Slut Lullabies

Goodreads Summary:
Following her debut novel, My Sister's Continent, Gina Frangello continues her exploration of the power dynamics of gender, class, and sexuality in this collection of diverse, vibrant short fiction. Slut Lullabies is unsettling. Like the experience of reading a private diary, these stories leave one feeling slightly traitorous while also imprinting a deep recognition of truths you did not know you felt.

It is through beauty, horror, humor and chaos that Frangello has managed to pull these ten stories out of her deep understanding of the human experience. A gay Latino man whose pious relatives are boycotting his commitment ceremony' becomes caught up in hypocrisy and splendor when his lover's Waspy mother hires a glitzy wedding coordinator; a precocious girl seduces her teacher in order to blackmail him into funding her young stepmother's escape from their violent home; a wife turns to infidelity and drugs to distract her from chronic pain following an accident; a teenage boy attempts atonement in Amsterdam after having exploited his naive girlfriend at home; and a socialite must confront her dark past as her husband's deterioration from Huntington's Disease destroys both her bank account and social standing.

My Review:
This short story collection was breathtaking. I truly felt both anxious and intrigued as I was reading it. The author clearly understands each of the characters she writes about, and the stories come from a very dark yet likely place. Undoubtably these are all somebodies stories even though this is a work of fiction. I think brining light to such a taboo subject is refreshing and gives humanity to those who have been dehumanized. I would recommend this collection to others.


4/5 stars

What Doesn't Kill Her

Goodreads Summary:
Jordan Rivera is an ordinary kid with an ordinary family, until a vicious killer takes it all away, sparing her, but leaving her broken. The murders of her father, mother and brother destroy something inside Jordan, who spends ten long, mute years in an institution. Catching a glimpse of a news report about another family slaying, Jordan at last breaks her silence. Now she’s out, and she molds herself—body and mind—into an instrument of justice.

While a young detective pursues the case on his own, Jordan teams up with members of her support group, people like her, damaged by violent crime. They have their own stories of pain, heartache, and vengeance denied. With their help, Jordan will track down the killer before he can ravage any more lives. Her life – and her sanity – depend on it.

My Review:
Page turner from the very beginning. The characters were extremely well-developed. The novel felt very realistic as I felt like I was the main character experiencing all that she was experiencing.

This is a story about a serial killer that leaves a victim behind to tell the tale and as the story develops unlikely links between the killings and characters are revealed.

4/5 stars

I'm Back and bookish as ever!

I don’t know how I let this blog falter for almost 2 years. It’s both shocking and disappointing. I miss reading and writing about what I read. The blog makes me accountable in a good way for what I read. It also doesn’t hurt that I get ARC’s for having a book blog.

I plan on making updates to all of my current posts and then diving right into reviewing again. I’ve definitely been reading all this time!!!! I know people probably thought I was swept away to another country or some other equally exciting adventure, but the truth is I just prioritized other things over this, and I shouldn’t have. So now I’m back and hope to bring an updated and exciting blog for you to read!