So I’m housebound with the kiddies doing my part for social distancing and not going anywhere unless absolutely necessary. I’m taking this time to read as much as I can (mostly because my kids hog the tv, but there’s a fine tradeoff happening). Not everything I read is going to be thought provoking or profound, in fact very little will be because I’m reading heavy headlines in the news on the hourly. So I’m sharing my recent reads to help transport you away right now, that you can read even with all of the distractions happening around us.
I also suggest that now is a great time to order your books online, get your ebooks via your library, kindle, kobo and maybe set up a borrowing system with your friends (while still maintaining a social distancing).
Such a Fun Age -by Kiley Reid: this is a Reese Witherspoon Book Club pick, and it discusses the social issues around race and our own biases and perceptions about it through three main characters and how their lives intertwine. It’s actually not very heavy, and is an entertaining read.
The Marriage Clock by Zara Raheem: a relatable story for so many South Asian women who have probably all felt the pressures of having to get married “at the right time.” Forget our biological clock (that harrassment starts after the wedding), the pressures to get marriage to a suitable candidate can become all consuming. This is a lovely story about a young educated woman living in the United States and her quest to fight again her marriage clock.
The Proposal by Jasmine Guillory: I’m sort of hooked by this author’s writing style because it’s easy and light and perfect for what I need know (which is trying to read while ignoring the whining and fighting going on around me). It is a predictable love story set in sunny LA that at times will infuriate you because you want to reach into the book and smack the characters and tell them to see what it is that you know will happen anyways! But I’m going to be reading her other books because it’s just that kind of distraction I need right now!
Dear Girls: Intimate Tales, Untold Secrets & Advice for Living your best Life By Ali Wong : This book is HILARIOUS! Comedian and mother Ali Wong writes her daughters letters about life advice based on her own life and experiences in a raunchy yet hilariously truthful way. I particularly love her chapter on what every expectant mother needs to pack for the hospital, it should be required reading for all new moms!
A Man Called Ove by Fredrick Backman: This one is an oldie, but such a goodie especially right now when we are all probably starting to feel like the grumpy old man Ove. It talks of community and human connections and the bonds that we can build in times that we may not be expecting it. This one I highly recommend.
A Nearly Normal Family by M.T. Edvardsson: This one is more of a mystery style book as the reader tries to figure out the sequence of events that lead to the arrest of a family’s teenage daughter.
The Winemakers Wife by Kristin Harmel: Ok, this one is on my list but not because I liked it. I know I know, then why is it here Raj?? It’s here because it honestly doesn’t require much thought or investment and is very predictable and easy to read. It’s another historical fiction story about World War II, set in France and told from a female perspective. It had a lot of promise, and I’m also tired of this genre that focuses so much on the world wars. Historical Fiction is my favourite genre when it’s literally about any other time in history.
Born a Crime: Stories from a South African Childhood by Trevor Noah: I am a huge fan of Trevor Noah, I think he is funny and smart! As I this book I totally heard him telling it to me and learned so much about Apartheid and life for him in South Africa. I don’t love non fiction, but this genre of memoir was so entertaining.
Only Child by Rihannon Navin: Warning for this book – you WILL cry the whole time you read it. Like yes, non stop crying but also it will be non stop reading. It tells the story of a mass school shooting in an elementary school through the voice of a 6 year old. I know, keep a box of tissues close by my friends and remember the tears will be cathartic.
