Lucky Boy | 
https://youtu.be/gYra7dQaAcY?si=qIyYxxg-hYrDolrY
Introduction
A special book giveaway
Mystery guest
Week in Review
The Thorn Puller by Hiromi Itō, Jeffrey Angles (Translator)
Odd Girl Out by Elizabeth Jane Howard
Lucky Boy by Shanthi Sekaran
The Pornographer by John McGahern
Hangman by Maya Binyam
A Wreath for the Enemy by Pamela Frankau
pickBook 139
Lucky Boy was a slow-burn, but so delicious! Incredibly complicated characters and a detailed, rich story line. Fiction about immigration to The United States, detention centers, and deportation. Worth the read! I will read her first novel and can't wait for her to write more. ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
pickThis book follows the lives of two women: one an undocumented Mexican, the other an Indian-American. Their love for the same child is heart-wrenching and leaves the reader with conflicting sympathies. I really enjoyed this book, although it took me awhile to really become invested.
pickI had to take a break between parts 1 and 2 because the content was so challenging for me. It took a while for me to get back to it and the heart-breaking agony did not let up. I did think this novel was excellent but it hurt in a way that made me hate and distrust everyone rather than 'this hurts so good'.
pickLucky Boy is about 2 women. One who escapes Mexico into the United States and try to make a life in California as an illegal. Then the other who desperately wants a baby but having a hard time conceiving.
I listened to the audiobook of this as well as have a hard copy and I enjoyed this so much. The narrator did a fantastic job with the story. A must read!!!
pickI LOVED the first 2/3 of this book, and then the plot seemed to cross into less believable territory and I was less thrilled with it. It was good though, and I was pretty invested in seeing how things would turn out. Tackles some very interesting and timely subjects - immigration, infertility, adoption, foster parenting.
Also, bad title.
pickTimely story of a Mexican immigrant whose son (“the Lucky Boy”) is put in foster care when she‘s detained. Couldn‘t put it down. I wish the female characters had been a bit more developed as I wasn‘t that invested in the outcome, but the ending was satisfying. Another reminder how lucky I am.
pickJust as I expected, this was absolutely heart-wrenching to read, especially knowing that this is happening right now to parents all over the US, whose only “crime” is trying to make a better life for their children. I appreciated the honesty about how undocumented folks are treated, and about the pain that both women went through. Rishi‘s side story w/work was dull to me and could have been cut, but overall a very emotional and timely read. 4/5⭐️
They spoke with the carefree bubble of parents who had given up and given in, who‘d released their adult children to the world and returned to a life of self-fulfillment, who‘d moved back to their homeland and remembered that, in returning home, they were giving up the need to prevail, to ward off the unstoppable wave of foreign influence, to stop and breathe and look around and renounce, at last, the great American fight.
The thing about patience was that it couldn‘t exist without impatience. Impatience, desire, the irksome passage of time—these were what kept her from sleeping. Patience was the act of holding impatience at bay, of keeping it, like an impudent lover, from wearing her down.
Uma Mahendra clicked her tongue. “See who all is wearing black?” She swung her nose to the group at the far corner of the lawn: Maya Gulati, divorced. Sapna Kumari, lesbian. Aparna Dutta, some sort of filmmaker. Neha Murthy, single. Rakhi Viswant, single. Geetha Nallasivan, Sheela Chatterjee, Veena Jain, all belligerently single. They glided to the bar in black saris &stilettos, a coven of the shameless. They seemed to be having an excellent time.
Haven‘t heard much about this one but it sounds like a very timely, rip-your-heart-out kind of story, and I guess that‘s the mood I‘m in! #nowreading
pickThis. Every bit of this. Such a great and unexpected favorite. Adoption. Infertility. Illegal immigration. Indian, American and Mexican culture. Berkeley. Silicon Valley. So, so good.
Anybody watching 60 Minutes?? This book tells the story of the separation of children from their illegal immigrant parents from three different points of view: the illegal mom, the foster mom and the foster father. Unusual to hear from foster parents. I think it‘s fiction but probably very realistic. Wow. Just wow.
panListened to the audio version. Almost gave up a few times, but I pushed though because I had already invested so much time in the book. I found this book very overwritten, and was rolling my eyes many times at redundant, silly sentences. It was also a bit predictable, but I did get a bit caught up at the end wanting to know how it finished. Overall, the book was just ok for me.
Finished these two last night. Dark Matter was for book club and I didn't love it. Lucky Boy I read for the Tournament of Books and was surprised to see so many people hating on it. I thought it was a great book and very well written but I seem to be in the extreme minority on the #TOB Goodreads discussion of it. Lots of people comparing it to Little Fires Everywhere and while the issues are similar I think they are seperate from each other.
pickI don‘t read much fiction because I often find the author‘s choices unreasonable or storylines unlikely. I picked up LUCKY BOY because I met the author at an event we both did and she just seemed so darn nice and because I liked the premise: two women, two futures, one boy. The story is gripping and feels so real to me. Issues of immigration, parenthood, social expectations, and life in Berkeley (where much of the story takes place) all ring true.
bailedBailing on this #TOB18 selection. Not a terrible book but mediocre compared with others on the short list. So much description of clothes, rooms, landscapes, etc. Maybe sometimes it's okay to tell, not show. Or to show less. 🤔
If it wins its first match-up, I'll try again.
so-soReally slow, too long, and despite fascinating themes, it felt like it was trying way too hard. Other books have captured the human sides of these themes in ways that resonated more and felt more authentic to me.
About 20% in, and the plot still hasn't caught up with the synopsis, so it feels really slow paced.
pickThis book tackles some heavy situations and emotional trauma is rife. Whether these situations were avoidable was a big question for me for most of the book. By the end, I stopped judging by my own standards and was engaged in the characters as the author intended them to be read. Trigger warnings below in spoiler.
Image credit, The Morning News
#Tournamentofbooks
#tob18
#TheRooster
#ReadingOnRoam
pickLucky Boy tells the story of Soli and her decision to come to America by any means. When you have nothing, what is there to lose? It is quite a riveting and timely read ( a few people in power in the US might be well served to put some faces fictional or otherwise to the numbers and walls they yell about)
The Tournament of Books team have really out-done themselves this year with a fine selection of shortlisted books and now a -dream come true- early release of the brackets this week! OMG!
#TheRooster
#TournamentOfBooks
#TOB18
Reading at the end of the school day in the library
I'm a third into this heart wrenching read about the merging paths of an undocumented Mexican woman and an Indian American woman struggling with infertility. There are too few novels that allow readers to witness the often traumatic struggle that female immigrants experience as they journey to the United States and what it means to live here in the shadows. Highly recommended thus far.
#readingwomenchallenge
#immigrant
#litsypartyofone
#poc
pickTwo mothers are juxtaposed in this engaging novel- only they are loving the same child. One, a mother in Berkeley, and the other, an undocumented mother in the US, both try to defend their right to love Ignacio. Gripping story, good writing.
pick3.5/5⭐️.
The story was relatable and heart breaking for both women. It was hard to put down. I wanted a happier ending. ☹️❤️
Heart ❤️ breaking ☹️
pickThis book wrecked me. At once about the immigrant experience and again about the depths of parental love. While this story re-examines the definition of what is a parent and what makes a mother and father, ultimately and most importantly it is about resilience and failure; and about persisting nonetheless. Heartbreaking and hopeful. Loved it!
This book is delightful and different. I'm only about 25% thru but so far it's surprisingly fun and engrossing.
I just received this in the mail today. Has anyone read this yet? I would love to hear your thoughts.
pickSolimar is an illegal immigrant with a baby. After years of infertility, Kavya and Rishi decide to foster/adopt. When Soli is detained by ICE, Kavya and Rishi take the boy in. this will open your heart, then tear it in two. ❤️❤️❤️❤️
this one is not rising in my pile quickly enough, so i'm going to listen instead.
pickThis kept me guessing the whole time. Every time I thought I had it all figured out, everything changed! I empathized with all the main characters. A story like this seems so black-and-white. But once you find out what people are thinking and feeling, and what their lives have been like, you begin to see all the shades of grey.
⭐⭐⭐⭐
A little something to enhance your reading. Remember in Lucky Boy how Soli rides "The Beast" and those women throw food to them - well here's a new documentary about that train and those women, las patronas.
pickI loved this novel tremendously. It was heavily based on undocumented immigrants and motherhood. It is the story of two strong-willed women with very different hardships, and how their lives eventually cross paths. It was heartbreaking, yet beautifully written. 🌟🌟🌟🌟
About 50 pages left to read, and I'm having major anxiety trying to figure this one out 😨
I'm nearly halfway done with this book, and I almost want to say it's the most memorable book I've read this year! (I hope I'm not jumping the gun here 😳). Honestly, the writing is so simple and beautiful. I love both Soli and Kavya, and can't wait to read how everything plays out for them. I'm rooting for them!
Good morning loves from my new backyard! A great breakfast read is an epic that spans cultures and generations...ok it's a great all-the-time, can't-put-it-down read.
pickWow this book. I loved it. It was heartbreaking and it was that rare story where I really didn't know whose side I was on and what I wanted to happen. All the feels.
pickHoly moly, I loved this book. The title threw me at first - I'm not typically one to seek out a book about boys or men - but this isn't that. As Shanthi Sekaran writes so beautifully and honestly, it becomes very clear that this is a story about two mothers, the different kind of moms in the world, the many ways we can give care and love to those around us. INCREDIBLE read.
