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
