Book: To be Taught, If FortunateAuthor: Becky ChambersRating: 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟 Completed this for the Popsugar Reading Challenge Prompt #5 (a book about women astronauts) and the 52 Book Club Reading Challenge Prompt #11 (requires suspension of disbelief). It is the end of the twenty-second century, and human spaceflight is now possible further and further away with theContinue reading “2026 Book #5: To Be Taught, If Fortunate”
Author Archives: msaraf
2026 Book #4: The Yellow Wall-Paper
“The Yellow Wall-Paper” by Charlotte Perkins Gilman explores the struggles of women through various narratives, including a postpartum experience that leads to madness. The book critiques the male-dominated narratives affecting women’s lives and emphasizes feminist themes. It’s a compelling read filled with humor and thought-provoking conclusions, making it highly recommended.
2026 Book #3: As Long as the Lemon Trees Grow
A young adult story of survival amidst a revolution which is heartbreaking and beautiful, though the romance is a bit over the top. Still, an important read.
2026 Book #2: The Family Remains
Book: The Family Remains (Sequel to The Family Upstairs) Author: Lisa JewellRating: 🌟🌟🌟🌟 DCI Samuel Owusu (never Sam, always Samuel) finds himself in the centre of a cold case investigation when a bag of bones is discovered in the river. He connects the case back to a strange house where a suicide pact took placeContinue reading “2026 Book #2: The Family Remains”
2026 Book #1: Mother Mary Comes to Me
Book review of Mother Mary Comes to Me by Arundhati Roy
Perimenopause & Me
In a few years, as you enter menopause, you’ll start to have all sorts of mood swings, so you should warn your partner to be prepared.
The Pet-Adoption Blues
I didn’t realise I had pet-adoption blues, in fact that I’d had it before, till after I was out of it. We adopted our older dog Panja, a few months into the pandemic, and our younger one Cookie, just a few weeks ago. With both adoptions we had actually been looking to adopt older dogs,Continue reading “The Pet-Adoption Blues”
Saying Goodbye
I’ve said goodbye to this house twice now. The first time was 6 years my parents were moving to Gurgaon, but the house stayed with us and they eventually rebuilt it and moved back. The second time was this morning. Within the next few weeks, if all goes well, the house will pass to aContinue reading “Saying Goodbye”
Netflix’s Maid, and the Slippery Slope of Emotional Abuse
I didn’t expect Netflix’s show Maid, to trigger me the way it did. The show, based on a true story, is the story of a single mom, Alex, trying to build her own life by escaping an emotionally abusive relationship, trying to take care of a mentally ill mother, and having no qualifications, or money. Continue reading “Netflix’s Maid, and the Slippery Slope of Emotional Abuse”
On Bidding Fur Babies Farewell
One of the hardest things about being a pet parent is saying goodbye. For those of us who love animals, our fur babies become part of the family, and an integral part of our lives. I adopted my tortoise shell cat, Penny, from an organisation called Toronto Cat Rescue in 2008. She was 9 monthsContinue reading “On Bidding Fur Babies Farewell”
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