by Jen Moyers (@jen.loves.books)
Today is such an epic book release day that I'm afraid I can't limit myself to highlighting only three books. So, be sure to scroll to the end to check out the books I can't help shouting out.
Bethany C. Morrow's So Many Beginnings: A Little Women Remix (Amazon | Bookshop.org)
Description from Publisher:
"Four young Black sisters come of age during the American Civil War in So Many Beginnings, a warm and powerful YA remix of the classic novel Little Women, by national bestselling author Bethany C. Morrow.
"North Carolina, 1863. As the American Civil War rages on, the Freedpeople's Colony of Roanoke Island is blossoming, a haven for the recently emancipated. Black people have begun building a community of their own, a refuge from the shadow of the 'old life.' It is where the March family has finally been able to safely put down roots with four young daughters:
"Meg, a teacher who longs to find love and start a family of her own.
"Jo, a writer whose words are too powerful to be contained.
"Beth, a talented seamstress searching for a higher purpose.
"Amy, a dancer eager to explore life outside her family's home.
"As the four March sisters come into their own as independent young women, they will face first love, health struggles, heartbreak, and new horizons. But they will face it all together."
Why I want to read it:
I am such a sucker for a great retelling, one that offers a new, important perspective on a classic. (That's one of the reasons it's a category for the Unabridged Podcast Reading Challenge.) I love Little Women (Amazon | Bookshop.org), so I'm eager to see what Morrow does with this recasting of the original. I also wasn't aware that this was book two in a series: the first book is A Clash of Steel (Amazon | Bookshop.org), C. B. Lee's retelling of Treasure Island (Amazon | Bookshop.org), and it sounds phenomenal, too!
Sally Rooney's Beautiful World, Where Are You (Amazon | Bookshop.org)
Description from Publisher:
"Alice, a novelist, meets Felix, who works in a warehouse, and asks him if he’d like to travel to Rome with her. In Dublin, her best friend, Eileen, is getting over a break-up, and slips back into flirting with Simon, a man she has known since childhood.
"Alice, Felix, Eileen, and Simon are still young―but life is catching up with them. They desire each other, they delude each other, they get together, they break apart. They have sex, they worry about sex, they worry about their friendships and the world they live in. Are they standing in the last lighted room before the darkness, bearing witness to something? Will they find a way to believe in a beautiful world?"
Why I want to read it:
I'll be honest: I pre-ordered this one without even reading the synopsis. After reading Rooney's previous books Normal People (Amazon | Bookshop.org) and Conversations with Friends (Amazon | Bookshop.org), I'm all-in for anything Rooney writes.
Abe Streep's Brothers on Three: A True Story of Family, Resistance, and Hope on a Reservation in Montana (Amazon | Bookshop.org)
Description from Publisher:
"From journalist Abe Streep, the story of coming of age on a reservation in the American West and a team uniting a community
"March 11, 2017, was a night to remember: in front of the hopeful eyes of thousands of friends, family members, and fans, the Arlee Warriors would finally bring the high school basketball state championship title home to the Flathead Indian Reservation. The game would become the stuff of legend, with the boys revered as local heroes. The team’s place in Montana history was now cemented, but for starters Will Mesteth, Jr. and Phillip Malatare, life would keep moving on―senior year was only just beginning.
"In Brothers on Three, we follow Phil and Will, along with their teammates, coaches, and families, as they balance the pressures of adolescence, shoulder the dreams of their community, and chart their own individual courses for the future.
"Brothers on Three is not simply a story about high school basketball, about state championships and a winning team. It is a book about community, and it is about boys on the cusp of adulthood, finding their way through the intersecting worlds they inhabit and forging their own paths to personhood."
Why I want to read it:
I've seen several glowing reviews of this one on bookstagram, and it sounds like such a great, nonfiction read. I've talked on the podcast before about the fact that I don't play sports or (really) watch them in real life, but I love a sports story. This one's at the top of my list.
There are so many books coming out today that I'm eager to read, but here are three more than I can't help but shout out:
Zoraida Cordova's The Inheritance of OrquÃdea Divina (Amazon | Bookshop.org) - Check out my review.
Lori Lee's Pahua and the Soul Stealer (Amazon | Bookshop.org) - This one is from the Rick Riordan Presents imprint, so it's another one that's perfect for the Reading Challenge!
Silvia Moreno-Garcia's Certain Dark Things (Amazon | Bookshop.org) - Check out my review.
#pubdayshoutouts #nonfiction #literaryfiction #fantasy #middlegrade #yalit #vampires #retelling #classics #contemporary #historicalfiction
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