Tag: readers

Finding Evie – Ilana Hepburn

~ Nuraine Sadaf ~ Leave a comment

Book Review
Fiction | Emotional | Family | Abuse

Rating: 3.5 out of 5.

Finding Evie is a powerful and emotional novel that tells the story of Evie, a young woman who moves to post-war London with a heart full of hope but faces numerous betrayals and struggles in life. The story is narrated through dual timelines, with the present-day storyline following Alice as she uncovers the hidden truths about her family’s past and her estranged grandmother, Evie.

The novel is beautifully written and features well-developed characters that bring depth and complexity to the story. The author’s portrayal of Evie’s life is heart-wrenching and at times difficult to read due to the emotional and physical abuse she endures. The theme of abuse and abandonment is interwoven into the narrative, and the readers will find themselves empathizing with Evie’s plight. I was personally fuming with rage while reading the atrocities committed by her husband, Frank.

The story is captivating, and the plot moves at a steady pace, keeping you engaged throughout. The author’s use of descriptive language creates vivid imagery and transports the reader to post-war London, where they witness the struggles and hardships that Evie faced.

One minor criticism is that the storyline could have been expanded upon, allowing for the full impact of the story to be felt. Even though, there were no loose ends, I was expecting more from the story. Despite this, “Finding Evie” is a thought-provoking and emotionally charged novel that explores the lengths people will go to protect the ones they love.

Overall, “Finding Evie” is a poignant and beautifully written novel that delves into themes of love, abuse, and abandonment. Despite the difficult subject matter, the book manages to convey a message of hope and resilience that will stay with the reader long after the final page.

PS: This was an Advanced Review Copy (or ARC), you can find more about this book on Reedsy Discovery

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People We Meet on Vacation – Emily Henry

~ Nuraine Sadaf ~ Leave a comment

Book Review
Fiction | Love | Friends | Travel

Rating: 4 out of 5.

Alex and Poppy. Poppy and Alex, are the People We Meet on Vacation in this book. It’s an easy, breezy fun read. It’s a book that you can take along with you on a vacation. Read it while sipping on a piña colada or maybe a gin tonic, while chilling at the pool or relaxing by a fireplace, whatever the weather may be. Then lose yourself to Poppy Wright as she’s going to take the lead.

Continue reading “People We Meet on Vacation – Emily Henry” →

Period. End of Sentence.: A New Chapter in the Fight for Menstrual Justice by Anita Diamant

~ Nuraine Sadaf ~ Leave a comment

Book Review
Non-fiction | Social Science | Essays | Stories | Support

Rating: 5 out of 5.

Period. End of Sentence.: A New Chapter in the Fight for Menstrual Justice sheds light on the stigmatization of menstruation. It’s time to break the silence around this natural process and educate people about it. Unfortunately, in many developing countries, menstruation is still considered taboo and discussing it openly is discouraged. This lack of education and access to menstrual products leaves women facing numerous challenges, including period poverty, and prevents them from fulfilling basic human needs.

Continue reading “Period. End of Sentence.: A New Chapter in the Fight for Menstrual Justice by Anita Diamant” →

The House in the Cerulean Sea by TJ Klune

~ Nuraine Sadaf ~ Leave a comment

#BookReview
Fantasy | Fiction | Magic | Young Adult

Rating: 3 out of 5.

Hello Dear Readers, Happy New Year!
The House in the Cerulean Sea, my first book of 2023, yay I guess! This one’s a fantasy fictional novel in which the protagonist, Linus Baker, is a caseworker working for the Department in Charge of Magical Youth (DICOMY). His job requires him to visit government-sanctioned orphanages to check on the well-being of the magical youth. Also, to recommend whether the orphanages should continue to remain operational or be shut.

Continue reading “The House in the Cerulean Sea by TJ Klune” →

The Namesake by Jhumpa Lahiri

~ Nuraine Sadaf ~ Leave a comment

#Book Review
Fiction| Diaspora| Family| Culture
Rating: 4.5

Sometimes I feel like the book chooses me rather me choosing it and The Namesake is one such book that precisely resonates with my current state of mind. A diasporic feeling of not belonging anywhere, a feeling of an identity crisis, and confused decisions. Jhumpa Lahiri in the Namesake perfectly captures the immigrant experiences and emotional turmoil of leaving behind your motherland, your families, and childhood friends to start a new life in a new country. 

This big move is a process of experiencing happy times, difficult times, and questionable times, which often involve uncertainty and fear. And of course, there’s always hope of things getting better as time passes. But there is never a time when we stop wondering “Was this the right decision?” 

Despite these numerous feelings, Ashima in the Namesake tries her best to adopt to the American lifestyle with her husband Ashoke. The Ganguli family makes new friends (Indian friends), spends weekends together and builds new bonds. They give birth to two kids, Gogol and Sonia. Ashima terribly misses her family when their son is born. She waits for years for her grandmother to send her a telegram naming the baby as it has been their age-old tradition. But when there’s no response, Gogol becomes the official name of their son.

The story progresses onto the lives of the kids and the vacations that they take – which is most of the time to India for festivals, for the loss of loved ones, for spending time with the family, or to stay connected to the familiarity of their culture and traditions. Gogol and Sonia find all of it hard to relate. But as they grow old, Gogol realizes the hardships that their parents had to face upon uprooting their life and leaving behind their family which he thinks is something that is impossible for him to do.

The Namesake is not story with a beginning or an end, it is an experience. A family that I got to know in a few pages of this book. I can see myself getting to know the Ganguli family if I ever lived on Pemberton Road, going through the same feelings of loneliness and trying to stay together and creating a mini India just to feel at home. Just to have that sense of familiarity and comfort. As I complete reading this book on my return flight from India to Pennsylvania, I fondly close the book and my eyes with a warm feeling, processing the emotions, and remembering all the times that I spent with my loved ones. I take these memories along to a new country that I now call my home. 

PS: The Namesake is a winner of the Pulitzer Prize. It’s very well-written and has an intriguing story that immigrants as well as non-immigrants will certainly find interesting to read. A definite must-read, I highly recommend!

Emotional Strength Explained By Alicia Pozsony

~ Nuraine Sadaf ~ Leave a comment

#BookReview

Self-help| Self-improvement| Life| Emotions

A quick, powerful, and effective self-improvement workbook – aimed to help us build emotional strength by practicing a healthy lifestyle.

Emotional Strength Explained by author, Alicia Pozson, is a quick, powerful, and effective workbook that is aimed to help us build emotional strength. In life, we often have ups and downs and we face challenging circumstances that can affect us in many ways. This book teaches us to acknowledge those emotions and weaknesses, accept them, and work towards becoming emotionally strong. 

Emotional Strength Explained is more than just a self-help or self-improvement guide, it is a workbook with a targeted approach. It asks you questions that we might often ignore, they are simple questions but important ones that we need to prioritize. It encourages you to self-analyze and write down your vulnerable emotions and deepest thoughts so you can face your fears. Healing always begins with self-awareness, self-talk, and self-love. It is a slow and step-by-step approach towards building emotional strength. The practice worksheets in this book will help you track your progress so you can emerge as a strong and confident person.

It is a wonderful book that shares the secrets of success and inner peace. It teaches you to find solutions, to face criticism or judgment, and self-reflect on your thoughts. The best part about this workbook is that you can always come back to it every year or whenever you find it necessary to continue making this journey stronger.

Once you have the strength and bravery to be open to see things you may not want to see, you are ready for the next thing.

– Alicia Pozsony

What are your thoughts on open-ended stories?

~ Nuraine Sadaf ~ Leave a comment

Dear reader, today I have a controversial topic to talk about – open ended novels. There was a time when I much appreciated open-ended stories. The mysterious cliffhangers would leave me wondering, “Oh what would have happened if he had chosen the easy path?” Or “Oh is she going to remain mysterious without revealing her true identity?” Or “Will she continue packing lunch for him as a mysterious stranger without meeting him?”

Continue reading “What are your thoughts on open-ended stories?” →

Tomorrow Will Be Better

~ Nuraine Sadaf ~ Leave a comment

Somebody told me –
If you are going through a difficult phase in your life,
Remember that you’re not alone.
Nobody has it easy.
Some days can feel like a burden
Like there’s no way out.
Sadness, tears, anger, frustration.
Like life is unfair for no reason at all.

Then she told me to give it time.
It’s also about giving things time,
To run their course.
For them to pass.
So you can heal.
Everything eventually gets better.
It always does and you know that it’s true.

This isn’t the first time,
You were expected to face a challenging circumstance.
This isn’t the first time you had to brave.
You have done this before,
Then why the uncertainty now.
Like all the other times, this will pass too.
Wait for the morning
For the sun to shine with new rays of hope.
And just like that,
Your day will seem a whole lot better than yesterday.
She said with a smile.

Photo by Aaron Burden on Pexels.com

Random but Genuine

~ Nuraine Sadaf ~ 2 Comments

In my childhood, there were no telephones, let alone mobile phones. My parents protected me with love, they did my share of talking for me, because I was a little slow when it came to expressing myself. But they never gave me a chance to speak for myself and soon I relied on them to do my share of talking. I did not have too many friends in school. My only childhood companions were my brother and cousin brother with whom I would play, laugh, and fight. They cared for me, entertained me and loved me. I would go cycling in the nieghbourhood and play in parks with dad.

Days were spent listening to radio. No television, no laptops – these were luxury. BUT I am glad I grew up like this, it felt more real like I was a part of the community. Never alone. Now, we are always seeking for constant entertainment from our phones, laptops, TVs and tablets. More than friends, we have expensive phones in our hands that fulfill our social needs but with no real friends during times of need. I am not really sure if this is good or bad because I seem to be caught up in it too. I often ponder on these matters and most of the time it’s in the middle of the night. It’s a wrap, good night world.