Some mini reviews of books I loved

Hi everyone! I hope you had a great week and are looking forward to a great weekend!

Today, I have a bunch of mini reviews for you. For books that I loved and really enjoyed, I often don’t have a ton to say other than “I loved and really enjoyed this”, so it makes writing a full review hard. But I wrote down a bunch of mini reviews, and asked on Twitter (go follow me!) whether people would prefer one post with multiple reviews or multiple posts with one review, and the people overwhelmingly said one post.

So here is said post, where I’m reviewing Educated by Tara Westover, Salt to the Sea by Ruta Sepetys, and The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath (spoilers: they were all five star reads).

 

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Educated by Tara Westover: ★★★★★

This book was such a great read and I really enjoyed it. I’ve mentioned before that I love memoirs about normal people who have done cool things. That’s what this memoir is. It’s taken me so long to write a review because I don’t really have much to say other than it’s well-written and really interesting. I loved reading about Westover’s life. It’s heartbreaking, compelling, and inspiring, and she is a very talented writer. My one issue with this book is that I don’t think she’d be able to obtain passports as easily as she says she did; however, she probably simplified the process and difficulties for the sake of the book.

Recommended for: if you’re looking for an easy-to-read non-fiction; people who enjoy memoirs; if you enjoyed The Glass Castle.

Salt to the Sea by Ruta Sepetys: ★★★★★ (4.5, rounded to 5)

This is another book that I don’t have much to say other than it was well-written and I enjoyed it a lot. There was a lot I loved about this book. The plot is super interesting: it’s about the biggest naval accident in history. When I was younger, I was obsessed with the Titanic, and this was a similar incident. So I loved the plot. I loved the array of characters. They were each unique and individual, and I loved reading all their perspectives. It’s also super well-written and incredibly readable. The chapters are super short, which I didn’t mind because it made it easy to read in little bursts. The ending is really sad, but it’s a WW2 novel, so that’s expected.

Recommended for: if you want a historical fiction that talks about some lesser-known aspects of WW2; if you enjoy WW2 but are tired of reading about men; want a sad, depressing, and plot-heavy book.

The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath: ★★★★★

This book very quickly and very easily became my favourite classic. I related to so many parts of it, particularly regarding what Plath has to say about being a woman. Even though this book was published over 50 years ago, everything she said still rings true. I also loved how mental illness and hospitalization was portrayed. Perhaps surprisingly, it’s not all vilified. Yes, Plath has some negative experiences. But she eventually finds a psychiatrist who works well with her, and when she expresses her concerns about her previous treatment, the psychiatrist is just as appalled as she is. I really appreciated that. Though this book is sad and largely about depression, it’s also incredibly hopeful and I thought the ending was great. ALSO the metaphor about the Bell Jar is perfect.

Recommended for: people who generally don’t enjoy classics; people looking to read more feminist fiction; people who are struggling with depression and want to know they’re not alone.

So there are my mini reviews of some books I really loved and enjoyed! Have you read any of these? What were your thoughts? Did you love them as much as I did? Let me know!

Ally xx