Mutmainah > Recent Status Updates

“Is this my own, my native land? the answer cannot be changed. Yes. It is. For better or worse, I am Canadian”

Still struggling with how anachronistic things feel (although I guess that’s the point) and my general annoyance with shock fiction.

Clash of the precocious girls. Ah, childhood! Very light on the historical fiction elements though.

Reading this as everything gets worse by the minute. Dejection doesn’t even begin to cover it.

Now I know I have to push forward because if I stop here, it’s never getting picked up again.

Surprisingly, having the best time. Once I embraced the RIS fanfic of it all, including the fitna allegations lol, the camp of it all started working. I've screamed at at least 3 plot twists so far and genuinely, as a 24 year old muslim woman, the themes around carving out a space of change for yourself within your community have been very engaging. Who would have thought!

I’m not on board with the childhood bully to lovers plot. And the barely concealed RIS fanfic 😭 (especially when I’ve seen this author at that convention)

I’m bored out of my mind

always trying to fill the 'A Lady's Guide' void

“What happened, in other words, in the world of adults, in the heads of very reasonable people, in their bodies loaded with knowledge? What reduced them to the most untrustworthy animals, worse than reptiles?”

we are so back!

I need someone to climb into my brain and diagnose my issues with Ann Patchett (other than the relentless head hopping)

Also, reminded of how much I hated the random Almanzo POVs even as a kid. It’s like that tiktok audio - “suddenly an agitating, grating, irritating noise…” His willingness to let the whole town starve so he can hold on to his precious seed (not that kind lol). Can’t wait for the next book when he starts sniffing around a practically prepubescent Laura.

The most memorable of the series by far. I was pushing through to get to this. There are some really beautiful descriptions of the mental/ physical isolation of winter. But also, the libertarian propaganda every other page and Ma constantly reminding the reader how much she “hates Indians”… It’s enough to make a soul grow weary.

The auditory processing issues are kicking my ass

I mean it’s Meryl Streep so I shouldn’t be shocked by how good this audiobook is, but she is such an engaging narrator. AND this is distracting me from my big pet peeve with the Ann Patchett books I’ve read (which I can never articulate other than the slight know it all tone). A little tempted to revisit The Dutch House via audio now.

Stayed up last night reading this. I love the way Asgarian writes.

The image of 8 children in prisoner jumpsuits is too much to handle

I wish more mainstream non fiction would take a page from academic non-fiction. I’m always so distracted thinking about methodology/ the scope of the project and then it’s always a half page aside at the very end of the book. How are we getting these quotes? How was this family scouted? What were the ethical considerations in protecting those profiled? My mind is spinning.