Happy Monday, Boozie Book Nerds!

Friendly reminder that not all lives can matter until black lives do.

Minda’s Update

What Minda is Reading Now:

• Lilac Girls by Martha Hall Kelly – A WWII novel told from the perspective of three women in America, Poland, and Germany, respectively. The women each have a unique role during the war and their paths set them on a collision course to each other. Still pretty early in this one, but reading on audio.
• Run, Rose, Run by Dolly Parton and James Patterson – “Every song tells a story. She’s a star on the rise, singing about the hard life behind her. She’s also on the run. Find a future, lose a past. Nashville is where she’s come to claim her destiny. It’s also where the darkness she’s fled might find her. And destroy her.” New book club book. It’s not something I’m into so far, but I’m going to keep it going.

What Minda put down

• The Dictionary of Lost Words by Pip Williams – “Set during the height of the women’s suffrage movement and with the Great War looming, The Dictionary of Lost Words reveals a lost narrative, hidden between the lines of a history written by men.” Just didn’t get into it. No knock on the book.

Ginny’s Update

What Ginny is Currently Reading:

• A Billion Years: My Escape from a life in the highest ranks of scientology by Mike Rinder: Mike Rinder was apparently really high up in the Scientology hierarchy, and this book is fucking wild. It talks about the different levels of scientology and does a great job of breaking down how people were brainwashed. The book is almost a history of scientology as well; going back from it’s early years to the more modern day. This book is eminently readable.

What Ginny Finished:

• Pieces of Her by Karin Slaughter: Andrea watches her mother kill an armed gunman before she is tasked to run. Andrea’s story is tied to an anarchist cell that murdered a corrupt CEO, an eminent professor, and went on the run. The book is definitely a wild ride. Watching Andy progress from very passive to more active. Meanwhile, hearing about the anarchist group is fascinating as it’s clear that they had no impact. Regardless, definitely a quick read.
• Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo: I finally got around to reading this book. I will say, this is one of those books where I enjoyed what was happening, but I found it hard to want to pick up… Kaz is the (teenage) leader of a gang that is tasked with an impossible heist. Part of my frustration is probably due to the fact that this wasn’t the right kind of YA for me. Still, the heist was fun!

Sam’s Update

What Sam is Finished:

• The Warrior Moon by K. Arsenault Rivera – This is the last book in this series. It is a sapphic eastern european inspired story. I can’t say much but know that Shefali and Shikuza are still my kids and no one can come at me. I’m really happy that I’ve finished this series. Truly
• A Psalm of Storms and Silence by Roseanne A. Brown: this is the second in a duology so I can’t say much, but this is an African inspired fantasy and I love it. The ending was so unsatisfyingly satisfying…

What Sam is Currently Reading:

• Heart of the Sun Warrior by Sue Lynn Tan – This is the second book in this series. We received an ARC from NetGalley. I really love this series a lot. The main characters are all immortal gods and it changes the dynamic of the characters which is super cool.
• Babel: An Arcane History by R. F. Kuang: this book is all over the inter webs right now. It’s academia and has a smidge of fantasy for right now. Robin is at Oxford to study translation, his adoptive father is being weird and there’s a new person in his life and there’s a weird mystery. Things are getting complicated.

Until next time, we remain forever drunkenly yours,

— Sam, Ginny, and Minda