Hi, friends! Another “What I’m Reading” post dropping on a Tuesday.
Last week, I finished three books and it was a mixed bag for me. No real standouts in this batch, but still a nice week of reading.
Pony by R.J. Palacio (★★★★☆)
I ended up really, really enjoying this novel and I can see why it’s so beloved by everyone. The novel is about a young boy Silas whose father is taken in the middle of the night by men that Silas just doesn’t have a good feeling about. So, with the help of his ghost friend Mittenwool and a pony that arrived shortly after his father was taken, Silas sets out on a journey to find and rescue his dad. The story has some fantastical elements, mostly the fact that Silas can see and interact with ghosts, but there was something really charming about it. I loved the relationship between Silas and Mittenwool (who was likely only a few years older than Silas) and there were some really sweet moments that melted my heart. A heartwarming story!
The Care and Feeding of Waspish Widows by Olivia Waite (★★★☆☆)
This was quite the slow-burn romance as I don’t think the characters even kissed until more than halfway through the story! Slow-burn romances aren’t typically my favorite but then again, I know an author is doing a great job of making me believe in the characters’ chemistry when I’m yelling at my Kindle, “Just tell her how you feel already!” In this sapphic historical romance, Penelope and Agatha are two forty-something women who get to know one another when Agatha needs Penelope to deal with a bee problem at her printshop. Penelope is a celebrated beekeeper and I learned so much about beekeeping (well, beekeeping in the 1800s) from this novel. I loved the care Penelope had for her bees; an insect I find more annoying and terrifying than beautiful and majestic. There were some over-the-top elements in this book and way too many sections about the King and Queen and sedition battles, but overall, it was an enjoyable romance to read.
Outlawed by Anna North (★★★☆☆)
What a perfect book for me to read last week! This novel is about a dystopian society that takes place in the 1890s. In this America, a mysterious Flu has wiped out most of the population and now a woman’s sole role is to get married and have lots of children. Women who cannot get pregnant within a reasonable time frame (usually a year) are cast out of society or labeled as witches and killed. I know, I know. It doesn’t seem like the perfect book right now, but hold on. The novel centers around Ada, a young woman who gets married but finds out she’s barren. She’s soon cast out of her husband’s home and when there are rumblings that Ada might be a witch, her mom ships her off to a nunnery. It’s there that she learns about Hole in the Wall, a gang of outlaw women who are just like her—barren and cast out. She joins the gang and finds a group of women and nonbinary people who become her new home. There was a lot I liked about this book, mainly the cast of characters and the setting. I’ve never read a Western before! But there were some things about it that rubbed me the wrong way and I was especially unsettled by the ending. After I finished the book, I was perusing the reviews on Goodreads and this one by a Goodreads user named Renae was really eye-opening. The review begins by calling the book out for toxic white feminism and the reviewer made a really strong case for how problematic the book is. It’s the kind of book I would hesitate to put into anyone’s hands, but even still, I enjoyed the novel itself and it was what I needed to read in the days after Roe v Wade was struck down.
What I’m Reading This Week
- Instructions for Dancing by Nicola Yoon (audio) – I’m more than halfway through this YA romance and oh, it’s just so wonderful. I’m really loving it, and I’m especially loving the way Yoon is playing with the romance genre and themes within it in this book.
- The Lost for Words Bookshop by Stephanie Butland (e-book) – I just started this novel, which has been languishing on my Goodreads TBR since 2018. I don’t have too many thoughts about it right now, so stay tuned. 🙂
What are you reading?
I am glad you ended up really enjoying Pony. I think you were a little lukewarm on it when you last mentioned it? I thought it was really charming and sweet.
I ended up abandoning “The One” by John Marrs. It was raved about on currently reading but I didn’t realize it was a thriller. One of the characters is a serial killer and I was just not in the mood for that. And some of the discussion of “finding the one” was a little cliched for me. So I abandoned at 10%. Now I am reading and loving “The Violin Conspiracy.” It’s a book I would likely read in a day if my schedule allowed! I really enjoy the look at racism in classical music/orchestra. Next I will read The Postmistress of Paris for my 2-person Paris book club!
Pony really was such a sweet, heartwarming story! I’m glad I ended up really liking it.
You’ve convinced me to add The Violin Conspiracy to my TBR!
I’m intrigued by Outlawed, both by your review and the one you linked to. It sounds complicated. (Just as an aside, in the deep dive of Goodreads that your link created for me, I read a critique of The Lady Astronaut series, which I loved, but the reviews made me question whether or not I read it very critically and now I’m sad about that). I’m not sure if I’ll read it, but I appreciate that you grappled with some of the criticisms and gave voice to others who otherwise may not be heard.
Man, I would love for you to read Outlawed and give your critical opinion of it! You always think so much more critically than I do about books like these.
And hey, sometimes books are just meant to be read for fun and enjoyment – not to be read critically. It sounds like you enjoyed The Lady Astronaut series and that’s awesome!
I loved “Instructions for Dancing” SO freaking much.
It was so good! I loved it.