Across the Desert

I really like the author Dusti Bowling and saw she had a newish book I hadn't read yet, so I got it on my Kindle: Across the Desert. In this book, "Twelve-year-old Jolene spends every day she can at the library watching her favorite livestream: The Desert Aviator, where twelve-year-old 'Addie Earhart' shares her adventures flying an ultralight plane over the desert. While watching this daring girl fly through the sky, Jolene can dream of what it would be like to fly with her, far away from her own troubled home life where her mother struggles with a narcotic addiction. And Addie, who is grieving the loss of her father, finds solace in her online conversations with Jolene, her biggest—and only—fan. Then, one day, it all goes wrong: Addie's engine abruptly stops, and Jolene watches in helpless horror as the ultralight plummets to the ground and the video goes dark. Jolene knows that Addie won’t survive long in the extreme summer desert heat. With no one to turn to for help and armed with only a hand-drawn map and a stolen cell phone, it's up to Jolene to find a way to save the Desert Aviator."

This was a wonderful book. I loved Jolene's determination even when no one understands her, and I loved the character Marty who came in to the story and made a difference right from the start. The characters were wonderful, and it was an engaging story that I wasn't sure how would pan out. I really like how the author pulled things together in the end and was inspired to hear that some experiences in the story (an addicted parent) are based on the author's childhood.

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

A Thousand Questions

I read A Thousand Questions by Saadia Faruqi while traveling. It had been on my to-read list because I have enjoyed other books by the author. This book is about Mimi and Sakina: "Mimi is not thrilled to be spending her summer in Karachi, Pakistan, with grandparents she’s never met. Secretly, she wishes to find her long-absent father, and plans to write to him in her beautiful new journal. The cook’s daughter, Sakina, still hasn’t told her parents that she’ll be accepted to school only if she can improve her English test score—but then, how could her family possibly afford to lose the money she earns working with her Abba in a rich family’s kitchen? Although the girls seem totally incompatible at first, as the summer goes on, Sakina and Mimi realize that they have plenty in common—and that they each need the other to get what they want most."

This was a great book. I really liked both main characters and seeing the dynamics and interactions between them and seeing their unique life situations. I think the book really opened my eyes to a different culture. I really enjoyed it and should have written about this right when I finished because then I'd probably have more specifics to share. :)

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

The Radium Girls

I read The Radium Girls: The Dark Story of America's Shining Women by Kate Moore while traveling after having it on my to-read list for awhile. The book description reads, "The Curies’ newly discovered element of radium makes gleaming headlines across the nation as the fresh face of beauty, and wonder drug of the medical community. From body lotion to tonic water, the popular new element shines bright in the otherwise dark years of the First World War. Meanwhile, hundreds of girls toil amidst the glowing dust of the radium-dial factories. The glittering chemical covers their bodies from head to toe; they light up the night like industrious fireflies. With such a coveted job, these 'shining girls' are the luckiest alive — until they begin to fall mysteriously ill. But the factories that once offered golden opportunities are now ignoring all claims of the gruesome side effects, and the women’s cries of corruption. And as the fatal poison of the radium takes hold, the brave shining girls find themselves embroiled in one of the biggest scandals of America’s early 20th century, and in a groundbreaking battle for workers’ rights that will echo for centuries to come."

This book was AMAZING. Sometimes nonfiction books can be slow reads, but this one was fascinating and engaging and easy to get through. I knew very little about radium and so was very interested in reading about what was understood about it at that time. It was heartbreaking to read about the girls' medical problems and how they could not find help and support--and yet so inspiring when they found people willing to put in the work to find them justice. I really enjoyed this read and would highly recommend it.

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

We Are Displaced

I had We Are Displaced: My Journey and Stories from Refugee Girls Around the World by Malala Yousafzai on my to-read list for awhile and finally got to it on a recent flight. The book description says, "After her father was murdered, Maria escaped in the middle of the night with her mother.
Zaynab was out of school for two years as she fled war before landing in America. Her sister, Sabreen, survived a harrowing journey to Italy. Ajida escaped horrific violence, but then found herself battling the elements to keep her family safe. Malala's experiences visiting refugee camps caused her to reconsider her own displacement -- first as an Internally Displaced Person when she was a young child in Pakistan, and then as an international activist who could travel anywhere in the world except to the home she loved. In We Are Displaced, Malala not only explores her own story, but she also shares the personal stories of some of the incredible girls she has met on her journeys -- girls who have lost their community, relatives, and often the only world they've ever known."

This was a great read. I was inspired by the many different girls whose stories were shared and all that they have gone through to find safety and peace. The book begins with a quote that says, "No one leave home unless home is the mouth of a shark. You only run for the border when you see the whole city running as well." And then Malala explained her purpose in writing the book--that too many people don't understand that refugees are ordinary people who just found themselves in a situation where they had no choice but to leave home. I think the book did that beautifully--helping us see these girls as normal, everyday people who faced the unthinkable.

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

The Scarlet Pimpernel

I read The Scarlet Pimpernel by Baroness Orczy for my (adult) book club. The book description says, "The year is 1792. The French Revolution, driven to excess by its own triumph, has turned into a reign of terror. Daily, tumbrels bearing new victims to the guillotine roll over the cobbled streets of Paris.… Thus the stage is set for one of the most enthralling novels of historical adventure ever written.
The mysterious figure known as the Scarlet Pimpernel, sworn to rescue helpless men, women, and children from their doom; his implacable foe, the French agent Chauvelin, relentlessly hunting him down; and lovely Marguerite Blakeney, a beautiful French exile married to an English lord and caught in a terrible conflict of loyalties—all play their parts in a suspenseful tale that ranges from the squalid slums of Paris to the aristocratic salons of London, from intrigue on a great English country estate to the final denouement on the cliffs of the French coast."

I ended up liking this book, but boy was it hard for me to get into it at the beginning! I had the book for more than a month and only read like 30 pages. Finally I was down to the wire in terms of the book club meeting coming up, so I forced myself to read more--and finally got into it and finished the rest of the book in just a few days. The old fashioned language was just hard for me to follow, and I just wasn't pulled into the story at first. But I ended up enjoying it and finding it very adventurous at the end. I'm proud of myself for getting through it. :) I also found on this blog that I read this book like 10 years ago (which I hardly remembered) and felt pretty much the same about it. :)

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

Emmy in the Key of Code

I read Emmy in the Key of Code by Aimee Lucido for my girls' book club. The book description reads, "In a new city, at a new school, twelve-year-old Emmy has never felt more out of tune. Things start to look up when she takes her first coding class, unexpectedly connecting with the material—and Abigail, a new friend—through a shared language: music. But when Emmy gets bad news about their computer teacher, and finds out Abigail isn’t being entirely honest about their friendship, she feels like her new life is screeching to a halt. Despite these obstacles, Emmy is determined to prove one thing: that, for the first time ever, she isn’t a wrong note, but a musician in the world’s most beautiful symphony."

This was a nice read. It was written in verse and so pretty quick to get through, and I thought the author wrote it in a fun way (involving coding language/format in how she wrote some parts). The book was engaging with characters I rooted for. Not much else to say since it's been a couple months since I read it. :) I made a virtual escape room for the girls in the book club here: https://sites.google.com/view/emmyinthekeyofcode/home

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