Well, summer is officially over for us! School is in full swing and I'm busier than ever. Anybody else back into the school year this fall? I can't even remember what it was like to not have a school schedule. Any adults here with no kids? Please, regale me with tales of no pickups/dropoffs or bus schedules. I love to live vicariously. I managed to get some good books read this past month that I'm excited to share with you. Let's get started.
"We Are Okay"- Nina LaCour
After her grandfather died, Marin packed up and left in the middle of the night. No one knew where she went or if she would come back. And Marin couldn't deal with any of it. Now, with nowhere to go for Christmas break in her freshman year in college, her best friend Mabel is coming to visit. Marin has no idea what to expect, but she knows the last time she saw Mabel there were mixed emotions and a lot of secrets.
This book was amazing. If you want a book that handles emotional grief and finding a way out of hard life situations, this is it. The narrative is perfect, the storyline heartbreaking but in a beautiful way, and it has decent representation. I highly recommend this book.
"Jonny Appleseed"- Joshua Whitehead
Jonny just wants to find his place in the world. Being two-spirit on a reservation isn't as easy as you might think. But with the digital age coming in with a bang, Jonny figures out how to monetize his sexuality and take control of his self worth. Follow Jonny through loss, one sided love, and navigating his true path.
I really enjoyed this book. It is very sexual, so if that's not something you enjoy reading I would skip it, but I was really impressed with it. The storyline is important and I think this is something every indigenous ally should read.
"Stalking Jack the Ripper"- Kerri Maniscalco
Audrey Rose was born into wealth. A life full of important afternoon teas, needle point, and fancy dresses await her, but she's more interested in the morgue where her uncle works. At seventeen, she's caught between going against her father's wishes to study the dead and looking for suitors. But when a madman begins savagely murdering women and her uncle takes on a new apprentice, maybe Audrey doesn't have to choose between the work she loves and someone to love her back.
This book had a really good setup. I was interested and excited. And it absolutely did not deliver. As many times as it was mentioned that Audrey was intelligent, there was no evidence to support that. She was handed every clue and every answer and didn't actually do anything on her own. She was more concerned with her uncle's apprentice and her appearance than applying her brain to anything of importance. I think this book tried to be feminist but missed the whole point by a mile. Sorry to say, I don't recommend this one.
"Such a Fun Age"- Kiley Reid
Emira is twenty-five, black, and barely has her life together. But she's fine with that for now. She has a part time clerical job and works as a sitter to the best kid on the planet. She's content with things for now. Until she's called in on an emergency one night and Emira is accused of kidnapping the child she sits at a posh grocery store. While Emira isn't as bothered by this incident, her entire world is about to shift because of it.
This book was fantastic. There's a lot going on and a ton of talking points. The relationships between the women in this book are particularly interesting. We're not only looking at class status in this book but also the dynamic between women of color and white women within that. We also look at interracial partnerships and how to be a better ally to poc and women of color specifically. I highly recommend it.
Well, that's all I have for this month. Overall, this set of books was really impressive. What did you read this past month? Anything you think I would like? Follow, like, subscribe, whatever else, to keep up with what I'm reading. Talk soon, book nerds!
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