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Choose 20 books that have stayed with you or influenced you. One book per day for 20 days, in no particular order. No explanations, no reviews, just covers.

8/20
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#20Covers

A very interesting story, it starts out slow and picks up enough to be intriguing. There are several stories that end up connecting. Beautiful writing about Dominican history and families. Book #120 in 2024

#12Booksof2024 April was a great reading month for me and contributed a few books to my best-of-2024 list. My fav non-fiction came from this month (and from #naturalitsy : 8 Bears), but ultimately I guess I'm just a sucker for Acevedo. Plus, this novel did such an expert job exploring the diversity of women's experiences in an immigrant family that I was enthralled.

this book is a book about storytelling - the stories that get told during our lifetimes and those that remain untold. The protagonist is an author who, at the end of her career moves back to her homeland of DR where she buys a plot of land and builds a cemetery for her unfinished/untold novels. But some stories don‘t want to stay untold. With a touch of magical realism and a mix of historical & cultural elements from DR, this was my sort of book.

Finished tagged #RealLifeBookGroup⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Lovely & lyrical & I liked the intertwining stories. But while I understood why some things weren‘t wrapped up, I still missed a cpl ribbons. 🎀

Listening to Villain, 9th of my #tenbeforetheend #10beforetheend

And Pic of sisters & @Malachi & I last wknd 🥰

Also, mailed #coffeebeanbookclub #cbbc for Dec - @Mommamanzi it d/n have the next book bc I don‘t have it yet, but 👇🏼 (see comments for rest)

I just adore Julia Alvarez's writing. This is the story of a family with 4 daughters that immigrates to the United States from the Dominican Republic. The story starts in 1989 and moves backwards in time. The opposition of 2 different cultures, as well as 2 different generations, allowed Alvarez to explore many themes, including the meaning of language, cultural identity, and gender roles. What a great book.

I was a bit disappointed with this novel, I expected a heartwarming tale of nerdy Oscar trying to find his place in life but it was mainly about sex, with some long tangential sections (and footnotes) thrown in. It reminded me of House of Spirits but its central characters are all crass, horny misogynists. Insight into the history of the Dominican Republic seems an important story to tell but it felt disjointed from the narrative. 5/10

I picked this book up at a used bookstore on a trip to NM this past spring. I think we were supposed to read it in HS? I didn‘t remember it. Anyway. It recently was challenged at a Tillamook HS and has been removed from the curriculum so I bumped it to the top of my list. It was phenomenal.

Based on true events, this novel covers the Mirabal sisters‘ involvement in the fall of the Trujillo regime in the Dominican Republic. It‘s an amazing novel that depicts sisterhood, courage, and the fight for freedom.

Penguin vitae editions. So tempting...
https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/series/PNT/penguin-vitae/