Reviews with TLC

Things You May Find Hidden in My Ear by Mosab Abu Toha is an immersive, honest, and intense book of poetry. By the time I finished it I needed to remind myself that poetry, even when based on one's life experiences, is only a snapshot of the moments it details not a memoir. This was another book of poetry that while short took me a long time to read because I wanted to think about and feel each poem after reading it. T hings You May Find Hidden in My Ear reveals gems of language, nuance, and beauty even while detailing atrocities, personal pain, and loss in the larger picture of living. Abu Toha's poems constantly reminded me that while we have many differences in our lives across the world, we share the experience of being human. Abu Toha ends the book with a particularly impactful poem that speaks to both resilience and hopefulness. While laced with the realities of living under occupation, Things You May Find Hidden in My Ear imparts an unexpected hopefulness. Currently R...

A Gift of Fire: The Light-Bringer Series by Stephanie Stamm, the third and, apparently final, book in Stamm's trilogy picks up where A Gift of Shadow left off. This trilogy pulled me in and refused to let go even when I questioned the characters choices. I initially felt uncertain about how some of the relationships changes throughout the trilogy, but by A Gift of Fire , I was fully on board and cheering on the relationships as they developed. Lucky, her friends, and her family find connection, lose connection, and fight to rediscover their connection as they battle forces bent on destroying all the worlds in existence. I really enjoyed the play on expectations with good, evil, light, and darkness repeatedly proving that life is far more complicated and nuanced than we often see. The choices the characters, especially Lucky, faced about choosing how to use their powers made my heart pound and left me a little bit more aware of the potential consequences of the choices I make. Sta...