Mini Reviews: My Recent Five Star Reads
Happy Tuesday!
What’s the last ten out five star book you read? That stack you see in the photo are mine. Okay, a few of them are rereads but they still count. Feb and March have had me in a bit of reading slump so I’ve gone back to reading my favs.
In no particular order, here are #minireviews of the 5 Star books I’ve been loving recently:
The Quarter by Naguib Mahfouz
A collection of short stories by an Egyptian Nobel Laureate, these tales were for me like taking a walk through the streets of home town. There's both a simplistic nostalgia to his writings as well as a timelessness, like a slice of the past forever captured in amber. These stories are full of an unforgettable neighborhood bursting with characters that jump off the page to embrace you with the dramatic on-goings that's their life in The Quarter.
If you haven’t read this author before, this book is the perfect place to start!
The Once and Future Witches by Alix E. Harrow
A love letter to magic, folklore, witches, childhood rhymes and sisterhood, this book is a tale unlike another. Historical fiction meets magical realism in a mesmerizing world that’s both forlorn and eerie, fierce and tender. I have been a fan of Harrow's writing since I read her debut, A Thousand Doors of January when it came out so naturally, it took me a long time to get to this book because I was saving it for a rainy day. And oh, am I glad I did. This is pretty much one of the perfect books to read during Women's History Month.
To Be Alone With You by Jodie Slaughter
I have an inkling I have mentioned this book on the blog before but I really don't mind doubling or tripling up. I mean it , dear reader, when I say that I will NEVER stop gushing about this book!
A short novella that combines the yearning of old love, the tension of forced-proximity and falling in love in the middle of the pandemic in a way that shattered my heart and mended it with gold. Please go read this!
Letters of Note: Love compiled by Shaun Usher
A collection of love letters from history. Need I say more?! Here's a part of the blurb to entice you a bit more:
"Revealing deep, eternal truths from the heart, this intimate collection of 30 letters traces all of love's incarnations, from first blush and mutual enchantment to unrequited feelings and the ache of passions past. It offers a rare, passionate, and timeless look at what it means to love and be loved."
Qissā Maqbūl-e-Jafā [The Victim of Malice] by Hafiz Mohammad Ameeruddin Maani, & Qissā Shehzādi Farlhandā Kā [The Ingenious Farkhanda and the Two Conditions] by Rai Beni Narayan
These are two Urdu qissās edited and translated by Musharraf Ali Farooqi. Part of recent Urdu Literary Classics series that seeks to revive the Urdu Qissā storytelling tradition. English translations are also available for those interested.
A Dead Djinn in Cairo, The Angel of Khan-e-Khalili, The Haunting of Tram Car 015 by P. Djèlí Clark
Yet another book series I've mentioned here before. An introduction to the author’s Master of Djinn speculative fiction world, these Tor short fictions are absolutely perfect! Based in Egypt full of djinns, old world magic and angels that are not technically angels, this is a world that will never fail to surprise you!
Have you read any of these? ❤️🙏🏽
About Perveen
Perveen is a South-Asian Muslim, an introvert who daydreams about love-myths, monsters, and magic during my day job and occasionally binge-watch period dramas at night. Most of her time is spent reading, writing & talking to the cats in my backyard.
You can connect with her at:
4 Comments
dinipandareads
Great mini-reviews! I’ve only read A Dead Djinn in Cairo (and absolutely loved it!) but I’m now off to add To Be Alone With You to my TBR wishlist cos not only is that cover stunning but it sounds wonderful too 😍
A. Perveen
Thank you! Dead Djinn Cairo was how I was introduced with the world as well and couldn’t help but dive into the rest. And oh YES! To Be Alone With You is soooooo good! I hope you enjoy it. 🥰 Thank you for stopping by. Wishing a fabulous week ahead. ❤️🙏🏽
Lisa @ Bookshelf Fantasies
The only one of these I’ve read is The Once and Future Witches — and I agree, definitely a 5-star read!!
A. Perveen
One of my fav reads ever! Harrow’s writing is simply amazing. 🥰