The Grace Year

I read The Grace Year by Kim Liggett for book club. The book description says, "No one speaks of the grace year. It’s forbidden. In Garner County, girls are told they have the power to lure grown men from their beds, to drive women mad with jealousy. They believe their very skin emits a powerful aphrodisiac, the potent essence of youth, of a girl on the edge of womanhood. That’s why they’re banished for their sixteenth year, to release their magic into the wild so they can return purified and ready for marriage. But not all of them will make it home alive. Sixteen-year-old Tierney James dreams of a better life—a society that doesn’t pit friend against friend or woman against woman, but as her own grace year draws near, she quickly realizes that it’s not just the brutal elements they must fear. It’s not even the poachers in the woods, men who are waiting for a chance to grab one of the girls in order to make a fortune on the black market. Their greatest threat may very well be each other."

This was an engaging book. I really liked Tierney as a character, and the storyline made me want to keep reading. It kind of reminded me of a combo between Hunger Games and Lord of the Flies. I mostly liked how the book turned out, even though partway through I wasn't sure how the author would satisfy two sides of things. The book was a little predictable at times, and some characters (Kiersten) kind of drove me nuts (but it may have just been that the audiobook voice was annoying). I also found it a little too gruesome at times. I saw that this book is technically a YA book, but due to some content, I'd probably label it more as adult. I listened to an interview with the author at the end of the audiobook that made me realize she meant for this book to have deeper meaning and applications to our current world than I really caught, so I think this will make for an interesting discussion at book club.

Rating: * * (2/3 = Liked it)

Aarzu All Around

I saw Aarzu All Around by Marzieh Abbas on a new-book list and got it from the library. The book description says, "Living with her aunt and patriarchal uncle in Karachi, Pakistan, recently orphaned twelve-year-old Aarzu detests the way she and her younger sister get treated like extras and excluded from all the fun stuff. Aarzu dreams of playing cricket, just like her male cousins and the neighborhood boys in the streets, but her uncle will hear nothing of it. According to him, girls ought to master the art of making round rotis, not play sports. When her sister requires urgent medical treatment but finances are tight, Aarzu decides to earn money herself. She hears of a part-time job at a bungalow near her school—but it’s only open to boys. Aarzu has no choice but to disguise herself as a turban-wearing boy to get the gig. Now, Aarzu must find a way to balance school, work, chores, and secret cricket practices—all without burning out or getting caught by her uncle—or else her dreams of making the girls cricket team and her quest to save her sister will crumble around her."

I enjoyed this book. It took me a bit to get into it at the beginning, but then once I was engaged, I sped through the rest and was excited to see how things came together. I really liked Aarzu and her dedication to her sister Sukoon. It was good to learn about Pakistan and how some (not all!) men view girls and women. I also learned a lot about the sport of cricket. :) I think this was a good "own voices" book that I'd recommend to others.

Rating: * * (2/3 = Liked it)

The Lion Women of Tehran

I read The Lion Women of Tehran by Marjan Kamali for book club. The book description says, "In 1950s Tehran, seven-year-old Ellie lives in grand comfort until the untimely death of her father, forcing Ellie and her mother to move to a tiny home downtown. Lonely and bearing the brunt of her mother’s endless grievances, Ellie dreams for a friend to alleviate her isolation. Luckily, on the first day of school, she meets Homa, a kind girl with a brave and irrepressible spirit. Together, the two girls play games, learn to cook in the stone kitchen of Homa’s warm home, wander through the colorful stalls of the Grand Bazaar, and share their ambitions of becoming “lion women.” But their happiness is disrupted when Ellie and her mother are afforded the opportunity to return to their previous bourgeois life. Now a popular student at the best girls’ high school in Iran, Ellie’s memories of Homa begin to fade. Years later, however, her sudden reappearance in Ellie’s privileged world alters the course of both of their lives. Together, the two young women come of age and pursue their own goals for meaningful futures. But as the political turmoil in Iran builds to a breaking point, one earth-shattering betrayal will have enormous consequences."

WHAT A BOOK. I loved it! I listened to it an audiobook but was so engaged that I wanted to listen to it all the time and was even listening to it in between trick or treaters on Halloween night. (I was wishing I had a hard copy so I could just zoom through the end and see what happened.) The characters were just so real and meaningful. I loved Homa so much especially, but so many characters were just so distinct and deep. I loved how the author ended things as well. This was an amazing book that opened my eyes to what it would be like to be an Iranian woman. Just a beautiful book overall. So glad I read this. Thank you, book club!

Rating: * * * (3/3 = Loved it)

Call Me Adnan

I saw Call Me Adnan by Reem Faruqi on a list of new-ish books written in verse, and it caught my eye since I've enjoyed other books by the other. The book description says, "Adnan Zakir loves table tennis. He's also colorblind and left-handed and has a fondness for the aviation alphabet. He's super close with his sister, Aaliyah, who is a great dancer and memorizer of the Quran, and he loves his little toddler brother, Rizwan, who only wants to grow up and play table tennis like his big brother. All Adnan dreams of is making it to the Ultimate Table Tennis Championship in Florida, and if he qualifies for the tournament, he knows he will get to spend the Eid holiday with his cousins. But when the family travels there, unthinkable tragedy strikes, and Adnan swears he'll never play table tennis ever again. Slowly, he and his family must learn to make peace and move forward, as a family."

I really liked this book. Adnan was a great character, and the story kept me interested. The book took a heavy turn in the middle that I wasn't expecting, which was very heartbreaking. But I liked the messages the book taught, and the author's note made me appreciate the author's own personal experiences with many of the circumstances in the book.

Rating: * * (2/3 = Liked it)

Book Club books

I'm realizing I should also be recording the books I read with Ollie for his kids' book club. Here's what we've read in 2025 & 2026.

• The Creatures of the Pines by Adam Gidwitz
• Alvin Ho by Lenore Look
• The Puppets of Spelhorst by Kate DiCamillo
• Magnolia Wu Unfolds It All by Chanel Miller
• The Show Must Go On by Kate Klise
• Little Dog, Lost by Marion Dane Bauer
• Grimwood by Nadia Shireen
• The Cardboard Kingdom by Chad Sell
• Haven by Megan Wagner Lloyd (I did a separate post about this one since I read it before we picked it for book club.)
• Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle by Betty MacDonald
• The Jolly Regina by Kara LaReau
• Too Small Tola by Atinuke
• The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis
• Ra the Mighty: Cat Detective by A.B. Greenfield
• Lety Out Loud by Angela Cervantes

The Woman's Hour

I got The Woman's Hour: The Great Fight to Win the Vote by Elaine Weiss on audiobook from the library after seeing it somewhere. (It caught my eye because I recently saw the musical Suffs about the women's suffrage movement.) The book description says, "Nashville, August 1920. Thirty-five states have approved the Nineteenth Amendment, granting women the right to vote; one last state–Tennessee–is needed for women’s voting rights to be the law of the land. The suffragists face vicious opposition from politicians, clergy, corporations, and racists who don’t want black women voting. And then there are the 'Antis'–women who oppose their own enfranchisement, fearing suffrage will bring about the nation’s moral collapse. And in one hot summer, they all converge for a confrontation, replete with booze and blackmail, betrayal and courage. Following a handful of remarkable women who led their respective forces into battle, The Woman’s Hour is the gripping story of how America’s women won their own freedom, and the opening campaign in the great twentieth-century battles for civil rights."

This was a really inspiring read. I learned so much about the movement and the different sides and the effort it took to win the vote. The details were a little hard to keep track of at times since there were so many people to keep track of, but I didn't worry about following every person exactly and just focused on getting the overall gist/message. I'm glad I read this book and just saw there's a young reader's edition, so I'll recommend that to my daughter. At the very end (after ratification was won), there was a quote from Carrie Catt that I really loved: "The vote is the emblem of your equality, women of America, the guarantee of your liberty. That vote of yours has cost millions of dollars and the lives of thousands of women. Money to carry on this work has been given usually as a sacrifice, and thousands of women have gone without things they wanted and could have had in order that they might help get the vote for you. Women have suffered agony of soul which you can never comprehend, that you and your daughters might inherit political freedom. That vote has been costly. Prize it!"

Rating: * * (2/3 = Liked it)

A Sea of Lemon Trees

I have had A Sea of Lemon Trees by Maria Dolores Aguila on my to-read list ever since it won the Newbery Honor and finally got around to reading it. The book description says, "Twelve-year-old Roberto Alvarez is the youngest of his siblings, born on United States soil. He’s el futuro, their dream for a life away from the fire of the Mexican Revolution. Moved by anti-immigrant and anti-Mexican propaganda, the Lemon Grove school board and chamber of commerce create a separate 'Americanization' school for the Mexican children attending the Lemon Grove Grammar School. But the new Olive Street School is an old barn retrofitted for the children forced to attend a segregated school. Amid threats of deportation, the Comité de Vecinos risk everything to stand their ground and, with the support of the Mexican Consulate, choose Roberto as the lead plaintiff in a lawsuit against the school board in this vivid and uplifting novel in verse based on true events."

This was a great read. I loved that it was based on a true story, and it taught me about this time period and the types of things these groups of people went through. I thought Roberto was a great character, and the author did a great job putting us in his mind. I came away from the book inspired by people like Roberto and his family and community who have to be very brave to stand up for their rights.

Rating: * * (2/3 = Liked it)