Diversity Spotlight Thursday is a weekly meme hosted by Aimal of Bookshelves and Paperbacks. Every week, we are to come up with one book in each of three different categories: a diverse book we have read and enjoyed, a diverse book on your TBR, and one that has not yet been released.
A Diverse Book I Enjoyed:
The Big Lie by Julie Mayhew
A startling coming-of-age novel set in a contemporary Nazi England.
Jessika Keller is a good girl: she obeys her father, does her best to impress Herr Fisher at the Bund Deutscher Mädel meetings and is set to be a world champion ice skater. Her neighbour Clementine is not so submissive. Outspoken and radical, Clem is delectably dangerous and rebellious. And the regime has noticed. Jess cannot keep both her perfect life and her dearest friend. But which can she live without?
THE BIG LIE is a thought-provoking and beautifully told story that explores ideas of loyalty, sexuality, protest and belief. From Goodreads.
This book is terrifying, even more so when you realise that everything that happens in this book either happened when Hitler was in power, or happens now in various parts of the world. This book covers so many important topics, but one of them is how sexuality was treated under such a regime. It's an incredible novel; so thought provoking, and very powerful. Check out my review.
A Diverse Book on my TBR:
Written in the Stars by Aisha Saeed
Naila’s conservative immigrant parents have always said the same thing: She may choose what to study, how to wear her hair, and what to be when she grows up—but they will choose her husband. Following their cultural tradition, they will plan an arranged marriage for her. And until then, dating—even friendship with a boy—is forbidden. When Naila breaks their rule by falling in love with Saif, her parents are livid. Convinced she has forgotten who she truly is, they travel to Pakistan to visit relatives and explore their roots. But Naila’s vacation turns into a nightmare when she learns that plans have changed—her parents have found her a husband and they want her to marry him, now! Despite her greatest efforts, Naila is aghast to find herself cut off from everything and everyone she once knew. Her only hope of escape is Saif . . . if he can find her before it’s too late. From Goodreads.
I've wanted to read this book ever since I first heard about it. And then Heidi Heilig dared me to try and read all 30 books she recommended in her MuggleNet Author Takeover, which this is on! So I'm really looking forward to reading this! I've never read anything to do with arranged marriage before, and although this isn't a positive sounding story, I'm interested in learning about the cultural traditions behind it. (I also really want to read When Dimple Met Rishi by Sandhya Menon, which also covers arranged marriage.)
A Diverse Book That Is Yet To Be Released:
I Believe in a Thing Called Love by Maurene Goo
Desi Lee knows how carburetors work. She learned CPR at the age of five. As a high school senior, she has never missed a day of school and has never had a B in her entire life. She's for sure going to Stanford. But—she’s never had a boyfriend. In fact, she’s a disaster in romance, a clumsy, stammering humiliation-magnet whose botched attempts at flirting have become legendary with her friends. So when the hottest human specimen to have ever lived walks into her life one day, Desi decides to tackle her flirting failures with the same zest she’s applied to everything else in her life. She finds her answer in the Korean dramas her father has been obsessively watching for years—where the hapless heroine always seems to end up in the arms of her true love by episode ten. It's a simple formula, and Desi is a quick study. Armed with her “K Drama Rules for True Love,” Desi goes after the moody, elusive artist Luca Drakos—and boat rescues, love triangles, and fake car crashes ensue. But when the fun and games turn to true feels, Desi finds out that real love is about way more than just drama. From Goodreads.
This sounds so cute, and like it'll be so much fun! And I just really love that cover. I know absolutely nothing about Korean dramas, so it'll cool to hear about them, too. So looking forward to reading this!
So those are my three this week! What books are you spotlighting? Link me to your own Diversity Spotlight Thursday posts!
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I really want to read I Believe In A Thing Called Love too!! And also The Big Lie! I tried Written In the Stars but it is rather a depressing and fully negative review of Pakistani culture and it was kind of sad that it had basically zero good things to say about it. D: But just my opinion hahaha. I really want to read When Dimple Met Rishi too!! It's on my kindle so I should get onto that. 😜
ReplyDeleteOooh, doesn't I Believe in a Thing Called Love sound amazing? I love the sound of it! :D The Big Lie is awesome, Cait. Seriously. It really makes you think, and it's just terrifying. Awwk, that's a shame about Written in the Stars! I'll still give it a go and see what I think. Oooh, it's just been announced that Hot Key Books will be publishing When Dimple Met Rishi! I'm so looking forward to reading it!
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