Extra March Reading

Arctic Fury by Greer Macallister

Badass Women…yes ma’am we’ve got them! Ah, how I loved this book! It involved all the things I like best about historical fiction: unique time period, expert research, complex and intriguing characters, and a plot line that makes one compulsively turn pages. The entire story is set around the missing Franklin mission circa 1853, where a British naval ship has disappeared with all men aboard in the Polar North. Franklin’s wife proposes to send an all-female team to find some answers. Okay, is that improbable? Perhaps. But plausible, considering Lady Franklin was a badass explorer herself so hmmmm, possible. Each of the twelve women are unique characters, with quirks and skillsets and intriguing pasts - I would like some follow up sequels please. And if you’ve never read Greer Macallister, I highly recommend, especially Girl in Disguise about the Pinkerton detective women.

The Push by Ashley Audrain

What can I add to other’s take on this propulsive, un-put-downable book? Let’s just say the following: Do NOT read this if you’re a new mother or expecting. No, seriously. I would have found this story line very anxiety-inducing. Since my kids are grown and gone, I was good with it. Don’t read this if you like sweet sappy romance plot lines - this ain’t it. Do read this if you liked 𝘞𝘦 𝘕𝘦𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘛𝘢𝘭𝘬 𝘈𝘣𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘒𝘦𝘷𝘪𝘯, and other books on really dark topics. Oh, and if you can stop yourself from googling your own child’s behaviors and what they might mean! Do read this if you want a book that will keep you up at night, force you to cringe frequently, and make you want to take a shower when you’re finished. In other words, it’s complicated. 

When I Ran Away by Ilona Bannister

“𝘣𝘦𝘤𝘢𝘶𝘴𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘱𝘢𝘪𝘯 𝘢 𝘮𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘧𝘦𝘦𝘭𝘴 𝘪𝘴 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘫𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘩𝘦𝘳’𝘴. 𝘚𝘩𝘦 𝘧𝘦𝘦𝘭𝘴 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺𝘰𝘯𝘦’𝘴 𝘱𝘢𝘪𝘯; 𝘴𝘩𝘦 𝘱𝘪𝘤𝘬𝘴 𝘪𝘵 𝘶𝘱 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘬𝘪𝘥𝘴, 𝘴𝘩𝘦 𝘤𝘢𝘳𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘴 𝘪𝘵 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘧𝘢𝘮𝘪𝘭𝘺, 𝘴𝘩𝘦 𝘵𝘢𝘬𝘦𝘴 𝘪𝘵 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘱𝘢𝘳𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘴 𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺’𝘳𝘦 𝘵𝘰𝘰 𝘰𝘭𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘣𝘦𝘢𝘳 𝘪𝘵.”Seriously. Reread that quote and you’ll understand the honesty, the rawness, the authenticity of this book. It slammed into my brain and my heart in a way that is not going to let me go anytime soon. The premise: Gigi has moved to London and is juggling a new baby, along with a husband and another son. So simple, right? Except throw in grief from a brother’s death long ago, grief from a life that changed abruptly, grief over her relationship with her mother, grief over leaving her lifeline friends back in Staten Island, grief over a lost career, grief over a traumatic birth, but the biggest loss? The loss of herself, her identity as a human, her belief in her capabilities, the loss of simple joys  - it has all been subsumed by motherhood. As the story moves back and forth and side to side through time, we see Gigi’s life and how it has pummeled her, given her great joy and laughter, how it has shaped her. This book shows the real-ness of motherhood - like why can’t my husband find the damn mustard in the frig when it’s staring him in the face and why didn’t his life change exponentially when WE had a child??!! Damn, I loved this book.

Beach Read by Emily Henry

Can you say Perfect Palate Cleanser?! Yep, I read this one right after The Push so I needed some sweet romance to wash the child-sociopath plot line out of my brain. Beach Read worked to perfection! And look it, I am soooooo not a big rom-com book reader most days, but this one thoroughly satisfied for a couple reasons. One, it’s well-written. Seriously. This woman knows how to string a sentence together, doesn’t muck up the story with extraneous description, and has an appealing voice. Second, it’s also funny, as in I laughed aloud multiple times. Third, and most important for me, it’s NOT sexist. So many romance or thrillers depend on the sexist trope of the ‘weak woman’ (HATE that so much - I’m looking at You and Verity!). In Beach Read, the woman is smart, successful and the life problems she’s going through aren’t due to her being weak, it’s just life. And the male lead is sensitive, emotional, respectful, normal. So, yes, pick this book up when you need a good cleanse!

Lost in the Never Woods by Aiden Thomas

Peter Pan - yep, I’m a sucker for anything Neverland, Peter, Tink, you name it. Not sure why, but I did grow up with the Mary Martin stage play on TV, the Disney movie on video for my kids, and then Hook, possibly my all-time favorite Robin Williams movie, so yeah, I’m a fan. And this new book out from the author of Cemetery Boys did Peter justice with a creative new re-telling of an age-old story. This time around, Wendy is a teenage girl who constantly draws pictures of a boy’s face, who lives in a town where kids are starting to vanish, and whose own two brothers disappeared five years ago, never to be seen again. A wonderful villain, a teensy bit of romance, a strong female lead, a quirky male, and a tale as old as time…I loved this audio.

The Other Wes Moore: One Name, Two Fates by Wes Moore

For my entire teaching career, almost 30 years, I was fascinated by the question "How do some at-risk kids survive while others drown?" This memoir attempts to answer that question, and made me think so much about what we can do as teachers, neighbors, parents, and society in general to provide more ways to support these kids. Two Black kids named Wes Moore were born in Baltimore in the 1980's, one became a Rhodes Scholar, one is serving life in prison. What made the difference? To find the answer, read this book - you won't be disappointed.