Booktube Video: March Reading Wrap-Up

Can I just take a moment to exhale?

My March reading wrap-up is late.

The sound is pretty crappy. And it took forever to film because there were some woo girls nearby whooping it up. Not that I mind, actually. I chose to film there and enjoyed overhearing how much fun they were having.    

So, the theme of all of the books I’m about to review is: good, but not great…still not too shabby. So without further ado, I present what is certainly not my best video. Hoping I can get it together for the next one.

On the Come Up by Angie Thomas

16-year-old Bri is an aspiring rapper. Her family background is full of love, but isn’t easy. When Bri starts getting recognition, things start going awry.  

The ending is really rushed. And for much of the book, Bri keeps steering into a really wrong turn that isn’t believable for her character. But I loved the family dynamics and seeing Bri make lyrical connections in her head, playing with words.

I’d like to see this book turned into a movie, mainly for the rap battle scenes.

The Ultimate History of the 80s Teen Movie by James King

This compendium o 80s movies goes beyond the quintessential teen movie, often including movies about burgeoning adults, families, and social issues. In addition to Porky’s, we also get the more adult Wall Street.

At the same time. King gives us a full scope of that movie’s place and time. We explore what’s happening in society and how the movie reflects Hollwood’s corresponding trends. For movie lovers like me, it’s a treat to delve into this in-depth history.

Washington Black by Esi Edugyan

Washington Black tells the story of a young slave in Barbados named Wash. It seems that much of the book is Wash trying to figure out why the caretakers he loved left him. It makes him keep other people at a distance, to not believe in their love.

The book was compelling in the first part, Wash’s childhood. Once they escaped in the cloud cutter, the story seemed to scatter a bit. It was a bit more difficult to grab onto it and feel for Wash the way I had known the beginning.

But overall, it’s a good book about finding one’s identity in the wake of having your identity stripped from you, and of finding solace in the families we invent.

The Silent Patient by Alex Michaelides

Alicia was enamored with her husband, Gabe. But one night, she shot him to death, remaining silent thereafter. Her silence carried her through the investigation, the court trial, and now in her long stay at a psychiatric facility.

Her new therapist, Theo, thinks he can save her. He admits in the beginning that he is a therapist because he’s f***ed up. Perhaps he’s being self-effacing, we think. Or maybe he truly is f***ed up. It’s an interesting book with a hell of a twist.

Watch this and other book reviews on by Read Remark booktube channel.  

Music credit: YouTube