It’s been a long, busy week, so I’m going to jump right in but a few items ICYMI.
- A Tree Grows In Brooklyn (review)
- Our African-American Reads for May
What I finished reading
Lilac Girls by Martha Hall Kelly
Are you joining the readalong of this book for Seasons by the Book? Lilac Girls was so well written and researched. The author brings the characters and events to life in a way that provoked a sort of obsession to find out what happened next. Many historical fiction books are written with multiple viewpoints, often going from past to present. But with Lilac Girls, Kelly has taken us on a chronological journey with Caroline Ferriday, Herta Oberheuser, and Kasia Kuzmerick, during WWII, and afterwards. I thoroughly enjoyed it and can’t wait to discuss this book further.
Pride, Prejudice, and other Flavors by Sonali Dev
When you can’t sleep in the middle of the night or the wee hours of the morning, what do you do? I opted to finally finish an e-galley of this book (thank you to publisher William Morrow for the review copy). It’s taken me 2 months to finish so that might give you an indication on how I feel about this book. There wasn’t anything especially captivating about the characters. The author doesn’t stick to the original narrative of Pride and Prejudice, taking some unique liberties and that’s fine. But for me, I am overly critical when it comes to books inspired by the classics. There are aspects of classics they make them timeless. I realize after reading finishing this, I suppose this is more of a contemporary romance sort of book. Not really my thing.
The Blacker the Berry by Wallace Thurman
“She was always trying to emphasize those things about her that seemed, somehow, to atone for her despized darkness, and she never faced the mirror without speculating upon how good-looking she might have been had she not been so black.”
Emma Lou has dealt with color prejudice, within her own race, her whole life. Thurman presents Emma Lou’s journey to find happiness– a reality that doesn’t come from other people or places, but from within. I think this one deserves a full review but until then, check out the first installment of Our African-American Reads, where this book and Go Tell it on the Mountain are discussed.
What I have been drinking
☕️ The Cup: French Macaron | 🍃 Tea Type: Black | ✉ From: Field to Cup
Back to my regularly scheduled drinking routine with my May tea box from Field to Cup. Getting new tea excites me and when I read the description for this one, I thought immediately, I’d found a new favorite. NutTEA over nut teas. Almond notes complimented by a sweetness with hints of a floral tones, I think this tea is a nice afternoon treat. I have a feeling, this one will work well as a tea latte as well.
Please note- The link to Field to Cup is an affiliate link. I will earn a small commission from your order at no additional cost to you.
April Reads
Even with the best intentions and plans, sometimes, things just don’t work out the way we hope. On Sunday, I thought I’d finish at least one or two books before April ended, but I didn’t because I opted to listen to a few podcasts instead. Looking at what I finished in the month of April, all the books were by women!
Aligning with my reading goals; 2 classics, 1 was a collection of short stories, 1 nonfiction, and 2 historical fiction, all books I had on my shelves.
Something Different
As I mentioned briefly, I opted for a different form of entertainment by way of podcasts. I’ve been very hit or miss with them in the past and thought it might be a fun to try some this week.
The Stacks: I heard about this on Instagram (bookstagram) and decided to try The Short Stacks featuring, Crystal Hana Kim, author of If You Leave Me. I’ve seen this book a lot in the bookstagram space and figured this would be a good way to learn a bit more about the book. I enjoyed finding out how the author was encouraged to write this book, how the flowers on the cover are significant, but one thing sent me over the edge. The author is a tea drinker! Team tea! That was not the main point of this interview but for the tea enthusiast in me, I decided at that moment, I’m going to read her book. I’ve requested a copy at my library and plan to work it into my reading stack this month.
Tea or Books: I listened to this one a few years ago and decided to tune into this one, Tact vs Attack, and North and South vs Pride and Prejudice because the title sounded interesting since I’ve read both books. Simon and Rachel shared their thoughts on books others have raved about but personally, they didn’t care for them. I literally cheered when Rachel talked about Zadie Smith’s books. I could understand completely what Rachel meant and decided from this point forward, I should listen to this podcast on a regular. If for no other reason, the title, Tea or Books, but in my opinion, you can have both.
Do you listen to podcast? What about? Do you have any you recommend?
Books By the Cup 
I’d like to listen to more podcasts. Elizabeth Day does one called How to Fail which I’ve listened to a bit of.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I’ll have to look that one up. I’ve heard people talk about podcasts all the time but don’t really look them up. I think it’s a good topic of conversation. Like sharing books? 😆
LikeLiked by 1 person
I’ve seen If You Leave Me around a lot as well, so I’ll keep an eye out for your thoughts!
LikeLiked by 1 person
I’m looking forward to reading it! I sometimes stay away from the books that are getting all the attention because sometimes they don’t live up to the hype. But this author is already on my good side because of the tea comment 😊
LikeLiked by 1 person
Yes, I do the same! I hope you enjoy it 😊
LikeLiked by 1 person
I listened to every episode of Ear Hustle, a podcast the actually is recorded inside of San Quentin prison. I also listen to a podcast called how to sleep, in which the podcaster reads manuals and a nice soothing voice so that you fall asleep!
I wonder if that pride and prejudice book only tried to advertise the angle of being like Jane Austen so that they could sell more books. Likely, there was a character that was prideful and one who is prejudiced, but that was the extent of it.
LikeLike
What is it about Ear Hustle you enjoy? The one about sleeping sounds very funny! How often do you use that one?
There was some good parts to the P&P book, like the gender and socioeconomic switch the author did with the main characters. I might share a review on that one when I get some more time
LikeLike
Ear Hustle both dispels and confirms rumors about what it’s really like in prison. I think that it’s important to get the truth, no matter how hard it is to hear, though that’s a slippery slope because victims will feel differently. I started listening to the podcast when I was teaching in a correctional facility just to get some perspective on what life may be like for my students outside the classroom.
When I was still working at the civic theatre, I would listen to the How to Sleep podcast pretty often because my thoughts would race and I couldn’t slow them down.
LikeLiked by 1 person