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BookInspector (124 KP) rated All This Has Nothing to Do with Me in Books

Sep 24, 2020  
All This Has Nothing to Do with Me
All This Has Nothing to Do with Me
Monica Sabolo, Georgina Collins | 2015 | Fiction & Poetry
2
2.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
Well this one was weird… This book has a stunning cover, it is a tiny book, and I knew that this is going to be a quick read, and I bought it for only 10p when a couple of my nearby Poundlands were closing down. I thought it has a fun chick lit story for me, but I was very wrong… I kept reading it because I don’t like to DNF books, but till the last page, I have no idea what was it about.

The main character in this book is MS, and sometimes referred to as Monica, so it gives me a very strong feeling that this is some sort of memoir maybe? The one thing I could grasp was that MS is kind of psychologically unstable, she writes letters to the dead author, her relationship with XX is an absolute mess, but she kind of tries to explain her behaviour, by going back to the past and talking about her mother and stepdad. Yes, she had a difficult childhood, and if the story and format (it is a mash of letters, SMS, pictures, normal text etc.) would’ve been differently presented, it could’ve been an awesome memoir.

The writing style of this book was very unique and original, and it should’ve been really hard to write this book because it is filled with a huge amount of pictures. No, not some nice pictures, but pictures of random things e.g. a lighter taken from XX; sweaters worn on dates; 4pages of scooter pictures which might belong to XX, and many more. I think it took years to collect this amount of pictures, so props to the author for the patience and detail.

So, let me just jump to the conclusions here. This book won France’s Prix de Flore 2013 award, so it has to have something that I am not seeing, right? One thing I know, it wasn’t for me, but if you like award-winning books, which are different and really original, give this book a go, and you might enjoy it.
  
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Kristy H (1252 KP) rated Firekeeper's Daughter in Books

Aug 19, 2021  
Firekeeper's Daughter
Firekeeper's Daughter
Angeline Boulley | 2021 | LGBTQ+, Mystery, Young Adult (YA)
8
9.3 (3 Ratings)
Book Rating
An expansive and lovely #OwnVoices tale
Daunis Fontaine feels torn between two worlds--growing up worrying about her Mom and dreaming of becoming a doctor and then being an unenrolled member of the Ojibwe tribe. Her late father was a member and so is her half-brother, Levi. When Daunis' uncle dies and she decides to stay home and attend local community college to take care of her mom, she feels trapped. But the arrival of Jamie, a new member of Levi's hockey team, is a bright spot. The two become fast friends. However, everything changes when Daunis witnesses a horrible murder, and she becomes an informant for the FBI. Suddenly, everything she knows about her hometown and the tribe changes.

"I learned there were times when I was expected to be a Fontaine and other times when it was safe to be a Firekeeper."

This is an excellent book--more mystery than I thought it would be. It covers a lot of topics--sometimes more than seems necessary. Racism, tribal issues, sexual assault, depression, drug abuse, FBI informants, romance, murder... there's a lot packed into this book. However, it does a great job looking into how meth and drug abuse affect the Native American community (as well as sexual assault). It's heartbreaking at times, but also compelling and educational.

"My mother's superpower is turning my ordinary worries into monsters so huge and pervasive that her distress and heartache become almost debilitating. I can protect her from that hurt."

Daunis is a very sympathetic and likeable character. She's dedicated to her family, to her tribe, and her community. She takes on a lot for a kid her age. Sometimes it felt like the informant plot was a little much, a little contrived, but overall, it didn't take away from my enjoyment of the book. It was wonderful to read an #OwnVoices book of such quality and scope, and I look forward to what Boulley does next.

I read this book as part of my new reading project--choosing books off my shelves based on their Goodreads rankings. This is my fourth book of the project, forcing me out of my comfort zone and to try books in genres I don't usually read!