22:100 Binti Trilogy by Nnedi Okorafor

I first read the standalone novella, Binti, back in 2018.  Here are my thoughts at that time:

The Himba people have never left their homeland, much less traveled to the stars, but Binti has been accepted to go to the Oomza University which is offworld.  She knows she cannot tell her family, they will never approve, so she sneaks away one night to board the ship that will take her. 

She is other to everyone.  No one is familiar with the Himba people as they remain isolated and do not travel but Binti hopes that those traveling to the University will learn to treat her as an equal.  On the trip, things are going well and she is even starting to make some friends until the ship is attacked by the Meduse.

Earth and the Meduse have been at war for a long time and this is just the latest strike.  Now the Meduse have killed everyone on board except for Binti for there is something about her that is different.  Now she has the chance to try and be a bridge between the Meduse and Oomza University in order to bring peace. 

This was truly a remarkably crafted tale.  At less than 100p long, it was tightly woven with amazingly detailed characters and universe.  Ms. Okorafor is an incredibly talented wordsmith and worldbuilder and I can't wait to read more of her work.

I had no idea what the rest of the series would be about but was hoping it would follow Binti at the University.  It instead brings her back to her village as a broker of the peace talks between the Meduse and humans. Unfortunately there is much fear and Binti has now become too alien after her fusing with the Meduse to be easily accepted by the people she grew up with. Now she must learn her full past, the story of the stone she brought with her on the ship to Oomza University, and the history of the war with the Meduse if there is to be any hope of peace between the worlds.

I will admit to being a bit disappointed at first that this was not the story I was hoping to get (but very thankful that in the Kindle version of the trilogy there was a short story of University days). I did find it a bit harder to get into the rest of the series as a result as I also found the pacing to be a bit slower but the story did pull me in with the masterful writing and intriguing characters. I am definitely a fan of Ms. Okorafor and will be continuing to work my way through her body of work.

Page count: 368p/6,033p ytd/353,423p lifetime 

21:100 This is How You Lose the Time War by Amal El-Mohtar & Max Gladstone

 Two factions fighting across time, trying to nudge the time line this way and that in order to adjust it in their sides favor so they can win the real war. Two sides, each with their own agents that follow the orders from above to give their side the best chance. Two sides, each with an agent in possession of a secret.

The note was left on a battlefield, one of many throughout the time line, as a taunt. But it didn't stop there. One note, left to one agent of the opposing side. A response. And another. Up and down the time line, each finding new and more innovative ways to slip messages to the other. No names, never that, but knowledge of how the other thinks and moves used to ping the consciousness to the message written and wanting to be found. It started with that taunt but how can you know someone that well, for so long, without it becoming more. Respect turns to admiration turns to an intimacy. If they are discovered it would mean death, to fraternize with the enemy so, but the reward of the next missive is worth the risk.

It took me a bit to really get into this one and the writing style but once I did, I found it a fabulous read. Well constructed with beautiful prose.

Page count: 209p/5,665p ytd/353,055p lifetime

17:100 When the Moon Was Ours by Anna-Marie McLemore

No one knew how Miel had come to be in the abandoned water tower but that's where she appeared one night, at about the age of 5, with roses that grew out of her wrist. The first one to run to her when she emerged was Sam, a young boy about whom not much was known of him or his mother since they recently appeared in town.

It's been years and Sam and Miel are still inseparable, she with the roses growing from her wrist and he who paints moons and hangs them all over town. They are odd and generally left alone until the Bonner girls decide that their sway over the town, the magic that has been the right of the Bonner girls for generations, has been waning and that Miel's roses are what can fix it for them. Now they will use all of Miel's secrets, including those that involve Sam, to get what they want.  

This book wove such a beautiful spell that I was captivated immediately and didn't want to put it down. The imagery, the characters (even when they were being stupid teenagers), the magic all combined perfectly for me.

Page count: 288p/4,533p/351,923p

14:100 The Essex Serpent by Sarah Perry

 Cora Seaborne is a new widow who feels that she can finally breathe and start being true to herself after all the years being ground under her husband's heel. Having a scientific bent, she is entranced by the idea of the Essex Serpent that some claim to have seen near a small village so she, her son, and her son's nanny head there to check it out. What she finds is more than a mere prehistoric creature could have dreamed up.

The book was slow and trying too hard to be too many things so it only sort of succeeded at some of them. Cora is supposed to be the main character but I found her cold and immature but somehow teeming with friends and people fawning after her which made no sense to me.  The Reverend needed some good shakes and his wife and children deserved the sympathy as did Cora's other suitor. There were a few side characters that were more interesting and were given some good story lines but I just felt it wasn't enough. The author was trying too hard to draw out the suspense and make the story super complex but I think making the main character a little more likeable with a few less bad choices would have made it more enjoyable.

Page count: 433p/3,652p ytd/351,042p lifetime

6:100 Major Pettigrew's Last Stand by Helen Simpson

 Major Ernest Pettigrew grew-up in Edgecomb St. Mary's, had a military career, and then returned after he retired. He lives in the house he grew up in, having inherited it from his parents, married and raised his son there. He is that Englishman, concerned with doing everything properly as it has always been done, keeping up appearances, and concerned with honor and duty. With his wife dead and his son living in London, he putters around his house taking care of the upkeep and reading, golfing with friends, and going on the occasional hunt. Then his brother dies and his regular world is turned upside down when he starts up an unlikely friendship with the owner of a local shop, Mrs. Ali, who lost her husband several years ago as well. Through a common interest in books and the shared experience of both being widows, the friendship starts growing into something more. However, he being of the old-blood in the village and she being a foreigner no matter how long she has lived there makes this a relationship that no one deems appropriate. Everything says this relationship can't work but will they listen?

Read for book club and really enjoyed it although the Major gets pompous enough and stodgy enough that times I really wanted to reach in and shake him. Yes, it's understandable and totally realistic (I've known enough people like him in many ways) but still....LOL  It was a lovely story, moved well, good characters, and a satisfying ending. 

Page count: 379p/1,402p ytd/348,783p lifetime

73:100 The Calculating Stars by Mary Robinette Kowal

It's 1952 and a meteorite has just struck the ocean outside of the Eastern Seaboard wiping out Washington DC, New York, and pretty much anything else within a few miles of the coastline.  Elma York and her husband were on a weekend getaway when it happened, far enough away that they felt the shockwaves but far enough away that they were able to get to their small plane and escape when so many others couldn't.  Now the world is trying to rebuild and the conclusions coming back are frightening.  While things will settle down in the short-term, global warming (a term never before heard of) will happen in a few decades due to all the particulate matter thrown up in the atmosphere from the meteorite.  What used to be a fun idea of getting into space is now imperative for the survival of the human race and Elma York, a mathematician and WASP pilot, is determined that women will be included in the program, especially herself.

An interesting idea, fairly well executed, although I could have done with a little better explanation as to what was actually up with Elma and her anxiety earlier in the story and a lot less of how much she and her husband are into each other. 


Page count: 432p/19,333p ytd/328,028p lifetime

69:100 Neverwhere by Neil Gaiman

Richard is a bland, ordinary person.  He works at a bland, ordinary job and lives in a bland, ordinary flat.  Until the day that a woman falls completely out of nowhere at his feet, bleeding everywhere.  Nevermind that Richard's fiance is furious that he would want to get involved, Richard wraps the mysterious girl up in his coat and takes her to his apartment to see how he can help her.

That's when everything starts getting weird.

Door isn't from London Above and people are out to kill her. She talks to rats who apparently bring her messages, two shady looking men come to Richard's apartment looking for her but when they barge in she is nowhere to be found while they are there but as soon as they leave she emerges as if she had been there all along, and the friend that Richard drops her off with doesn't seem quiet like any person Richard has ever seen before.

But now Richard is ready to get back on with his bland, ordinary life except that now no one can see him.  Cabs don't stop, the subway train doors try to close on him, his apartment is rented out while he's standing in it, his office stuff is packed up while he is asking what is going on.  Even his friends and fiance don't recognize him at all.  Stunned, he goes back to where he left Door to see if she can help him regain his life.

And then things get really weird as he is lead to London Below. An entire city beneath the one he thought he knew with strange people and even stranger creatures and where nothing works the way he thinks it should.  But Door is still in danger and Richard finds the strength and courage he never knew he had in London Below.


Apparently this is one of Mr. Gaiman's early works and there have been a few editions where things have actually been changed to create the one he really wanted to release.  The version I read is from 2001 so I don't think it's that one.  Still, it was a wonderfully fun read although I found the ending a bit too predictable and pat. 


Page count: 370p/18,443p ytd/327,138p lifetime

64:100 Halting State by Charles Stross

An in-game bank robbery in a virtual world with the potential for severe real world consequences.  It's not really what an every day detective is trained to handle.  Nor, for that matter, an every day forensic accountant.  But that's who is trying to solve this mystery along with an out of work gamer and game developer.  Of course, when they start digging into the mystery further and further, they find that it goes much deeper and involves much bigger players than they first imagined and they are in way over their heads.

I thought the premise was interesting but the execution lacked a lot.  It went too far into technical jargon when it wasn't necessary just to try to be geeky but the characters were generally shallow and boring and the plot overly complicated but then everything wrapped up simply with a bow at the end.  I've heard good things about Charles Stross's writing so I'm not sure if this was not a good example or if he's just not my cup of tea.



Page count: 380p/17,425p ytd/326,120 lifetime

60:100 In Other Lands by Sarah Rees Brennan

Elliot is the nerdy, unlikable, smartass, totally obnoxious 13yr old kid is in his class.  His mother left him and his father when he was young and his father has paid almost no attention to him ever since.  Today, he is on a field trip with his school to some place he is sure will be boring and he couldn't be more wrong.  They are in a field when he sees a wall that none of his classmates can see and when he goes to climb it (as that seems like the most logical thing to do), he finds himself in the Borderlands, a world where technology doesn't work and is populated by all the creatures out of our fantasies including, to Elliot, mermaids.  He's not so sure about the rest of the world though since it seems that the human guards that he would be entering into is mostly about weapons and fighting which are definitely not to Elliot's taste but then he meets Serene-Heart-in-the-Chaos-of-Battle, an elf and the most loveliest creature he has ever set eyes on.  Right then, he decides to stay and his life turns upside down. 

Honestly, I really wanted to like this book.  I thought the premise was great and was looking forward to it despite how obnoxious Elliot was because I was figuring we would see character growth and development and he would turn into, if not a fully likable character, at least one that didn't just make me want to slap the crap out of him constantly.  That never happened.  He was always an obnoxious, insufferable character with moments of not being that but then he would revert back to form.  Add in the fact that we constantly have to hear about his supposed superior intellect but yet he speaks in small words and repetitive phrases constantly!  My 13yr old had a larger and more imaginative vocabulary when he was 8yr.  The other characters had more character growth but it still wasn't great and I found the over-the-top sexism of the elves horrendous as well.  The world building was solid but the characters populating it made it a slog to read.


Page count: 432p/16,976p ytd/325,671p lifetime

49:100 Sourdough by Robin Sloan

Lois Clary is living the Bay Area start-up "dream". She is heavily invested in her job and enjoys it but it leaves her with no time for anything outside of work, even eating.  She has been starting to live on Slurry, a nutritionally dense but flavorless goo, when she sees a flyer for Clement Street Soup and Sourdough with the most unusual menu.  You could pick spicy soup, spicy sandwich, or combo (double spicy).  She called and placed an order for the double spicy and it changed her life.  The food was amazing and the bread was nothing short of heavenly.  Soon she was ordering constantly but when the brothers who ran the place had to move, they presented her with the sourdough starter and a copy of the music that needed to be played for the start to work its magic.

Now Lois instead of doing nothing but programming a robotic arm at work is learning how to bake and everyone is commenting on how amazing her bread is.  It's so good, she tries to get a place at the Ferry Building Farmer's Market but instead of getting in there, she is instead invited to join a different, more secret market.  Now she is mixing her programming skills for the robotic arm, the music, and the sourdough and creating something truly special...or is she?

I enjoyed this book soooo much!  The story was fun and light but with darker undertones and the characters were well written and engaging.  I didn't realize this was the same author who had written Mr. Penumbra's 24-hr Book Store which I also loved but I think I will now be following him to grab anything new he writes as I've loved everything I've read so far.



Page count: 272p/11,525p ytd/322,220p lifetime

34:100 Wild Seed by Octavia Butler

Patternmaster - Seed to Harvest #1

Doro has been wandering the Earth for over a thousand years and knows of no others like him so he has taken to setting up breeding towns from those who show a touch of power like his to try and create a master race.  He can be patient since he has mastered the technique of moving his consciousness to a new host body at any time making him effectively immortal.  But then he meets Anyanwu who is like but not like him.  She has also lived far longer than a normal human but she is able to do so because she can completely control her body at a molecular level which means so long as she has the time, she can heal from anything.  She is powerful in ways Doro isn't and can't be and he craves her subjugation and the mingling of their powers to bring more stability to his line.  And while she believes his lies at first and is intrigued to be mated to one who has powers at least similar to hers and as long a life, she soon learns that Doro is not who she first thought him to be and she is stronger than he thought.

Such an incredibly powerful book.  The theme of eugenics was not one I was comfortable with nor enjoyed but the relationship between Anyanwu and Doro, watching the shift and play of their power struggle, and the eventual conclusion was fabulous and so richly done.

I choose this book for my book club read this month because I learned that it will be adapted for TV and Octavia Butler has been on my list of authors to check out for a bit now.  It's interesting to note that this book was the fourth book written in the series although the first in world chronological order (and one of the books has since been disowned by the author).



Page count: 320p/8,572p ytd/319,457p lifetime

28:100 A Great Task of Happiness: The Life of Kathleen Scott by Louisa Young

Kathleen Scott was the widow of Captain Scott who died in Antartica and has been a largely misunderstood footnote for her husband and their son, Peter Scott.  Louisa Young, the author, is the granddaughter of Kathleen Scott and wanted to show the world a different side of her.  Her unwavering devotion to seizing life and all it had to offer and to always choose happiness.  The author does stress these points at every opportunity as well as giving long lists of the famous people in whose company she was often found but it felt more like laundry lists than anything else.  While I admire the things that she did accomplish, especially as a woman during that time, I felt that much of the more interesting accomplishments were given very short mentions.

This is a huge issue with this book.  The depth is lacking in so many areas.  Places where it would have been really interesting to know more about.  Her helping with recreating the faces of wounded soldiers.  Her relationships with so many of the artists that she knew.  But it was just mentioned and then quickly moved past.

I also found that the fact that there would be years in the chapter titles and then stuff from all over the place would get mentioned in that chapter so it was jumping time all over the place regularly very frustrating.

And then there is Kathleen Scott herself.  I understand that the author wanted to help get better information about her out there but honestly, she came across as a misogynist, self-centered, and emotionally needy and controlling to me.  I was mostly frustrated and just didn't find her likable at all.  Apparently in real life she was but this book did not bring that across to me.



Page count: 320p/6,962p ytd/317,847p lifetime

16:100 Educated by Tara Westover

Tara's family, and particularly her father, wanted nothing to do with the government or any establishment that might possibly be affiliated with.  They birthed their children at home and did not report it or get them birth certificates unless they had to for some reason. They homeschooled which mostly seemed to consist of teaching them the basics of reading and math and then putting them to work helping the family to prepare for the end of days that they believed were coming.

As Tara grew, her father seemed to become more erratic and one of her older brothers is becoming more violent.  Tara realizes she needs to get out but with no formal education and no government records of existing, it will not be easy.  She receives help from many different sources, although not all of it does she feel she can trust based on her upbringing, but through it she goes to college and studies all over from Harvard to Oxford.  Her only problem is that the more she travels and learns, the further she departs from her family's teachings and their idea for how she should behave and live her life.  Finally, it comes that she must make a choice between the person she has become and the person her family wants her to be.

This was a hard read.  It's an autobiography but still, you want those that are awful (and there are several that are truly awful people) to face some sort of justice for what they put her through but the real world doesn't work like that and they not only survive, but thrive.  However, so does Tara. She has to make hard choices but she realizes that being true to who she has become and wants to be is important and it's hard to do anything but want to hug her for her courage.


Page count: 336p/4,422p ytd/315,327p lifetime

11:100 Last Train to Istanbul by Ayşe Kulin, John W. Baker (Translator)

Selva comes from a high ranking family in Istanbul as well as being beautiful and smart.  Her older sister has found a fast rising man who will go far in the government.  It's expected that Selva will do something similar except she falls in love with Rafael Afandari, a Jewish son of a local pharmacist.  Her father disowns her and so she and Rafi get married and run away to Paris.  Unfortunately, this was just shortly before WWII and the Nazi invasion of France.  Now Rafi is in constant danger as are all Jews in France and Selva has just been contacted by a friend of her sister's who now works in the Turkish consulate in Paris.  Turik is working to get them back to Turkey and keep them safe as well as all the Turkish Jews he can find but it will not be easy and the danger is great.

Amazon gave this away during Book Day in 2018 and then it was chosen for my book club (I may have helped push that decision).  I enjoyed Selva's story.  The part with her sister was slow and didn't seem to add much to the story except to occasionally give some backstory to Selva.  My biggest issue with the story was the train ride which for the most part had nothing happening until close to the end when it just seemed like the writer thought it had been too easy so let's throw a rape scene in.  I get that those things happened but the way it was handled in the story just seemed too contrived.  In all though, I did enjoy the book.  Most of what I've read about WWII and the Holocaust have been centered in Germany, Poland, and surrounding territories.  I had never heard Turkey mentioned in anything so it was interesting to see what they were having to deal with, both the government and some of the people.

Page count: 395p/2,860p ytd/313,765p lifetime

94:100 Tribe: On Homecoming and Belonging by Sebastian Junger

Sebastian Junger takes a hard look at how the way society deals with PTSD and returning veterans makes life more difficult for them.  Mr. Junger has methodically researched the many alarming statistics surrounding the rate of suicide of these groups in certain societies by looking deeper not only into those societies but also the ones where it is less common and it should be surprising to no one to learn that much of it has to do with connection.  More and more, we are becoming a self-isolating.  It's easier to order in everything from the outside world, yes, but what are we saving all that time for?  To be productive?  What does that mean and why do we value it so highly and devalue those whom we think of as "less productive"? 

Human connection...interactions...a societal connectedness. These are things that we should be striving more towards but they are the things that seem to be getting lost more and more in this new age.  Mr. Junger found that people he interviewed who had lived through sieges and war times actually had fond memories of those times, not because of the horrors they endured but because it brought a community together.  Once the danger was passed, they all went back to living their own lives and something was lost. 

Humans are by nature social beings but the more busy we become, the less we have time to sit down and be there for each other, to listen, to connect with one another.  I think this book was narrow in it's scope but there is a very wise underlying message for all of us...Slow down and reconnect with people.  We will all be better for it.


Page count: 182p/17,410p ytd/309,608p lifetime

63:100 Hounded by Kevin Hearne

First book in the Iron Druid series.  Atticus O'Sullivan is one of the last Druids and currently enjoying a quiet life in Arizona.  Unfortunately for him, there is an ancient Celtic god who has wanted the sword that Atticus wields for centuries and has found him now so this the time to make his move and get his hands on it.  Seriously, even against a god, what Druid is going to stand for that?!

My oldest enjoys this series and it's been in my to-read pile for a while but other things kept getting pushed in front of it until it got picked for my book club.  If you enjoy Dresden, you'll enjoy this one.  Same snarky main character but on the Celtic mythos side of things.  There are some rough spots in the writing but I believe this was the author's first book so it makes sense and I'm guessing it will smooth out in future ones.  I do plan to find out.



Page count: 304p/11,045p ytd/303,063p lifetime

58:120 The Miseducation of Cameron Post by Emily M. Danforth

Cameron Post has immense guilt. She was so terrified of her parents finding out that she had kissed a girl and that night they were both killed in a car crash and she was relieved that they would never find out.  Cameron didn't realize just what would happen next as she thought she would continue to be raised by her grandmother who had been living with them and while she was old-fasioned, Cameron knew just how to manage her.  Instead, her ultraconservative and religious aunt is giving up her entire life to move in to Cameron's home to raise her.  Now Cameron is going to church every Sunday and she knows that her survival in her hometown will depend on her ability to go with the flow and not stand out in anyway. 

Then Coley Taylor moves into town from the more rural surrounding area, a perfect cowgirl with an equally perfect boyfriend.  Cameron didn't mean to but she fell in love with Coley and a deep friendship formed between them...and then things went further until they are caught and Coley's shame flares up.  Now Aunt Ruth has decided that in order for Cameron's soul to be saved, she must go to a special camp to learn how to deny who she is and become what their church says she should be.

Turns out that Cameron isn't the only one there who doesn't think she needs to change and she finds kindred spirits but can they manage to survive the camp intact?

I really enjoyed this book.  Cameron was relatable, the story was simple but well executed, the characters layered and with their own arcs and growth.  The ending did leave you wanting a sequel but I was ok with how and where it ended.


Page count: 485p/10,067p ytd/302,084p lifetime

47:100 Clockwork Boys by T. Kingfisher

Slate is a forger and has been given the choice between death and going on a suicide mission. Since a suicide mission has at least a slim chance at survival, she choose that.  Her assassin friend was given the same choice and also went for the suicide mission.  Now she is looking for one more person to round out their party and she has her pick of the prisoners. As luck would have it, she has just a wee bit of magic, a strong rosemary perfume that tells her when fate is trying to knock on her door and this time, it runs her straight into a formerly possessed former paladin who murdered several priests and nuns of his god.

Fate has a sick sense of humor.

Once they are joined by their scholar who is looking for a book that may contain information about the Clockwork Boys that the neighboring state is using to war upon them, they can start their journey.  Their quest, to discover how the Clockwork Boys are made and if possible, disrupt the process or bring back information on how to destroy them while there is still a kingdom to save.  Several other parties have been sent out but none have been heard from, let alone returned.  Slate and her small band may be the last hope there is.

Definitely darker and less whimsical than the last book of her's that I read and also a bit slow paced but still enjoyable.  The characters were fairly strong and complex although a little less of the fatalistic monologue would have been nice.  I think this is just a duology in which case I have the next book waiting for me to find some time.


Page count: 230p/8,471p ytd/300,488p lifetime

45:100 The Eyre Affair by Jasper Fforde

In a world where time travel is commonplace and cloning brings you the family dodo rather than the family dog, Thursday Next is a Special Operative in the Literary Detection. She helps make sure that literature that is sold is the real deal and not a forgery and helps to protect the original manuscripts of famous pieces since a change to the original will change all other copies all over the world. Now her uncle has discovered a way for people to travel inside of manuscripts and a particularly nasty sort of villain is threatening to steal Jane Eyre right out of the Bronte manuscript and destroy that story forever.  Detective Thursday must find a way to stop him and put things to rights before all famous literature is at risk.

Seriously, a world where reading is such a big deal sounds like my kind of place!  Seriously, it was interesting premise for world building with only a bit of time traveling paradox thrown in.  Characters were good but a little simplistic and character interactions were fairly predictable.  On the whole though, a wonderful light and fun bit of summer reading.



Page count: 385p/7,895p ytd/299,916p lifetime

31:100 The Radium Girls: The Dark Story of America’s Shining Women by Kate Moore

Radium was the latest craze after Marie Curie discovered it and business was keen to get in on finding as many applications for it as possible but for the most part, it was too expensive for the everyday person but painting dials for fancy watches or aircraft?  That was just the ticket for a couple of the big radium corporations.  And for young girls, some as young as 14, trying to help their families make ends meet it was such a simple job.  Lick, dip, paint the number on the dial.  Lick, dip, paint some more.  If you were one of the lucky girls, you worked at the factory where you were allowed to play with it and see just what kind of a glow you could get when painting it on your teeth, nails, clothes, etc.

Except every time they licked their brushes to get them to the proper point, they were ingesting a little more radium paint..every.single.time..usually for years.

And then they started getting weird health problems. Abscessed teeth but the jaw wouldn't heal when the tooth was removed. Teeth just getting loose and falling out. Limbs shrinking. Tumors.

But the companies refused to admit any wrongdoing, even after reports were coming out that it was the radium.  Most lawyers refused to take their cases.  The laws at that time did not adequately cover radium exposure.  It was a fight of the people vs. big corporations and it was a fight that many did not think they could win.

Some didn't.  Some died before they knew what was happening to them. Some died before they could get a lawyer to accept their case. Some died while trials were going on. But there were many who fought and kept fighting.  Some won their cases and some lost. Some won settlements that were truly helpful and others won only a pittance.  Some were shunned by their communities but they kept fighting. 

And laws were changed.

Not as many as needed. Some of these factories were still operating with similar procedures into the 1970s but things did change although it took many years and many of these shining women did not live to see it.  May we learn from what they went through as big corporations continue to thrive on the backs of their workers whom too many see as disposable commodities, easily replaced.

Many books have chronicled the court cases and looked at the story from a more technical perspective but this one tried to give the girls a voice about who they were, what their hopes and dreams were before this happened to them, and also after when they realized what was happening. It's a little too chipper at times and the voices of the girls tend to blend into one homogenized voice rather than hearing them as individuals but it's well researched and a very accessible read.

Page count: 496p/6,778p ytd/298,799p lifetime