theliteraryteapot's reviews
282 reviews

Un thé dans la toundra / Nipishapui Nete Mushuat by Josephine Bacon

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inspiring lighthearted relaxing fast-paced

4.0


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La Société très secrète des Sorcières extraordinaires by Sangu Mandanna

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lighthearted relaxing fast-paced
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.0

So pleasantly surprised to see that tea held a much stronger presence that I didn't expect. Found family works quite well for me.
The Moon That Turns You Back by Hala Alyan

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emotional fast-paced

3.25

This is a poetry collection with important themes. But, I have to say ever since I read Jo Clement's Outlandish and especially since I read Persian poetry, I find myself expecting more from these English-speaking poetry books. The English language feels so poor when Jo Clement showed it has much more to offer. And so, I'm left disappointed.

And I'm saying this knowing that my own writing also suffers from an underused language (albeit not my native one).
Échappées by Manon Jouniaux

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challenging dark medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix

3.5

J'ai découvert ce livre et rencontré l'autrice à un festival du livre sans trop savoir à quoi m'attendre. C'est une histoire très prenante, sur la violence des hommes, qui se perpétue, et sur des femmes qui essaient de se reconstruire.

Surtout, c'est le style qui m'a surprise. Je n'étais pas de suite convaincue, mais ce flot de longues phrases avec des descriptions très vivides et sensorielles m'a happée et gardée intéressée. Il ne pourra pas plaire à tout le monde, mais ça a finalement bien fonctionné pour moi.

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The Last Bear by Hannah Gold

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adventurous emotional hopeful lighthearted fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No

5.0

I shed a tear, I love Nordic countries, and polar bears are my mom's favourite animals. Such a great middle grade story.

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Poèmes Kurdes au féminin by Ahmed Mala

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fast-paced

3.75

J'avais si hâte de lire cette anthologie de poétesses kurdes, comme je m'intéresse beaucoup aux poésies du monde et  spécifiquement à celles des femmes. D'autant plus que la couverture est très belle. J'ai beaucoup apprécié les poèmes, les thèmes, les images utilisées, et l'introduction. Véritable découverte agréable d'une poésie kurde que je ne connaissais pas.

En revanche, le travail éditorial est pitoyable et insupportable. Il semble que les éditeur.rice.s ont rajouté à la dernière minute les biographies des poétesses (tellement de coquilles, de phrases mal écrites ou pas retravaillées au propre, des notes d'éditeurs laissées,...). Ce serait à rééditer en corrigeant tout ce qui ne va pas. Il y a un énorme manque de relecture et de professionnalisme. C'est irrespectueux envers les poétesses traduites.

Pour finir, mon poème favori, de Rhawnd Salih Hassan, intitulé "Moi" (p.83) :
"Ne cassez pas l'orchestre de ma féminité
Ma blessure est à l'image d'un volcan
Lors de mon éruption
Je briserais tant de cœurs
Tant de romances
Je ferais un coup d'État contre moi-même."
La forêt au clair de lune by Michiko Aoyama

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hopeful inspiring lighthearted relaxing fast-paced
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No

4.75

Michiko Aoyama writes healing literature. A warm, soothing cup of tea after a cold day. I keep her stories close to my heart. I particularly appreciated the very last one.
Seeing Baya: Portrait of an Algerian Artist in Paris by Alice Kaplan

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Did not finish book. Stopped at 14%.
Thank you to Netgalley and the University of Chicago Press for the e-ARC in exchange for an honest review 

This is the first biography of 20th century Algerian artist Baya. Unfortunately, I could not finish the book due to a file issue, which I already tried to fix once but now I lost all access to the book. I could read 14% and I enjoyed this beginning but obviously it's not really much of a review. I had heard of Baya before and it's a shame she has little recognition (the author mentions only her home country, Algeria, celebrates her). So, I'm glad there is finally a written biography so that, hopefully, people will learn a little bit about her and her paintings.