Amarantinum Reviews

  First manga read in years, and I’m really happy I picked this one up the other day in a physical copy! I think that this manga beautifully portrays the difficulties in life, relationships, romance, and health when one has a spinal chord injury WITHOUT sugar coating anything (which I find to be very important). I really liked how this manga wasn’t afraid to be very bold and blunt with the negative aspects of this disability, as well as being fully respectful- I had the overwhelming feeling that the author did their research before writing this. One of the reasons I gravitated towards this manga is because I hadn't seen one or read one in which issues like this were delved in to as well as being in a romantic context. I was interested in seeing if the topic would be over romanticized or sugar coated, and I was very pleasantly surprised to see that this was far from that case.  It also deals with people’s prejudices and stereotypical mindsets and has depictions of big...

       My first five star read ever and of 2022!       I LOVED "On Earth We're Briefly Gorgeous". This book.. is incredible. Beautiful. Whimsical. I don’t even know how to put into words how much I love Ocean Vuong’s lyrical writing, how he can say things so simply yet so deeply at the same time- how he manages to strike a chord with the soul every few pages. I found myself always having something to quote, something to take a picture of. His writing touched me deeply and left me wanting even more pages to go through of this beautiful book. “Too much joy, I swear, is lost in our desperation to keep it.”  ―  Ocean Vuong      I will definitely be purchasing a copy of this book in the future just so I can fill it with tabs of my favorite quotes that I want to go back to. Not only did he make such poetic remarks, but the story that was told was told so well, so detailed. This book brings with it a unique feeling, and if you’re...

       I really, really enjoyed my time reading this book. It is more than insightful, and deals with issues of race, gender identity, family ties, and relationships in a very well-rounded way. I found that Brit Bennett did an incredible job in telling this family’s story spanning multiple generations, which must be an extremely difficult thing to do. I found myself really caring for each character- sometimes denouncing their flaws, yet appreciating their good traits and where their thought process of each decision came from. I was worried that I'd have trouble following the story at the beginning, but as I got towards the middle it sped up a lot and I felt the pacing got much quicker and was well-done. I liked seeing stories told throughout generations and it still being beautifully and seamlessly done.  I especially loved Reese as a character, and was happy to see the respectful and well-written LGBTQ issues without making it a main focal point of his per...

       I first off would like to say that I listened to the audiobook for Malibu Rising and I believe Julia Whelan did an incredible job, her performance for me really brought out the life in these characters and helped me visualize what was going on so much. It was the first time that I had ever listened to an audiobook all of the way through, and I enjoyed it tons more than I thought I would- I definitely have heard good things about Julia Whelan's performance, and I was not disappointed. But aside from that, the story itself was very touching and heartbreaking as much as it was super fun and fascinating to hear unfold. Reid does a really good job at building within the world she's creating, explaining in detail the settings traversed- no matter how small they might be. I really love her attention to detail and the life she brings to each and every character.  Although I couldn’t really personally relate to the characters like a lot of people have, I felt for ...

  Wow, Michelle Zauner's "Crying in H Mart" was a journey. I first off want to say that I do agree with some other reviewers saying that it feels odd to rate this book, because in the end, this was written for Michelle Zauner herself to be able to work through her grief, emotions, memories, and everything that comes with the trauma of losing a loved one.  I do not usually read memoirs, but the way Michelle describes the events unfolding in her life from the strained yet loving relationship with her mother, the drama that comes with growing up as a teen, the passages upon passages of deeply descriptive recipes and tales of delicious food… it made this telling of her story live inside my mind every single day I was reading it. And I REALLY adored the way food was described throughout this book, it being one of the main ways she processes her grief as well as how she connects with her mother. It was so descriptive you could almost smell and taste everything leaping off the p...