Maycember Mayem is real at this time of years in schools, but I still managed to squeeze in some interesting reading choices. What I read this month:

• The Heartbreak Hotel by Emily Wright – I found this sapphic romance on a Kindle deal and enjoyed it! Ella’s mother and best friend send her on a self care retreat after she is fired by her boss who is also her ex-girlfriend. Ella goes into the retreat with a bad attitude, made worse when she realizes there is no alcohol and things keep going wrong for her. But Riley, the yoga and surf teacher, saves her life, things start to change. Ella and Riley clearly have chemistry, but staff aren’t supposed to have relations with the guests, so complications arise. This is a sweet story of self-love and acceptance, embracing the simple things in life, and following your passion.
• A Little Piece of Ground by Elizabeth Laird – This is a young adult book told from the point of view of Karim, a 12 year old boy living in Palenstine. We see Isreal tanks take over his town and his village, administering curfews and we feel Karim’s fear and anger and confusion. Karim wants to be a hero for his country, but he is scared every time he sees violence. He also just wants to be a 12 year old boy who plays soccer with his friends. This is one boy’s view of a very real conflict and a book that can provide perspective to those of us without connections to the place or the conflict.
• Only This Summer by Radclyffe [audiobook] – I heard about this author and had no idea what a catalog of sapphic romance and mystery books she has written. I started with one I could get on audio and enjoyed the story of Lily and Chase, meeting while working as the doctor and ranger at a kids’ summer camp. The nature throughout this story was beautiful, as was the inclusive representation.
• Mother Mary Comes to Me by Arundhati Roy – This is the memoir of a famous author, but whose work I haven’t read, which made this an interesting experience. I’ve never read God of Small Things, or any of her other work, but the author has won prizes and been jailed for her activism work and her truth telling, especially about politics and the caste system in India. In this view, we learn of her childhood, raised by Mary, who was not a kind and loving mother, but a larger-than-life character who could be cruel and abusive to her daugther. Arundhati’s life had some wild twists and turns, from acting to marrying her boss’s husband, to living in shacks, to finding her voice and passion in writing. Our book club discussion was very interesting, and this was a hit for a few and a miss for many!
• Perfect Rivalry by Radclyffe – This was a fun sapphic romance that takes place mostly in a hospital. Ren and Dani are both 5th year residents, with no free time on their hands, when they meet and feel an instant connection. As they explore what they feel, they also compete for the end of year prize, both trying to fight past insecurities with their immense talents. This is part of a series that I didn’t know about, so now I need to go back to read the entire series, to get to know all the other characters that played side parts in this story.
• The Compound by Aisling Rawle – I have no idea where I heard about this book, but the original source sold me on the premise enough to put a hold on this from my library. When I got the book, I didn’t even look up what it was about, but I just started reading and then I couldn’t put it down! I read the whole book in a day and it was so propulsive! We meet a group of young, good looking men and women as they meet up on a reality show that is part dating game, part Survivor and part Big Brother. The house has to compete in challenges to earn things like food and furniture for the compound where they live. They also have to be in couples each night or risk banishment. Most of the characters are highly unlikeable, and there is a real theme of vanity and consumerism throughout, but it was so interesting. I loved reading this! This was my first 5 star read in awhile!
• The Last Mandarin by Louise Penny and Mellissa Fung [audiobook] – I love Louise Penny and was excited when I saw she had written another political thriller with someone new to me. This is a fast-paced story that hops from America to China as an unsuspecting young woman ends up fighting to save the world from disaster. Throughout the story, I learned a lot about Chinese history, food, and culture, while also enjoying the quick switches between the America and Chinese governments. I enjoyed this book a lot!
• The Centre by Ayesha Manazir Siddiqui – I heard this book described on a podcast over a year ago and marked it “to be read” and finally checked it out of my library this month. We meet Anisa, a Pakistani woman living in London who translates subtitles on movies, at the beginning of a new relationships with Adam. Adam speaks many languages fluently and uses those skills to travel for work. When Adam returns from a trip speaking flueny Urdu in time to meet Anisa’s parents, she is shocked and demands to know how to learned such a complex language so quickly. After much pressure, he finally shares about the centre, and he uses his one secret invitation to get Anisa into the centre. She goes to learn German, to extend her translation skills, but she becomes obsessed with trying to figure out the 10-day program works. She becomes friends with Shiba, the on-site manager, and comes back to learn Russian. We follow the mystery with Anisa, until she eventually learns it all. I don’t want to spoil the ending, but this really makes you think about purpose, legacy, and life choices. Wow. Such an interesting read!