The Smell of Ink/Lukten av Trykksverte

I recieved an ARC of Super Sikh #2 by Eileen Kaur Alden in exchange for an honest review. I thought it fitted in nicely with Platypire Diversity Challenge, so I'll post the review today. Description from Goodreads Super Sikh is a secret agent who loves Elvis and hates bad guys. In this issue Super Sikh begins his U.S. adventure in a holding cell, makes a new American friend, and the Group X gang launches their evil plot against him. My Thoughts on the Comic What I did like about Super Sikh was the fact that Deep Singh is a non-white religious minority, which is not too often portrayed as the protagonist of a comic. What I did find a bit annoying is the over-used trope of "us versus them", which in this case was both good vs bad, but also sikhs vs muslims. But if you want some quick entertainment in a comic with a religious minority, feel free to pick it up.

I was fortunate enough to recieve a copy of the poetry collection Mind Platter by Najwa Zebian through Netgallery in exchange for my honest review, which I will post today. Description from Goodreads From celebrated Lebanese-Canadian poet and speaker, Najwa Zebian, comes this revised and expanded edition of her debut collection.   Mind Platter  is a compilation of reflections on life as seen through the eyes of an educator, student, and human who experienced her early days in silence. It is written in the words of a woman who came from Lebanon to Canada at the age of sixteen and experienced what it was like to have fate push her to a place where she didn't belong. It is written in the voice of every person who has felt unheard, mistreated, misjudged, or unseen. The book contains over 200 one-page reflections on topics we encounter in our everyday lives: love, friendship, h...

Thanks to Netgallery, I recieved a copy of the picture book Postcards from a War by Vanita Oelschlager and Mike Blanc (illustrator) in exchange for an honest review, which I will post today. Description from Goodreads Postcards from a War is about a boy whose mother has recently been deployed overseas to a war. His grandfather, who was about the same age when his father left to serve in World War II, helps him understand why she has gone away. He shares with his grandson postcards and letters sent by his father from the Philippines. The grandfather and grandson collaborate on building a scrapbook that will include these, plus the letters and emails and other communications the boy will get from his mother. Postcards is intended for 4-8 year olds, ones who are old enough to understand that a parent in the military may have to go to a dangerous place, but maybe not why. It shows the important intergenerational bonding that families often experience during times of war. The post...

I recieved Puerto Rico Strong through Netgallery in exchange for an honest review, and it fitted into Platypire Diversity Challenge. Description from Goodreads Puerto Rico Strong  is a comics anthology that explores what it means to be Puerto Rican and the diversity that exists within that concept, from today's most exciting Puerto Rican comics creators. All proceeds go to UNIDOS Disaster Relief & Recovery Program to Support Puerto Rico. Despite being a US territory, Puerto Rico is often thought of as a foreign land, if it’s even a thought in the mind of the average American at all. Its people exist in all corners of America; some of them have parents who immigrated from the home island, others are a part of families that have been on the mainland for generations. Then there are those who have come to the states in search of a dream but struggle to integrate into an unfamiliar culture, while there are those who have lived in the United States all of their lives but still ...

I was fortunate enough to recieve an ARC of The Witch Doesn't Burn in this One (Women are some kind of magic #2) by Amanda Lovelace through Netgallery in exchange for an honest review, in which I will post today. Description from Goodreads The witch: supernaturally powerful, inscrutably independent, and now—indestructible. These moving, relatable poems encourage resilience and embolden women to take control of their own stories. Enemies try to judge, oppress, and marginalize her, but the witch doesn’t burn in this one. My Thoughts on the Book What I really enjoyed about this poetry collection is the straight-forwardness and feminist aspect. The poems can be empowering, even those which deals with rape, abuse and other crappy stuff.

(This post contains affiliate links) I was fortunate enough to recieve a copy of the graphic novel  The Ghost, The Owl by Franco from Netgallery in exchange for an honest review, which I will post now. Description from Goodreads On a cool evening on the swamp, a figure appears dancing across the water. A human figure, but far from a human form. A Ghost, a young girl spirit that seems to have lost its way. A good Samaritan owl decides to help against the wishes of his animal brethren. What mysteries does the ghost girl hold the secrets to and what will happen when she and the owl unlock them together? Will they find out what happened to her? Will she find her way to where she needs to be? What will happen to the animals in the swamp and surrounding forest? An adventure with the most unlikely of pairs, The Ghost, the Owl. My Thoughts on the Book Personally, I found this book charming and heartwarming, especially due to the Owl's strong set of beliefs. I also really enjoyed...

I was fortunate enough to recieve a copy of the picture book A Tale of Two Mommies by Vanita Oelschlager and Mike Blanc (illustrator) from Netgallery in exchange for my honest review. I thought it would fit in perfectly with Platypire Diversity Challenge and today I'll post the review. Description from Goodreads A Tale of Two Mommies  is a beach conversation among three children. One boy asks another boy about having two mommies. A young girl listening in asks some questions too. True to a child’s curiosity, practical questions follow. “Which mom is there when you want to go fishing? / Which mom helps out when Kitty goes missing?” To which he answers: “Mommy helps when I want to go fishing. / Both Mommies help when Kitty goes missing.” A Tale of Two Mommies  is intended for 4-8 year olds. This book lets us look inside one non-traditional family, a same sex couple and their son. As the children talk, it’s clear this boy lives in a nurturing environment where the biggest ...

As part of Mystery Thriller Week, you have maybe figured out that I'm reviewing a few books. Rainbirds by Clarissa Goenawan, which I recieved as a press copy through Netgallery from the author/publisher is one of them. Today I'll post the review of the book which also enables me to cross of Japan in the Literary Voyage Around the World Reading Challenge Description from Goodreads Clarissa Goenawan’s dark, spellbinding literary debut opens with a murder and shines a spotlight onto life in fictional small-town Japan. Ren Ishida is nearly finished with graduate school when he receives news of his sister Keiko's sudden death. She was viciously stabbed one rainy night on her way home, and there are no leads. Ren heads to Akakawa to conclude his sister's affairs, still failing to understand why she chose to abandon the family and Tokyo for this desolate town years ago. But Ren soon finds himself picking up where Keiko left off, accepting both her teaching position at a...