#recommend reading

It's been a while, but I'm coming into 2019 with tons of books and ready to hit the ground running. Keep an eye out! New posts will be updated soon ☺

Tagged by @malec-babies

1. Malec

2. Writing

3. Drawing / Painting / Creating Art

4. Dramatic Classical Music (recommend some songs to me!)

5. My Cat - Lucifer

I first saw this book, tucked under a librarian’s arm, during a staff meeting. The “grim reaper” on the cover intrigued me, facing away from the light with their blank face and scythe. A few months later, a friend recommended it to me. Since the book had already popped up twice on my radar, I figured that this was a sign that I should give it a chance. 

Citra and Rowan live in a world where science has conquered death, and people have become immortal through the power of technology and modern medicine. To alleviate overpopulation, society has created an organization known as Scythes: people who are required to kill a quota of individuals per year, to keep the ratio of resources and people balanced. However, corruption is running rampant in the organization, and Scythes are starting to split into various ideological factions.  Apprenticed as Scythes, Citra and Rowan become embroiled in the political moves of their superiors, and they must use their wits to keep one step ahead and make it to Scythe-hood. 

This book is a page turner. Starting on page one, Shusterman quickly outlines the rules that dictate this universe, but does it in a way that feels natural. Rather than a list, rules are introduced by characters’ being affected by them and their consequences. As such, the reader easily understands how this world works, while moving fast through the plot. The book’s perspective mainly alternates between Citra and Rowan, and Shusterman is able to find an individual voice for both of them. It was interesting to see these two different characters dealing with similar issues, but their different reactions and internal conflicts. In addition, because of the very nature of mortality, or the lack of it, in this world, the book raises many ethical and moral questions that the reader must ponder.

I got this book as part of the June box from my OwlCrate subscription, and once I saw the camera on the front cover, I was very excited to read it!

Twinkle is an aspiring filmmaker, who wants to bring people together and create change with her films. However, she feels as if she is at the bottom of the social hierarchy at school; barring her from becoming the person she wants to be. Cue in Sahil, who convinces her to create a film for their school’s Midsummer Night arts festival: her as director and him as producer. It just so happens that Twinkle’s longtime crush is Sahil’s popular twin brother, Neil, and she has been receiving mysterious love emails that are signed by “N.” Working with Sahil, Twinkle hopes to fulfill her dreams of being a director and getting closer to Neil, but starts to realize that her feelings for Sahil  just might be changing. 

First, I liked how the book was set up. For Twinkle, it is a journal, but she directs each entry towards a particular female filmmaker. It brings the vibe of the traditional format of the epistolary novel, but with a modern twist. And, as a movie lover myself, it is awesome to see some of my favorite filmmakers getting a shoutout (I’m looking at you, Sofia Coppola and Jane Campion!).

In addition, it was refreshing to read a book with a South Asian/woman of color protagonist. Menon weaves Twinkle’s culture into the story as a part of her character- NOT as a sidepiece/bullet point. As such, besides writing a very cute romance story, Menon also writes a poignant story about the experiences of being a first generation child in an immigrant family. As a WOC myself, I was unable to find many books that represented me and my experiences when I was a teenager (with the exception of the fantastic Millicent Min, Girl Genius by Lisa Yee). As such, it is heartening to see books like these becoming more prevalent in YA culture today.

Since March was Women’s History Month, I decided to see to if I could read some books along this theme. At the store, looking at the book display dedicated to this month, this book caught my eye, with its macabre title in bubble-gum pink.

Tori Telfer raises an interesting question at the very start of this book. Women have committed heinous crimes throughout history. However, these crimes are rarely researched or documented, becoming afterthoughts in folklore. This erasure in history has even led to the now infamous quote by an FBI profiler that “There are no female serial killers.” As Telfer’s book highlights though, this is is a widely communicated misconception.

Each chapter is dedicated to an individual “lady killer.” Taking each woman’s story, she weaves it into a tale, making it feel like a short story. As such, the reading is fast-paced and intriguing. These women range from the 16th century, up to the 1950s, but Telfer looks at their stories from a modern perspective. Besides detailing the crime, Telfer also takes a look at various reasons why these stories have been forgotten. As you proceed through the book, many of the reasons align with society’s inability to align such horrible acts with the domestic, loving, and caring stereotype of a woman. Rather than being reported as the calculated, manipulative person that they are and the senselessness of their crimes, these women and their crimes are given less weight than their male counterparts. As such, these women may become a punchline in the newspaper or are relegated as a committer of a “crime of passion,” before being forgotten in history.