March has been a scary and surreal month, and I hope all of you are hanging in there, practicing social distancing and hand washing. My family has been fortunate. I already work from home--though I've been so anxious, it's difficult to get a lot of writing done--and my husband, who does IT for our local school district, is also able to work from home. We're homebodies by nature so social distancing isn't that difficult for us. Our dog Arya is thrilled to have both of us home all day. I know everyone is not as lucky as us.
Books have also been a form of escape for me. I think we all need a little escape right now.
1. The Library of the Unwritten by A.J. Hackwith
Perhaps one of the most bizarre books I've ever read, but I loved every minute of it. This is a first in a series so I'm excited to see what comes next.
Many years ago, Claire was named Head Librarian of the Unwritten Wing-- a neutral space in Hell where all the stories unfinished by their authors reside. Her job consists mainly of repairing and organizing books, but also of keeping an eye on restless stories that risk materializing as characters and escaping the library. When a Hero escapes from his book and goes in search of his author, Claire must track and capture him with the help of former muse and current assistant Brevity and nervous demon courier Leto.
But what should have been a simple retrieval goes horrifyingly wrong when the terrifyingly angelic Ramiel attacks them, convinced that they hold the Devil's Bible. The text of the Devil's Bible is a powerful weapon in the power struggle between Heaven and Hell, so it falls to the librarians to find a book with the power to reshape the boundaries between Heaven, Hell….and Earth.
2. A Brief History of Time by Stephen Hawking
I went into this book expecting something dry and pedantic, but wow can Stephan Hawking write. I was also surprised by how well watching The Big Bang Theory prepared me for this book; I recognized so many names and theories because of the TV show.
Published more than two decades ago to great critical acclaim and commercial success,A Brief History of Time has become a landmark volume in science writing. Stephen Hawking, one of the great minds of our time, explores such profound questions as: How did the universe begin—and what made its start possible? Does time always flow forward? Is the universe unending—or are there boundaries? Are there other dimensions in space? What will happen when it all ends?
Told in language we all can understand,A Brief History of Time plunges into the exotic realms of black holes and quarks, of antimatter and “arrows of time,” of the big bang and a bigger God—where the possibilities are wondrous and unexpected. With exciting images and profound imagination, Stephen Hawking brings us closer to the ultimate secrets at the very heart of creation.
3. The Last Wish by Andrzej Sapkowski
I'm in love with the witcher saga. This is the first book in the reading order (not publishing order). It's pretty much a bunch of short stories that were turned into the first season of Netflix's The Witcher. Pretty sure this series is going to go on the to-own list.
Geralt of Rivia is a witcher. A cunning sorcerer. A merciless assassin.
And a cold-blooded killer.
His sole purpose: to destroy the monsters that plague the world.
But not everything monstrous-looking is evil, and not everything fair is good...and in every fairy tale there is a grain of truth.
The international hit that inspired the video game The Witcher.
4. Other Words for Home by Jasmine Warga
If you liked Poet X, Full Cicada Moon, or Brown Girl Dreaming, you'll like this book. If you're not familiar with the books I just listed, go read them, they're phenomenal.
Jude never thought she'd be leaving her beloved older brother and father behind, all the way across the ocean in Syria. But when things in her hometown start becoming volatile, Jude and her mother are sent to live in Cincinnati with relatives.
At first, everything in America seems too fast and too loud. The American movies that Jude has always loved haven't quite prepared her for starting school in the US - and her new label of "Middle Eastern", an identity she's never known before.
But this life also brings unexpected surprises - there are new friends, a whole new family, and a school musical that Jude might just try out for. Maybe America, too, is a place where Jude can be seen as she really is.
5. The Book of Lost Saints by Daniel Jose Older
I love Older's novel, Shadowshaper, so I was excited to read more of his work. And I wasn't disappointed. This was a ghost story unlike any other I've ever read.
Marisol vanished during the Cuban Revolution, disappearing with hardly a trace. Now, shaped by atrocities long-forgotten, her foul-mouthed spirit visits her nephew, Ramon, in modern-day New Jersey. Her hope: That her presence will prompt him to unearth their painful family history.
Ramon launches a haphazard investigation into the story of his ancestor, unaware of the forces driving him on his search. Along the way, he falls in love, faces a run-in with a murderous gangster, and uncovers the lives of the lost saints who helped Marisol during her imprisonment.
Everyone stay health and stay safe out there.
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