France

> Tag: France

When Nathan Found Himself

Call Me Nathan by Catherine Castro

May 1, 2023 by BlackRaven Leave a Comment

I was going to call this review, The Girl with a Justin Bieber Haircut. But this book is more than just about a haircut. I mention that, however, to give you a time frame of when things are set. Therefore, if you are looking for a solid book about a trans person coming of age with who he really is, Call Me Nathan might be what you need. However, due to graphic images and triggers (such as self-harm, sexual situations, and body dysmorphia issues) this […]

Both influential and overlooked

Suzanne: The Jazz Age Goddess of Tennis by Tom Humberstone

April 5, 2023 by BlackRaven Leave a Comment

CBR15Passport Own While I was on a short vacation, I finished a fictional novel of a little-known black dancer of the 1840s, William Henry Lane, or Master Juba. And I guess I was in the mood for stories of real, but not necessarily extremely famous people, because then I started Suzanne: The Jazz Age Goddess of Tennis. Which is a memoir of Suzanne Lenglen, a French female tennis player. She was known, at the time worldwide, but she was not necessarily known for her tennis […]

I’ve been on all sides of this story

So Much for Love: How I Survived a Toxic Relationship by Sophie Lambda

February 15, 2023 by BlackRaven Leave a Comment

CBR15Passport,already own It might have been ironic or appropriate that I finished this book on Valentine’s Day. But regardless, So Much for Love: How I Survived a Toxic Relationship Sophie Lambada’s memoir is a very strong, humorous, serious, clever, delightful read. Lambda’s journey is inspiring, relatable, and thoughtful. The amazing art that is both funny and powerful, gives the emotion of the words that are packed into fast-paced pages (it only took me two days to read, and had I started earlier in the evening, […]

I think I’ll swear off fries thanks

Boris the Potato Child by Anne Simon

February 13, 2023 by BlackRaven Leave a Comment

CBR15Passport author new to me. The publisher description says almost all you need to know about Boris the Potato Child: “a bitter critique of our consumerist impulses and abuses.” Anne Simon created a book that can be violent, exploitative, perverted, and triggering. It is dark, ugly, and powerful. Regardless of if you love or hate, it is a story that can make you think. And Jenna Allen’s translation feels smooth. Outside of a few little quirks, you cannot tell this was not originally English. Of […]

A very emotional read

Down to the Bone: A Leukemia Story by Catherine Pioli

November 9, 2022 by BlackRaven Leave a Comment

Author and illustrator Catherine Pioli chronicled her journey as a leukemia patient in Down to the Bone: A Leukemia Story. At first, I thought it would be some “sad sack poor me” story. I was wonderfully surprised it was nothing like that. I wasn’t halfway through this graphic novel (reading a reader copy online through Edelweiss) before I know it was going to be a five. And unless some huge middle finger happened it would stay a five for the sheer power of it. Instead, […]

[got me] to a nunnery!

Matrix by Lauren Groff

Heloise & Abelard: A New Biography by James Burge

The Tigress of Forlì: Renaissance Italy's Most Courageous and Notorious Countess, Caterina Riario Sforza de Medici by Elizabeth Lev

Letters of a Portuguese Nun: Uncovering the Mystery Behind a 17th Century Forbidden Love by Myriam Cyr

July 5, 2022 by andtheIToldYouSos 2 Comments

I thought I was going to need some time to recover from the exquisite The Everlasting, but really it flung me head-first into a literal rabbit-hole. A warren. An abbey. A nunnery, if you will. Also- The Atlantic just posted a list of books that were done dirty by pandemic releases, and OF COURE The Everlasting resides within those vaulted halls. I was immediately drawn to Caterina Riario Sforza de Medici after she was mentioned several times in The Everlasting. A distant relative of her spots her likeness in the […]

Alexandra S on The Boobs that Launched a Thousand Ships (or just one really nice cathedral)I just told my husband that the book title should be "The pillars of the earth - Alliena's Boobs".
jomidi on Quotable Tomato HistoryI just picked this up from the library - I am not reading your fun facts so I will be surprised when I read it....
Carriejay on Back on my grief kickSo badly. It's ridiculous given we will all go through it at some time.
finnyfinfinn on Ice QueenI've loved Holly Black since I first picked up Tithe. I knew this was going to be a duology as I was reading but I...
Emmalita on Back on my grief kickAfter you reviewed No Happy Endings, I listened to a few episodes each of Terrible, Thanks for Asking and Griefcast. I found them both helpful...

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