Lifestyle: In Practice

Chanel Miller’s Know My Name captures the aftermath of assault with heartbreaking clarity. In this reflection, Sofia Villafaña shares how Miller’s words mirror her own story—where the shame, guilt, and self-blame feel all too familiar. This isn’t just a book review—it’s a powerful letter to every survivor who’s ever felt silenced, reminding us that we are not alone.

What if you could have dinner with the five people who shaped your life? In this reflective review, Grace explores the emotional layers of The Dinner List—a novel that brings together exes, estranged parents, and soul friends at one unforgettable meal. With sharp insights on character dynamics and missed opportunities in structure, this review weighs love, regret, and the complexity of memory.

In this raw and intimate review, Grace Sofia reflects on My Body by Emily Ratajkowski—a collection that explores consent, silence, beauty, and the pain of womanhood. Through stories of early trauma, identity, and the contradictions of female power, this book gives language to the things so many women have lived but never said aloud. It’s haunting, honest, and urgently necessary.

Dear Readers,  I have a goal this year to read about 30-40 books. I’m attending school full time, and soon starting a new career so I...

What does it mean to truly translate someone’s story? In this powerful reflection, Grace Sofia explores R.F. Kuang’s Babel and Valeria Luiselli’s Tell Me How It Ends, unpacking the violence, responsibility, and nuance behind language, storytelling, and interpretation. From magic to migration, this piece asks: how do we stay true to meaning when words are never neutral?

Dear Reader,  I read a total of 200 pages worth of A Little Life  before I gave up on this book. It was by far one of the most...

8.5/10 Dear Readers,  I think the best way to start is some quotes from the story.  “Well, surviving alone is much the same as dying...

8.25/10 Dear Readers,  There’s some poetic language in this loving tale of a band of misfits on a train. As the novel says, “Trains are...

9/10 Dear Readers, “He couldn’t believe it was only Wednesday. And it was made worse when he realized it was actually Tuesday.” Linus...

8/10 Dear Reader,  Clementine inherits a lovely apartment, an apartment with stories of time traveling. As a kid Clementine wished for...

7.5-8/10  Dear Reader,  This novel follows the story of Iris Winnow, the younger sister of Forest who goes off to fight in the war for...

6/10  Dear Reader,  Vivian Lau, youngest daughter of the Lau family, is an event planner who loves what she does. While living in New...

8/10 Dear Reader,  This novel takes readers on the story of the Riva family, particularly the Riva kids: Nina, Jay, Hud, and Kit. These...

Dear Reader, Here is a list of summaries and reviews on the several books I read this last week. I also included a short list of the...

8.5/10  Dear Reader,  This book elicited the strangest feelings in me. I didn’t know who to hate more, where to draw the lines, or what...

10/10  Dear Reader, This was one of the most heart wrenching books I have ever read. The reason why this scored a perfect score was...

Dear Reader,  We are on the streets of Fifth Ave NYC at the start of this story, with ex-convict Stella Schmidt. She’s staring at the...

7.5/10  Dear Reader,  This sequel was a great followup to the first novel, “Fourth Wing”. We get to see the story and plotlines of all of...

5/10 Dear reader,  I was very indifferent towards this book, there were parts that were slow and boring and there were parts that kept me...

Rating: 6/10 Arianna Sloane, a wannabe comedian who moved to New York to follow her dreams meets Josh Kestenberg on a less than positive...