Rahhh I loved this so much!!! Arlo Parks is one of my favorite musicians, so I was very excited for this one—and I was not disappointed. I have this album on cassette (shoutout to my local shop for being the coolest) and I’ve listened to it so many times—yet I was struck all the same reading the lyrics. The poems were also excellent and I liked the photographs included. Highly recommend for fans & those curious to get into her music 🎶

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Rashid Khalidi for access to this audiobook.

Khalidi combines research with his family’s experiences in an accessible, powerful, and enlightening way. This book is intended as an introductory primer for a wide range of ages, and I feel like it achieves that goal well. There is nothing too graphic or jargonistic in its delivery of traumatic and academic conversations.

I learned that Barack Obama claimed to prioritize peace between Palestine and Israel as a campaign promise before he was elected only to have been lying and immediately capitulating to Israel. This reminds me of his similar promise to prioritize reproductive justice, pro-choice policies—including the Freedom of Choice Act—which also did not happen. The spinelessness of politicians, both republican and democrat, is deeply shameful.

There are times where I interpreted Khalidi as expressing a desire for respectability politics and adopting a mainstream diplomatic approach for achieving peace, which I didn’t like. Comments like how Palestinian resistance should appeal to the United States in order to achieve success. He may have meant it as an unfortunate reality that it might have to be the tactic chosen—but I don’t know. Maybe just phrasing at times didn’t land right for me but I don’t condemn resistance or think there’s an argument for “both sides” like the connotation of the conclusion statement about both Palestinians and Israelis needing to change their perspective. But the desire to be respected is of course valid, and I think that’s where this is coming from. I’d be curious to read his other works and see if this was in part due to the all ages accessible approach.

It was overall a great read though. The narrator did an excellent job. For other books on Palestine, I would recommend Greater than the Sum of Our Parts: Feminism, Inter/Nationalism, and Palestine by Nada Elia, They Called Me a Lioness: A Palestinian Girl's Fight for Freedom by Ahed Tamimi and Recognizing the Stranger by Isabella Hammad.

Again, thank you to NetGalley and Rashid Khalidi.

“Salvage is a gift the sea gives you”

A very gorgeous little adventure. Loved the biography page on Tove at the end. This is a book inspired by Tove’s stories of her childhood island exploits. Reflective, whimsical, and ends with pancakes 🥞 what could be better than that? 🫶

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Claire Forsythe for access to this book!

This was such an adorable, cozy, fun, sweet book. I loved the characters so much. They were all well developed, complex, and lovable despite flaws. The found family is one of my favorite tropes.

I was rooting for the couple the whole time. They had excellent chemistry and their love blossomed in a way that was so lovely to read.

The setting was immersive and awe inspiring. The dramatic green landscapes near the sea were a delight to imagine while reading. The small town setting was so darling. The intimate tight knit community was so endearing and the general queer acceptance was refreshing.

The plot was paced in a way that makes sense for the story and flowed well. I was so happy kicking my feet and smiling reading the ending. I’m excited to read Forsythe’s other work.

The narrator of the audiobook was incredibly talented and brought the story to life well. Her ability to switch between several different Irish and American accents was so impressive.

Thank you again to Claire Forsythe and NetGalley for access to this book, I really enjoyed it :)