Happy May! After my record reading month in March, I only managed to read six books in April–but hey, that's not too bad, considering that my husband and I moved last month and I suddenly found myself with much less time to read!
I have decided to remove nonfiction as a category (while still keeping the goal of one per month in mind) because usually either my Book Club pick or my National Month pick (and sometimes both, as in April) are nonfiction, and I really don't prefer to read more than one nonfiction per month. As I see it, nonfiction slows me down and takes away reading time that I could be using for fiction.
All covers are linked to Goodreads.
Arab American Heritage Month
Maman's Homesick Pie: A Persian Heart in an American Kitchen, by Donia Bijan
★★★.5
Genre: Food memoir
"For Donia Bijan's family, food has been the language they use to tell their stories and to communicate their love. In 1978, when the Islamic revolution in Iran threatened their safety, they fled to California's Bay Area, where the familiar flavors of Bijan's mother's cooking formed a bridge to the life they left behind. Now, through the prism of food, award-winning chef Donia Bijan unwinds her own story, finding that at the heart of it all is her mother, whose love and support enabled Bijan to realize her dreams." (From Goodreads)
Book Club
Bad Therapy: Why the Kids Aren't Growing Up, by Abigail Shrier
★★.5
Genre: Nonfiction
"An investigation into a mental health industry that is harming, not healing, American children." (From Goodreads)
Abigail Shrier makes some really good points in this book, but she goes about making them in a cynical, unprofessional (dare I say rude?) manner that really turned me off. I don't know what else to say about this book.
Fantasy/Sci-Fi Reading Challenge
Circe, by Madeline Miller
★★★★
Genre: Fantasy/Myth
"In the house of Helios, god of the sun and mightiest of the Titans, a daughter is born. But Circe is a strange child--neither powerful like her father nor viciously alluring like her mother. Turning to the world of mortals for companionship, she discovers that she does possess power: the power of witchcraft, which can transform rivals into monsters and menace the gods themselves. Threatened, Zeus banishes her to a deserted island, where she hones her occult craft, tames wild beasts, and crosses paths with many of the most famous figures in all of mythology, including the Minotaur, Daedalus and his doomed son Icarus, the murderous Medea, and, of course, wily Odysseus. But there is danger, too, for a woman who stands alone, and Circe unwittingly draws the wrath of both men and gods, ultimately finding herself pitted against one of the most terrifying and vengeful of the Olympians. To protect what she loves most, Circe must summon all her strength and choose, once and for all, whether she belongs with the gods she is born from or with the mortals she has come to love." (From Goodreads)
This was excellently written, and Circe is such an interesting character. I'm glad that Madeline Miller chose to explore this often overlooked goddess with her wonderful talent! However, I will say that usually there's a point in novels (about 80% of the way through) where I just can't put it down and I devour the rest in a single day. That did not happen with this book. I was always happy to come back to it, but I never reached that un-put-downable point. Probably because the story was literally spread across hundreds of years, so that would tend to make the pacing feel a bit weird. All that being said, though, I really enjoyed this!
Mood Reads
Emily Wilde's Map of the Otherlands, by Heather Fawcett
★★★★
Genre: Fantasy
"When mysterious faeries from other realms appear at her university, curmudgeonly professor Emily Wilde must uncover their secrets before it’s too late, in this heartwarming, enchanting second installment of the Emily Wilde series." (From Goodreads)
I loved this so much! I especially enjoyed the new characters that Fawcett introduced: Ariadne and Farris Rose. They added so much to the story and continued to sharpen and develop Emily's character. I'm looking forward to reading the third book in the series!
Exile, by Shannon Messenger
★★★★
Genre: Middle Grade Fantasy
"In this second book in the Keeper of the Lost Cities series, Sophie must journey to the darkest corners of her luminous world in a sequel that will leave you breathless for more." (From Goodreads)
Great sequel! Very enjoyable. My young friend at church is keeping me supplied with these, so I've already started book three 😆
Three Days in June, by Anne Tyler
★★★★.5
Genre: Contemporary Fiction
"A socially awkward mother of the bride navigates the days before and after her daughter's wedding." (From Goodreads)
I've never been big on the second chance romance trope, but Three Days in June made me rethink that. This is the third Anne Tyler book I've read, and my favorite so far. It was well written and humorous (my husband kept asking what I was giggling at), although some of the dialogue was a tad stilted. I related to Gail and felt like I could be her in a different life. Plus, this is a quick read (only three chapters, 165 pages), which is nice.
Reading Challenge Updates
Organized challenges I'm participating in:
2025 Cover Lovers Reading Challenge - 4 books
Fantasy/Sci-Fi Reading Challenge - 1 book
2025 New Release Challenge - 1 book
Personal challenges:
Books I Didn't Get to Last Year - 0 books
National Month - 1 book
Middle Grade - 1 book
Washington Writers Conference Update
I attended the Washington Writers Conference last weekend! This was my second time at the conference and I enjoyed it just as much as the first time. I met some great people and went to some awesome panels.
My favorite session was the panel "Debut Authors: How They Did It". My least favorite session was the workshop "Revising Your Novel: How to Know When It's Done" (the workshop presenter didn't talk about how to know when your novel is done?! She just gave us a whole bunch of basic writing tips we already knew in a very condescending tone??!!).
Side note: The food was a lot better this year, and gluten free items were clearly marked, which was so nice!
I pitched four agents and two of them asked for pages! I am now honing the first 50 pages to send out, and I need to dust off my query writing skills!
I love it. Hope you’re well.
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