Americanah by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

I have been hearing about this book for a while and finally got my hands (or, rather, my ears) on it.  It was different than I was expecting.  In my mind it was going to be more like Roots (which I loved):an epic, multi-generational story. It wasn’t like that at all, really, but I still enjoyed it.  It is about a Nigerian woman named Ifemelu, and her experience immigrating to America.  It covers a lot of racial issues and gave me so much to think about.  One of my favorite excerpts is a list near the end of the book of ways you might know that you’ve have racial privilege.  Several of the items from that list gave me pause and I’ve found myself thinking about them long after finishing the book.

To be honest, I’m struggling with the ending.  I don’t want to include any spoilers here, but I’m dying to talk to someone else who has read this book so I can hear your thoughts about how it ended.  Are you satisfied? Do you wish it had been different?

Gathering Blue by Lois Lowry

How did I go this long without realizing that The Giver is a four book series?  My 13 year old daughter has read all the books, and she recommended that I start Gathering Blue when I was in a bit of a reading slump a couple weeks ago.  When I think of this book, I literally have the urge to place a hand over my heart and sigh.  Love.  Sweet, heroic characters, a simply told story that draws you in immediately.  It’s just so good. Plus, as an embroidery pattern designer, I love the embroidery element 🙂

While this seems like a completely different world, I’ve been told that the story of Jonas comes into play in the later books and that the Fourth book, Son, makes clear how all the stories are intertwined.

The Great Alone by Kristin Hannah

Messenger by Lois Lowry

I typically try to space out books in a series that I’m enjoying. So I wasn’t planning to read Messenger so soon after Gathering Blue, but I couldn’t help it. ( I learned on my Instagram stories that most people do not agree with this.  Generally everyone polled reads straight through a good series.  What about you?)

I read this book in just one day.  It’s short, so that may not seem like much of an accomplishment to many of you, but my reading time is pretty minimal these days so I’m pretty happy with that. This is the continuation of The Giver series and while it may seem like the books are unrelated, we do catch a glimpse of other characters from the first two books.  I loved it.

Caroline: Little House, Revisited by Sarah Miller

A Wrinkle in Time by Madeline L’Engle