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Monthly Recommendations April 2017: Big Books



This months topics are big books- specifically books with 500 pages or more. I really wasn't sure how many I would have for this recommendation...thank God for Goodreads. Seriously y'all, I could not blog about books without Goodreads to keep track of all the details I can't remember on my own, haha.


The first book I thought of was Gone With the Wind. I freakin' love this book. When I read it I was living in Colorado and reading this sweeping Southern Saga was a balm to my transplanted little soul. I like that it covers topic like race, love, marriage, society, religion, family, and about a million other topics while showing all the gray areas. Many things in life are hard, and you can be selfish and do the right thing and you can have great intentions and screw everything up and...it's just super interesting and I love it.

Apparently when it comes to big books, I love a Southern saga. This book was the first Pat Conroy novel I ever read...and it was love at first read. Something about his writing grips me and calms me simultaneously.  Normally, flowery and descriptive writing isn't necessarily my thing. But it works beautifully in Conroy's work.

I don't even know where I got this- maybe my local used bookstore? It's a collection of thriller short stories (hopefully that's not cheating). From just plain creepy to gory, from political terror to random physical violence, it represents a good range of the thriller/mystery genre, and I only DNF'd one story. It does give background on the authors, which takes up a lot of pages...I didn't necessarily need it, but it could be helpful to find other works by an author if there is one you really love.


This is my favorite classc. Jane Eyre is a little bit weird, she falls for a pretty weird guy, she definitely struggles, but she's clever and determined and a little snarky and it was remarkably relateable for me in a weird way. I was nervous to read it because I hated Wuthering Heights by her sister Emily Bronte, but this I loved.

What are your favorite big books? Link-up and let us know!
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Monthly Recommendations March 2017: Own Voices

Goodreads Group - Kayla Rayne - Trina

This month's topic is Own Voices. You can read this post or this article from the creator Corrine Duyvis of the phrase/hashtag to get some more details. But short version- it's books with characters who represent some type of minority group, written by an author who actually belongs to that minority group.

So a book written by an autistic person by a neuro-typical person would be diverse, but not Own Voices. A book written by an autistic person written by an autistic person would be both diverse and Own Voices.

This definition of diversity from the We Need Diverse Books website is the one I am working with- so I will be including things like abuse survivors/etc as a "social model of disability." 

We recognize all diverse experiences, including (but not limited to) LGBTQIA, Native, people of color, gender diversity, people with disabilities*, and ethnic, cultural, and religious minorities.
*We subscribe to a broad definition of disability, which includes but is not limited to physical, sensory, cognitive, intellectual, or developmental disabilities, chronic conditions, and mental illnesses (this may also include addiction). Furthermore, we subscribe to a social model of disability, which presents disability as created by barriers in the social environment, due to lack of equal access, stereotyping, and other forms of marginalization.

OK, now that we've gotten all that on the table...on to the recommendations!

Some of these are older...so sorry, but they're all good reads.

Y'all, this book is soooo good. Like, will probably end up on my best of the year even though it's only March. It's a story that I think almost anyone would be able to relate to.  But for the context of today's topic: Brit Bennett is African-American, so that would be the minority aspect. 

I think the reason I loved this is the contemporary aspect of it. Too often when I've been given or heard about books about African-Americans, it was in a historical context. Which is important- but black people are not a only a part of our past. They are our neighbors and co-workers and more than just headlines in our current culture. That was refreshing- reading about people who were living in different communities but the same world, if that makes sense.

 
Angela's Ashes by Frank McCourt 
This book is a huge insight into poverty. Yes, it's decades ago and it's set in Ireland but the realities of desperation and poverty are universal and this will forever be worth reading.

Girl Meets God
This one is kind of cheating. The author has a Jewish father, and that lineage is based on maternity rather than paternity. However, that in itself is really interesting and examines the idea of belonging, community, family in the context of her religious journey.

The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian
This is a story about a teenager who lives on a Native American reservation, and eventually decides to attend the "white" school off the reservation. Native American stories do not get nearly enough attention, and I appreciated this one.
Bastard out of Carolina
This is a super tough book to read, because it deals with sexual abuse. I actually listened to it through Audible, and the afterword from the author really shaped the way I looked at the story. She speaks about how she herself survived abuse and poverty, but wanted to show how families handle these and still manage to find joy in music, etc during these hard times. Highly recommend.

The Bell Jar
This seems to be one of the first books regarding mental health in the mainstream. It is a semi-autobiographical novel that parallels Plath's own experience with writing and depression. It's a little dark and twisty and beautiful.

Furiously Happy
This is also about mental health, but from a current time. Lawson is honest yet hopeful, and always always hilarious. Love her and pretty much everything she creates.

The Story of My Life
I found this randomly in my local used bookstore, and while the writing itself is amaeture the story is compelling. It follows a young girl who lived under siege and was dismembered as a child. Eventually she gets help and immigrates to the US. It's a up-close view of terror and immigration, and while it's an older story it's more relevant than ever. 
If you'd like to link up, please join the Goodreads group & share! 
Or, ya know, just leave a comment.
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Monthly Recommendations: Family Focus



Finally! A Monthly Recommendations theme that I can actually provide good recommendations for ;) Over the past few months I've enjoyed the link-up but it just hasn't been my wheelhouse.

I almost forgot, Monthly Recommendations is a Goodreads group from Kayla  [Kayla Rayne] and Trina [Between Chapters]. They pick monthly topics and we all link-up...it's fun and you should do it too!

Family Focus



I've only read the first 2 books of The Lunar Chronicles, Cinder and Scarlet. These are sci-fi, steampunk-y stories but contains complex characters and family relationships. As a retelling of Cinderella, Cinder obviously deals with step-family relations. But there is also the relationship of Prince Kai and his father, which includes a royal legacy and responsibility. Scarlet is a retelling of Little Red Riding Hood- there is a wonderful relationship with her grandmother, plus an interesting dynamic between the pack of "wolves" she ends up with.


On basically the exact opposite end of the spectrum, Delirum involves a society where they have developed a "cure" for love. People are matched with a future spouse in their early teens, shortly after receiving the serum. The cure prevents them from loving not only their spouse, but their parents/siblings/and even children. Any sign of love or basically happiness at all is frowned upon, even criminal. It's not implicitly stated, but basically apathy is the goal. Apathetic people don't fight or fuss or rebel or care.


This book is one of my favorites that I've read this year. It follows different family members surrounding an adopted baby girl- the child, her birth mother, her adoptive mother, her adoptive grandmother...it examines culture and love and family and I just love love love love it.


This is almost similar to Secret Daughter...but with some big differences. It made me cry and think and my heart bled for two families, but mostly for a little girl caught in the middle. To be perfectly honest, I did not like the ending...but overall it did a great job of showing emotional gray areas.



 This was such a cute book. It involves a teenage girl and her unusual aunt...I like that it examined an important relationship with someone outside the immediate nuclear family. It's important to realize the importance of having someone to vent to.


Another one of my favorites for the year. Alice wakes up one day thinking she is 29, newly married, and pregnant with her first child. Turns out she hit her head and is actually 39, in the middle of a divorce, and has 3 kids. It's wonderful and heartbreaking and wonderful again.


Lola has two gay dads. They are great parents...but the real reason I like this book is because she has a very awkward and uncomfortable relationship with her birth mom. The birth mom is NOT made out to be a hero...which I like.

For the same reason, plus what it's like to love someone with mental illness, try Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell.


  

This series is a little cheesy at times (Christian fiction) but involves a desperate mother's love and the duty of friendship.
I just love Pat Conroy. This is a dark story (trigger warnings for abuse, child & sexual) but so good.


I believe families are messy, because people are messy. And it's love and commitment and time and shared experience that make a family- these stories reflect that.

What are your favorite family-centered stories?


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Monthly Recommendations: Science Fiction



Time for Monthly Recommendations with Kayla from Kayla Rayne and Trina from Between Chapters (find out more here).

This month's topic is science-fiction. I'll be totally honest, I'm not a huge sci-fi person. For years I have said, in fact, that I read "anything but sci-fi." I'm not sure entirely why this is...ultimately I truly do love books that focus on people in the here and now- family sagas and romantic relationships and friendships that are tested. I'm all about the people, and at least when I was younger it was difficult for me to get past the world-building in some sci-fi/fantasy to the people.

I'm not saying this was the fault of the books or the genre, but me as a reader at that time. I am slowly becoming more open to the genre, but basically I've only read the super popular stories everyone has mostly heard of. I'm excited to hear any recommendations you may have to help further introduce me to this genre!

So here's my short list, which I totally got from this huge list on Goodreads of sci-fi books:

  • Brave New World
    • I need to reread this, but I remember liking it in high school (and being the only one...)
  • The Hunger Games
  • Divergent
  • Journey to the Center of the Earth
    • I read this because it's sort of the grandfather of sci-fi, actually (well, listened, it was an audio book). It was okay, I wonder if it would have been better in traditional book v e-book...but then I may have been caught up with trying to pronounce the crazy Norwegian words. Fun fact: my husband highly enjoyed it. With maybe 2 exceptions, we have completely different tastes in books. 


My one actual personal/lesser known recommendation would be the Bishop/Special Crimes Unit series from Kay Hooper.


This may fall more under paranormal, I don't know, sci-fi/paranormal/fantasy seem to intertwine a lot in my head. Either way, it's a great series. I've only read a few, and one was actually the spin-off series Bishop Files.

It's a little hard to explain, but basically it's a loose series that deals with psychics and crime-solving. Each psychic has a different type of sense- one just feels a "pull" towards dead bodies, one can read thoughts, one can see ghosts. Noah Bishop is kind of the head character, since the series are named after him. He works within the FBI but also ends up creating a private enterprise to help find and train people with such gifts. You can definitely read these books as stand-alone's (I have, and out of order) but I really want to go back and read them in order.

They often try to use science to enhance and/or block the psychic abilities, since they are working against people with the same powers (usually serial killers). It's really interesting to see the different versions of abilities the characters have and how they each feel about their abilities. It has a lot of personal details and fleshed-out characters, which is always what captures me and what I sometimes miss in sci-fi just because I get caught up in the world more than the people.


What would be your sci-fi recommendations?

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Monthly Recommendations: Aniversary



This will be my first month linking up with the Monthly Recommendations group from Goodreads. Each month they do a theme and ask everyone to give recommendations based on the theme. This month, though, is their 1 year anniversary! So this is kind of a recap tag covering the topics they have discussed over the past year. The group was created by Kayla from Kayla Rayne and Trina from Between Chapters- check out the group and recommendation links here!
An underrated book
A book about survival

  • Y'all, I freakin' love this book and hardly anyone else knows about it. It is a book about terrible things, but I read it in my freshman English class and we had such passionate debates...the depth of this story is amazing, and it fits both categories perfectly.

A book set in school
  • This book got renewed buzz a few years ago when the movie was released. I really can't even put into words what I love about this book, it's just infinite (you'll understand after you read it). My only regret is not reading in high school, because as much as I relate to it now I just know it would have been an even deeper connection had I read it then.

A creepy book
  • This book has been on my TBR for years, and I can finally cross it off thanks to Audible. I'm pretty sure it was made into a movie- as I had vague recollections of it, and was pretty sure certain bad things were going to happy...and they did :(

A trilogy
  • I'll be honest, I haven't read the third book of this trilogy yet. But the first two were SO good! Especially in today's climate where so many people are making an effort to read more diversely, I don't understand how this author is more celebrated! It's chick-lit-ish but deals with topics like culture and friendship and love and professionalism in meaningful ways. Each character is Hispanic, and it illustrates the different countries and political climates and social values that fall under that label. It's intruiging to see how they interact with each other and American culture in general (as they all meet in the US).

A book you think others should read 
ASAP/before the end of the year
  • My friend Tim wrote this awesome collection of short stories. It's a little dark and twisty and sooooo good! You can read my full review here, but truthfully the more I think about this collection the more I love it. I highly recommend, and how awesome to support a new author with so much promise!
  • More info on Tim's blog here

A fantasy book
  • I first heard about this book from John Green on the Vlogbrothers channel, who is friends with the author. I was a little late reading it, but it was one of the most creative plots I've ever read and I LOVED it. Looking forward to the upcoming movie. There are more in the series, which I haven't read yet, but probably will soon.

 A book with little to no romance
  • This book has divisive ratings on Goodreads, which I understand. I will admit that there is a turning point where the tone of the book changes completley, which is a little odd. However I found both sections of the book enjoyable if different. Part of the plat does included sex...but not romance...I still think it's a good fit for this category.

A stand-alone
  • This was my first Liane Moriarty book, although I know lots of people love her. It's one of my favorite books so far this year (complete review here).

Your favorite book friendship
  • I just read this before the release of the movie, and I think it's one of my favorite John Green books. Specific to this tag, I chose it because the main character is complaining about something and his friend says "You know your problem, Quentin? You keep expecting people not to be themselves" and gives this short speech that basically says how we all have flaws but deal with each other anyway. I loved that this guy called his friend out and was honest while still being like "Yeah you'r being dumb right now but we'll still hang out tomorrow."

A book set outside of the US, or that features travel/vacation
  • This book focuses on the lives of two Nigerian people- a woman and a man, who meet in school but end up seperating and traveling to different countries. It examines race, love, and is probably the best example of globalization that I've read.

A book with your favorite empowering female character
  • The characters of Scarlett and Melanie are some of my favorites in literature )yes, I'm choosing both of them). They are very different, and Scarlett isn't exactly a likeable character most of the time. But she is determined to survive and to thrive. Even if her values are sometimes shallow, she makes things happen. Melanie never lets life harden her- yes, she fights back but she remains good-hearted and steadfast in her beliefs. Their refusal to be emotionally broken is what inspires me.

Please check out the others who are linking up or join the group & share your own recommendations!

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