Category: Little Sparks

Jul 2 – Jul 8, 2023 | Little Sparks #9

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Hello!

How was your week?

The weather was really lovely here, so I enjoyed my time outside.

Here’s my reading highlight:

What Happened to You by Oprah Winfrey and Bruce D. Perry
4 stars

This is an exciting book format, cause while it’s an audiobook, it is also a conversation between both authors. We hear Oprah speak on personal experiences and interactions with guests on their traumatic experiences. We also hear actual playbacks from the Oprah Winfrey Show on those experiences. After this, Bruce speaks scientifically, explaining how that traumatic experience has affected their lives and brains.

The book overall highlighted the need for us to move away from “what is wrong with you” to “what happened to you” when discussing trauma.

Jun 25 – Jul 1, 2023 | Little Sparks #8

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Hello!

We are now in July; can you believe it? We are more than halfway through the year.

This week was busy and exhausting. As such, I didn’t spend much time reading.

Here’s the book highlight for the week:

Sula by Toni Morrison
4 stars

This year has been full of new authors on my reading list. This was my first time reading Toni Morrison, and to say the least, I understand why she is such a highly regarded author. I recommend the audiobook since it’s read by Toni herself.

Following Nel and Sula over their lives, it was a heartwarming yet heart-wrenching tale of what it means to be a Black woman in the US.

Trigger warning: suicide ideation, suicide, death (of an infant)

Jun 18 – 24, 2023| Little Sparks #7

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Hello, again!

How was your week? Mine was busy as usual, but an overall productive week.

I watched the movie Indian Horse with my colleagues as part of our activities to commemorate National Indigenous Peoples Day on Jun 21, 2023.  National Indigenous Peoples Day celebrates the heritages, diverse cultures and outstanding achievements of First Nations, Inuit and Métis peoples in Canada – something that I have learned is crucial to do every day I am on this land. I encourage you too to reflect on the land you live in, its history, and its peoples.  

Having read the book before watching the movie, it was interesting to see the depiction and the difference between the two. The movie definitely had more of an educational element with text that provided context to readers before and after the depiction; however, the book was better than the movie (which is common). I felt there was a deeper emotional connection to Saul reading the book than watching the movie.

Here’s my reading highlight for this week:

The Heart Goes Last by Margaret Atwood
3 stars

This was my first Margaret Atwood book, and it was quite the read. It felt like an overly extended rollercoaster ride. While reading, I often thought that certain progressions didn’t feel natural – it felt like a forced dystopian. After finishing the book, it felt like I was reading something very different from what I first got into – it made me wonder if I was reading the same book.

Race and class are significant elements when discussing incarceration, especially in the US, but I don’t think these themes were explored well in the book. Likewise, there was a strong element of misogyny in the book, but at the end, it felt like it was just brushed past.

Nevertheless, I would still like to give Margaret’s writing another try.  

Jun 11 – 17, 2023 | Little Sparks #6

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It’s been over a month since I started this newsletter/book review style, and I am enjoying it. Do feel free to let me know your thoughts!

Here’s my highlight for this week:

A Thousand Heartbeats by Kiera Cass
4 stars

I read the Selection series by Kiera Cass last summer, which was engaging. However, this book was an even better read (apart from being a standalone book) because the female lead had so much more agency.

This book was a fun read for the most part as a fantasy romance with first-person POVs. Unfortunately, there were certain circumstances the main characters were in that I could not look over. Furthermore, some moments in the book made it evident that it was for young readers.

Nevertheless, I found one of my favourite quotes this year – and this quote, alongside the values portrayed in this book, made me give the book four stars.

 “Don’t you know? Love doesn’t look like anything. Love has a sound. It sounds like a thousand heartbeats happening at the same time. It sounds like the rush of a waterfall or the still of the world at daybreak. You can hear it at night, lulling you to sleep, and, in the middle of your darkest days, it breaks through like a laugh.”

Jun 4 – 10, 2023 | Little Sparks #5

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With summer comes the smoke and blaze of forest fires and another reminder of the impact of climate change. I hope you are safe where you are.

Here’s my reading highlight for this week:

Red Rising by Pierce Brown (Red Rising Saga #1)
5 stars

The first time I heard of this book, it was described as The Hunger Games x The Game of Thrones on space. That sounded intriguing though I have never read nor watched The Game of Thrones. In the book, we follow the character of the lowest class in the system in pursuit of more leverage/power from the highest class.

The first few chapters were difficult to get into, but I was hooked after that initial friction. I can happily conclude that picking up the book was a great choice (it was much more captivating than The Hunger Games). There were a lot of brilliant strategies from the characters, warfare, cunning behaviour, and romance.

Although I often forgot that the whole story was taking place in space while reading, I was surprised to learn that this book was written in 2014. I was also reading the book when Apple released their Vision Pro, which felt uncannily like the tools used in the book. It feels like we are close to reaching the conditions in the book, living on Mars after deserting Earth. The book made me ponder much about human nature, what it means to have power, and what rule system is best for equality and equity. I will be picking up the next book in the series!

Do note that there are many triggers; there are many brutal scenes in the book, to say the least.

Small Things Like These by Claire Keegan
4 stars

As you may tell, this is the second Claire Keegan book I have read. It was also a short story and delved into adoption/parenthood/human nature. I wonder if it’s just a coincidence or if most of Claire’s books are on these topics.

Nevertheless, it was a heartwarming read. The story felt complete despite being short, which, compared to many of the short stories I have read, is uncommon. It made me reconsider my disposition towards short stories, especially as this is my second short story read this year.

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Chat soon!

May 28 – Jun 3, 2023 | Little Sparks #4

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I had a pretty busy week, so I didn’t read much.

However, today has been the best Sunday in a long time. Being outside in the Sun has many wonders. 🙂

Here’s the book highlight for this week:

Invisible Boy: A Memoir of Self-Discovery by Harrison Mooney
4 stars

This book’s core is a story of belonging and searching for belonging. The author touches on many sensitive issues, so several trigger warnings: racism, death, suicide (ideation), molestation, abuse, etc. While reading, I was reminded of certain incidents/experiences I read from Uncultured: A Memoir by Daniella Mestyanek Young and Indian Horse by Richard Wagamese.

One of my favourite phrases from the book was, “Whiteness has all of us speaking in tongues”. I think it speaks true for most people of colour as they try to navigate spaces not originally designed for them and find a sense of belonging.

I finished the book questioning my decision to live where I do. Often, violence is perpetrated under the disguise of aid/help.

See you again next week!

May 21 – 27, 2023 | Little Sparks #3

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I hope it’s a good day where you are.

This week’s newsletter is short. The week flew away – I felt like a leaf constantly being flown away by the breeze when I tried to settle down.

I read:

Foster by Claire Keegan
4 stars

It was a short book, more so a short story.

The readers are exposed to the mind of a young girl as she has realised that she has been given into the care of a couple (that has lost their child) by her father because her mother is soon to give birth. Yet while she stays with this couple, wondering if she has been abandoned, she realised that they are more affectionate and caring towards her than her parents. So when it’s time for her to return home, she feels pretty disappointed.

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Here’s wishing you a better week next!

May 14 – 20, 2023 | Little Sparks #2

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Hello again!

How’s the weather where you are?

It’s summertime here, so the sun is out, and the temperature is excellent, at least for me.

This week was busy at work, but an overall productive reading week with books from different genres.

Here is my reading list from this week:

Exes and O’s by Amy Lea
3 stars

It plays on the trope of closed proximity, and as such, I couldn’t really see why and how the relationship turned deep. However, it did portray a healthy example of communicating in a relationship.

Indian Horse by Richard Wagamese
4 stars

At the heart of this book is the power of finding/having a sense of belonging and having the courage to start again. It does so by detailing the life of a hockey player over the span of 20 years and how the experience of colonialism and residential schools affected him.

There are many trigger warnings: abuse, sexual assault, rape, racism, racial slur, alcoholism, suicide and death.

The scarlet letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne
3 stars

This year part of my reading goals is to read more classic literature. There is no particular reason why. After finishing high school, I had no literature classes that assigned old classics. I want to dissociate classic literature from “school” and “academia” and find books in this category I can enjoy.  Unfortunately, there were more parts that I didn’t enjoy than I did.

The chances that I would not have finished this book if I was reading it and not listening to it is very, very high. The writing was interesting in that it was overly complicated. I kept thinking, “there is a much easier way to say this”.

(I am very grateful I did not have to read this for school.)

The book is progressive for its time, with several empowering commentaries about how women should have autonomy for themselves. However, I don’t know if one can argue that it was overall empowering as tragedy befalls the characters at the end due to their affair, implying to readers at the time the fate of such an act.

Three stars might be a high rating for a book I didn’t really enjoy, but there were moments when I did, and I was initially very invested in the plot. Likewise, I liked how the narrator spoke to the readers at times throughout the book.

May 7 – 13, 2023 | Little Sparks #1

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Welcome!

I have decided to change the book reviews section of the blog, which I named Little Sparks, into a weekly newsletter. This newsletter will be in a narrative style recapping the books I read during that week (or at least the books I choose to highlight for that week), and I am calling it Little Sparks.

There is some history to the name. In high school, I founded a CAS project called Little Sparks, where we (myself and three other classmates) shared book reviews on a WeChat subscription account. I was really, really proud of the idea and execution of the creative project (immensely! haha). I wished the CAS project had survived after I left high school (sadly, the junior students didn’t want to continue the project), so the name and idea never died for me. We even had a logo for the subscription account!

So, to say the least, I am thrilled about this newsletter’s birth/rebirth/debut, and I hope you stay on the journey!

Without further ado, here are the book highlights for this week:

The Stolen Heir by Holly Black (The Stolen Heir Duology #1)
4 stars rating

Last month, I finished reading The Folk of Air series by Holly Black and immensely enjoyed it. I had listed to the audiobook version of all three books and (for lack of a better word) had devoured the series. Hence, I was curious how this new series that follows Oak (the brother of the Queen in The Folk of Air, known as the reluctant prince) would turn out.

The book was very much about a quest (for revenge). It was interesting to see the element of magic take a backseat in the book as the adventure they were going on was the focus. It was a fun read (more so because I had listened to the audiobook version, and each character had a different speaker). The characters grew on me, especially Suren, whom I couldn’t figure out initially. I also marvelled at how smart and skilled they were, as highlighted by the many riddles they cracked.

I am happy it’s a duology (long fantasy series can get frustrating waiting for), and I look forward to the next book.

Ain’t I a Woman: Black Women and Feminism by bell hooks
5 stars rating

A riveting read!

At the root of many issues in the US is slavery and its impacts. This book details how sexism and the women’s rights movement in the US were impacted by slavery and the consequences of slavery, from the historic devaluation of Black womanhood to the racism within the women’s movement and how Black women got involved in the feminist movement.

bell hooks made a compelling argument for how feminism needs to do more to eliminate the dominant ideology in the US that promotes a patriarchal capitalist society. It’s quite a shame that though the book was first published in 1981, little has changed today regarding how Black women are treated and seen in the US for the book to be still so relevant.

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There will be more updates for my website/blog in the coming months. So, stay tuned until next week!

Warm regards,
Temidayo

Book Review: Finding Me

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Author: Viola Davis

Genre: Memoir, Autobiography

Pages: 304 pages, 9 hours

Level of difficulty: 3/5 Dictionaries

Rating: 5/5 Stars

Brief Introduction:

Viola Davis tells her story from a crumbling apartment in Central Falls, Rhode Island, to the stage in New York City, and beyond. It tells the path she took to find her purpose and to become the famous actress we know of today.

Review:

At the center of every relationship we have, is the relationship we have with ourselves.

A deeply profound and riveting read. I highly recommend it. I learned so much from listening to Viola (I suggest picking up the audiobook version as you get to listen to it in her own words) about health, wealth, self-worth, love, and many more.

Please note that there are a lot of triggers. TW: death, sexual assault and rape