Book 55 of 2024: Pelican Girls by Julia Malye

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️/⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

In 1720 Paris, La Salpêtrière hospital has too many occupants and not enough beds. Halfway across the world, France’s colony in the wilds of North America has space to spare and needs families to fill it. So the director of the hospital rounds up nearly a hundred female “volunteers” of childbearing age—orphans, prisoners, and mental patients—to be shipped to New Orleans. Among this group are three unlikely friends: a sharp-tongued twelve-year old orphan, a mute ‘madwoman,’ and an accused abortionist. Charlotte, Pétronille, and Geneviève, along with the dozens of other women aboard La Baleine, have no knowledge of what lies ahead and no control over their futures. Strangers brought together by fate, these brave and fierce young women will face extraordinary adversity, but also the private trauma of heartbreak and unrequited love, children born and lost, cruelty and unexpected pleasure, and a friendship forged in fire that will sustain through the years.

Phyllis’s Former Students Book Club read for April! I really wanted to love this book as it sounded so interesting from the premise but I had a hard time getting into it. The book was extremely character-driven and parts of the narratives were compelling but I had a hard time following a lot of the stories and lost interest in the characters at many points. The book was incredibly well researched and I appreciated the author’s intentions to give voice to the lost women of history. However, the novel didn’t really have much of a plot structure and was kind of all over the place at times, which made me disengage or feel confused. The writing itself was beautiful. I think I just had higher expectations for this book and it lacked the execution necessary to meet them.

Book 56 of 2024: The Familiar by Leigh Bardugo

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫/⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

In Madrid, Luzia Cotado uses scraps of magic to get through her days of endless toil as a scullion. But when her mistress discovers that Luzia is actually hiding a talent for magic, she demands Luzia use those gifts to better the family’s position. What begins as amusement for the bored nobility takes a perilous turn when Luzia garners the notice of Antonio Pérez, the disgraced secretary to Spain’s king. Pérez will stop at nothing to regain the king’s favor, and hosts a toreno where people with magical abilities will compete for the chance to become the king’s confidant and influence Spain’s empire with their magical gifts. Determined to seize this chance to better her fortunes, Luzia plunges into a world where the line between magic, science, and fraud is never certain. But as her notoriety grows, so does the danger that her Jewish blood will doom her to the Inquisition’s wrath. She will have to use every bit of her wit and will to survive—even if that means enlisting the help of Guillén Santangel, an embittered immortal familiar whose own secrets could prove deadly for them both.

This was such an entertaining read! The blend of historical fiction and fantasy was fantastic and I really felt emerged in the world that Bardugo created. I was fascinated by how she was able to use the Spanish Inquisition to set the scene for this story, and tell tales of those who were persecuted throughout this terrible time in Spain’s history. I really appreciated the Jewish experience and representation in this book, and learned a lot about how non-Catholics were persecuted during the inquisition, as well as how “witchcraft” accusations were used as not only as a weapon of misogyny but also of cultural and religious erasure. I loved that Luzia’s character never shied away from her identity and how her magic helped her come into her own. She was such a strong and brilliant protagonist and I couldn’t help but cheer for her. I loved her relationship with Santangel and the bargain that they were able to strike to help one another. Great book!

Book 52 of 2024: Name Your Price by Holly James

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Olivia and Chuck have chemistry—too much chemistry, perhaps. After a huge fight, they break up for good. But someone was filming their dramatic argument and because Olivia’s parents were Hollywood royalty and Chuck’s a rising actor, the video goes viral. When Name Your Price, a reality game show, sees the footage, they invite Olivia and Chuck to shoot a very unusual challenge: live locked in a house together for one month and they will be each paid a million dollars. Olivia really needs the money if she's going to keep her grandmother in her nursing home. So the game is on—even as the show tries to pluck every nerve with only one bed, one bathroom, and a set of rules that will lose them money if broken. With stakes that have never been higher and their explosive chemistry at a fever pitch, can Chuck and Olivia keep it together for one month?

Thank you so much @netgalley, @hellohollyjames, and @duttonbooks for the ARC! Holly James is the queen of Hollywood/superstar romcoms full of heart and this book was a fun one! This was a super entertaining and quick read for me and I was laughing out loud at many of the fiery fights between Chuck and Olivia. Forced proximity always makes for some dramatic and also steamy moments, and I loved how the relationship between Chuck and Olivia was rekindled. Their dialogue and banter was delicious and they had such great chemistry. I don’t usually enjoy second chance romances, but I found the trope in this book much more enjoyable as it really provided an insight into two imperfect people learning to understand one another and how to be present and love their partner despite differences. I also really loved Olivia’s back story and how she was able to learn more about her parents’ past and their story. And the grandma! She was adorable. Name Your Price will be the perfect summer read and it comes out July 30!

In 1895, Antonio Sonoro is the latest in a long line of ruthless men. A drought has ravaged his hometown of Dorado, Mexico, so when he hears about a train laden with gold and other treasures, he sets off for Houston to rob it with his younger brother Hugo in tow. But when the heist goes awry and Hugo is killed by the Texas Rangers, Antonio finds himself launched into a quest for revenge that endangers not only his life, but his eternal soul. In 1964, Jaime Sonoro is Mexico’s most renowned actor. But his comfortable life is disrupted when he discovers a book that purports to tell the entire history of his family. In its ancient pages, Jaime learns about the horrific crimes committed by his ancestors. And when the same mysterious figure from Antonio’s timeline shows up in Mexico City, Jaime realizes that he may be the one who has to pay for his ancestors’ crimes—unless he can discover the true story of his grandfather Antonio, the legendary bandido El Tragabalas, The Bullet Swallower.

Magical realism meets western bandits in this intriguing tale about family, intergenerational trauma, border politics, and colonialism. This was an exciting book filled with action and suspense. I definitely enjoyed it! The author’s note at the end made the book especially fascinating as it was informed by the author’s own family history. The book was a fascinating examination of the relationship (or lack there of) between Texas and Mexico over the years, and the impact of colonization and racism on the frayed bond of the boarding entities. I really enjoyed the theme of personal identity versus inherited accountability in both stories in the different  timeframes. If you like action be a bit of family drama with a sprinkle of magical realism, this is the book for you!

Escaping from an abusive marriage, seventeen-year-old Lakshmi makes her way alone to the vibrant 1950s Jaipur, where she becomes the most highly requested henna artist—and confidante—to the wealthy women of Jaipur’s upper class. Lakshmi must tread carefully to avoid the jealous gossips who could ruin her reputation and her livelihood. As she pursues her dream of an independent life, she is startled one day when she is confronted by her husband, who has tracked her down many years later, with a high-spirited young girl in tow—a sister Lakshmi never knew she had. Suddenly the life that she has carefully cultivated is threatened, and her secrets are threatened to be revealed. 

This book was such an emotional and moving story, and I loved it! I’ve had this in my TBR for a while and @libby.app came through with the audiobook, and the performance was excellent. This story had me hooked and I wanted to know what would happen next. Lakshmi was such a multifaceted character, and I couldn’t help fall in love with her, flaws and all. She was so hardworking and brave, and I loved how she struck out her own path. Her journey illustrated the role that caste and gender play into the options that people who lived in this time had available for their lives. All of the secondary characters were also strong and well written. This book also taught me a lot about life in India in the 1950s. Definitely recommend!

Evie Thomas doesn't believe in love anymore. Especially after she witnesses a couple kiss and is overcome with a vision of how their romance began…and how it will end. As Evie tries to understand why this is happening, she finds herself at La Brea Dance Studio, learning to waltz, fox-trot, and tango with a boy named X. X is everything that Evie is not: adventurous, passionate, daring. Falling for X is definitely not what Evie had in mind. If her visions of heartbreak have taught her anything, it's that no one escapes love unscathed. But as she and X dance around and toward each other, Evie is forced to question all she thought she knew about life and love.

@bookishswiftiesclub March YA ready! I listened to this on audiobook and it was great, I really love Bahni Turpin’s narration; she’s narrated a few different books I’ve listened to recently and she’s great to listen to. The book was so well written and I loved the diversity of the characters and Evie’s relationships. She was a complex character and I appreciated her growth throughout the book. The book examined the complexity of love and relationships, and whether it’s truly worth it to get your heart involved when it may be broken. The ending was definitely bittersweet but I really liked how thought-provoking the story was. The touches of magic combined with the dance storyline definitely made the book more lighthearted. Overall, I really enjoyed this, the characters were beautiful, and the story was very emotional.

In a collection of funny and insightful essays, Gay takes us through the journey of her evolution as a woman of color while also taking readers on a ride through culture of the last few years and commenting on the state of feminism today. 

Overall, I enjoyed this book on audio. Gay has a way of writing with a sharp and funny tone well, making interesting observations about what it truly means to be a feminist. I appreciated how she also dissected, modern culture and events under this lens. Her writing was accessible and approachable. Some of the topics covered got a little repetitive after a while, but I thought this writer had a lot of interesting in pulling things to say about her own experience of a Black female in modern society.

With wit, humor, and savvy, Haynes revolutionizes our understanding of epic poems, stories, and plays, resurrecting them from a woman’s perspective and tracing the origins of their mythic female characters.

Pandora’s Jar brings nuance and care to the millennia-old myths and legends and asks the question: Why are we so quick to villainize these women in the first place—and so eager to accept the stories we’ve been told?

Really enjoyed this one on audio! It was read by the author and she was a great narrator. I really learned a lot more about Greek mythology and the women in many famous stories. The book dives deeply into the many representations of each woman throughout history. It was fascinating to hear of all of the different renditions of each woman over the course of time, and learn how their characters are interpreted in modern society with references to pop culture. I loved that the book took characters who are more frequently on the fringes of mythology, and provided a perspective of them as main characters in their own stories, with all of their multifaceted characteristics and motivations. The book was engaging, funny at times, and very interesting. Definitely recommend this one if you’re interested in feminist retellings and Greek mythology! 

Book 38 of 2024: The Paris Novel by Ruth Reichl

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫/⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

When her estranged mother dies, Stella is left with an unusual inheritance: a one-way plane ticket and a note reading “Go to Paris.” Stella is hardly cut out for adventure; a traumatic childhood has kept her confined to the strict routines of her comfort zone. Nonetheless, Stella resigns herself to honoring her mother’s last wishes. Alone in a foreign city, Stella falls into old habits, living cautiously and frugally. Then she stumbles across a vintage store, where she tries on a fabulous Dior dress. The shopkeeper insists that this dress was meant for Stella and for the first time in her life Stella does something impulsive. She buys the dress—and embarks on an adventure. Her first stop: the iconic brasserie Les Deux Magots, where Stella tastes her first oysters and then meets an octogenarian art collector who decides to take her under his wing. As Jules introduces Stella to a veritable who’s who of the Paris literary, art, and culinary worlds, she begins to understand what it might mean to live a larger life.

Thank you to @netgalley for the ARC! I enjoyed this cute story so much. Was it unrealistic? Of course (hot take: French people are not as nice as they were in this book), but that didn’t make it any less charming or heartwarming. I really loved how Stella was able to come into her own and start enjoying her life as she spent more time and made more friends in Paris. I also really enjoyed Stella‘s quest to find out more about what happened to Victorine and her lost art. And the descriptions of food made my mouth water! My only complaint is that there is a scene of child SA early on in the book that came almost out of no where and was quite upsetting. It played a part in Stella’s development and growth in the book, but it was a bit more graphic than I think was necessary, and I did not see any trigger warnings for it so it completely took me by surprise. I think that could’ve been handled and written about in a better way. Otherwise this was an enjoyable and heartwarming read.