Now for the discussion of the third section of Good People by Patmeena Sabit (In the Garden and A Witness from Every Nation, pages 193-249). A quicker section, but what a place to stop! Not as hard for me as this is my 2nd read, but if it was my first read I don't think I could stop here.

I'll admit, I felt a little jealous by the community around the Sharaf family in the immediate aftermath and thought it was quite the contrast to the other neighbors, being afraid of stepping in in any way.

Some additional questions for discussion:

• Were you expecting Zorah's death?

• What are the lessons that can be learned from the Afghani community?

• What stood out in the comparison and contrast the Afghani immigrant and American responses to these events?

Here are some April 14th new book releases on my radar (and should be on yours!). First, the one I had a chance to read already:

Midnight, at the War by Devi S. Laskar 5/5 stars

Put this on your TBR if you want to explore the humanity in war-torn areas alongside personal messiness. An incredibly timely book (Explosions being more newsworthy than the lives of brown people? Tracks).

And the six I'm still waiting to get my hands on (but at least I have the first 2 preordered!):

Japanese Gothic by Kylie Lee Baker

Why it interests me: Japanese and gothic are two of my favorite descriptions of a book. But still, I was more excited that this Kylie Lee Baker's adult followup to Bat Eater.

The Killing Spell by Shay Kauwe

Why it interests me: Hawaiian fantasy.

Dear Monica Lewinsky by Julia Langbein

Why it interests me: this seems like a fascinating jumping off point for discussion around misogyny and inappropriate relationships.

Leave Your Mess at Home by Tolani Akinola

Why it interests me: messy 2nd generation Nigerian immigrant sisters.

Cleo Dang Would Rather be Dead by Mai Nguyen

Why it interests me: explores grief.

The Take by Kelly Yang

Why it interests me: speculative fiction exploring aging and power.

Now for the discussion of the second section of Good People by Patmeena Sabit (Things Secret and Open, pages 91-192). I felt like this section really reminded me why I liked this book when I read the ARC in November and why I thought it would make for a great discussion.

That said, I also struggle to talk about this section. Some of you know that I spent my first 39 years in the evangelical church, where I was taught problematic beliefs about Islam. One of the common statements was how Islam is bad for women. I now see the irony of being taught this in a patriarchal institution that also perpetuated to harm women. All that to say, I feel it's important to focus on dismantling the patriarchy I participated in rather than pointing the finger at others. But I will also listen and amplify own voices of women in other patriarchal cultures.

The use of the title really struck me: "Good people, as soon as their daughters know right from left, teach them one thing: That a girl's reputation is like a cloth of pure white. The tiniest fleck of dirt--the tiniest fleck anywhere--and the whole thing is ruined." (p.139)

Sounds familiar.

So for some discussion questions:

• How have your thoughts of the Sharaf family changed with the additional commentary?

• How do you square the two very different perspectives on how Zorah was parented?

• Where do you think the story is going? What prejudices and/0r assumptions are leading you to think that?

Today is publication day of Devil of the Deep by Falencia Jean-Francois.

What I love about this book is how it talks about deconstruction. But it's also queer and has pirates and mermaids!

I was given a copy in a PR box so I now have an extra that I'd like to share with one of you!

If you would like to enter you only have to do 2 things:

• Be a member of this Ronnica Reads Bindery (at any level)

• Comment on this post with your most-recent 5-star read (or one that you really enjoyed!)

If you share this post on social media (tag me or message me so I see it!), you'll get an extra entry for each place you share it.

I'll leave this open until 10 PM Mountain on Friday, April 10th and then I'll pick a winner. Open to US residents only (hopefully I can expand where I can ship to in future giveaways!).

Here are some April 7th new book releases on my radar (and should be on yours!). First, the ones I've had a chance to read:

Year of the Mer by L.D. Lewis 3.25/5 stars

Put this on your TBR if you like fairytale retellings that are more honest about consequences than those of our youth. Eric and Ariel left their granddaughter to rule their 2 kingdoms that are falling apart...can she make things right?

Hexes of the Deadwood Forest by Agnieszka Szpila 3/5 Stars

Put this on your TBR if you want an unhinged read that doesn’t go too deep. This book features a religion that centers female pleasure like most in our world center male’s.

And the five I'm still waiting to get my hands on:

Yesteryear by Caro Claire Burke

Why it interests me: a trad wife influencer wakes up in 1855. I will be picking this up as soon as my preorder comes in.

Love by the Book by Jessica George

Why it interests me: yet another book about an author trying to find inspiration for her sophomore book. It looks to be a love story to platonic friendship.

Honey in the Wound by Jiyoung Han

Why it interests me: historical magical realism that explores the harms of Japanese occupation of Korea.

My Dreadful Body by Egana Djabbarova

Why it interests me: translated coming of age story set in a traditional Azerbaijani community.

Aviary by Maria Dong

Why it interests me: the main character is an undocumented immigrant in South Korea and it sounds weird. Maria Dong has shown that she can write about mental illness in Liar Dreamer Thief.

I had hoped to host the Leans Literary book club on Discord (and we'll get there!), but we're going to start here as I've had technical difficulties and haven't had time to work through them as I'm preparing for a trip.

I'll post my thoughts on the first section of Good People by Patmeena Sabit and some questions here, and feel free to chime in! This post is member only so your comments won't be publicly visible.

This is the schedule I plan on following:

• 4/3 The Hour (pages 1-90)

• 4/10 Things Secret and Open (pages 91-192)

• 4/17 In the Garden and A Witness from Every Nation (pages 193-249)

• 4/24 Judgment Day (pages 251 - end)

Of course, these posts will be available for you whenever you read the book!

So some thoughts on the first section of Good People by Patmeena Sabit:

I love that we're just dropped into this Afghani refugee community and given some information about what is important to them as refugees of war seeking better for their children. You also see some longing for their home, even if that home doesn't exist as it once did. This is something that is even more pronounced in another of my recent reads, The Renovation by Kenan Orhan. And ultimately, if they can't go back home, they find home in one another.

Another thing that stood out to me was the internalization of the "American dream" and the policing of one another when they don't find the success it promises. Of course the American dream has always been a lie, but it can be easy from the outside to attribute difference of outcome to personal character rather than systemic issues.

• What do you think about the Sharaf family?

• How does not hearing from the family directly impact your impression of them?

• Where do you think we're going?

Like the good corporate girlie I am, I think in quarters. So here are my top 5 new-to-me fiction reads of the 100+ I read in the first 3 months of the year. (And in full transparency, I'm writing this on the 28th in hope to tempt the book gods to give me another stellar read in the next few days!)

1. The Poet Empress by Shen Tao - I'm as surprised as you are that a non-Robin Hobb fiction book made it on this list. But this one has everything that I love in fantasy: political intrigue, well-drawn characters, and interesting themes to explore.

1. We Could be Rats by Emily Austin - Q1 2026 is when I discovered Emily Austin, an author I've been sleeping on for too long. I still have one more of her published novels to read, but this has been my favorite and is well-deserving of being on this list. I love a queer literary fiction book!

1. Almost Life by Kiran Millwood Hargrave - this absolutely was a sleeper pick...when I picked it up, I couldn't even remember why I ordered it through Book of the Month subscription. But, messy lesbians books have been a theme of this quarter and this has been my favorite of the bunch.

1. Midnight at the War by Devi S. Laskar - one of my favorite things of getting ARCs from publishers is getting to hype up books that absolutely deserve it, and this is one of them. This April release is incredibly timely, as our main character not only has a messy personal life, she seeks to humanize the brown people in the Middle East she reports on professionally.

1. The Correspondent by Virginia Evans - I'm sure you've heard of this one. I read it because my TikTok friend Kris sang it's praises, and I'm so glad I did. This is warm and cozy, but very real. And I absolutely love that our protagonist is an older woman.

Here are some March 24th and 31st new book releases on my radar (and should be on yours!). First, the ones I've had a chance to read:

Almost Life by Kiran Millwood Hargrove 5/5 stars

Put this on your TBR if you enjoy messy lesbians...because us bi/pan girls can be messy too. This one goes deep with our characters.

Only a Little While Here by Maria Ospena Pizano 3.5/5 stars

Put this on your TBR if you enjoy books from unusual perspectives...this story is told through the eyes of several animals interacting with the human world.

And the six I'm still waiting to get my hands on:

Wolf Worm by T Kingfisher

Why it interests me: it's a T Kingfisher book. This is described as gothic, which always interests me.

Celestial Lights by Cecile Pin

Why it interests me: it sounds like a character-forward book about space travel.

The Dog Meows, the Cat Barks by Eka Kurniawan

Why it interests me: a translated work about an overbearing parent from a child's perspective

American Han by Lisa Lee

Why it interests me: a story of second-generation immigrants coming of age in the 1980s.

Upward Bound by Woody Brown

Why it interests me: set in a daycare center for adults with autism and other disabilities.

A Good Person by Kirsten King

Why it interests me: it is billed to be weird girl lit fic.

There's been some heavy news coming out of the fundamental Christian world this week. When these stories come to light, it can trigger a lot of emotions in those of us who have left high-control religion.

One thing that has helped me deconstuct from evangelicalism is (surprise, surprise) reading. Here are a few books that have helped me. First the non-fiction:

Jesus and John Wayne by Kristin Kobes Du Mez

I read this when I was still in the evangelical church. It helped me to start to identify the way patriarchal values have influenced what I was taught to believe about Jesus.

A Well-Trained Wife: My Escape from Christian Patriarchy by Tia Levings

In the church, this would be called a "powerful testimony" that highlights the harm fostered in such spaces.

Awake by Jen Hatmaker

Jen was too liberal for me when I was in the church, but reading her story of deconstructing was healing for me.

Wild Faith: How the Christian Right is Taking Over America by Tal Lavin

There have been a number of recent books on the Christian Right, but this one helped me process through it as a political movement.

And now some fiction books that provided healing:

Gay the Pray Away by Natalie Naudus

Our protagonist is a teen growing up in a controlling religious family, coming to terms with her own sexuality.

American Rapture by CJ Leede

Our protagonist was raised in a controlling religious family, but now has to make it on her own in apocalyptic times.

Camp Damascus by Chuck Tingle

At a conversion therapy camp, whose side are the demons on?