Gurlaffe Reads

"The things that go unsaid are often the things that eat at you—whether because you didn't get to have your say, or because the other person never got to hear you and really wanted to."      This book was incredible! It's exciting in a sort of morbid way that makes you want to keep reading until you finish. The way it attacks social issues and moral dilemmas with such grace is truly a testament to a great author. What an amazing read!      Everything I Never Told You tells the story of a Chinese American family living in 1970s small-town Ohio. When the oldest daughter, Lydia, is found drowned, the family crumbles to pieces. The story switches seamlessly between the present and the past. As it moves along, you begin to discover the reasons for each family member's choice, but you also see them find healing. Marilyn, mother to Lydia, Hannah, and Nath, married their father, James, when she was pursuing a future as a doctor in college. She dropped out when she...

     Hey everyone! Happy Independence Day for all of my friends here in the US! It's Monday, I know, but the weekend was packed, and I'm just now having some down time before more fireworks and festivities later. It's actually rainy outside right now, which is definitely not ideal, so hopefully that will all clear up before it gets dark out.      Reading went okay this past week! I had less time that I bargained for when I was out-of-state and ended up only finishing one book, but I'm kind of learning to be content with what I can do, you know? That book was, of course, Rachel Khong's Goodbye, Vitamin , and you can check out my full review  here , or find it on my Goodreads page. I gave it four stars!      Let's talk about some upcoming reads for the upcoming week! Everything I Never Told You  by Celeste Ng My final remaining AAPI month pick! I started reading this yesterday, and it definitely began with a bit of a shocking line... ...

     Hello friends! It's July 4th, and it just struck me that I never actually wrapped up my June reads. *awkward smile with teeth*      It was a little bit of a rough month considering how busy I was, but I managed to get in two of the books I wanted to read for the month. (They were originally supposed to be read during May, but you win some you lose some. *shrug*) The Buddha in the Attic  by Julie Otsuka This book was absolutely amazing! It's written beautifully, and I learned a ton from it. It's based on the lives of Japanese "picture brides" that came from Japan to America in order to marry men they had been matched with. Here's my full review . Rating: 5/5  Goodbye, Vitamin  by Rachel Khong I just wrote my review for this yesterday, but I finished it a while ago. This book was a super sweet, but not sugarcoated, story about a main character's father's struggle with Alzheimer's. I really enjoyed it! Here's my full  review . Rating: ...

     Rachel Khong's Goodbye, Vitamin is a bittersweet glimpse into the life of the main character, Ruth, as her father's Alzheimer's disease progresses. The novel deals with the disease with grace and shows how Ruth was able to make peace with the people that surrounded her.      Told in short glimpses from Ruth's point of view, Goodbye, Vitamin , begins the day after Christmas. Ruth is at her parents' house for the first Christmas in a while since she just broke up with her fiance, Joel, after he cheated on her. Ruth's mother convinces her to stay with her parents for a year so that she can look after her father, Howard, who's suffering from Alzheimer's. She tries to convince her brother, Linus, to join them, but he refuses. Linus' view of his father is pretty negative because of Howard's alcoholism and the affair he had after Ruth went off to college. "It's a terminal disease, all the literature keeps saying. 'But isn't everyth...