Does anyone else feel like the beginning of June was an eternity ago? I barely remember the books I read way back then! Just kidding, I take notes.
My monthly reading goal is five books, and I managed to read eight, so June was a pretty good month for me! June was also Caribbean-American Heritage Month, so to honor that, I chose to read one of Julia Alvarez's more recent books, Afterlife. Let's dive into it!
Caribbean American Heritage Month
Afterlife, by Julia Alvarez
★★★★
"Antonia Vega, the immigrant writer at the center of Afterlife, has had the rug pulled out from under her. She has just retired from the college where she taught English when her beloved husband, Sam, suddenly dies. And then more jolts: her bighearted but unstable sister disappears, and Antonia returns home one evening to find a pregnant, undocumented teenager on her doorstep. Antonia has always sought direction in the literature she loves—lines from her favorite authors play in her head like a soundtrack—but now she finds that the world demands more of her than words." (Goodreads)
Despite my dislike of How the García Girls Lost Their Accents, I just keep coming back to Julia Alvarez! Last year, I took a chance on In the Time of the Butterflies and loved it so much that I returned to Julia Alvarez for Caribbean-American Heritage Month.
Julia Alvarez is Dominican-American. She had to flee the Dominican Republic with her family when she was 10 years old, and all of her books (that I've read, at least) feature four sisters (always different) from the Dominican Republic, whether they're in the States or still in the DR. However, the storytelling style in each book has been vastly different, which keeps things interesting.
Afterlife is, in my opinion, an example of literary fiction at its best. Even though things did happen in the story, the pacing felt very slow, which I appreciated. Another interesting aspect of the book was that there were no quotation marks. I liked this too; I felt like it got me deeper into Antonia's perspective. Sort of stream of consciousness. As a fellow introvert and HSP (highly sensitive person), I keenly felt her struggle between doing the good/right/generous thing (being the "good cop", as she puts it) and protecting her energy and social battery. I still like In the Time of the Butterflies better, but this was a great read!
If you do read Afterlife, please be aware that there is a suicide in this book.
Other Books I Read in June
Maid: Hard Work, Low Pay, and a Mother's Will to Survive, by Stephanie Land
"At 28, Stephanie Land’s plans of breaking free from the roots of her hometown in the Pacific Northwest to chase her dreams of attending a university and becoming a writer, were cut short when a summer fling turned into an unexpected pregnancy. She turned to housekeeping to make ends meet, and with a tenacious grip on her dream to provide her daughter the very best life possible, Stephanie worked days and took classes online to earn a college degree, and began to write relentlessly. Maid explores the underbelly of upper-middle class America and the reality of what it’s like to be in service to them." (Goodreads)
I'm not sure how to describe this book. Inspiring? Motivating? Comforting? Depressing? A mixture of all of the above? I read it because it was mentioned in Barbara Ehrenreich's spectacular book Nickel and Dimed: On (Not) Getting By in America, and while I preferred Nick and Dimed, I liked Maid enough that I'm currently reading Stephanie Land's follow-up memoir, Class. More on that to come in my July Reading Recap.
The Guest List, by Lucy Foley
"A wedding celebration turns dark and deadly in this deliciously wicked and atmospheric thriller reminiscent of Agatha Christie from the New York Times bestselling author of The Hunting Party." (Goodreads)
Okay, thriller is not my go-to genre. But I'm trying to branch out a bit, and I read the bulk of this book in two days, so I'd say it was a successful pick?
Cons: Too much swearing and WAY too much sex.
Pros: I know this is controversial, but I really liked the five different POVs. I thought Lucy Foley did an amazing job with distinguishing the characters' voices, especially Johnno and Hannah. Hannah was probably the character I related to most. I also really liked how the story was told over the course of two days, interspersed with the "now" sections where they're looking for the body (you don't actually know who got murdered until 7/8 of the way through the book!). That definitely ratcheted up the suspense and kept me turning pages, trying to just figure out who got murdered, let alone who murdered them!
*SPOILERS*
Another con for me is that the book ended in such a dark place. What happened to Johnno after he was arrested? Did Aiofe have to live with the guilt of what she'd done for the rest of her life? Did she ever get caught? Does Charlie and Hannah's marriage survive? The only character who seemed to have maybe ended in a better place than they started was Olivia. I loved the sister moment at the end–that's what I'd been waiting for the whole book, and in a way it's like they finally found each other. But overall, I was left feeling very unsettled. Which might be the point of a thriller, I don't know. I'd have to read more thrillers in order to tell you.
*END OF SPOILERS*
It's Not Summer Without You & We'll Always Have Summer, by Jenny Han
It's Not Summer Without You and We'll Always Have Summer are the hair-raising follow-ups to Jenny Han's contemporary YA romance The Summer I Turned Pretty. Why do I call them hair-raising? Let's just say ... poor decisions were made by ALL of the characters.
Different settings, same Belly. It just kept getting worse. The events in this series reminded me of the cringiest moments in my own relatively uneventful romantic life, but in these books, the drama is unnecessarily dialed up to 11. I'm embarrassed to admit that the sappy romantic in me actually liked the ending of the series. I'm even more embarrassed to admit that I started watching the Amazon TV show right after I finished We'll Always Have Summer. I don't like the characters (or the love triangle trope in general), but for some reason I can't seem to get enough?! Jenny Han, what is this sorcery?!? (Also, stay tuned for a comparison post where I'll catalogue the differences between the books and the TV series.)
Reckless, by Cornelia Funke
"Ever since Jacob Reckless was a child, he has been escaping to a hidden world through a portal in his father's abandoned study. Over the years, he has made a name for himself as a finder of enchanted items and buried secrets. He's also made many enemies and allies--most important, Fox, a beautiful shape-shifting vixen whom Jacob cares for more than he lets on. But life in this other world is about to change. Tragedy strikes when Jacob's younger brother, Will, follows him through the portal. Brutally attacked, Will is infected with a curse that is quickly transforming him into a Goyl--a ruthless killing machine, with skin made of stone. Jacob is prepared to fight to save his brother, but in a land built on trickery and lies, Jacob will need all the wit, courage, and reckless spirit he can summon to reverse the dark spell--before it's too late." (Goodreads)
To be honest, I was kind of disappointed by this book, but I don't think anything could live up to Inkheart. I love the concept of the Mirrorworld, but the characters were a little flat. The story started a bit too "in media res" (in the middle of things) for me, and I found myself wishing that we had a whole book of Jacob's adventures before his brother found the Mirrorworld. Or at least that we'd gotten the scene where Will got infected with the curse! So, while it was good, I feel like my enjoyment of it would have been enhanced by a prequel, if that makes sense.
The Cost of Control: Why We Crave It, the Anxiety It Gives Us, and the Real Power God Promises, by Sharon Hodde Miller
"In this culturally insightful and eye-opening book, Sharon Hodde Miller helps us discover the real power God has given us in Christ, to exercise influence over ourselves and our lives." (Goodreads)
I really needed this book. It was very convicting and, at the same time, freeing. I think that we all have different ways of trying to control our lives, but the fact is we just can't. This book goes through a bunch of different methods of control and how we can let go of them and have true peace. I added so many quotes from this book to Goodreads!
Throwback, by Maurene Goo
"Back to the Future meets The Joy Luck Club in this YA contemporary romance about a Korean American girl sent back to the ’90s to (reluctantly) help her teenage mom win Homecoming Queen." (Goodreads)
I loved the weird and wonderful ride that was Throwback! It definitely had Back to the Future vibes, but I also got some School Spirits vibes from it (has anyone else watched School Spirits?), especially with the football game at the end and Teddy Quintero's story–it reminded me of Wally a little bit! Sam was an awesome main character. And there was a great little twist at the end (a couple twists, actually, but I'm thinking of one in particular). This was my favorite read in June!
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