERY FAMILIAR! After some research, I found out that a lot of the outdoor scenes were filmed in Edinburgh, a city I lived in for four years. Looking out for familiar locations definitely made watching this a lot more interesting.

John Thornton is kind of a dick and yet he is sooooo damn charming. I have owned the novel this is based on since 2009 and I am determined to read it this year.

Favorite TV show(s) of the month:

Favorite continuing show of the month: One Day at a Time (Netflix) - If you are not watching this show yet, stop everything you are doing and get yourself to Netflix. One Day at a Time is entertaining, touching, hilarious, and brave. It discusses issues important to the contemporary society, such as race, diversity, sexuality, and more and does it masterfully. The cast is so likable and I promise you, this show will give you ALL THE FEELS.

Favorite new show of the month: The Resident (Fox) - My #TeamLogan loving heart has been over the moon about this show. Matt Czuchry is back on TV! He is playing a badass rogue surgeon and I can't wait to see how this show develops in the upcoming weeks.

Favorite rewatch of the month: Seinfeld - This show continues to entertain me time after time. These characters are so horrible, yet so entertaining and kind of relatable in many ways. George Costanza will always and forever be one of my favorite fictional characters of all time.

Favorite podcast of the month:

Atlanta Monster hosted by Payne Lindsay

Atlanta Monster is a true crime podcast about the Atlanta Child Murders. 40 years after the crimes, host Payne Lindsay tries to find answers to some of the questions that still remain about the dark events that took place in Atlanta.

Favorite song of the month:

Haven't Met You Yet by Brett Eldredge

This song gives me MAJOR feels. It is one of those songs that always puts me in a good mood (and kind of makes me hope that Brett Eldredge would be singing it just for me.)

This song would also make the perfect inspiration for a romance novel -- just think of two people who keep going to the same places but just miss seeing each other until they finally do and they instantly know they should be together. Swoon.

Please let me know in the comments what were some of your favorite things in January! Also, remember to connect with me on Twitter @milkamilka & at Instagram @avoraciousreader.

Exciting 2018 Releases: February

noreply@blogger.com (Milka) — Thu, 01 Feb 2018 09:00:00 +0000

It is time to list some exciting February releases! Let me know in the comments if you are looking forward to reading any of these books.

The Belles by Dhonielle Clayton (February 6th by Disney-Hyperion)

A Girl Like That by Tanaz Bhathena (February 27th by Farrar Straus Giroux Books for Young Readers)

The Last To Let Go by Amber Smith (February 6th by McElderry Books)

American Panda by Gloria Chao (February 6th by Simon Pulse)

An American Marriage by Tayari Jones (February 6th by Algonquin Books)

The Glass Forest by Cynthia Swanson (February 6th by Touchstone)

Heart Berries by Terese Marie Mailhot (February 6th by Counterpoint Press)

Freshwater by Akwaeke Emezi (February 13th by Grove Press)

A False Report: A True Story of Rape in America by T. Christian Miller & Ken Armstrong (February 6th by Crown Publishing Group)

I'll Be Gone in the Dark: One Woman's Obsessive Search for the Golden State Killer by Michelle McNamara (February 27th by Harper)

I Stop Somewhere by T.E. Carter (February 27th by Feiwel & Friends/Macmillan)

Eloquent Race: A Black Feminist Discovers Her Superpower by Brittney Cooper (February 20th by St. Martin's Press)

Educated: A Memoir by Tara Westover (February 20th by
Random House)

Things We Haven't Said: Sexual Violence Survivors Speak Out edited by Erin Moulton (February 27th by Zest Books)

Please let me know in the comments which February releases you are looking forward to reading the most! And don't forget to connect with me on Twitter @milkamilka and on Instagram @avoraciousreader.

Instagram Algorithm Change 2018 - Tips for Bookstagrammers

noreply@blogger.com (Milka) — Mon, 29 Jan 2018 10:00:00 +0000

Out of professional and general interest, I have been trying to keep up with Instagram trends and it looks like the Instagram algorithm has changed...once again.

I know many of you run Bookstagram accounts alongside your blogs which is why I thought it would be a good idea to share my research with you.

Hopefully, with these tips, you can modify your Instagram practices so that they comply with the new algorithm. By doing things the way Instagram wants you to do them you get more engagement and thus your beautiful photos can get the attention they deserve.

Since Instagram is very secretive about its algorithm these tips are based on heavily circulated speculations and things a lot of digital marketing/influencer bloggers have been writing about.

1. When you share a new post, Instagram will first show that post to 10% of your audience

WAIT, WHAT? I know the feeling.

It seems that with the new algorithm, the way to get your post to show for the remaining 90% of your followers it needs to get strong levels of engagement within the first 10 minutes of its life on Instagram. In this case, engagement is considered as likes, comments, and shares.

If the success of the post continues after it has possibly been shown to all of your followers it can end up in the "explore" section.

Which actions should you take to make sure that your post gets as much engagement as possible during its first 10 minutes on Instagram?

First of all, it is important to have your audience defined. Who are you trying to reach with your posts? Who is most likely to engage with your content?

With Bookstagram, that is pretty self-explanatory -- your audience is your fellow book lovers.

Next, you should probably consider whether you are trying to reach people from a certain country. If so, the posts should be timed so that they go live when your followers from your designated country are most active.

But how will I know when they are most active?

You can easily change your personal Instagram account (the standard account) to a business account -- all you need to do is create a Facebook page for your account. It is easy and quick to do and you don't have to worry about posting any content there.

After you have switched to a business account, Instagram will give you insights (analytics) which will show you the most active hours of your followers, where your followers are located geographically, and so on.

More information on switching to a business account can be found from here.

Obviously, the more you engage the more engagement you will likely get. And when someone leaves you a comment, make sure you try to answer for in some manner (even by leaving a heart) as soon as possible. The longer it takes for you to answer, the more your exposure will decrease.

2. Take a look at your hashtags

I tend to use a specific set of hashtags on all of my posts, but it looks like after the algorithm change Instagram is favoring those who switch their hashtags up from post to post.

Also, while it can be tempting to post as many hashtags as possible (30) in order to be seen as much as possible, with the new algorithm change comes the suggestion of using only 5-10 hashtags per post.

This means that you should probably spend a little bit more time figuring out the hashtags for each post you share.

So what will happen if you keep posting 30 hashtags per post and the same hashtags each time? It is likely that Instagram will consider your content to be spam which leads for your to be shadowbanned (Instagram blocks your content without telling you about it.)

Remember that you can also follow hashtags -- Instagram seems to like when you do things their way so you probably do no harm to yourself if you give a few interesting hashtags a follow.

3. Consider your placement of hashtags

I have been an avid user of the comments section for my hashtags because it keeps the caption clear. Instagram has likely realized a lot of other people do this as well, which is why it seems like the new algorithm makes it so that only the hashtags included in the actual caption count!

What I mean by this is that only hashtags included in the caption make it to the search pages. So if you keep on posting your hashtags in the comments it is likely that your engagement will swindle.

This hashtags-in-the-comments issue is one that seems the most unclear at the moment and only time will tell in which ways the algorithm actually works.

I, for one, have started to write my hashtags to the actual caption again just to make sure my posts comply with what now seems to be the trend of the new algorithm. I will probably change my practices if it is proven later on that hashtags in the comments still work.

4. Think about your captions

While some people can get away with just posting an emoji as a caption and still getting a lot of engagement (I am not one of those people), taking some time to come up with engaging captions can do amazing things for your engagement.

One really good thing to do is to include some sort of call-to-action in your caption. Ask a question, ask people to check out a blog post and share their opinion with you, ask for book recommendations, and so on.

Basically, try to make both your photo and your caption so appealing that people don't only want to press the like button but also decide to take the time to leave a comment. And when you get those comments, remember to answer to them!

Another thing to consider is the fact that with the new algorithm change editing your caption within the first 24 hours lowers your chances for engagement. So make sure you double check your captions before your content goes live.

5. Use Instagram Stories

It seems like Instagram is willing to give your content more love if you use it to its full advantage. This means that you should probably start using Instagram Stories actively if you haven't done it already.

I very rarely like to film myself on my stories, but I utilize for content that I deem not suitable/good enough for my actual timeline. That means that I might share pictures of what I am watching from Netflix, pictures of my food, pictures from the library, and so on.

By using Stories you can take some stress away from coming up with content for your timeline. You can keep your account active while coming up with ideas for photos. It looks like the new algorithm favors consistency, so if you can't post quality content every single day maybe try to focus on posting to your timeline every other day and keeping stories active for the rest of the time.

When using stories, remember to use suitable hashtags and don't hesitate to tag your location either. These small things can boost your engagement and make your account available to more people.

6. Involvement in Pods/Engagement Groups can cost you

What are pods/engagement groups? That is a good question. This was a completely new phenomenon for me, but it seems like these are groups consisting of like-minded people who have made an agreement to boost each others' content.

So when someone in the group posts something new, she alerts the members of her pod/engagement group and they go in and like, comment and share the post.

While sharing the love for amazing content is always a good idea, it looks like Instagram is not a big fan of pods/engagement groups. So if you are involved in a pod/engagement group, you should consider the fact that Instagram might be on to you.

I hope these tips help you out! Please let me know if you have any questions.

In case you are interested in following my Bookstagram account, you can find it from here.

More on the algorithm change can be found from these sites: Adespresso, fashionlush, The Pigeon Letters, Honeybook

2018 Cover Love - January

noreply@blogger.com (Milka) — Fri, 26 Jan 2018 20:30:00 +0000

Book covers are one of my favorite forms of art.

In order to share my love for some bookish beauties out there I decided to put together "2018 Cover Love", a monthly feature in which I will share with you some of my favorite covers of that month's releases.

Without further ado, here are my favorite covers of January 2018. If you want more information on the books the links will take you to Goodreads!

The Immortalists by Chloe Benjamin

The Hazel Wood by Melissa Albert

The English Wife by Lauren Willig

The Music Shop by Rachel Joyce

We Were the Lucky Ones by Georgia Hunter

Halsey Street by Naima Coster

Nice Try, Jane Sinner by Lianne Oelke

Between Me and You by Allison Winn Scotch

Together at Midnight by Jennifer Castle

Let me know in the comments which cover is your favorite! I am also interested to hear if you're planning to read any of these books.

The Beginning of the World in the Middle of the Night by Jen Campbell (Review)

noreply@blogger.com (Milka) — Mon, 22 Jan 2018 12:41:00 +0000

Release date: November 2nd, 2017
Author links: Goodreads - Twitter - Website - Youtube
Publisher: Two Roads
Pages: 212

Description (from Goodreads):

'These days, you can find anything you need at the click of a button.
That's why I bought her heart online.'

Spirits in jam jars, mini-apocalypses, animal hearts and side shows.
A girl runs a coffin hotel on a remote island.
A boy is worried his sister has two souls.
A couple are rewriting the history of the world.
And mermaids are on display at the local aquarium.

The Beginning of the World in the Middle of the Night is a collection of twelve haunting stories; modern fairy tales brimming with magic, outsiders and lost souls.

I have been an avid watcher of Jen Campbell's YouTube channel for years now so obviously, I was very excited about the release of her new short story collection, The Beginning of the World in the Middle of the Night.

Like many short story collections, The Beginning of the World in the Middle of the Night includes some really strong stories sprinkled with stories I would rate as average. All and all, there were a couple stories there I will definitely go back to and reread. Not the most impressive collection out there, but definitely not a bad one either.

I am not really big on fairy tales, so maybe that's why I am not really even the target audience for a book like this. Sure, I do like SOME fairy tales, but I don't actively go out looking for modern fairy tales, fairy tale retellings, and so on.

"It's like that, silence; you want to fill it up because it's a frightening nothing that shallows everything around it. Like a black hole.

Campbell writes well and I especially enjoyed the ways she writes about disability, an issue I know is very close to her heart -- you can watch plenty of videos of her discussing disability in media, literature, etc. from her YouTube channel.

I also loved the references Campbell makes to news stories, history, other stories, popular culture, and more.

"The possibility of us, and of all life, was sleeping. And we emerged from a dream."

The Beginning of the World in the Middle of the Night includes a total of 12 stories. My favorites out of the 12 were Animals in which a man orders hearts online, the title-story The Beginning of the World in the Middle of the Night which is written out like a subtle yet beautiful play, and the curious and macabre Aunt Libby's Coffin Hotel.

Please let me know in the comments if you have read this one or if you are planning to read it? Have you been watching Jen Campbell's YouTube channel? I would love to hear about your favorite videos by her.

Rating:

Favorite Songs of 2017

noreply@blogger.com (Milka) — Mon, 15 Jan 2018 12:45:00 +0000

I love all kinds of favorites lists because I always find something new to read, watch, listen to, consume etc.

Lists of favorite songs are among my favorites because even though the person who has put the list together might have a completely different taste in music than I do I usually tend to find at least one song to add to my own playlists.

For the first time in 2017, I curated monthly playlists on Spotify. Looking back at these playlists reflects my different moods throughout the year perfectly and also makes it super easy to put this list together since basically all of the songs I really loved last year and on those lists.

Without further ramblings, here are my favorite songs from 2017. Please let me know in the comments which songs you loved in 2017!

Let me know in the comments which songs you loved to listen to in 2017!

Just Mercy: A Story of Justice and Redemption by Bryan Stevenson (Review)

noreply@blogger.com (Milka) — Fri, 12 Jan 2018 11:57:00 +0000

Release date: October 21st, 2014
Author links: Goodreads - Twitter - Website
Publisher: Spiegel & Grau
Pages: 336

Description (from Goodreads):

A powerful true story about the potential for mercy to redeem us, and a clarion call to fix our broken system of justice—from one of the most brilliant and influential lawyers of our time

Bryan Stevenson was a young lawyer when he founded the Equal Justice Initiative, a legal practice dedicated to defending those most desperate and in need: the poor, the wrongly condemned, and women and children trapped in the farthest reaches of our criminal justice system. One of his first cases was that of Walter McMillian, a young man who was sentenced to die for a notorious murder he insisted he didn’t commit. The case drew Bryan into a tangle of conspiracy, political machination, and legal brinksmanship—and transformed his understanding of mercy and justice forever.

Just Mercy is at once an unforgettable account of an idealistic, gifted young lawyer’s coming of age, a moving window into the lives of those he has defended, and an inspiring argument for compassion in the pursuit of true justice.

"The true measure of our character is how we treat the poor, the disfavored, the accused, the incarcerated, and the condemned."

This book is incredible. It is touching, comprehensive, eye-opening, fearless, heartbreaking, inspiring, and so much more.

Before you take time to read any more of my thoughts, please take a moment to listen to Bryan Stevenson:

Just Mercy: A Story of Justice and Redemption wasn't the first book I've read about the criminal justice system in the United States and certainly won't be the last. I suspect, though, that it will be one of the best, if not the best, book out there on the subject of the criminal justice system and its intersections with race and class.

"This book is about getting closer to mass incarceration and extreme punishment in America. It is about how easily we condemn people in this country and the injustice we create when we allow fear, anger and distance to shape the way we treat the most vulnerable among us."

Stevenson's approach to the topic is personal and often quite subjective -- after all, he got close to the people whose rights he was defending and unfortunately often had to say goodbye to those people because there just wasn't enough time and resources to help them. Yet, despite the subjectivity, Stevenson is able to support his arguments with fact and figures. He is clearly a professional in his field and thus extremely credible.

Rather than writing about the criminal justice system from afar his approach to the topic through personal stories from his career makes the book so much more effective and page-turning. The way he writes about these people condemned by the system shows love, care, and understanding and makes Stevenson seem like a person you would one on your corner if you ever get caught in the web of the criminal justice system in the United States.

(Obviously, though, the color of my skin alone would make me highly privileged in comparison to the people Stevenson writes about. This is the kind of wrong Stevenson wants to try to set right. After all, the system should be equal for everyone!)

"In poor urban neighborhoods across the United States, black and brown boys routinely have multiple encounters with the police. Even though many of these children have done nothing wrong, they are targeted by police, presumed guilty, and suspected by law enforcement of being dangerous or engaged in criminal activity. The random stops, questioning, and harassment dramatically increase the risk of arrest for petty crimes. Many of these children develop criminal records for behavior that more affluent children engage in with impunity."

Stevenson takes quite a bit of time to discuss the intersections of mass incarceration and mental illnesses, which was not only interesting but also necessary. He brings up statistics to support his arguments and many of the things he mentions left me puzzled. For example, over 50 percent of prison and jail inmates in the US have been diagnosed with a mental illness. This means that the rate of mentally ill inmates is almost five times higher than that of the general adult population in the US.

Though the jails and prisons house such a huge percentage of people with mental illnesses the prisons and jails are often unable to treat the inmates in a way that would help them. Rather, they are left alone and often hopeless. Rather than finding ways to rehabilitate the inmates in ways that would make it easier for them to get back to their lives once they have served their sentences, the prisons and jails often do only harm.

Though Stevenson takes joy from his victories, there is a clear undercurrent of anger towards the system and the people who use it for their benefit without considering the wellbeing of others. That anger is extremely justifiable and while reading this book I felt like I got a chance to be angry with Stevenson. It is incredibly sad, yet not surprising, that people in positions of power are ready to look the other way in order to keep their status. I was glad to read that some of these people got what they deserved, but unfortunately too many of them are still in power. Just look at the fool who is leading the United States at the moment.

"In fact, there is a strength, a power even, in understanding brokenness, because embracing our brokenness creates a need and desire for mercy, and perhaps a corresponding need to show mercy. When you experience mercy, you learn things that are hard to learn otherwise. You see things that you can't otherwise see; you hear things you can't otherwise hear. You begin to recognize the humanity that resides in each of us."

I wish I would have enough money to buy several copies of this book so I could give a copy to everyone from my family and circle of friends because I honestly feel like this is one of those books everyone should read.

While looking for info on the book from Goodreads I noticed that it is on a list called "Books White People Need To Read." I definitely agree with that categorization. I am reminded of the privileges I get just because I am white on a daily basis while reading news/social media updates, etc. All of those reminders are important, but this one is probably one of the strongest reminders I've got in a while.

Bryan Stevenson is the founder of the Equal Justice Initiative. You can find more information about the work they do from here. If you are interested in getting involved in the work they do, you can find more information on it from here.

I will end this review with one of my favorite quotes from the book.

"The power of just mercy is that it belongs to the undeserving. It's when mercy is least expected that it's most potent -- strong enough to break the cycle of victimization and victimhood, retribution and suffering. It has the power to heal the psychic harm and injuries that lead to aggression and violence, abuse of power, mass incarceration."

Rating:

Waiting on Wednesday (#57) - Heart Berries by Terese Marie Mailhot (February 6th by Counterpoint Press)

noreply@blogger.com (Milka) — Wed, 10 Jan 2018 08:00:00 +0000

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly meme started by Jill over at Breaking the Spine and hosted by Tressa at Wishful Endings. For more information, click here.

The book I am waiting for this week is...

Heart Berries by Terese Mailhot

“An epic take—an Iliad for the indigenous. It is the story of one First Nation woman and her geographic, emotional, and theological search for meaning in a colonial world…Terese is a world-changing talent, and I recommend this book with 100% of my soul.” —Sherman Alexie, author of You Don’t Have to Say You Love Me

Heart Berries is a powerful, poetic memoir of a woman’s coming of age on the Seabird Island Indian Reservation in the Pacific Northwest. Having survived a profoundly dysfunctional upbringing only to find herself hospitalized and facing a dual diagnosis of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder and Bipolar II; Terese Marie Mailhot is given a notebook and begins to write her way out of trauma. The triumphant result is Heart Berries, a memorial for Mailhot’s mother, a social worker and activist who had a thing for prisoners; a story of reconciliation with her father—an abusive drunk and a brilliant artist—who was murdered under mysterious circumstances; and an elegy on how difficult it is to love someone while dragging the long shadows of shame.

Mailhot “trusts the reader to understand that memory isn’t exact, but melded to imagination, pain, and what we can bring ourselves to accept.” Her unique and at times unsettling voice graphically illustrates her mental state. As she writes, she discovers her own true voice, seizes control of her story, and, in so doing, re-establishes her connection to her family, to her people, and to her place in the world.

IT IS THE STORY OF ONE FIRST NATION WOMAN AND HER GEOGRAPHIC, EMOTIONAL, AND THEOLOGICAL SEARCH FOR MEANING IN A COLONIAL WORLD

TERESE MARIE MAILHOT IS GIVEN A NOTEBOOK AND BEGINS TO WRITE HER WAY OUT OF TRAUMA

AN ELEGY OF HOW DIFFICULT IT IS TO LOVE SOMEONE WHILE DRAGGING THE LONG SHADOWS OF SHAME

AS SHE WRITES, SHE DISCOVERS HER OWN TRUE VOICE, SEIZES CONTROL OF HER STORY, AND IN SO DOING, RE-ESTABLISHES HER CONNECTION TO HER FAMILY, TO HER PEOPLE, AND TO HER PLACE IN THE WORLD

What are you waiting for this Wednesday? Let me know in the comments!

The Expedition - a Love Story by Bea Uusma (Review)

noreply@blogger.com (Milka) — Tue, 09 Jan 2018 09:46:00 +0000

Release date: October 1st, 2015 (published in Swedish in 2013)
Author links: Goodreads
Publisher: Head of Zeus
Pages: 288

Description (from Goodreads):

In 1897 three men disappeared in the North Pole—only now have their final hours been revealed with this award-winning forensic investigation of a 120-year-old mystery

On July 11th, 1897, three men set out in a hydrogen balloon bound for the North Pole. Led by engineer August Soloman Andrée, they want to make history, but are frighteningly under-prepared. Three days into their journey they make a crash landing and disappear into a white nightmare. They never return. 33 years later, the men's bodies and equipment are found buried beneath the snow and ice on a deserted glacier. They had enough food, clothing, and ammunition to survive. Why did they die? 100 years later, Bea Uusma is at a party. She pulls a book off a shelf about the Andrée Expedition. For the next 15 years, Bea will think of nothing else. This is her journey to uncover the truth.

Never ever did I think I could get this interested in a book like this.

I have a few Finnish book bloggers to thank for bringing this book to my radar (in particular Laura from Lukuisa). For a few days in November, I kept seeing this book everywhere -- Instagram, Twitter, Goodreads -- and while it didn't manage to catch my attention at first, my curiosity won and I loaned it from the library.

Thanks to my curiosity, I found one of my favorite books of all time.

At its core, The Expedition is an investigation into what happened to the members of the André Expedition in the late 1800s. Three men -- S.A. Andrée, Nils Strindberg and Knut Frænkel -- hopped into a hydrogen balloon with a goal to travel over the North Pole. Unfortunately, things didn't go as planned and the men never lived to tell of their adventures.

While the expedition was fatal for the men, they left behind items that have allowed historians and researchers to dig into their stories and to make conclusions about what happened to them. Items like diary entries, food logs, and so on have helped in piecing together the final days of these men. What happened to them and why?

In many ways, The Expedition is like a true crime story. True crime happens to be one of my favorite genres, so it is no wonder I liked this book so much. Uusma digs into the evidence left behind the men, actually studies to be a doctor in order to better understand the medical evidence left behind, and obsessively searches for even the smallest of clues to make some sort of conclusions about the destinies of the three men.

The way Uusma intertwines an account of her own obsession with the stories of these three men is executed masterfully. Everything is in perfect balance and the pacing is out of this world. When you add into all of this the style in which Uusma narrates the story, structuring it in a manner that makes the book extremely difficult to put down you end up with a perfect package.

Really, to me, this book is flawless.

In many ways, Uusma has taken the stories of these three men who never got a chance to tell about their adventures and allowed them to tell their stories from beyond the grave. By providing the reader with diary entries, daily logs, and more, the events from the island, the last days of the men, come alive.

Uusma's isn't the first book written about the André expedition and since I haven't read the other books I can't really make comparisons. It is the most recent, though, so you can expect the information to be most up to date in this book. One of the things I appreciated most about this book are the good references Uusma provides that makes it possible for those interested in the case to research it further. I certainly want to know more now -- not only about the André expedition but about Arctic exploration in general.

If you are a true crime fan like me, I highly recommend you check this out. The Arctic exploration was so not "my thing" before this book, but it sure is now.

Rating:

The Sound of Gravel by Ruth Wariner (Review)

noreply@blogger.com (Milka) — Sat, 06 Jan 2018 17:30:00 +0000

Release date: January 5th, 2016
Author links: Goodreads - Twitter - Website
Publisher: Flatiron Books
Pages: 336

Description (from Goodreads):

A riveting, deeply-affecting true story of one girl's coming-of-age in a polygamist cult.

Ruth Wariner was the thirty-ninth of her father’s forty-two children. Growing up on a farm in rural Mexico, where authorities turned a blind eye to the practices of her community, Ruth lives in a ramshackle house without indoor plumbing or electricity. At church, preachers teach that God will punish the wicked by destroying the world and that women can only ascend to Heaven by entering into polygamous marriages and giving birth to as many children as possible. After Ruth's father--the man who had been the founding prophet of the colony--is brutally murdered by his brother in a bid for church power, her mother remarries, becoming the second wife of another faithful congregant.

In need of government assistance and supplemental income, Ruth and her siblings are carted back and forth between Mexico and the United States, where her mother collects welfare and her step-father works a variety of odd jobs. Ruth comes to love the time she spends in the States, realizing that perhaps the community into which she was born is not the right one for her. As Ruth begins to doubt her family’s beliefs and question her mother’s choices, she struggles to balance her fierce love for her siblings with her determination to forge a better life for herself.

Recounted from the innocent and hopeful perspective of a child, The Sound of Gravel is the remarkable true story of a girl fighting for peace and love. This is an intimate, gripping tale of triumph, courage, and resilience.

I have had a fascination with all sorts of cults for years. I've fed by interest with movies, TV shows, and podcasts but haven't really read that many books about the subject matter.

I became aware of The Sound of Gravel by Ruth Wariner even before the book was published, but it took me until the end of 2017 to actually acquire and read it. Too bad, since this book was extremely interesting and thought-provoking. But better late than never, right?

The Sound of Gravel is Ruth Wariner's personal account of her childhood in rural Mexico as a part of a religious community. She has a huge family which is a direct result of the status of women in the religion -- they are pretty much there just to make children. By allowing polygamy, the men of the religious community are able to father children for multiple women at the same time. Men do as they want while the women do what they are told to do.

Ruth, who watches her mother bring baby after another to the world, knows that her future will likely be very much like her mother's reality. Once in a while, she gets to spend some time in the United States and comes to love her life there much more than her reality in Mexico. As a result of getting out of her normal environment, she starts to question the actions of her mother and the religion she has been thought to believe in.

I loved Ruth Wariner's approach to the topic and found her way of entering into her childhood with both innocence and the wisdom earned later in life extremely interesting and well executed. Wariner writes in a way that engages the reader and makes her care about the things that happen to Ruth and her siblings -- because of this, it was often difficult to read this book because the things that happen to Ruth are just so WRONG.

A lot could be said about the religious beliefs of the group itself and the way it treats women and children. The women are basically treated as babymaking machines, even when it is evident that they are not well, mentally or physically, and thus not able to take care of their children in a way that every child deserves to be taken care of.

Because of the mental and physical toll, the pregnancies take of Ruth's mother Ruth has to grown up earlier than many other children as she has to take care of her younger siblings as well as, to some extent, her mother. It was really touching and heartbreaking to read what happens to Ruth (sexual abuse, violence, and so on) when she is forced to become a woman much earlier than she should have to.

After reading this book I did a bit of research on Colonia Lebaron (or Church of the First Order.) The religion was inspired by Mormon Fundamentalism and believed in polygamy. Members of the religion still reside in Mexico, though it seems polygamy is now exercised only by a fraction of the members.

After reading this book I found out that there is another memoir, The Polygamist's Daugher, about the same religious group written by who I believe is Ruth Wariner's cousin, Anna LaBaron. I definitely want to read that one too at some point -- the experiences of Anna are probably quite same as those of Ruth since they were both young women in the same religious environment -- since I believe it can offer a more well-rounded understanding of this religious community and the status of women and children in it.

I highly recommend The Sound of Gravel to everyone interested in the subject matter. Please be aware, though, that the book discusses triggering subjects such as abuse, sexual abuse, and violence.

Rating:

Waiting on Wednesday (#56) - An American Marriage by Tayari Jones (February 6th, 2018 by Algonquin Books)

noreply@blogger.com (Milka) — Wed, 03 Jan 2018 10:17:00 +0000

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly meme started by Jill over at Breaking the Spine and hosted by Tressa at Wishful Endings. For more information, click here.

The book I am waiting for this week is...

An American Marriage by Tayari Jones

Newlyweds Celestial and Roy are the embodiment of both the American Dream and the New South. He is a young executive, and she is an artist on the brink of an exciting career. But as they settle into the routine of their life together, they are ripped apart by circumstances neither could have imagined. Roy is arrested and sentenced to twelve years for a crime Celestial knows he didn’t commit. Though fiercely independent, Celestial finds herself bereft and unmoored, taking comfort in Andre, her childhood friend, and best man at their wedding. As Roy’s time in prison passes, she is unable to hold on to the love that has been her center. After five years, Roy’s conviction is suddenly overturned, and he returns to Atlanta ready to resume their life together.

EMBODIMENT OF BOTH THE AMERICAN DREAM AND THE NEW SOUTH

CIRCUMSTANCES NEITHER COULD HAVE IMAGINED

A CRIME CELESTE KNOWS HE DIDN'T COMMIT

SHE IS UNABLE TO HOLD ON TO THE LOVE THAT HAS BEEN HER CENTER

ROY'S CONVICTION IS SUDDENLY OVERTURNED

TO RESUME THEIR LIFE TOGETHER

What are you waiting for this Wednesday? Let me know in the comments!

Exciting 2018 Releases: January

noreply@blogger.com (Milka) — Tue, 02 Jan 2018 19:00:00 +0000

One of my goals for the new year is to share exciting 2018 releases with you at the beginning of every month!

These are not TBR posts for a few reasons. Firstly, it would make me bankrupt in a short time if I were to buy all of these books once they are released. Secondly, I have so many backlist books to read that I try to stop myself from buying too many new books.

So rather than being direct TBR books, these are books that made me instantly click that "want-to-read" button on Goodreads, books I hope to have a chance to read at some point in my life.

So without further rambling, here are some exciting books set to be released in January 2018.

Meet Cute: Some People Are Destined To Meet by a number of YA authors like Emery Lord, Nina LaCour and Nicola Yoon (January 2nd by HMH Books for Young Readers)

Red Clocks by Leni Zumas (January 16th by Little, Brown and Company)

Grist Mill Road by Christopher J. Yates (January 9th by Picador USA)

This Will Be My Undoing by Morgan Jenkins (January 13th by Harper Perennial)

The Girls in the Picture by Melanie Benjamin (January 16th by Delacorte Press)

The Perfect Nanny by Leila Slimani (January 9th by Penguin Books)

Please let me know in the comments which January releases you are looking forward to the most! And don't forget to connect with me on Twitter @milkamilka.

2018 Reading Plans

noreply@blogger.com (Milka) — Mon, 01 Jan 2018 11:16:00 +0000

I love Goodreads and can't imagine a reason why I would stop using it. While Goodreads is great for finding information about books and what others are reading, for a while I have felt like I want to take into use a system that gives me more information about my reading.

The start of a new year is as good time as any to implement that kind of system into my reading life.

I have never really been a fan of Excel -- in fact, I used to hate it in high school! When I came across the idea of using an Excel spreadsheet to gather information about my reading I was skeptical at first, but fairly quickly realized that by using Excel I could gather information about my reading much more conveniently than via Goodreads.

Sophie from Youtube channel Portal in the Pages has been kind of enough to share the Excel spreadsheet she uses to gather information on her reading -- you can find the video in which she introduces her system here.

I used Sophie's spreadsheet as a starting point and added on to it a table for a reading challenge I want to try out (Helmet Reading Challenge) and other little elements that I thought would be interesting to get some stats on. All and all, I think Sophie has done a great job with the spreadsheet and think that those who are interested in possibly trying out Excel to get stats on their reading can fairly easily modify it for their own use.

I have never really been big on reading challenges, but I thought I could at least try out a couple in 2018. I am not taking these super seriously, though, and try to keep in mind that rather than forcing myself to read something I should focus on picking up titles that I actually want to read.

The first challenge I plan on participating in is the Helmet Reading Challenge arranged by the Helmet-libraries (one of the library branches in Finland.) The Helmet Reading Challenge consists of 50 individual tasks -- the idea is that you fit one book into each task and thus read at least 50 books during 2018. The reading challenge challenges the reader to read, for instance, a collection short stories, a sad book, and a book written by an immigrant.

In addition to the Helmet Reading Challenge, I am also thinking of trying out Book Riot's Read Harder challenge which includes 24 tasks. The challenge encourages you to read, for instance, "a book of true crime", "a book of social science", and "a book with a female protagonist over the age of 60."

Some titles will likely be used to fulfill tasks from both of these challenges, but I am trying to gain as much variety as possible into my reading in 2018. I am hoping that my upcoming year of reading will be filled with diverse stories and authors that represent different cultures, genders, age groups, socio-economical positions, etc.

I am really looking forward to another year of reading and can't wait to share my experience of using the Excel spreadsheet with you! I am thinking of doing some sort of monthly wrap-ups to share some of my reading stats with you.

Please let me know in the comments if you want to know more about the challenges, what books I have on my TBR to fulfill them, etc. And please do share your reading plans for 2018 as well since I would love to read what you have in store for the new year!

2017 End of the Year Book Survey

noreply@blogger.com (Milka) — Sat, 30 Dec 2017 17:07:00 +0000

2017 has not been a good blogging year for me, but reading-wise it has been pretty excellent. I have been thinking about making a blogging comeback (once again!) for a while now and what better way to do that than share some stats from my 2017 reading.

Like last year, I am using the template from Jamie's blog. If you've been thinking about summing up your 2017 reading in some way I highly recommend checking out Jamie's questions -- as a bonus, you get a chance to share your opinions with a wider reading and blogging community.

NOTE: I am not answering to the "blogging life" questions since I feel like there isn't really anything to say about that -- like I said, 2017 was a crappy blogging year for me.

Number of Books Read in 2017: 104

Number of Re-Reads: 7

Genre I Read The Most From: Non-Fiction (20 books)

1. Best book I read in 2017? -- The Enchanted by Rene Denfeld

2. Book I was most excited about & thought I was going to love more but didn't? -- Until it Fades by K.A. Tucker. The synopsis for this caught my attention because it mentioned a hockey player. This was my first K.A. Tucker book and after all the hype about this book I was expecting more than just a very generic new adult romp. It's not a bad book, though, it just wasn't what I expected it to be.

3. Most surprising (in a good way or bad way) book I read? -- The Expedition by Bea Uusma. This book blew my mind and left me wanting for more!

4. Book I "pushed" the most for people to read (and did they)? -- The Expedition by Bea Uusma. I have recommended this for at least two people face to face and I know one of them has already read it.

5. Best series I started in 2017? Best sequel of 2017? Best series ender of 2017? -- I didn't start any new series this year (except comics) but reread some of the Princess Diaries books by Meg Cabot and Moomin books by Tove Jansson.

6. Favorite new author I discovered in 2017? -- Rene Denfeld. I read The Enchanted early in the year and absolutely fell in love with it. I also read The Child Finder by Denfeld later on in the year and really enjoyed it as well.

7. Best book from a genre I don't typically read/was out of my comfort zone? -- The Hating Game by Sally Thorne. I don't usually read books that could be categorized as "chick lit"

8. Most action-packed/thrilling/unputdownable book of the year? --The Stranger In The Woods by Michael Finkel.

9. Book I read in 2017 that I am most likely to re-read in 2018? --The Enchanted by Rene Delfeld.

10. Favorite cover of a book I read in 2017? -- Bulevardi - ja muita kertomuksia by Tove Jansson

11. Most memorable character of 2017? -- The narrator of Rene Delfeld's The Enchanted

12. Most beautifully written book I read in 2017? -- The Enchanted by Rene Delfeld

13. Most thought-provoking/life-changing book of 2017? -- Just Mercy by Bryan Stevenson

14. Book I can't believe I waited until 2017 to finally read? -- Bad Feminist by Roxane Gay

15. Favorite passage/quote from a book I read in 2017

"Later I read that there are things inside us too tiny to see. Not even a microscope can capture them. This got me thinking -- if there are things inside us too tiny to see, might there be things outside us too big to believe?" From the Enchanted by Rene Denfeld.

16. Shortest & longest book I read in 2017 -- Archie #13 by Mark Waid (30 pages) & What Happened by Hillary Rodham Clinton (512 pages)

17. Book that shocked me the most -- Just Mercy by Bryan Stevenson

18. OTP of the year -- Elle and Darien from Geekerella by Ashley Poston

19. Favorite non-romantic relationship of the year -- The father-daughter relationship from Alex, Approximately by Jenn Bennett

20. Favorite book I read in 2017 from an author I had read previously -- Bulevardi - ja muita kertomuksia by Tove Jansson

21. Best book I read in 2017 based solely on a recommendation from somebody else -- The Expedition by Bea Uusma

22. Newest fictional crush from a book I read in 2017 -- Darien from Geekerella by Ashley Poston

23. Best 2017 debut I read -- Geekerella by Ashley Poston

24. Best worldbuilding/most vivid setting I read this year -- The Expedition by Bea Uusma

25. Book that put a smile on my face/was the most fun to read -- The Princess Diaries by Meg Cabot

26. Book that made me cry or nearly cry in 2017 -- So many books... We are Okay by Nina LaCour, Under Rose-Tainted Skies by Louise Gornall, Geekerella by Ashley Poston, etc.

27. Hidden gem of the year -- Under Rose-Tainted Skies by Louise Gornall

28. Book that crushed my soul -- What Happened by Hillary Rodham Clinton. Made me, once again, think about how a woman so accomplished was defeated by that idiot.

29. Most unique book I read in 2017 -- The Expedition by Bea Uusma

30. Book that made me most mad (doesn't necessarily mean I didn't like it) -- What Happened by Hillary Clinton

1. One book I didn't get to in 2017 but will be my number 1 priority in 2018 -- We Were Eight Years in Power: An American Tragedy by Ta-Nehisi Coates

2. Book I am most anticipating from 2018 (non-debut) -- Save the Date by Morgan Matson

3. 2018 debut I am most anticipating -- American Panda by Gloria Chao

4. Series ending/a sequel I am most anticipating in 2018 -- I don't really read series anymore...

5. One thing I hope to accomplish or do in my reading/blogging life in 2018 -- Keeping this blog somewhat active

I would love to hear about your favorite books of 2017 and your reading plans for 2018. Please leave a comment below or chat with me on Twitter @milkamilka.

Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me? (And Other Concerns) by Mindy Kaling (Review) (Repost from 2014)

noreply@blogger.com (Milka) — Thu, 19 Oct 2017 22:03:00 +0000

Release date: November 1st, 2011
Author links: Goodreads - Twitter - Website
Publisher: Crown Publishing
Pages: 222

Description (from Goodreads):

Mindy Kaling has lived many lives: the obedient child of immigrant professionals, a timid chubster afraid of her own bike, a Ben Affleck–impersonating Off-Broadway performer and playwright, and, finally, a comedy writer and actress prone to starting fights with her friends and coworkers with the sentence “Can I just say one last thing about this, and then I swear I’ll shut up about it?”

Perhaps you want to know what Mindy thinks makes a great best friend (someone who will fill your prescription in the middle of the night), or what makes a great guy (one who is aware of all elderly people in any room at any time and acts accordingly), or what is the perfect amount of fame (so famous you can never get convicted of murder in a court of law), or how to maintain a trim figure (you will not find that information in these pages). If so, you’ve come to the right book, mostly!

In Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me?, Mindy invites readers on a tour of her life and her unscientific observations on romance, friendship, and Hollywood, with several conveniently placed stopping points for you to run errands and make phone calls. Mindy Kaling really is just a Girl Next Door—not so much literally anywhere in the continental United States, but definitely if you live in India or Sri Lanka.

This woman is like my queen right now. She is funny and gorgeous, doesn't take herself too seriously, and has worked on some shows I love, and with people I adore. What is not to like? I knew I would like this book even before starting to read it, and once I started reading, I read the whole thing very fast. It is interesting, funny and full of great content and after finishing with it (and already while reading it) you wish Mindy would be your friend.

The book is mostly just essays, lists, and random thoughts about different things. There are accounts of her childhood -- how she was bullied about her weight, how she fell in love with comedy, and so on. I think one of the most interesting parts was when she discussed life after college - she had rocked college, meaning that she had friends and she did well. But when she graduated, it was hard to actually find a job and do what she wanted to do with her life. [2016 edit: I am doing to get my Master's degree next spring and while I have also "rocked" university, I am both terrified and excited about what will come next! I need to go back to this particular section of Mindy's book to reread her thoughts.]

I love The Office, and that is what I, like most people, associate Mindy Kaling with. It was interesting to read how she got involved with the show and ended up writing some of the best episodes of the whole show (I am talking about Injury here... every The Office fan probably remembers this episode with warm and fuzzy feelings). It is amazing to read about the people she worked with (Rainn Wilson, Seth Myers, for god's sake) but I am also happy she did not go into too much detail about these since this book is about her, not the hot guys she has worked with (that list is enormous). I also love the fact that she does not overly glamorize her life - she talks about eating a lot, hanging out in sweatpants in her bed writing, and ditching parties a lot.

According to Hollywood standards, Mindy Kaling is almost overweight. But according to everything else, she is pretty much the average American woman. In the book, she discusses her weight in very humorist manner, which I really liked because of the fact that even though she does care about her weight, there are things she cares about more.

I love the fact that she decided to discuss some of her favorite films, comedians and comedy moments in this book because I am always interested in watching something people I admire love. She discusses her love for romantic comedies (there is a hilarious chapter in the book in which she talks about the different romantic comedy cliches), her favorite comedy moments of all time (a lot of Will Ferrell) and for example some film franchises she would love to reboot.

After reading this book I realized how much of the actual Mindy Kaling there is in her character in The Mindy Project. Mindy from The Mindy Project is maybe a bit more superficial and has a different job, but I think the essentials are kind of same. I can't wait to see what Mindy comes up next - the second season has been amazing, and oh my gosh, MINDY AND DANNY = FANGIRLING! [2016 edit: I LOVED THIS SHOW AND THE MINDY/DANNY SHIP SO MUCH AND NOW IT HAS ALL GONE TO HELL! I do admit though that the introduction of this new nurse guy in the ongoing season has potential].

If you are a fan of The Office or The Mindy Project or Mindy Kaling in general, you will probably like this one as much as I did.

Rating: