"Dangerous Women" by Hope Adams

Dangerous Women is based on a true historic event, the voyage of Rajah in 1841 from London to Van Diemen’s Land (present day Tasmania). The ship transported nearly 200 women convicted of non-violent crimes for settlement in the new colony. During the voyage, one of the women gets stabbed and now an investigation is underway to find the guilty party. What fascinated me about the book is not so much the mystery aspect of the plot, but the stories of the women. Most of them come from poor families, have endured lots of hardships and loss, and turned to theft or other petty crimes as the last resort in order to survive or feed their children. The book also examines the subservient position women had in society at that time. Largely dependent on men for their livelihoods, many of the women on board of Rajah had suffered abuse and unspeakable treatment from the men in their lives. I thought this was a very powerful novel and highly recommend it. 5 out of 5 stars.

"The Clergyman's Wife: A Pride & Prejudice Novel" by Molly Greeley

Earlier this year I read The Heiress by the same author, which focused on the story of Anne de Bourgh from Pride and Prejudice. In The Clergyman's Wife we follow Charlotte Lucas. This book is set after the events of Austen's novel. Charlotte's been married for a few years already, has suffered the loss of her firstborn and now has an infant daughter. The novel explores the nuances of Charlotte's choice to marry for comfort. Mr. Collins is a highly unlikeable character. Even though he appears to be harmless and is, in the words of Jane Bennett, "highly respectable", he is void of any tact or genuine compassion. His sole purpose in life seems to be pleasing his patroness Lady Katherine de Bourgh. It always baffles me that a clergyman can be so heartless, but that is what Mr. Collins truly is. 

In this novel, Greeley explores the possibility that later in life Charlotte might meet someone who she could genuinely fall in love with. Of course, she is married and being with this other person is entirely out of the question. It is never a choice for her really. Had she never married Mr. Collins, she would have been dependent on her family for the rest of her life. The novel got me thinking about those possible missed connections, unrealized opportunities, what ifs... We all do the best we can under the circumstances we are placed under. And we make decisions minute by minute based on what we know in the moment, not on what could be. 

Charlotte made the decision to get married because that was her only way not to be a burden to her family. I think she really wanted to please her mother and father and make a good match. Lizzy Bennett, on the contrary, would rather be an old maid than marry the likes of Mr. Collins. Her need to stay true to herself is a lot greater than her desire to have a comfortable home and a security of marriage. I think those choices are still there for many of us. Do we settle for the job, the place, the person, or do we keep reaching for more even if it means we might never get it? These are interesting ideas to ponder. It is also disheartening to know how very few choices women in the Regency era had. And these are noble women. Simple folks had it a lot worse than that.

Molly Greeley is a wonderful author and I admire her ability to write spin-offs based on minor characters in Pride and Prejudice. She really gives depth to them and both novels challenged me to think about the plight of women in the early 19th century. 5 out of 5 stars. I hope she will write more books.

2021 Mid-Year Reading Goals Check-in

Now that we are halfway through 2021, it is time to review how I am doing with my reading goals. Here is a brief summary.

Goals	Progress to date
1. Read 100 books.	On target. As of today, I read 70 books this year
2. Read fewer ARCs (I read 30 last year and it was too much), so maybe pick up 10 or 12	I am doing better in this area, so far I read 12 ARCs this year, and I have 3 or 4 remaining. I was also better at DNF’ing the ARCs I did not like.
3. Read mostly the books I already own	Doing well here. In the first half of 2021, I read 39 of my own books (not counting the 12 ARCs)
4. Read 10 non-fiction books	Very pleased with my progress here. I read 8 non-fiction books this year. I really find that I enjoy non-fiction better in an audio format.
5. Read 5 classics	A bit disappointed in this one. Even though I have read 6 classics, they were mostly short novellas. I was really hoping to pick up larger novels. This is one of the areas I need to focus on in the second half of the year.
6. Work on finishing off some series	Not doing great here at all. Have not finished any series this year and I have plenty to work through.

I will also answers the same questions I've answered last year when I did my mid-year check-in:

1. Best book you’ve read so far in 2021

The Kingdoms by Natasha Pulley. She is definitely one of my favorite authors. I've loved all of her books and this was no exception.

2. Best sequel you've read so far in 2020

The Kingdom of Copper by S.A. Chakraborty. I absolutely love this series and cannot wait to read the conclusion.

3. New release you haven't read yet, but want to

Beneath the Keep by Erika Johansen.

4. Most anticipated release for the second half of the year

Book Number 4 in the Bromance book club series is coming out this month. It is going to focus on the story of the Russian hockey player and I am really interested to see where it goes.

5. Biggest disappointment

This has to be Malibu Rising Taylor Jenkins Reid - her books are incredibly popular and universally lauded. I have not read any other of her works, but this newest release was a huge let down.

6. Biggest surprise

Klara and the Sun by Kazuo Ishiguro. I read this for the book club and the novel is packed with so much meaning and is so thought provoking that it will definitely be on my top 10 list for the year.

7. Favorite new author. (Debut or new to you)

Kazuo Ishiguro. I think this year I am learning to appreciate literary sci-fi much more. I really want to read more of his books.

8. Newest fictional crush

Not sure I have one.

9. Newest favorite character

Anne de Bourgh from Heiress by Molly Greeley. I loved the happy ending this character from Pride and Prejudice received in this story.

10. Book that made you cry

Unexpectedly, Sword of Destiny (Witcher #2) by Andrzej Sapkowski.

11. Book that made you happy

A Royal Pain by Rhys Bowen. I love this cozy mystery series. 

12. What books do you need to read by the end of the year?

Definitely classics and perhaps a series or two.

"Census" by Jesse Ball

This was probably the most unusual book I've read this year. It was a pick for my sci-fi and fantasy book club and I expected a dystopian story. However, this book is much more literary in nature and even though the novel appears to be set in some sort of dystopian world, I think it is just a literary device that the author chose to convey his message.

The most fascinating part of this book is the author's note in the beginning. Jesse Ball dedicates the book to his deceased brother who had Down syndrome. In the book we follow a widowed father who becomes a census taker and travels from place to place with his son who (we can surmise) has Down syndrome even though it is not explicitly stated so. The entire story can be viewed as an allegory of life: we all travel from A to Z (the beginning and the end) and meet lots of various people along the way: some are wonderful and nice, and some are much less so. Our life is also a set of memories: some are more vivid than others. It is also a tangle of emotions, hopes, fears and disappointments. All of these can be found in this story.

I believe the book is also about coming to terms with the fact that one day we all must leave this world and leave our loved ones behind. In this case, the main character knows he is terminally ill, and he has to leave his son in the world of the living and hope that he will be ok. The novel is also about parenting. In our achievement-driven world, a lot of parenting is about bragging about your children's successes to others. However, when you have a special needs child, you celebrate quiet moments together, little victories that are in fact huge. It is a more humbling experience which is precious and filled with incredible love. 

This is not an easy book to follow. I almost gave up on it numerous times and really struggled to get through it even though it is very short. Only once I decided to view it as an allegory, I was able to appreciate it more. I wish the author wrote this as a series of essays rather than a dystopian novel. 3 out of 5 stars.

"The Witch's Heart" by Genevieve Gornichec

I am not going to lie, the first thing that got me interested in this book was the cover. There is just something so magnetically appealing about it - the way the woman's profile is sketched and the color scheme and of course the monsters in her hair. Then I read the description and I was sold. This is the story of the witch who marries Loki and gives birth to the three monsters who bring down the gods of Asgard during the Ragnarok. Loki is in my opinion, by far the most interesting character in Norse mythology. He always straddles the line between the good and the evil, and his duality and unpredictability is what makes him interesting and dynamic. 

Overall, this book will appeal to those who liked Circe by Madeline Miller and to fans of Norse myths. I recently read Neil Gaiman's Norse Mythology and it was very helpful in understanding the events in The Witch's Heart. The author draws heavily on the various well-known stories of Loki and other Asgardians and some knowledge of the source material will definitely be beneficial if you decide to pick up this book.

Just like Circe this novel explores the role and plight of women in ancient cultures, which is reflected in the way women are portrayed in myths and folklore. Also, as in Circe the so called gods really do not have nay redeeming qualities - they are just as cruel and selfish as their Greek/Roman counterparts. Finally, just as Circe, The Witch's Heart is written entirely from the main female character's perspective and we get her take on the events.

Overall, I really enjoyed this book. I found that some parts, especially in the beginning, were a bit slow, but it also might have been my own distracted state of mind at the time. As we as society continue to struggle with the COVID-19 pandemic, reading and enjoying any kind of hobbies is becoming more difficult. 4 out of 5 stars. I definitely recommend this novel.

"A Dead Djinn in Cairo" by P. Djèlí Clark

A Dead Djinn in Cairo is the first novella in the Dead Djinn universe. It is a mystery story set in a fantasy version of Cairo in early 1900s. In this word, djinn, angels and all sorts of other magical creatures walk the earth. There are also all kinds of clockwork mechanisms. All of these elements are a recipe for what I like: a steampunky mystery inspired by Middle Eastern mythology and culture.  

Our main character is Fatma el-Sha’arawi, a special investigator with the Ministry of Alchemy, Enchantments and Supernatural Entities, who is looking into a mysterious death of a djinn. My only complaint about this story is that it is too short and thus the characters and the world are not fully fleshed out. However, there are more novellas and now a full length novel also, so I am definitely looking forward to spending more time in this world. 3 out of 5 stars.

"Project Hail Mary" by Andy Weir

I never actually read Andy Weir's breakout novel The Martian. I did really like the movie. His second novel Artemis was a huge disappointment. So when the Sci-Fi and Fantasy Book club I am a member of picked his newest release as our next read, I was cautiously optimistic. I really hoped this new book would be more like The Martian and redeem the author. 

I was not disappointed. I think Andy Weir's strength is writing science-y Sci-Fi about loners. We spend a lot of time in Ryland Grace's (our main character's) head, who wakes up in a spaceship many lightyears away from earth and is apparently humanity's the only hope for survival. Ryland meets an alien in this story - also the only survivor on his spaceship - who is on a very similar mission to save his own species. The two have to work together to come up with a solution, or at the very least, die together trying.

Even though the book is filled with stereotypes and minor inaccuracies, it is a very enjoyable ride. The self-deprecating humor is excellent, the story is moving at a nice clip, and Weir comes up with really fascinating and realistic scenarios for the story. His explanations never seem far-fetched and for a layperson, the science reads very realistic and true. It is by no means great literature, but it is highly entertaining and interesting. My understanding is a movie based on the novel is already in the making, and I think it definitely could be as successful as The Martian was. 4 out of 5 stars. Definitely recommend.