by Jen Moyers (@jen.loves.books)
Saumya Dave's Well-Behaved Indian Woman
Description from Publisher:
"From a compelling new voice in women's fiction comes a mother-daughter story about three generations of women who struggle to define themselves as they pursue their dreams.
"Simran Mehta has always felt harshly judged by her mother, Nandini, especially when it comes to her little 'writing hobby.' But when a charismatic and highly respected journalist careens into Simran's life, she begins to question not only her future as a psychologist, but her engagement to her high school sweetheart.
"Nandini Mehta has strived to create an easy life for her children in America. From dealing with her husband's demanding family to the casual racism of her patients, everything Nandini has endured has been for her children's sake. It isn’t until an old colleague makes her a life-changing offer that Nandini realizes she's spent so much time focusing on being the Perfect Indian Woman, she’s let herself slip away.
"Mimi Kadakia failed her daughter, Nandini, in ways she'll never be able to fix—or forget. But with her granddaughter, she has the chance to be supportive and offer help when it's needed. As life begins to pull Nandini and Simran apart, Mimi is determined to be the bridge that keeps them connected, even as she carries her own secret burden."
Why I want to read it:
I love that this book focuses on three generations, and I think the examination of the woman who bridges two cultures sounds fascinating!
Katherine Center's What You Wish For
Description from Publisher:
"Samantha Casey is a school librarian who loves her job, the kids, and her school family with passion and joy for living.
"But she wasn’t always that way.
"Duncan Carpenter is the new school principal who lives by rules and regulations, guided by the knowledge that bad things can happen.
"But he wasn’t always that way.
"And Sam knows it. Because she knew him before―at another school, in a different life. Back then, she loved him―but she was invisible. To him. To everyone. Even to herself. She escaped to a new school, a new job, a new chance at living. But when Duncan, of all people, gets hired as the new principal there, it feels like the best thing that could possibly happen to the school―and the worst thing that could possibly happen to Sam. Until the opposite turns out to be true. The lovable Duncan she’d known is now a suit-and-tie wearing, rule-enforcing tough guy so hell-bent on protecting the school that he’s willing to destroy it.
"As the school community spirals into chaos, and danger from all corners looms large, Sam and Duncan must find their way to who they really are, what it means to be brave, and how to take a chance on love―which is the riskiest move of all.
"With Katherine Center’s sparkling dialogue, unforgettable characters, heart, hope, and humanity,What You Wish For is the author at her most compelling best."
Why I want to read it:
I've read and reviewed this one already (check out my review here), and we also had the privilege of talking with Katherine Center about her fabulous book and the search for joy at its center. That episode releases tomorrow!
T. J. Klune's The Extraordinaries
Description from Publisher:
"Some people are extraordinary. Some are just extra. TJ Klune's YA debut, The Extraordinaries, is a queer coming-of-age story about a fanboy with ADHD and the heroes he loves.
"Nick Bell? Not extraordinary. But being the most popular fanfiction writer in the Extraordinaries fandom is a superpower, right?
"After a chance encounter with Shadow Star, Nova City’s mightiest hero (and Nick’s biggest crush), Nick sets out to make himself extraordinary. And he’ll do it with or without the reluctant help of Seth Gray, Nick's best friend (and maybe the love of his life).
"Rainbow Rowell's Fangirl meets Marissa Meyer's Renegades in TJ Klune's YA debut."
Why I want to read it:
All it took here was the Fangirl comp. I was in. Add in Renegades (I just finished and loved the trilogy!) and I'm fully committed. I've been seeing good things about this book around bookstagram, and I think it sounds like a fun, unique read.
Billy-Ray Belcourt's A History of My Brief Body: Essays
Description from Publisher:
"The youngest ever winner of the Griffin Prize mines his personal history in a brilliant new essay collection seeking to reconcile the world he was born into with the world that could be.
"For readers of Ocean Vuong and Maggie Nelson and fans of Heart Berries by Terese Marie Mailhot, A History of My Brief Body is a brave, raw, and fiercely intelligent collection of essays and vignettes on grief, colonial violence, joy, love, and queerness.
"Billy-Ray Belcourt’s debut memoir opens with a tender letter to his kokum and memories of his early life in the hamlet of Joussard, Alberta, and on the Driftpile First Nation. Piece by piece, Billy-Ray’s writings invite us to unpack and explore the big and broken world he inhabits every day, in all its complexity and contradiction: a legacy of colonial violence and the joy that flourishes in spite of it; first loves and first loves lost; sexual exploration and intimacy; the act of writing as a survival instinct and a way to grieve. What emerges is not only a profound meditation on memory, gender, anger, shame, and ecstasy, but also the outline of a way forward. With startling honesty, and in a voice distinctly and assuredly his own, Belcourt situates his life experiences within a constellation of seminal queer texts, among which this book is sure to earn its place. Eye-opening, intensely emotional, and excessively quotable, A History of My Brief Body demonstrates over and over again the power of words to both devastate and console us."
Why I want to read it:
I enjoy reading essays every once in a while, and I think this sounds fascinating. Again, the comps are great, and it sounds as if this would give readers so much to consider.
I'm also looking forward to Kendra Atleework's Miracle Country: A Memoir, Kelli Jo Ford's Crooked Hallelujah, Rachel Lynn Solomon's Today Tonight Tomorrow, and Jim McCloskey and Philip Lerman's When Truth Is All You Have: A Memoir of Faith, Justice, and Freedom for the Wrongly Convicted.
(A note to our readers: click on the hashtags above to see our other blog posts with the same hashtag.)
Interested in what else we're reading? Check out our Featured Books page.
Loving what you see here? Please comment below (scroll ALL the way down to comment), share this post using the social media buttons below (scroll down for those as well!), and find us on social media to share your thoughts!
Want to support Unabridged?
Check out our Merch Store!
Become a patron on Patreon.
Follow us @unabridgedpod on Instagram.
Like and follow our Facebook Page.
Subscribe to our YouTube channel.
Check out our Teachers Pay Teachers store.
Follow us @unabridgedpod on Twitter.
Subscribe to our podcast and rate us on Apple Podcasts or on Stitcher.
Check us out on Podbean.
Please note that we a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.