January Reading Wrap-Up
We finally made it to 2021! I think we can all agree that last year felt like the longest year of our lives, and although the world is still crazy, things are starting to look up! But, for now we’re still stuck in our houses and in need of A LOT of escapism. I definitely escaped this month.. right into 7 amazing books.
I’ve also made a few reading goals for myself this year that I’m including here not because anyone cares, but to hold myself accountable. So:
Read 50 books. In 2020, I’ve always loved to read but life always got in the way. Since lockdowns were put into place, and we’re generally staying home way more than usual I blew my original goal of 25 books out of the water and read a total of 65. That being said, I have high hopes that in the second half of 2021 we’ll be able to leave the house more than we do now, so I’m going for 50 this year, about 5 per month.
Listen to more audiobooks. I’ve never been a huge audiobook person, but I do love listening to memoirs on audio so I’ve decided to try to incorporate more of that into my life.
Read more non-fiction. I rarely read non-fiction books, but through the Bad Bitch Book Club I’ve learned about so many non-fiction options that I would never have picked up on my own. I’m currently listening to Quit Like A Woman by Holly Whitaker based on a suggestion from the club, and I’ve already downloaded A Promised Land by Barack Obama to start this goal off on the right foot!
Get my NetGalley ratio back to 80%. If you’re on NetGalley you know the struggle of the ratio. I started the year off with my ratio somewhere in the 50% range, and as of publishing this blog, I am at 63%. I really focused on this goal in January by reading 3 more NetGalleys, so here’s to hoping I can hit the high 60’s by the end of February!
Read on for my full thoughts!
TRIGGER WARNING: 2 of the books I read this month have storylines centered around suicide.
A Very Large Expanse of Sea
A Very Large Expanse of Sea has been in my to-be-read pile for a while now and I had heard great things, so I knew it would be the perfect way to start this year.
Shirin is a sixteen-year-old Muslim girl. The story starts in 2002, a year after 9/11, where Shirin is now dealing with the worst of the worst kind of people. Both teenagers and adults who harass her with degrading comments, hateful stares, and even physical violence. All because of her race, religion and choice to wear a hijab.
However, in all that sea of hate, Shirin is able to find Ocean James, the star of the basketball team, who is kind to Shirin and quickly falls in love with her. But once the rest of the school finds out about them, their love story becomes much more bumpy.
I’m so glad this book exists because this own voices story is very eye opening to a girl with a lot of privilege. I can’t even wrap my head around some of the awful things that happen to Shirin in this story and how such hateful people are all around us. They could be your teacher, your neighbor, or even a family member.
One part that really stood out to me was when Oceans mom asked Shirin to break-up with Ocean. Not because she disapproved of Shirin, but because everyone else did and Ocean didn’t deserve what was happening to him and to lose everything because of her. She never once mentioned how Shirin didn’t deserve it or do anything to deserve it either.
I will definitely be thinking of this one for a while. I highly recommend this book to every single person.
Goodreads Summary:
It’s 2002, a year after 9/11. It’s an extremely turbulent time politically, but especially so for someone like Shirin, a sixteen-year-old Muslim girl who’s tired of being stereotyped.
Shirin is never surprised by how horrible people can be. She’s tired of the rude stares, the degrading comments - even the physical violence - she endures as a result of her race, her religion, and the hijab she wears every day. So she’s built up protective walls and refuses to let anyone close enough to hurt her. Instead, she drowns her frustrations in music and spends her afternoons break-dancing with her brother.
But then she meets Ocean James. He’s the first person in forever who really seems to want to get to know Shirin. It terrifies her - they seem to come from two irreconcilable worlds - and Shirin has had her guard up for so long that she’s not sure she’ll ever be able to let it down.
Girls With Bright Futures
In the wake of the Lori Loughlin and Felicity Huffman college scandals , Girls With Bright Futures shines the light on the absolute craziness of the college admissions process.
Girls With Bright Futures switches between the POVs of three Elliot Bay Academy moms: Maren (mom to Winnie), Alicia (mom to Brooke) and Kelly (mom to Krissie). All three daughters are competing for the last open EBA admission into Stanford University - a competition that is so cut throat it’s absurd.
Throughout the book, the reader learns more about the extreme lengths these incredibly crazy and bad behaved moms are willing to go to to reach their ultimate end goal of Stanford. Except Maren, she’s the delightful mom of the bunch, less privileged than the others and much more level headed.
The story had me hooked from the start. It’s clever and funny, while at other times its dark and sad. It sheds an exaggerated light (or at least I REALLY hope it’s exaggerated) on the insane amounts of pressure students suffer through during the college admissions process, most of which is unnecessary pressure parents put on their kids to uphold a certain image.
I would definitely recommend this book! Thanks to Netgalley, Tracy Dobmeier, Wendy Katzman and Sourcebooks for the eArc in exhange for my honest review. Girls With Bright Futures will be on shelves February 2, 2021.
Goodreads Summary:
Three women. Three daughters. And a promise that they'll each get what they deserve.
College admissions season at Seattle's Elliott Bay Academy is marked by glowing acceptances from top-tier institutions and students as impressive as their parents are ambitious. But when Stanford alerts the school it's allotting only one spot to EBA for their incoming class, three mothers discover the competition is more cut-throat than they could have imagined.
Tech giant Alicia turns to her fortune and status to fight for her reluctant daughter's place at the top. Kelly, a Stanford alum, leverages her PTA influence and insider knowledge to bulldoze the path for her high-strung daughter. And Maren makes three: single, broke, and ill-equipped to battle the elite school community aligning to bring her superstar daughter down.
That's when, days before applications are due, one of the girls suffers a near-fatal accident, one that doesn't appear to be an accident at all.
As the community spirals out of control, three women will have to decide what lines they're willing to cross to secure their daughters' futures...and keep buried the secrets that threaten to destroy far more than just college dreams.
The Office of Historical Corrections
I don’t usually pick up a book of short stories but The Office of Historical Corrections caught my eye as a December BOTM pick and then once it was named the Bad Bitch Book Club pick for January, I knew I had to read it!
The Office of Historical Corrections consists of six short stories and one novella, all speaking to issues of race, culture and history.
My obvious favorite from this collection was the title “Office of Historical Corrections” where we follow Cassie, a field agent with the Institute of Public History, who is tasked with correcting historical inaccuracies as she comes across them. This story touches on fake news and distortion of history when Cassie is assigned an investigation in a small Wisconsin town that is most famously known for a murder of a black man.
I also really enjoyed, “Why Won’t Women Just Say What They Want” and “Anything Could Disappear.”
I was so happy that the author, Danielle Evans, was able to join Bad Bitch Book Club for our discussion which easily upgraded this books to 4.5 stars for me. This book is definitely complex, thought provoking and makes you question everything (in a good way!), so it helped to also have some of her additional insight on the stories to make sure I fully understood the message and meaning.
Goodreads Summary:
Danielle Evans is widely acclaimed for her blisteringly smart voice and x-ray insights into complex human relationships. With The Office of Historical Corrections, Evans zooms in on particular moments and relationships in her characters' lives in a way that allows them to speak to larger issues of race, culture, and history. She introduces us to Black and multiracial characters who are experiencing the universal confusions of lust and love, and getting walloped by grief—all while exploring how history haunts us, personally and collectively. Ultimately, she provokes us to think about the truths of American history—about who gets to tell them, and the cost of setting the record straight.
In "Boys Go to Jupiter," a white college student tries to reinvent herself after a photo of her in a Confederate-flag bikini goes viral. In "Richard of York Gave Battle in Vain," a photojournalist is forced to confront her own losses while attending an old friend's unexpectedly dramatic wedding. And in the eye-opening title novella, a black scholar from Washington, DC, is drawn into a complex historical mystery that spans generations and puts her job, her love life, and her oldest friendship at risk.
The Paris Library
The Paris Library tells the story of Odile Souchet, a young woman who worked at the American Library in Paris during World War II.
The story is mainly told from Odile’s perspective during the war but with some chapters flashing forward to the 1980s where we are introduced to Odile's teenage neighbor Lily, who becomes obsessed with learning more about Odile and her secrets.
As someone who has read a fair share of WWII focused historical fiction novels, The Paris Library offers a fresh perspective on the war. The role of the library during the war was not something I had wondered about previously but was very interested to learn more about - how the employees smuggled books to Jewish subscribers who were banned.
My favorite part though was the relationship between Odile and Lily. I enjoyed how it was Lily who initiated it, and learned so much from Odile, but it was Odile who we later learn ended up needing Lily the most.
Overall, I really enjoyed this book. I thought the author did a fantastic job of character development and bringing this based-on-a-true story to life in a meaningful way. I would definitely recommend this to any lover of historical fiction, especially those looking for a more unique perspective.
Thanks to Netgalley, Janet Skeslian Charles and Atria Books for the eArc in exchange for my honest review. The Paris Library will be on shelves February 9, 2021.
Goodreads Summary:
Paris, 1939: Young and ambitious Odile Souchet has it all: her handsome police officer beau and a dream job at the American Library in Paris. When the Nazis march into Paris, Odile stands to lose everything she holds dear, including her beloved library. Together with her fellow librarians, Odile joins the Resistance with the best weapons she has: books. But when the war finally ends, instead of freedom, Odile tastes the bitter sting of unspeakable betrayal.
Montana, 1983: Lily is a lonely teenager looking for adventure in small-town Montana. Her interest is piqued by her solitary, elderly neighbor. As Lily uncovers more about her neighbor’s mysterious past, she finds that they share a love of language, the same longings, and the same intense jealousy, never suspecting that a dark secret from the past connects them.
A powerful novel that explores the consequences of our choices and the relationships that make us who we are—family, friends, and favorite authors—The Paris Library shows that extraordinary heroism can sometimes be found in the quietest of places.
The Dead Girl in 2A
TW: Suicide
Carter Wilson is a completely new author to me, but I was excited when I was gifted this book through the Bad Bitch Book Club elf swap over the holidays. To say that The Dead Girl in 2A is an incredibly bizarre story would be an understatement.
Jake Buchannan is hired as a ghost writer to assist with the memoir of a mysterious man in Denver. When Jake boards the plane from Boston, he’s seated next to Clara Stowe, who he immediately feels like he knows from somewhere, before she even speaks. The feeling is mutual. Jake and Clara get to talking about their strange connection, but can never pinpoint how they know each other but feel comfortable enough with each other that Clara shares her plans to travel to the mountains to commit suicide.
Things start to get weird quick. I went into this story with the expectation that it was a psychological thriller, or a murder mystery but alas it was more sci-fi, action, thriller. A little less up my alley than usual, but I’m always looking for something new! However, this one fell a little flat for me. There was a lot of build up from the start, with a huge lull in the middle. As we got to the end of the story, it seemed like the last third of the book was just confirmation of things that were relatively easy to figure out by the halfway point (i.e., who murdered the parents, the experiment, etc). The author spent a lot of time describing the workbooks each child had, but I still found the connection of the individual stories with the other aspects of the experiment, and the actual results they were looking for a bit confusing. There were a lot of moving pieces in the science of this story that were incredibly confusing.
If you’re looking for a unique story, and are into a scientific, medical type thriller then this one is for you! But if you’re expecting a more cookie-cutter psychological thriller then maybe pass on this one.
Goodreads Summary:
Jake Buchannan knows the woman sitting next to him on his business flight to Denver—he just can’t figure out how he knows her. Clara Stowe isn’t in Jake’s line of work and didn’t go to college with him. They have nearly nothing in common apart from a deep and shared certainty that they’ve met before. Despite their best efforts over a probing conversation, both struggle to figure out what circumstances could possibly have brought them together. Then, in a revelation that sends Jake reeling, Clara admits she’s traveling to the Colorado mountains to kill herself, and disappears into the crowded airport immediately after landing.
The Dead Girl in 2A is the story of what happens to Jake and Clara after they get off that plane, and the manipulative figure who has brought them together decades after they first met.
Accidentally Engaged
Warning - do not read on an empty stomach! I don't think I've ever had the experience of a book making me so hungry! Reena Manji has had 12 ex-boyfriends, is stuck in a finance career she hates, and is constantly fighting off her meddling family members attempts at micromanaging her love life and career. That is until Nadim, her fathers latest arranged love interest, shows up next door.
After Reena is unexpectedly let go from her job, her friends convince her to enter a cooking contest for FoodTV. The only catch is that the contest is only open to couples. Nadim happily agrees to be a fake couple with Reena and enter the contest. But what Reena didn't expect was to actually fall in love.
Accidentally Engaged had me hooked from the very beginning. It was the perfect, light hearted romance to read after a month of reading relatively heavy content books. Reena is such a fun, lovable character who I am still thinking about even after finishing the book.
The story is filled with a lot of secrets, gossip and of course, misunderstandings. I found myself getting frustrated with both Reena and Nadim about secrets that seemed silly to be keeping from one another. By the end of the book, as all of the secrets came to light, it seemed like a lot of information/conclusions were being thrown at us at once.
Overall, I really enjoyed this book. It had lovable characters, it was a quick read, made me laugh, and inspired me to start my own sourdough started. I will definitely read the next rom-com coming from Farah Heron!
Thanks to Netgalley, Farah Heron and Grand Central Publishing (Forever) for the eArc in exchange for my honest review! Accidentally Engaged will be on shelves March 2, 2021.
Goodreads Summary:
Reena Manji doesn’t love her career, her single status, and most of all, her family inserting themselves into every detail of her life. But when caring for her precious sourdough starters, Reena can drown it all out. At least until her father moves his newest employee across the hall--with hopes that Reena will marry him.
But Nadim’s not like the other Muslim bachelors-du-jour that her parents have dug up. If the Captain America body and the British accent weren’t enough, the man appears to love eating her bread creations as much as she loves making them. She sure as hell would never marry a man who works for her father, but friendship with a neighbor is okay, right? And when Reena’s career takes a nosedive, Nadim happily agrees to fake an engagement so they can enter a couples video cooking contest to win the artisan bread course of her dreams.
As cooking at home together brings them closer, things turn physical, but Reena isn’t worried. She knows Nadim is keeping secrets, but it’s fine— secrets are always on the menu where her family is concerned. And her heart is protected… she’s not marrying the man. But even secrets kept for self preservation have a way of getting out, especially when meddling parents and gossiping families are involved.
The Midnight Library
TW: Suicide
The Midnight Library was on my radar already, but over the past month or so it has blown up on bookstagram. So, regardless of the fact that my TBR stack is literally through the roof, I took a quick trip to my local bookstore (Labyrinth Books - if you’ve read the book, what a coincidence this is?) and picked up a copy.
Nora’s life is not going well. She could of been an olympic swimmer, but gave up. She could of been a rockstar, but gave up. She could of been married and owned a pub, but gave up. Instead, she works at her local music store for twelve years, until she’s fired. Then her cat died. That was the final straw for her. She’s decided she’d rather not live at all.
But when she attempts to take her life, she enters The Midnight Library. An in-between life and death location. Here, Nora is able to jump into the lives she could of had if she made a different choice. What would have happened if she hadn’t quit swimming? What would of happened if he hadn’t quit the band? What if she had married Dan? And if she likes the life, she can stay. If she doesn’t like the life, she ends up back in the library to pick a new one.
I was really nervous going into this book. At first, all I heard was how amazing this book was. But, as the month went on I saw more and more bookstagram reviews bashing the book and all of the hype surrounding it. I think I fall somewhere in the middle on this one. I love the idea of being able to jump into another life to see what would have been different if you had made a different choice, no matter how big or small that decision was. As the book goes on, we learn that some of the what-if’s and regrets that Nora had, would have not been all they seemed to be. Slowly but surely, Nora realizes what actually matters in life, that there is joy in living her root life, and she should embrace the life she has.
My only complaint about this book is that at times it was slow, and while I enjoyed diving into Nora’s different lives, it did get repetitive at times.
Overall, I highly suggest this book. It’s only 288 pages, so a fairly quick read with a very important message.
Goodreads Summary:
Between life and death there is a library, and within that library, the shelves go on forever. Every book provides a chance to try another life you could have lived. To see how things would be if you had made other choices . . . Would you have done anything different, if you had the chance to undo your regrets?”
A dazzling novel about all the choices that go into a life well lived, from the internationally bestselling author of Reasons to Stay Alive and How To Stop Time.
Somewhere out beyond the edge of the universe there is a library that contains an infinite number of books, each one the story of another reality. One tells the story of your life as it is, along with another book for the other life you could have lived if you had made a different choice at any point in your life. While we all wonder how our lives might have been, what if you had the chance to go to the library and see for yourself? Would any of these other lives truly be better?
In The Midnight Library, Matt Haig’s enchanting new novel, Nora Seed finds herself faced with this decision. Faced with the possibility of changing her life for a new one, following a different career, undoing old breakups, realizing her dreams of becoming a glaciologist; she must search within herself as she travels through the Midnight Library to decide what is truly fulfilling in life, and what makes it worth living in the first place.