Wow this took such a long time to get here (at least it feels that way)! This month was a weird one for me. Initially, I actually thought about skipping this month because I didn’t recognize any of the titles. However, after looking further into the selection I ended up adding TWO of the choices to my box. The box finally made it to my door, and now I am extremely excited to get to them (though I am a little sad because they sit behind an ever growing pile already on my desk).
Red Clocks By Leni Zumas
Five women. One question. What is a woman for?
In this ferociously imaginative novel, abortion is once again illegal in America, in-vitro fertilization is banned, and the Personhood Amendment grants rights of life, liberty, and property to every embryo. In a small Oregon fishing town, five very different women navigate these new barriers alongside age-old questions surrounding motherhood, identity, and freedom.
Ro, a single high-school teacher, is trying to have a baby on her own, while also writing a biography of Eivør, a little-known 19th-century female polar explorer. Susan is a frustrated mother of two, trapped in a crumbling marriage. Mattie is the adopted daughter of doting parents and one of Ro’s best students, who finds herself pregnant with nowhere to turn. And Gin is the gifted, forest-dwelling homeopath, or “mender,” who brings all their fates together when she’s arrested and put on trial in a frenzied modern-day witch hunt.
(via Goodreads)
This sounds fierce. At first I had a hard time deciding which book to choose. The last few months, BOTM has featured books that I was already aware of, making my choices easy. This month however provided me with five unknown choices that had me a little discouraged. But after reading the description to this one, I am PUMPED to work this into my TBR. So topical, and so close to being a reality that this will feel just as delicious as most people felt rereading 1984 in the wake of a Trump presidency. I look forward to some strong female perspectives.
As Bright As Heaven by Susan Meissner
In 1918, Philadelphia was a city teeming with promise. Even as its young men went off to fight in the Great War, there were opportunities for a fresh start on its cobblestone streets. Into this bustling town, came Pauline Bright and her husband, filled with hope that they could now give their three daughters—Evelyn, Maggie, and Willa—a chance at a better life.
But just months after they arrive, the Spanish Flu reaches the shores of America. As the pandemic claims more than twelve thousand victims in their adopted city, they find their lives left with a world that looks nothing like the one they knew. But even as they lose loved ones, they take in a baby orphaned by the disease who becomes their single source of hope. Amidst the tragedy and challenges, they learn what they cannot live without—and what they are willing to do about it.
(via Goodreads)
I don’t know guys, I am a sucker for a war story I guess. The whole family dynamic in the midst of a war, it just sounded like something I might enjoy. Throw in an epic illness sweeping the area, well, now it sounds like I can’t quite leave it behind. And can we just admire the cover for a moment? It is even more beautiful in person, but my goodness, SO PRETTY!
This book was actually offered as an exclusive through Book of the Month, which made it even more desirable. It is not due to be published until February of this year, so to have my hands on it a bit early is always thrilling. I doubt I will get to it before it comes out to the general public, but I am looking forward to reading it in the near future.
So what do you guys think? Do any of these sound like books you’d be interested in reading this year? Have you read any of them? Let’s chat in the comments!
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