Normal People by Sally Rooney : The Rawness of Troubled Young Love

When I first read ‘Normal People’, I did not immediately fall in love with Rooney’s writing. The hype surrounding the book was immense and as much as this story left me feeling incomplete, watching its TV adaptation, made it come full circle. It made me fall in love with the story and its characters. In fact, so much so, I ended up reading parts of the book again to experience it with a renewed perspective. It is only then, that I truly understood how beautifully Rooney has captured the tenderness and torture of first love between the words of her pages. She has skillfully woven themes of social class, intimacy, and insecurity into this best-selling book.

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Author Spotlight – Shehar Bano Rizvi for ‘Virsa’

Author Shehar Bano Rizvi with her first book ‘Virsa’. Picture supplied by Shehar Bano Rizvi.

Shehar Bano Rizvi is the author of the internationally renowned cookbook ‘Virsa’ that has caught everyone’s attention! This book has taken taken the culinary world by storm and is nominated in multiple categories at the very prestigious Gourmand Awards.

Shehar Bano is the voice behind the well known blog ‘Diary of a PMP Mom’, which is a lifestyle blog and she writes about life, home improvement projects, recipes and many other aspects of Pakistani expat living in Doha. Along side she runs a successful photography business as well. A lady of many talents I must say!

I wanted to chat with Shehar Bano about her cookbook, and ask her a few questions for this author spotlight. I am excited to share what she has to say! A heartfelt thank you to Shehar Bano for taking the time and sharing her responses with my readers.
If you would like to read my book review of Virsa, please click here.

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Virsa – a culinary journey from Agra to Karachi by Shehar Bano Rizvi

When Shehar Bano came over to my house for the very first time about seven years ago, she brought me two cookbooks. One of the books was ‘The Great British Bake Off’ and the other was a recipe book for ‘Sweets & Hard Candy‘. I instantly thought that was such a lovely and personable hostess present, as she knew I was fond of cooking. However, little did I know a few years later I would be holding Shehar Bano’s very own authored cookbook in my hands!

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A Woman Is No Man by Etaf Rum

Books about the contemporary immigrant experience has recently been on the rise. We have seen great books like A Place For Us, and The Girl Who Smiled Beads that narrate the American immigrant experience.
Though the central theme maybe be the immigrant experience, every story has it’s own narrative. Some recount the horror of worn torn countries while others about how they struggled with cultural identities once they immigrated.

My most recent read with this theme has been Etaf Rum‘s debut novel, ‘A Woman is No Man’ which portrays the difficult lives of Arab -American women.

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Pakistan For Women by Maliha Abidi

I am actively on the look out for books that feature women who have made a difference in this world and pack a feminine punch! The last one I read with my daughter was What Would She Do‘, which showcased 25 brilliant women in history who have stood up for what they believed in. Recently I came across ‘Pakistan for Women‘, by Maliha Abidi which was published in March 2019 and eagerly bought two copies! One is saved for a giveaway for my readers on Instagram!

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The Nightingale by Kristen Hannah

The book is The Nightingale by Kristen Hannah placed on a wooden board with an accessory of a candle and some bracelets

I debated writing a book review for my most recent read because I felt my words would not do justice to the depth and beauty of this story. Also, I was very late to the game. This book came out in 2015 and I just read it this past week! There had been so much hype surrounding this book – I was worried it wouldn’t live up to my expectation. But in all honestly I shouldn’t have waited this long!!

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Stand Up, Stand Out !

It’s never too early to stand up, speak out to help bring about change!
Xiuhtezcatl Martinez is a youth director who has been fighting for climate change for over a decade. Malala Yousafzai started talking about girl’s education when she was just 11! Standing up for what you believe in takes courage and a certain degree of tenacity. Why not share books with the younger minds that will inspire confidence and have them think about the great figures in history that stood up for what they believed in. After all, a book can have such a lasting impression on kids! Shouldn’t we try to put the right books in their hands?
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Author Spotlight : Aisha Saeed for Amal Unbound


About the Author

Aisha Saeed is a Pakistani-American, New York Times bestselling author of Amal Unbound, which my daughter and I recently read. You can hop over my blog post to read a spoiler free review.

She is an author, mother, lawyer and the founder of We Need Diverse Books.Her previously published book was a YA story called Written in the Stars which received much praise!
Aisha lives in Atlanta with her husband and three sons.


I asked Aisha to share some insights with us on her recently released book, Amal Unbound. Thank you so much Aisha for taking the time for us!

 


What was your inspiration behind Amal and her story of indentured servitude?

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