The Overbooked Bibliophile

  Rating:⭐⭐⭐⭐ “You are the curator of your story in every choice you make “ A compilation of Portuguese illustrator Luis Coelho’s panel drawings featuring his signature adorable ink illustrations of cats and full of positive affirmations,   encouraging words of wisdom and loads of wit and humor, <b> The Book of Purrs: Everyday Thoughts from Your Feline Friends</b> is a fun read and a charming ode to the how our furry friends can be a source of positive energy in our lives! I loved the artwork which was intricate yet simple and soothing. This is a simple book , one that might not inspire deep reflection (no offense to our feline friends!),   but irrespective of whether you are a cat person or not, the witty feline wisdom and gentle reminders to be kinder to oneself could be just what you need to put a smile on your face when you are feeling overwhelmed! Purrfectly delightful,   this is a book that I would want to revisit! My favorite quote: <i...

Rating:  3.5⭐️ Unterzakhn  by  Leela Corman  is a moving story that revolves around themes of social class, inequality, generational trauma, social convention and morality, family sisterhood and survival. The narrative follows identical twins Esther and Fanya, daughters of Jewish immigrants, as they navigate their way through life – their childhood in the tenements of New York’s Lower East Side (circa 1910), the people they meet and the choices they make that lead them in different directions and how their paths cross over the years. The narrative also features a past timeline featuring their father and the events that led to his emigrating from his homeland. There is a lot about this novel that is praiseworthy – notably, the sense of time and place beautifully captured and presented through the author’s remarkable artwork and how the author addressed several social and feminist themes from the era (many of which remain relevant in the present day). However, what kee...

Rating:⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ *Many thanks to Pantheon Books for the gifted copy. All opinions expressed in this review are my own. This book was published on April 02, 2024.* Set in 1943,  Victory Parade  by  Leela Corman  is a brutal yet profoundly moving meditation on the horrors of war and trauma, the challenges faced by the women who contributed to the WWII effort back home while they waited for their men to return from the war front, Jewish refugees fleeing persecution and the physical and psychological scars left on those returning from home. The narrative, presented in vivid watercolor, follows the cast of characters among whom are Rose, a married woman employed as a welder in Brooklyn who is involved in a relationship with a disabled veteran; Ruth, a German Jewish refugee taken in by Rose who finds a violent outlet to vent the simmering rage she harbors; and Sam, Rose’s husband who returns home destined to be haunted by visions of what he witnessed in the liberated concentra...