Poetry
1. in defense of gold by José Olivarez
2. Now You Are Like a God by Jill McDonough
3. the women in my family by Fatimah Asghar
4. Translation by Fatemeh Shams translated by Armen Davoudian
5. On Teaching My Son How to Mourn by Khaty Xiong
6. Miracle Fish by Ada Limón
Prose
1. Bad Feminist by Roxane Gay
2. Lonely Castle in the Mirror by Mizuki Tsujimura translated by Phillip Gabriel
3. Time Shelter by Georgi Gospodinov
4. Ship of Destiny by Robin Hobb
5. Sula by Toni Morrison
6. The Lion Women of Tehran by Marjan Kamali
7. Free: Coming of Age at the End of History by Lea Ypi
Hey Hey Hey it’s me again. Ten years later, but we are doing it. I have felt so busy lately that I don’t know what to think honestly. That aside, I did rip through a bunch of audiobooks this month. So many, in fact, that I had to take a bit of a break because I was worried about my hearing and I was a bit overstimulated on that front. But aside from that, pretty successful.
The first book listed is one of the Service95 book club books, I forget which month at this point, but it most likely was March’s actual book, due to it being Women’s History Month. This was a refreshing reminder that being a woman and being a feminist is not a linear path. We can enjoy things and understand their impact and weight and continue to fight and not be a hypocrite but in fact just be real. Gay truly touched on a lot that still feels relevant today.
Lonely Castle in the Mirror was so sweet. Had no clue what to expect but this is such a clever and beautifully written story with a message. Kids want to bond and connect and it’s hard to do that when you feel like an out cast or a loser. What you don’t know growing up is just how similar people really can be. Fantasy-esque for sure.
I think Time Shelter is one of those books where you kind of need to take it slow. It’s a very interesting idea, and for the most part I enjoyed what it tried to do. Some things I think may have been confusing due to translation perhaps, but not in a limiting way just an observation. The story follows a man on the hunt to recreate time periods for Alzheimer’s patients so as to preserve their minds. It feels like there is an element of magical realism at points, and also touches on how people these days really can’t let things just be, and how selfish society is. At least that’s how I took it.
We finally finished the Liveship Traders Trilogy and wow, what a sensational trilogy. I loved how this wrapped up. Our Vestrit family members really get shit done. They deal with the punches and swing back to create a future for themselves when faced with such tragic odds. We also are set up wonderfully for the story of the Rain Wilds. I can’t recommend Hobb’s Elderling world enough.
Sula, our first book for a new book club that Carla put me on, the ACLU book club, started us off strong. My version of the book actually had a prologue of sorts that had some spoilers, but I enjoyed the perspective. The writing is beautiful. Also, growing up in Texas I didn’t really hear as much about Black History in that part of the country. This is why we join a book club, right? This is why we read. To broaden our minds and our perspectives. The main characters are imperfect and real and this is an emotional book.
The Lion Women of Tehran. Wow, talk about topical. I have read another of Kamali’s books, The Stationary Shop, and this is similar in design. Like that book, we are presented with complex characters and situations that really make you think. This is clearly where I post about my reading recaps, but we can’t not talk about what an insane war we are currently undertaking in Iran. A place that has grappled with regimes that destroyed their hope, their way of life, and their dreams, yet at the same time, is such a rich and beautiful country that we have decided to intervene with when we clearly will not win. No one wins in war. This book, however does illuminate a sense of hope, which is oh so important to have. To be a woman, like I said earlier, is to be who you are, and show up in your own way.
The final book from March was for the Reads the World storygraph challenge. Talk about learning something new. I think the last time I may have heard anything about Albania was junior year of high school, maybe? What a title! Imagine that, the end of history. I loved this POV and insight into something I was uneducated about. A child isn’t going to be told everything, and in turn will come out of their youth with so many questions. Ypi’s diverse Balkan family heritage just adds to the complexity. We’ve got politics, religion, class struggles, culture, and a little bit of everything else in between.
That’s all for now. This was almost too long to wait and post my reviews. I feel like I am forgetting thoughts I had, but oh well.
Book Goal Tracker: 15/40
Genre Challenge Tracker: 2/10
Reads the World Tracker: 3/10
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