pickSmall Worlds in a beautifully-written novel covering three summers in the life of Stephen, as he reaches adulthood and tries to find his place in life. It touches on friendship, grief, community, culture and father-son relationships, but about all, it‘s a love letter@to the power of music.
Book 15/60, page 4,211/18,000 #Read2025 @DieAReader
pickThis book is a celebration of all the small worlds we live in. The friends that make us happy and the family that will always be there.
Stephan, a British-born son of Ghanaian immigrants, has to navigate parental expectations and the music that makes him feel alive. When his friend is admitted to music school and he isn‘t, he has to search for what else might bring him joy. The book takes place across three summers in the UK and Ghana. #aardvark
pickWe follow Stephen as he goes off to university,feels cut off from his group of friends&Ghanaian community,returns to London to work as a chef cooking meals he‘s grown up with.There‘s music,dancing,church,immigration,racism,love&lots of spliff smoking.There‘s grief,parent-child relationship&more dancing,a trip to Ghana,history of slavery.I loved the first half,it‘s like a long poem but it got too long for me,plot meanders into what?I‘m not sure.
pickBeautifully written story of a Ghanaian-British young man coming of age in London. A sense of yearning & melancholy pervades the book as his life is touched by violence, racism & grief. He cautiously embraces moments of comfort, friendships & the joy in music & dancing. Poetic & compassionate, a little slow for me but authentic & full of insights & heart.
#bookmail, it‘s my #Aardvark box! I haven‘t read Nelson‘s first book, but it got great reviews, and it was the one that called to me this month. Looking forward to it!
After today's new #Aardvark hints, I swapped out two of my previous guesses! We'll see if these hold as we get new clues, but these feel pretty solid with the "similar book vibes" clue ?️?♀️
#20in4 became more like 20 in 5, but I read the three books in the pic and listened to a couple of hours of Daisy Jones and the Six. All in all a bank holiday weekend well spent.
End of Watch was good, but not the best of the trilogy, The Girl in Red was ok, but only vaguely inspired by Red Riding Hood. Small Worlds was beautiful. I'm trying to work out if I like it as much as Open Water, but I've decided it doesn't matter. They're both beautiful.
I gaze at my parents, and see that the world can be two people, occupying a space where they don't have to explain. Where they can be beautiful. Where they might feel free.
Small Worlds, big muffin, iced coffee in the sun.
I have recovered sufficiently to escape Plague Central and get some supplies for the weekend. (Clearly my immune system is superior. Alternative interpretation, I had a cold the others have man colds.) Kicking my #20in4 off with a treat before going home to the coughing and nose blowing 🤧🤒😷 😅
My goals for #NetgalleyGroup #NGGSummerSmashup
1) Finish the tagged book before 1st June
2) Read at least 3 fiction books
3) Read at least 4 non-fiction books
4) Read at least 1 poetry book
5) Absolutely DO NOT request any more books until posted 5 reviews.
6) Catch-up on outstanding reviews
Good luck to all participating in this challenge. Here's to a summer full of relaxation and fun reads. 😀
#Netgalleygroup
Our 1st official post!! 🥳 I thought it would be nice to kick off with an intro to yourself so we can get to know each other better. You can be brief or deep dive. It's all good.
All newcomers welcome to join us. Please do let me know if you wish to be added/removed from the taglist.
I'll be posting our 1st challenge on Friday 😅
Thank you so much @squirrelbrain - and you must have been pleased to see I stacked this from your review look last week too 😁
pickI adored this! I‘m sad that this couldn‘t be on the #camplitsy23 list due to publishing dates.
It‘s so nice to see a different side to the young, black experience. Yes, there is prejudice, violence and racism always there in the background but, above all, this book is about love and relationships.
It‘s such a warm book as Stephen navigates his late teens / early twenties and learns to love, lose love, grieve and find love again.
Small Worlds | 
