June 2022 Book of the Month 📅

Jun 3

How in the world are we already in June? The first half of this year has flown by, and unfortunately I’ve been buying books quicker than I can read them. (Let’s be honest, this will always be true for me). But, that will never stop me from selecting my Book of the Month! Speaking of, drum roll please . . . I’ve selected Woman of Light by Kali Fajardo-Anstine.

Synopsis:

Luz “Little Light” Lopez, a tea leaf reader and laundress, is left to fend for herself after her older brother, Diego, a snake charmer and factory worker, is run out of town by a violent white mob. As Luz navigates 1930s Denver on her own, she begins to have visions that transport her to her Indigenous homeland in the nearby Lost Territory. Luz recollects her ancestors’ origins, how her family flourished and how they were threatened. She bears witness to the sinister forces that have devastated her people and their homelands for generations. In the end, it is up to Luz to save her family stories from disappearing into oblivion.
Written in Kali Fajardo-Anstine’s singular voice, the wildly entertaining and complex lives of the Lopez family fill the pages of this multigenerational western saga. Woman of Light is a transfixing novel about survival, family secrets, and love, filled with an unforgettable cast of characters, all of whom are just as special, memorable, and complicated as our beloved heroine, Luz.

While I don’t usually feel particularly drawn to literary fiction, one of the reasons I chose to subscribe to Book of the Month was to broaden my reading palete. I’m excited to add Women of Light to my shelf and try something new.

Surprise! You thought I was done with my monthly selection, didn’t you? One thing that I love about Book of the Month is that I can add-on additional books whenever I want! Selecting how to pay for any extra titles is super easy too - in your cart, simply choose if you’d like to use an account credit or charge your card, and you’re set.

As soon as I heard hype around Darling Girl by Liz Michalski, I knew I needed to add this retelling to my collection.

Synopsis:

Life is looking up for Holly Darling, granddaughter of Wendy—yes, that Wendy. She’s running a successful skincare company; her son, Jack, is happy and healthy; and the tragedy of her past is well behind her...until she gets a call that her daughter, Eden, who has been in a coma for nearly a decade, has gone missing from the estate where she’s been long tucked away. And, worst of all, Holly knows who must be responsible: Peter Pan, who is not only very real, but more dangerous than anyone could imagine.
Eden’s disappearance is a disaster for more reasons than one. She has a rare condition that causes her to age rapidly—ironic, considering her father is the boy who will never grow up—which also makes her blood incredibly valuable. It’s a secret that Holly is desperate to protect, especially from Eden’s half-brother, Jack, who knows nothing about his sister or the crucial role she plays in his life. Holly has no one to turn to—her mother is the only other person in the world who knows that Peter is more than a story, but she refuses to accept that he is not the hero she’s always imagined. Desperate, Holly enlists the help of Christopher Cooke, a notorious ex-soldier, in the hopes of rescuing Eden before it’s too late...or she may lose both her children.

Growing up, I fell in love with reading the Peter and The Starcatchers series by Dave Barry with my mom, and this felt fitting to add to my library. On top of being a classic fairytale retelling, I love that Darling Girl seems chock full of darker adult themes. I’m excited to get “lost” in it soon.

Other June BOTM picks included: