In this collection of eight short stories, author Carmen Maria Machado explores the lives of women through a journey into psychological realism, fantasy, horror, and more. In “The Husband Stitch”, a husband attempts to remove the green ribbon tied around his wife’s neck — her only secret. In “The Resident”, a writer has trouble reckoning with her childhood trauma while vacationing in isolation at an artists’ retreat. In “Especially Heinous”, the show Law and Order: SVU is reimagined with doppelgängers, insanity, and the ghosts of raped and murdered girls.
Circe by Madeline Miller is an epic that follows the trials and triumphs of the Witch of Aiaia and Daughter of Helios, Circe. Written from Circe’s perspective in the form of a flashback, the novel begins with Circe’s birth into an immortal family, one with which despises her and with which she doesn’t fit into. After discovering her talent for Pharmakeia--or witchcraft--and using it to transform her mortal love interest and a fellow nymph into different forms, Zeus and Helios exile Circe to the island of Aiaia.
The Song of the Lark by Willa Cather is the story of a seemingly ordinary person rising up achieving greatness. Born in the small town of Moonstone, Colorado, Thea Kronborg faces the realities of life and comes to know her true self as she fights for a place in the world of opera.
Wench was a promising title that ultimately fell short for me. I loved the idea of following a tavern wench as she tried to get back her tavern and found it was really interesting. I was also pleasantly surprised by the role magic played in the story. However, the book ultimately failed to please me. Tanya was the only character who had a real arc. Other characters felt unimportant and under-developed. They had very little backstory and served no purpose beyond helping Tanya. They didn’t feel like real people.
As a teen invested in equal rights, I really enjoyed this book. I didn't know much history about this topic and because of that the most compelling aspect of the book is how it provided a new perspective. Lots of other teens like me will find this book informative and inspiring, and that is what makes it awesome. I also love books that have multiple POVs and make each person’s story come together in the end, and this book did a really good job with that. I think publishing novels like this one is really important to the current generation.
Glory O'Brien is graduating high school with no idea of where her life is going to go, because she's afraid she'll follow in her mother's steps and commit suicide. One night, Glory drinks a petrified bat and begins to see things--horrible visions of a future in which America is torn in two, and women's rights are shattered to bits. As Glory races to record her visions, she ends up uncovering secrets of her family's past and finding her own (albeit twisted) purpose.
Are you looking for a good read this holiday season? The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks by E. Lockhart is my new favorite. Frankie follows in her father's footsteps by attending the elite Alabaster boarding school. Her freshman year was relatively uneventful. With the help of her older sister she has managed to make a good group of friends that are slightly nerdy but still somewhat popular. At the begining of her Sophomore year Frankie is pining once more for the handsome Mathew Livingston.
