Top Ten Tuesday – Book Titles That Sound Like They Could Be Crayon Colors
/40 Comments/by Suzanne
Top Ten Tuesday was created by The Broke and the Bookish in June of 2010 and was moved to That Artsy Reader Girl in January 2018. It was born of a love of lists, a love of books, and a desire to bring bookish friends together. Top Ten Tuesday has been one of my favorite memes ever since I started blogging, so huge thanks to Jana for taking over the hosting duties!
This week’s TTT topic is Book Titles That Sound Like They Could Be Crayola Crayon Colors (Take a moment and Google some of the crazy Crayola crayon colors that exist. Can you think of any book titles that sound like they could also be a crayon color? It might be fun to include a description of the kind of color you’re picturing.)
This was a fun topic for me because I haven’t paid attention to crayons in years so it was fun to actually Google crayons and see what kind of color names are out there these days. Below is what I came up with once I started scouring my shelves and my TBR to see what might make a good crayon color name.
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Book Titles That Sound Like They Could Be Crayon Colors
1. LEAVES OF GRASS by Walt Whitman – This one is probably pretty self explanatory, but I could see this being used on for a green crayon.
2. VIOLET GRENADE by Victoria Scott – I’m envisioning this as a bright, vibrant purple because of the grenade.
3. I’LL GIVE YOU THE SUN by Jandy Nelson – Yellow of course. 🙂
4. THE STARLESS SEA by Erin Morganstern – Something really dark, like a midnight blue or even black.
5. DARLING ROSE GOLD by Stephanie Wrobel – I guess this one is pretty self explanatory. I’m picturing the rose gold iPhone, lol.
6. SKY WITHOUT STARS by Jessica Brody and Joann Rendell – Like The Starless Sea, I’m envisioning this as either a deep blue or black.
7. CONCRETE ROSE by Angie Thomas – In my mind, this would be hot pink.
8. FLAME IN THE MIST by Renee Ahdieh – This would be orange, of course, for the flame.
9. ONE DAY IN DECEMBER by Josie Silver – I’m picturing this as a pale gray or even silver, some combination of snow and silvery holiday decorations.
10. AURORA BURNING by Jay Kristoff and Amie Kaufman – Back in my day, we had a bunch of random orange-ish colors that were called things like Red-Orange, Orange-Red, and when Crayola wanted to be really creative, Burnt Sienna. I’m picturing those names trashed in favor of Aurora Burning.
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Question: Can you envision any of these as crayon colors? Can you think of any other book titles that would make good crayon colors?
Review: HANA KHAN CARRIES ON by Uzma Jalaluddin
/18 Comments/by SuzannePublished by BERKLEY on April 13, 2021
Genres: Contemporary Fiction, Romance
Pages: 368
Source: Netgalley
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FTC Disclosure: I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher via Netgalley. All opinions are my own.
I requested Uzma Jalaluddin’s new novel, Hana Khan Carries On, as soon as I read the synopsis which describes it as inspired by the popular romantic film, You’ve Got Mail, but set in two competing halal restaurants. The promise of romance, rivalry, and descriptions of delicious food was too irresistible to pass up. I’m happy I did too because it did not disappoint!
The story follows Hana Khan, a 24 year old second generation Muslim woman who lives with her family in Toronto. Hana helps out at her family’s halal restaurant, but her real passion lies in radio. In addition to her waitressing gig, Hana has an internship at a local radio station and she also hosts her own podcast. I really adored Hana from the moment we meet her. I loved how devoted she is to her family and how much she wants to help her mom with the family restaurant even though that’s not where her true interest lies. I also loved that she wants a career in radio specifically because she wants to share stories about her fellow Muslims. Stories that shine a true light on her people rather than just retreading tired and harmful stereotypes. I also liked that while she had so many admirable qualities, Hana was definitely still a flawed and very realistic character. She makes plenty of mistakes throughout the course of the story, but I loved that she was always learning from her missteps and growing as a person. She was just a really easy character to like.
In addition to adoring Hana, I also liked that the story had plenty of drama in the form of a rival restaurant that opens up in their neighborhood. Hana has a run-in with Aydin, the handsome, young owner of the new restaurant and finds herself unexpectedly attracted to him. She knows she should hate him because of what he’s doing to her family, but the struggle to fight her attraction to him is real. Hana finds this especially frustrating since she also has a possible relationship budding online with Stanley P., one of her podcast fans. She and Stanley haven’t exchanged real names or met in person yet, but they talk every day and he is always super supportive of her as she shares her hopes and dreams with him, as well as her fears and frustrations. How can she possibly be attracted to a jerk like Aydin when she has Stanley P.? Except that Aydin isn’t exactly a jerk and Hana and Aydin have amazing chemistry. I’m a sucker for a good enemies-to-lovers romance anyway, so I was absolutely eating up the initial tension between them as well as the changing dynamic between them as they got to know each other better.
There’s honestly so much to love about Hana Khan Carries On, but what I think I loved most was it’s a story about love and family and sacrifice and that it’s also a story that is infused with culture, religion, and community. It’s a story that has fun and romantic moments, but it’s also a powerful story that explores timely and relevant social issues, including racism, prejudice, and stereotypes. I have not yet read Uzma Jalaluddin’s first novel Ayesha At Last yet, but I loved Hana Khan Carries On so much that I immediately purchased the first one and can’t wait to dive into it.
About Uzma Jalaluddin
Uzma Jalaluddin grew up in a diverse suburb of Toronto. Her favourite place in the world is the nearest bookstore or library, so it came as no surprise to anyone when she started writing her own stories, poems, plays and other creative writing from an early age. Her debut novel, AYESHA AT LAST (2018), is a retelling of Pride and Prejudice set in the Toronto Muslim community. The novel was a Goodreads Choice Award Finalist, was featured on The Today Show, and was a Cosmopolitan UK Book of the Year. AYESHA AT LAST has been optioned for film by Pascal Pictures. Her second novel, HANA KHAN CARRIES ON, will be published in April 2021. She writes a culture and parenting column for The Toronto Star, and has written for The Atlantic. Uzma lives in Toronto, Canada, with her husband and two sons, where she also teaches high school. She is probably dreaming up ideas for her next book right about now.
Can’t Wait Wednesday – HURRICANE SUMMER by Asha Bromfield
/23 Comments/by Suzanne
“Waiting On” Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted at Breaking the Spine, which encourages fellow bloggers to spotlight upcoming releases that we’re excited about. It is a meme that I have loved participating in since I first started blogging, but as Jill is no longer actively posting, from now on I’ll be linking to Can’t Wait Wednesday, hosted by Tressa at Wishful Endings, which is a spinoff of the original WoW meme.
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My selection for this week is HURRICANE SUMMER by Asha Bromfield. The gorgeous cover is what first drew me to this book, but I was hooked when I read the synopsis and realized what a powerful read this has the potential of being.
HURRICANE SUMMER by Asha Bromfield
Publication Date: May 4, 2021 by Wednesday Books
From Goodreads:
In this sweeping debut, actress Asha Bromfield takes readers to the heart of Jamaica, and into the soul of a girl coming to terms with her family, and herself, set against the backdrop of a hurricane.
Sometimes the storm is inside of you…
Tilla has spent her entire life trying to make her father love her. But every six months, he leaves their family and returns to his true home: the island of Jamaica.
When Tilla’s mother tells her she’ll be spending the summer on the island, Tilla dreads the idea of seeing him again, but longs to discover what life in Jamaica has always held for him.
In an unexpected turn of events, Tilla is forced to face the storm that unravels in her own life as she learns about the dark secrets that lie beyond the veil of paradise—all in the midst of an impending hurricane.
Hurricane Summer is a powerful coming of age story that deals with colorism, classism, young love, the father-daughter dynamic—and what it means to discover your own voice in the center of complete destruction.
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I’d love to hear what upcoming book releases you’re waiting on this Wednesday? Leave me your link in the comments below and I’ll stop by and check out your CWW selection for this week. 🙂