I had a staycation last week, so it feels like we JUST had a Tuesday new release...but here we are again!

Here are the new releases on my radar:

Headlights by CJ Leede

Why it interests me: after Maeve Fly and American Rapture, I am absolutely interested in whatever CJ puts out, and preordered this without knowing anything but the title.

Pool House by Mary HK Choi

Why it interests me: a messy mother and daughter dealing with grief. I still have Yolk on my immediate TBR, but I have high hopes for both.

Obstetrix by Naomi Kritzer

Why it interests me: reproductive justice speculative fiction.

Strangers Behind Closed Doors by Catherine Adel West

Why it interests me: a mystery set in a high-end hotel.

I'll Take the Fire by Leila Slimani

Why it interests me: autobiographical novel featuring a queer Moroccan coming of age. I actually sat down to read it when I realized it was a 3rd book in a series...I will be getting to it though.

The Unmagical Life of Briar Jones by Lex Croucher

Why it interests me: romantasy with dark academia vibes.

I'm excited to discuss a new book with you all: An Arcane Inheritance by Kamilah Cole. This book is in one of my all-time favorite sub-genres: dark academia. I'm a big nerd and I love to read out school (especially in my own free time when I have no such deadlines or stress on myself).

Here is my schedule for discussion:

• June 5: Part I, Chapter 1-9 (p.1-96)

• June 12: Part I, Chapter 10-18 (p. 97-182)

• June 19: Part II (p. 184-296)

• June 26: Part III (p. 296+)

So, now on to my thoughts on the first section.

I'm so glad that the section (that I had sectioned out on length) ends with the scene in the bookstore, because that scene is the one I best remember from my first read back in January. While we get a hint of the unknown creepiness that lurks in the tattoo in the mirror scene, it was when the backwards E pops back up that I knew we were in for a fun secret.

As this is my 2nd read, I am definitely reading with new eyes (but no spoilers from me for later sections!). On my first read, I remember having some issues with this section that do get cleared up satisfactorily later. So if you're on the fence, I'd recommend keep going.

A couple of themes that stood out to me:

Classism/privilege

While both classism and racism are prominent in this book, I do think it's helpful to address them separately. The classism discussion specifically seems to be around privilege: and how when we have privilege, we are often ignorant to the advantage we have.

Ellory sees this a lot in her classmates who assume she has the same background as them, and when they discover otherwise, see the difference as a burden (scholarship students? ewww).

Racism/tokenism

It is not shocking to any of us that Ellory would encounter racism at such an institution. But there were two specific instances that occur in this first section of the book that I think highlight a nuanced approach and can be particularly enlightening, especially to us white folk.

First, Ellory is absolutely tokenized at the institution. She is also seen first as Black and put into box with racist assumptions. They ask if her parents died of gun violence. They ask her about BLM as if its her movement (while also making clear that they're supportive only for appearance's sake).

I also think we see the all-too common assumption at the dinner party that an accusation of racism is worse than racism. Why do we white people focus on defending ourselves against the accusations instead of considering our words and actions? I surmise it's because we can only be accused of racism and not harmed by it, that we focus on the former.

Curious your thoughts on any of this, or anything else that stood out!

June 2nd is my 8th wedding anniversary. But that's old news...here are some NEW books to be excited about!

Bookstore Girls by Kei Aono 4/5 stars

Put this on your TBR if you love heart-warming stories of found family or stories set in a bookstore.

Meeting New People by Daniel M. Lavery 3.25/5 stars

Put this on your TBR if you enjoy stories with gossip and older protagonists...especially ones that may be the problem.

The Heart of the Nhaga by Lee Young-Do 3/5 stars

Put this on your TBR if you enjoy fantasy from a non-western lens. Fantasy and I are still in fight so it wasn't particularly for me, but I'm thankful we have this finally translated from Korean.

And ones that I'm excited to get my hands on:

Muneca by Cynthia Gomez

Why it interests me: gothic and queer, yes please.

Sublimation by Isabel J. Kim

Why it interests me: a speculative fiction take on an immigration story. I was happy to see that it was an Aardvark Book Club pick for this month.

They All Fall in Love at the End by Haili Blassingame

Why it interests me: messy young queer people.

Mad Eden by Morgan Thomas

Why it interests me: it's been praised for beautiful prose, and is said to "challenge us to confront and reinvent questions of language, sex, prejudice, identity, and the shifting scales of morality."

Jellyfish Problem by Tessa Yang

Why it interests me: it sounds strange (a jellyfish that changes people?). I'm in.

There's Only One Sin in Hollywood by Rasheed Newson

Why it interests me: another gay, Black historical fiction book from the author of My Government Means to Kill Me.

The Secret World of Briar Rose by Cindy Pham

Why it interests me: I've followed Cindy's process to get here on social media and am so excited to see it out in the world. This is queer sleeping beauty retelling.

Another week of a strong slate of new releases! Here are books that are on my radar (and I think should. be on yours, too):

Babylon, South Dakota by Tom Lin

Why it interests me: I especially appreciate stories with Chinese immigrants in the American West. I think this may also have a speculative nature.

House of Margins by Tlotlo Tsamaase

Why it interests me: a haunted house story set in Africa. A missing author after being invited to a writing retreat. Have I ever mentioned how much I enjoy books set at author/artist retreats?

Dead Weight by Hildur Knútsdóttir

Why it interests me: Hildur's previous work, The Night Guest, was one of the first horror books I read and was at the beginning of my realization that horror often has the theme work that I love. This one is translated from Icelandic and described as "gruesomely cathartic."

Pretend You're Dead and I Carry You by Julián Delgado Lopera

Why it interests me: a literary fiction book with queer characters by a Colombian American author.

The Redemption Center is Closed on Sundays by Andrea Hairston

Why it interests me: this looks like science fiction in horror skin.

No God but Us by Bobuq Sayed

Why it interests me: our main character participates in Istanbul Pride, and appears to explore Turkiye's growing authoritarianism and queer freedom.

Now for the full book discussion. Reading the last of this book made me so angry. Even though this is the 3rd time I've read this book, the "school" just seems so incredibly cruel. What was the point? It just seems like torture to make these mothers "parent" dolls for a year and then take away the doll too.

The last line hurts me in the same way that the ending of 1984 does.

Let's take a final look at our identified themes:

Us vs. Them

I think that the dolls highlight this theme. Are they human? Are they treated better than those that are? I'll admit I chuckled when someone said to "believe women" when they were talking about the accusations of the doll.

The Expectations on Mothers

It's abundantly clear that nothing short of absolute perfection is okay. This same message is found in our culture, if less overt. Just take a look at the Mother's Day advertising, so many lifting up sacrificial motherhood as the standard.

Misogyny in a Patriarchal Society

If a woman is just a mother, she isn't a person. She only exists to serve others and deserves nothing in return.

What did you think of the book?

Here are some of my thoughts on Chapters 10-14 (p. 165-241) of The School for Good Mothers by Jessamine Chan.

This section feels weaker to me. I don't fully understand the inclusion of the interactions with the fathers and what it adds. Still, let's review the themes I've noticed.

Us vs. Them

I feel like the interactions with Tucker provide some clarity here. In a way, he sets himself apart from the other parents through his "wokeness" and they seem differently because he makes these distinctions.

The Expectations on Mothers

It made me so angry when it's brought up that a mother should have all their needs fulfilled through being a mother. Of course it's not true, but I've also never met a mother who didn't feel guilt when they had needs that weren't met through motherhood, as we should be ashamed to be full people. Perhaps this isn't as overt in our society as in the book's but it's definitely there.

Misogyny in a Patriarchal Society

I think this is most emphasized in the differences between the fathers' and mothers' training, down to the fathers not having to claim to be narcissists.

Additionally, we see Frida come to terms with the way Harriet will be seen by men as she grows up. And of course, there's the lesbophobia...can't have women being fulfilled apart from men and motherhood!

Additional Questions for Discussion

Did the fathers section make more sense to you than it did to me? I'm hoping someone can help me understand why it was included.

As the weather gets warmer, I can't wait to be reading next to a pool. Here are some new releases that come out this week that would be great candidates, wherever you are reading!

Make Me Better by Sarah Gailey

Why it interests me: I'm always down for a new book from Sarah Gailey, especially the weird girl ones. This one seems culty? My preorder is in the mail!

We Dance Upon Demons by Vaishnavi Patel

Why it interests me: contemporary fantasy speaking to reproductive justice.

The Bone Door by Frances White

Why it interests me: It's supposed to be queer and fat positive. It's fantasy but leans horror, so I did decide to put it on hold at my library, though fantasy hasn't been appealing lately.

Coyoteland by Vanessa Hua

Why it interests me: Contemporary fiction exploring hypocrisy in upper class progressive culture.

Electric Shamans at the Festival of the Sun by Monica Ojeda

Why it interests me: Set in the near future at a pseudo-spiritual festival.

A Siege of Owls by Uchenna Awoke

Why it interests me: clifi with magical realism set in rural West Africa.

Here are some of my thoughts on Chapters 5-9 (p. 73-164) of The School for Good Mothers by Jessamine Chan.

This section made me angry, rightfully so. A continued look on the themes identified last week:

Us vs. Them

We continue to see the mothers compare themselves to one another, which is understandable. It's easier to consider your own faults "not that bad" or excusable, while others' aren't.

The Expectations on Mothers

This really comes to light in this section, with the mothers at the school required to parent their dolls in a particular way (down to the number of seconds a hug should be??!!). There's no doubt that these mothers made mistakes that harmed their children, but it doesn't seem like the formulaic parenting they're forced to do is the answer.

Additionally, it seems like these expectations are one-sided, given how many mothers have been sentenced to this education compared to how many fathers.

And a new theme to consider:

Misogyny in a Patriarchal Society

The misogyny has been there since the beginning: Gust cheating on and leaving Frida, how Frida is talked about. But the scene that stood out to me the most was how the mothers had to keep asking for pads on their period, instead of being provided more than 2 at a time. This seems designed (or at least implying) that their feminine need is a defect that shouldn't be coddled (as if hygiene supplies can coddle someone).

Additional Questions for Discussion

What do you think about Frida's interactions/thoughts of Susanna?

What do you make of Lucretia's experiences?

What role does race play in the school?

May is looking to be a great months for new releases. Here are some May 5th new book releases on my radar (and should be on yours!).

Saturn Returning by Kim Narby 4.25/5 stars

Put this on your TBR if you enjoy character-forward stories about messy lesbians who face real-life struggles.

Homebound by Portia Elan 3.5/5 stars

Put this on your TBR if you like a book that explores both the path and the future. The 1980s queer coming of age story was especially intriguing.

And the ones I haven't gotten my hands on yet:

Seek Immediate Shelter by Vincent Yu

Why it interests me: explores the aftermath of a ballistic missile warning on a community that was a false alarm.

The Girl with a Thousand Faces by Sunyi Dean

Why it interests me: diverse fantasy. In full transparency, I ordered this through Aardvark but will probably hold off until I'm excited for fantasy again.

One Leg on Earth by 'Pemi Aguda

Why it interests me: it's said to exploring coming of age and motherhood, set in Nigeria.

Now Then by Morgan Radford

Why it interests me: a multigenerational novel exploring a Cuban American family.

The Last Contract of Isako by Fonda Lee

Why it interests me: everyone loves Fonda Lee's writing, and I think I will too.

Republic of Memory by Mahmud El Sayed

Why it interests me: it's comped to A Memory Called Empire. I love books like this, set on a generational ship.

Honey by Imani Thompson

Why it interests me: a feminist rage novel. If we don't read about it, maybe we'll be forced to act on ours.

John of John by Douglas Stuart

Why it interests me: it sounds like a quiet novel exporing queerness in a rural, traditional setting.