Hello! I’m Joy, and I love to read. I consider it my greatest talent and favorite hobby. Another one of my preferred pastimes is recommending reads to anyone who is the least bit curious. Seriously. I am always volunteering book recs to people near me, whether they ask or not. I thought it would be fun to bring this passion to Baton Rouge Parents Magazine. I will share with you every book I read month by month and what I think about them. Let’s get started! You can also follow me on Instagram at @joyfulreadswithjoy! 

The Sentence by Louise Erdrich

Louise Erdrich is an American fiction icon. Her writing is so unique and penetrating. This is my third Erdrich selection, and since it takes place in her actual bookstore, the most personal. Her focus on Indigenous lives in Minnesota is captivating, especially in this relevant novel set in 2020. Erdrich captures ghosts, hauntings, PTSD, books, Covid, George Floyd, friendships, forgiveness, and love in this powerful novel.

Summary: Tookie spends a decade in prison after a foolish choice. She survives incarceration through reading. Once released, Tookie works at Birchbark Books, an Indigenous—owned bookstore in Minneapolis. This novel takes place from All Saints Day 2019 to All Saints Day 2020. Tookie deals with her personal demons while being haunted by her most annoying customer’s ghost. Her coworkers, friends, husband, and stepdaughter contribute to the moving tale of the unforgettable year of 2020. Throughout the year, the characters confront fears, hauntings, death, illness, racism, politics, violence, and heritage.

Tookie is such a lovable character and this cast of booksellers and friends are so likable and memorable. I had never read about the Indigenous response to George Floyd and the riots in Minneapolis. This novel frames these events from a new perspective (at least new to me). The Sentence is also a love letter to language and literacy. Tookie’s voice is remarkably singular. I loved this book, and I’ll most likely read it again. I dig books set in bookstores and libraries among bibliophiles!

FIVE STARS

Warning: violence, addiction, and trauma

Yours Truly by Abby Jimenez

Abby Jimenez and Romcom fans, Yours Truly is a slow burn romance with complex characters and memorable themes of anxiety, sacrifice, friendship, and family. Perfect for a beach read!

Summary: Briana Ortiz is a recently divorced ER doctor who is definitely not interested in dating. Jacob Maddox arrives in Briana’s ER as the new doctor. Crippled with anxiety, Jacob is dealing with the awkward situation of his brother and ex-girlfriend getting married. Briana and Jacob get involved in a fake dating relationship to ease the weirdness during the wedding festivities. But of course, they really do fall for each other. Which one of them will be brave enough to be honest about their feelings?

I really enjoyed the first half of the novel. Briana and Jacob had a great meet cute and epistolary exchange that was just adorable. The second half dragged on for me. The slow burn was too slow. I wanted them to be real and communicate with each other sooner than they did. The back and forth of their thoughts and insecurities got a little tedious. I really appreciated Jimenez’s portrayal of Jacob’s anxiety and the major storyline of organ donation. Both of those topics are meaningful to me, and I loved the spotlight on each. This novel connects to Part of Your World, and Alexis and Daniel make a few appearances. Overall, fun read, just a little too frustrating for me.

THREE STARS!

The Round House by Louise Erdrich

The Round House is my second Louise Erdrich novel this month. I picked this out to read during my classes’ reading time, and she came home with me. This novel is phenomenal and dark and haunting. It’s powerful and heavy, yet it’s worth it.

Summary: It’s 1988 in North Dakota, and 13-year-old Joe is heading into the summer with three friends and adventure on his mind when his mother is tragically assaulted and raped by an unknown assailant. Joe’s father, the tribal judge, and Joe are determined to discover the perpetrator. Joe and his friends are set on revenge. Joe’s mother is a shell of herself. As the family processes the trauma, the mystery unravels on the reservation. Joe pursues truth and justice while on his own coming-of-age odyssey. The pieces come together as Joe and his friends get involved in all sorts of situations. With legal justice out of the question, Joe sets on a path of vengeance to save his mother and father from the fear of the attacker and the threat of his presence.

The Round House is complex and layered, a book written for multiple readings and analysis. The ultimate theme is the lack of justice for indigenous children, women, and men who are hurt outside of the American legal system. But it is also a Bildungsroman about a young Native American boy who loses his innocence in multiple ways and experiences loss and pain. It’s also a tale about family, friends, and the tribal community of reservation life. This novel is hard to read at times, but the narrative and the poignant prose is worth the darkness.

FIVE STARS!

Warning: rape, violence, domestic abuse