What a month. First the election. Then waiting for the elections results. And now we wait for 45 to concede as well as for the electors to vote. And let's not forget the surge in Covid-19 cases. We're in lockdown again, but I'm thankful for it, as many of the hospitals are at or near capacity in my state. I've had a hard time concentrating so this hasn't been my best reading month, but I still have five books to share with you.
1. We Have Always Lived in the Castle by Shirley Jackson
I totally understand why this novel is considered Jackson's masterpiece. It is so tightly written, the characters so unique and complex. I saw the 2018 movie first, and it set me on the path was learning more about Shirley Jackson and reading her work.
Taking readers deep into a labyrinth of dark neurosis, We Have Always Lived in the Castle is a deliciously unsettling novel about a perverse, isolated, and possibly murderous family and the struggle that ensues when a cousin arrives at their estate.
2. Black Sun by Rebecca Roanhorse
I was already a Roanhorse fan, but this book has made me a superfan. This is some of the best fantasy I've ever read. The world building was superb. The characters interesting and complex. The story made you want to keep reading. I love her Sixth World series, but she definitely leveled up with the Black Sun. If you're a fantasy reader, you definitely need to check out this book.
A god will return
When the earth and sky converge
Under the black sun
In the holy city of Tova, the winter solstice is usually a time for celebration and renewal, but this year it coincides with a solar eclipse, a rare celestial event proscribed by the Sun Priest as an unbalancing of the world.
Meanwhile, a ship launches from a distant city bound for Tova and set to arrive on the solstice. The captain of the ship, Xiala, is a disgraced Teek whose song can calm the waters around her as easily as it can warp a man’s mind. Her ship carries one passenger. Described as harmless, the passenger, Serapio, is a young man, blind, scarred, and cloaked in destiny. As Xiala well knows, when a man is described as harmless, he usually ends up being a villain.
Crafted with unforgettable characters, Rebecca Roanhorse has created an epic adventure exploring the decadence of power amidst the weight of history and the struggle of individuals swimming against the confines of society and their broken pasts in the most original series debut of the decade.
3. For Every One by Jason Reynolds
This truly is a poem for every one. I don't care what stage of life you're in or your age, this poem will speak to you. Kids in middle school should be reading it, then given it again in high school, and again in college, and should keep reading it every few years. I love Reynolds' prose, but I love his poetry best. This one immediately went on the to-own list.
For Every One is exactly that: for every one. For every one person. For every one who has a dream. But especially for every kid. The kids who dream of being better than they are. Kids who dream of doing more than they almost dare to imagine. Kids who are like Jason Reynolds, a self-professed dreamer. Jason does not claim to know how to make dreams come true; he has, in fact, been fighting on the front line of his own battle to make his own dreams a reality. He expected to make it when he was sixteen. Then eighteen. Then twenty-five. Now, some of those expectations have been realized. But others, the most important ones, lay ahead, and a lot of them involve kids, how to inspire them: All the kids who are scared to dream, or don’t know how to dream, or don’t dare to dream because they’ve NEVER seen a dream come true. Jason wants kids to know that dreams take time. They involve countless struggles. But no matter how many times a dreamer gets beat down, the drive and the passion and the hope never fully extinguishes—because simply having the dream is the start you need, or you won’t get anywhere anyway, and that is when you have to take a leap of faith.
4. Dash and Lily's Book of Dares by Rachel Cohn and David Levithan
This book absolutely charmed me. Dash had me chuckling with his sarcasm and cynicism and Lily had me cheering for her every time she was unabashedly her weird and wonderful self. I also loved how it didn't follow the usual YA love story tropes. I loved that Dash got to be a loner and Lily got to be weird, and neither of them had to change to suddenly be desirable. The Netflix mini-series based on the book is cute, but it falls into many of the cliches the book manages to avoid. If you're looking for a light, but well-written holiday read, give this one a try.
“I’ve left some clues for you.
If you want them, turn the page.
If you don’t, put the book back on the shelf, please.”
16-year-old Lily has left a red notebook full of challenges on her favorite bookstore shelf, waiting for just the right guy to come along and accept its dares. Dash, in a bad mood during the holidays, happens to be the first guy to pick up the notebook and rise to its challenges.
What follows is a whirlwind romance as Dash and Lily trade dares, dreams, and desires in the notebook they pass back and forth at locations all across New York City. But can their in-person selves possibly connect as well as their notebook versions, or will their scavenger hunt end in a comic mismatch of disastrous proportions?
5. Betty Before X by Ilyasah Shabazz and Renee Watson
This middle grade novel is historical fiction and tells the story of Dr. Betty Shabazz (Malcolm X's wife) when she was a girl living in 1940's Detroit. Being a Michigander, it's always cool to read stories set in my state. I enjoyed this book immensely and now need to do some more reading on Dr. Shabazz.
In Detroit, 1945, eleven-year-old Betty’s house doesn’t quite feel like home. She believes her mother loves her, but she can’t shake the feeling that her mother doesn’t want her. Church helps those worries fade, if only for a little while. The singing, the preaching, the speeches from guest activists like Paul Robeson and Thurgood Marshall stir African Americans in her community to stand up for their rights. Betty quickly finds confidence and purpose in volunteering for the Housewives League, an organization that supports black-owned businesses. Soon, the American civil rights icon we now know as Dr. Betty Shabazz is born.
Inspired by Betty's real life―but expanded upon and fictionalized through collaboration with novelist Renée Watson―Ilyasah Shabazz illuminates four poignant years in her mother’s childhood with this book, painting an inspiring portrait of a girl overcoming the challenges of self-acceptance and belonging that will resonate with young readers today.
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