There Are Rivers in the Sky by Elif Shafak: There are Rivers in the Sky was our Fiction Matters’ buzzy book of the month. I had read and liked other Shafak- The Island of Missing Trees and 10 Minutes 38 Seconds in this Strange World- and liked them both but Rivers is definitely my favorite Shafak. I love when historical fiction teaches me about parts of the world and times I had very little knowledge of before hand and keeps me thinking long after I have finished the book. There are Rivers in the Sky checks both these boxes.
Once There Were Wolves by Charlotte McConaghy: I loved the writing and the characters in Once There Were Wolves. I also loved that McConaghy made me care about wolves. I had not given much thought to what happens when predators are eradicated from a landscape but McConaghy helped me think about this important implication of climate change. All that said, the ending of this nook went completely off the rails!
Witchcraft for Wayward Girls by Grady Hendrix. Witchcraft for Weyward Girls was the first book in my Jordy’s Book Club subscription. I found this book to be a bit too long but it was otherwise a fun, scary, witchy read with a side of reproductive justice.
Magnolia Wu Unfolds It All by Chanel Miller. After reading Miller’s memoir, Know My Name, she went on my list of all time favorite writers. I had been annoyed that Miller was writing children’s literature instead of more adult books until I read Magnolia Wu Unfolds it All which is a complete treasure.