Bookish Reviewer

التقيت بسعاد العامري في فبراير الماضي في فعالية لمجموعة الروزنا الرائعة، وسمعتها تتحدث عن بداياتها ككاتبة. كنت قد سمعت عن 'شارون وحماتي' وشاهدت الكتاب خلف الأبواب الزجاجية لمعلم متاجر الكتب في غزة المصطفة واحدة تلو الأخرى، ولكنني لم أقرأ الكتاب اعتمادها مني بأنه رواية وليس سيرة ذاتية روائية (هذا التجنيس بناء على ما سمعته من الكاتبة يومها). ذهبت بِنية حضور جميع فقرات فعالية "شباك على فلسطين" دون تفضيل واحدة على الأخرى، ونويت ألا أشتري كتبًا جديدة لا سيما وأنه كان قد مضى على معرض الكتاب أقل من شهر. ولكنني حصلتُ على الكتاب بعد سحب أجرته الروزنا أدرجت فيه أسماء الحضور. كم أنا ممتنة لهم الآن! وحصلتُ أيضًا على توقيع الكاتبة. ترى سعاد نفسها بأنها في "حكواتية أكثر من كوني كاتبة" وتروي بخفة ظلها ونبرتها الساخرة كيف تحولت من معمارية إلى معمارية وكاتبة. بعد أشهر من التأجيل، قررت أن أقرأ 'دمشقيَ' وشرعت في القراءة دون أن أنتبه لكلمة "رواية""على غلاف الكتاب الأمامي أو حتى أن أقرأ النبذة المكتوبة عنه في الغلاف الخلفي. كنت متحمسة للحكايات

“Just because things were fair didn't make them easy.” This is a fine retelling of fairy tales. With Cruel Beauty I became a fan of Rosamund Hodge. At the beginning, I thought that Cruel Beauty was better, but things started getting better with each plot twist. And I got attached. I'm glad I read Crimson Bound . The characters here are unique in their complexity. With every decision they make, a particular character trait can be revealed about each of them, and we get to know more about them, but not a lot because you wouldn't know how they are going to act next. Rachelle is so brave and kind more than she ever gives herself credit. Have you ever felt mad at the demise of a wicked character Because Rosamund Hodge made me feel this way! Hodge knows how to handle these retellings and make them more alluring and charming. You cannot guess what's going to happen next, all the time. I'm just going to say this: you're missing a lot if you still have

"After all their mad escapes and close calls, he’d started to believe the six of them were somehow charmed, that his guns, Kaz’s brains, Nina’s wit, Inej’s talent, Wylan’s ingenuity, and Matthias’ strength had made them somehow untouchable." OHMYHEART! Kaz Brekker is a genius! This has been a wonderful reading experience. From the beginning I decided to take it slowly so it could last longer, which was hard considering the book kept me on edges all the time with every plot twist and each unexpected turn of events. I have never written many updates for a book before Crooked Kingdom. And this says a lot. The story is written flawlessly. The characters' development was intricately displayed in a way that made them the interesting characters they are. Again, I must say Leigh Bardugo writes the best dialogues that are true to their characters. Reading Crooked Kingdom was like Matthias' description of Nina: “You aren’t a flower, you’re every blossom in the

"I want to know what it feels like to have crushes that could conceivably maybe one day turn into boyfriends." 3.5 stars! This book is a good page-turner, and a fast-paced read; I finished 90% of it in one go. It's mostly like a movie about a teenager, except that Molly is actually better than many teenager heroines. She is honest and nice. But it was annoying that she literally called every guy mentioned in the book "cute". The above-mentioned quote sums up the plot. Sometimes, Molly says things that are so relatable, which is what I really liked about her. And Reid is a nice, lovely guy. I liked that he's nonchalant about most of the things teenagers obsess over. Here are two good quotes.  "There's something terrifying about admitting you like someone. In a way, it's actually easier when there's no chance of anything happening. But there's this threshold where things suddenly become possible. And then your card are on the table.

"I love puzzles. Trickery is just my native tongue." OH MY GOD! Absolutely love it. I JUST READ AN AMAZING BOOK! And now, I truly get the hype surrounding this gem of a book. Leigh Bardugo is such a brilliant writer! I love the writing style, and how Bardugo displayed this world bit by bit, brick by brick, flashback by flashback without rushing at once into it with an info-dump. She built us this world at a great pace. Also, the dialogues. Especially the dialogues. Also, Bardugo wrote such complicated, round characters. I love every one of these six, amazing, proper, smart survivors. I loved how confident they were, and I loved them when they had doubts about their success. I admit there were times when it was a bit hard to trust Matthias, but it was great to watch him seeing the holes in Fjerdan's techniques and beliefs, and develop as a character. And Wylan who seemed like he grew up before our eyes. And Jesper's carelessness and sensitivity and humour. And

What intrigued me first when I started reading this book for the first time was its unique writing style, and how it worked out through the plot's development. I don't know what changed between the first read and the second one, but I had this nagging feeling that I should re-read this book. That I'll find something valuable here. And, well, let's put this simply, this story is better than any rom-com film I have ever watched. It is not your usual love story, and this makes it all the more special. Beth is the right combination of smart, funny and interesting. She is the kind of woman people want to befriend. You'll fall in love with her when you read what she writes (Like Lincoln did). Lincoln makes it look like it's okay if you're smart and still lost. Still trying to figure it out. I read this part so many times, and every single time it gets me: “Lincoln, I said you were cute because I didn’t know how to say—because I didn’

"قصة ساعة" يُعرف بأن السيدة (مالارد) كانت مبتلية بمشكلة في القلب ولذا أُخذ حرصاً كبيرًا قدر الإمكان لنقل خبر وفاة زوجها لها بلطفٍ. كانت أختها (جوزفين) من أخبرها بذلك بجُملٍ مُكسّرة، وبتلميحاتٍ مبطّنة كشفت بما يقارب الإخفاء. كان (ريتشاردز) صديق زوجها هناك أيضاً، بالقرب منها. لقد كان هو الذي تواجد في مكتب الصحيفة عندما استقبلت مخابرات كوارث السكة الحديدة، حيث كان اسم (برينتلي مالارد) متصدراً قائمة الأموات. فقد قام فقط بأخذ بعض الوقت ليتسنى له بأن يتأكد بنفسه حقيقة الخبر ببرقية ثانية، وأسرع ليسبق أي شخص أقل عناية أو صديق أقل حناناً من أن يحمل الرسالة الحزينة. لم تسمع القصة كما سمعت العديد من النساء مثيلتها، بعجزٍ كسيح لقبول ثقل هذا الخبر. هي بكت على الفور بإحجام فجائي وجامح، بين ذراعي أختها. وعندما انقضت عاصفة الحزن ذهبت إلى غرفتها وحيدةً. لم تشأ من أيهم أن يتبعها. هناك، مواجهاً الشباك المفتوح، وقف الكرسي الفسيح المريح. فيه انخفضت، مضغوطة بإرهاقٍ جسدي سكن جسمها وبدا بأنه بلغ روحها. استطاعت أن ترى في المربع المفتوح أمام منزلها أعالي الأشجار التي كانت جميعها م