This was such an interesting book! Set deeper into the climate change crisis, Franny is tracking the last arctic terns on what she believes will be their final migration. She manages to convince a fishing crew to veer off course and follow the birds, despite despising what they do. Interspersed in this journey, we learn about the tragic circumstances that led Franny to this point. And if you love Celtic lore about selkies, then you're in for a real treat! (not a spoiler, you learn this very early on.)

"You tried to find a way to write about refugees and break the wall between reader and subject. You said you wanted people not to dismiss the suffering, not to read about the loss and sorrow, feel bad for a minute or two, then go back to their glass of overly sweet chardonnay. But you failed, of course."

This is exactly what the author managed to achieve in The Wrong End of the Telescope, a powerful book about the Syrian refugee crisis. Alameddine has cleverly put the reader in his shoes, exploring the beaches as boats wash ashore in Greece, meeting the people fleeing the horror of their beloved countries.

This book is told from the point of view of Mina, a Lebanese-American doctor who arrived in Greece when her friend begged for her to help with the refugees. Mina is smart, funny, and uncomfortable being so close to her Lebanon, her childhood home. While living in Lebanon, she was known as Ayman, a little boy who never quite fit in. After winning a scholarship to Harvard, he realized that he should be living his life as a woman and transitioned to Mina. Her family in Lebanon immediately disowned her and she had to build a new life in America, all on her own.

Throughout this novel, Mina is in conversation with the reader (you!), who she believes to be a much admired author who had a nervous breakdown trying to interview and write about the refugee crisis. The book is brilliantly structured and written so elegantly that it's almost impossible to not shed your own skin and walk into the identity of Alameddine himself.

This book packs in the stories of so many refugees and is told in the most humanizing and uplifting way. Their stories are tragic and moving, but this book manages to not be sad. It is a reminder that we are all human, living on the same Earth, and all deserve an equal chance to live happy and safe lives.

I think I'd read anything written by Alix E. Harrow and decided to pick up this novella after a book hangover. It's totally different from what I usually read and was refreshing and fun. It's a retelling of Sleeping Beauty, from the perspective of an irreverent 21 year old, Zinnia Gray. Zinnia doesn't expect to live past 21 due to a rare genetic disorder that is specific to her hometown. She's spent her entire life obsessed with the Sleeping Beauty fairy tale and, on her 21st birthday, she pricks her finger on a spinning wheel (I kid you not) and is taken through a series of overlapping realities in order to help save another Sleeping Beauty.

This book made me want to go back to school to study folklore and to read a LOT more fairy tales to my own children. I really only know the Disney version to these stories and am interested in their deep history in culture. So much fun.

Anyway - Alix E. Harrow is working on a whole subversive fairy tale series, so I'm looking forward to more!

A Glass of Blessings was my first Barbara Pym novel in a very long time and I'm disappointed that it took me so long to return to her! This was full of interesting and curious characters. Pym was ahead of her time and managed to bring in topics that were typically whispered about in the 50s. The main character, Wilmet, had to be the most arrogant and self-centered character I've ever rooted for. Somehow I really liked her in this novel but think I'd be repulsed by her in real life (I'm sorry to say). She was always reflecting on how wonderful it was that her beauty gave so many people so much pleasure. Ugh!

The people in her life often made me laugh out loud and I highlighted so many little lines that made me chuckle. I'm definitely returning to Barbara Pym more often. I'm lightly penciling in Pym novels every other month. Would anyone like to join me?

This was my first Elif Shafak novel and I'm pretty sure it won't be my last; I'm not sure anything I can write can do it justice. Kostas and Defne, teenagers on the island of Cyprus during the 70s, fall in love despite knowing their families would never approve. Their relationship is full of interruptions and fear of being found out.

Fast forward to the late 2010s in London and we meet their teenage daughter, Ada, struggling to understand the loss of her mother and why there's no contact from family members still in Cyprus.

Wrapped up in this all, is a fig tree. The fig tree was nearly 100 years old before Kostas took a cutting and smuggled it back to London. The fig tree witnessed so much history in Cyprus - held such a deep connection the humans, flora, and fauna of the island. And now, in London, the tree falls in love with Kostas.

See? I can't do it justice. But it's beautifully written, wonderfully structured, and absolutely un-put-down-able.

I adore Kate Quinn and was anxiously awaiting the publication of The Diamond Eye. The description sounded amazing: Mila, a librarian from Kyiv studying to become a historian, becomes one of the most decorated sharp shooter during WWII.

I will admit that the timing of this release has colored my perception of it. Mila fights with the Soviet Union, which of course, includes Russia. I had a hard time stomaching the fact that she was fighting alongside the ancestors of the people currently bombing her own homeland right now. And to watch cities such as Kyiv and Odesa fall during WWII... well, it all felt so familiar and tragic.

Most of this book takes place on the front lines of the war, which must have been difficult for Quinn to write about. I know it was difficult to read.

Spoiler

And the book culminates to an FDR assassination attempt, which felt contrived

. I'm sorry to say that I couldn't wait for this book to end.

But I'm anticipating Kate Quinn's next book because she's still one of my favorite authors!

It was wonderful to visit the village of Lansquenet again! Vianne and her daughters return after receiving a letter from Armande, written before her death and asking her to return to the village because someone needs their help. They stay in Armande's old house, which Luc has inherited and is in the process of putting together. When they arrive, they find a village that appears different than when they left, but the same undercurrents exist. Many of the traditional villagers are unsettled due to a new community that has joined them: a group of Muslims. And, as usual, Vianne works her magic with chocolate to bring everyone together.

The Strawberry Thief might be my favorite of the Chocolat series. Vianne and Rosette have returned to live at the village of Lansquenet and have reopened her lovely chocolaterie. Anouk decided to stay in Paris to live with her boyfriend, which causes Vianne such heartache. Narcisse, the crotchedy florist across the street, dies and leaves behind quite a mystery. He leaves his oak wood and strawberry patch to Rosette and a confession to Francis Reynaud, which is slowly drawn out through the entire novel. Meanwhile, Narcisse's family lets the old flower shop to the mysterious tattoo artist, Morgane. Vianne immediately senses that Morgane has powers, which frightens her. Surprisingly, Vianne joins forces with Francis Reynaud against Morgane, which has consequences.

The Chocolat series has so much of what I love about the Armand Gamache series: a village full of quirky people and food. So much delicious food. I'm always inspired to get into the kitchen and cook when I read these books, which is a very helpful push! And I'm hoping that Joanne Harris writes more of these books. I simply adore them.

I borrowed The Final Revival of Opal & Nev from Libby twice, and both times thought, this would be amazing on audio! I kept waiting for my state to purchase an audio copy of the book and they never did, so I decided to use an Audible credit. And I was right: this book is amazing on audio! It’s a mock-documentary about Opal and Nev: musicians in a rock band in the 70s. Opal is a young black woman who grew up in Detroit and Nev is a skinny, red headed Brit. I think you can do the math, especially when the multiplier is the 1970s.

This reminded me a lot of Daisy Jones and the Six, but really dug into race in America. Opal is a fascinating character and I enjoyed listening to her tell her history and her side of the story. This book asks us to think about what we’re willing to tolerate and what we’re willing to sacrifice to ensure equal treatment in the US. The ending is heartbreaking and superb. Totally worth waiting for on audio!