Pride by Ibi Zoboi

Shhh…don’t tell Sarah or Carrie or Chanin, but I’ve never read Pride and Prejudice.  And just in case you were wondering, it wasn’t part of our high school curriculum that I “skipped” (looking at you, Great Expectations).  I guess I had just heard too many people complain about Jane Austen and I was too busy reading Andrew Greeley mysteries in my late teens and early 20s to pick up Jane Austen.  Sorry, Jane.

Fast forward to 2020 and my book club goes virtual (you can still drink wine during virtual book club, btw) and chooses Pride by Ibi Zoboi for our monthly selection.  Hailed by Zoboi as “a modern remix of Pride and Prejudice set in Brooklyn’s Bushwick neighborhood,” Zoboi introduces us to Zuri, a spunky teen with very opinionated opinions about the new, rich family that renovated the block house and moved in across the street.  We watch Zuri struggle with her own identity, her own prejudices and eventually find her own definition of love. 

I loved Pride.  I loved Zuri’s intensity of wanting to protect her neighborhood and culture from “strangers.”  But then I loved Zuri’s eventual softness and maturity.  Zuri’s personal growth can be a lesson to all of us no matter our age, race, or individual prejudices.

The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry by Gabrielle Zevin

Good news? I have tons of time to read this summer!

Bad news? I am moving from Virginia to Washington state (thanks, Uncle Sam) and our house will not be ready until possibly Oct. 1. 

Let's just focus on the good news, shall we?

Since I am literally homeless and pinging around this grand country mooching off of friends and relatives for at least another 3 weeks, I've read lots.  And lots.

This week, I was invitied to my mother-in-law's monthly book club.  She had already finished the book, so she dialed it up on her nook for me, I threw the kids in the pool and headed out to the backyard to read/make sure no one drowned.

The Storied Life of AJ Fikry was this month's pick and was a nice little escape in the midst of my nomadic life.  AJ owns a bookstore (who doesn't love a story set in a bookstore?) and is in the midst of grieveing the recent loss of his wife when he finds an infant left to his care.  Left with only a note pinned to her chest, baby Maya and AJ make an unlikely pair.  AJ becomes her foster parent and eventually her adopted father.  The story unfolds as to why baby Maya ended up in the bookstore but not without some unexpected twists.  At one point, I actually put down the nook to go find my MIL and exclaimed, "Can you believe that part about ___? I did NOT see that coming!"

This book was the perfect reminder that I should make more time to read and might even prompt me to start up a book club when I get to Washington.  After we get a house, that is.

**How cool is their club name?