Back to the wheel this month - happy to return to my own very broad prompts to pick from my own shelves. I've gone for 11 spins this month; I want to push to be a bit more ambitious as the last couple of months I have managed to finish my TBR early. Here is a list of all of the prompts if you missed it!
Spin 1
Prompt: Paranormal/weird
Fifteen Dogs by André Alexis was my choice for this prompt. I first heard about this book on a book recommendation podcast where they were suggesting books from the perspectives of animals - a very intriguing concept!
Overview: Hermes and Apollo make a bet. As a result, they grant consciousness to fifteen dogs in a veterinary clinic in Toronto. The consequence is that some of the dogs want to explore new possibilities now they have a heightened intelligence and consciousness, however others are more connected to the 'old dog ways'. Prediction: 3.5 stars
Spin 2
Prompt: Booktuber 2018 favourite
This has been mentioned on several occasions by Kayla from Booksandlala, so of course I jumped at the opportunity to add If We Were Villains by M. L. Rio to this months TBR.
Overview: Based off of The Secret History, seven young actors studying Shakespeare at an elite arts college play the same characters on stage as they do off: villain, hero, tyrant, temptress, ingenue, extra. One of them is found dead, and the others have to act up for the police to pretend they are entirely blameless...
Prediction: 4.5 stars
Spin 3
Prompt: Young Adult
The Poet X by Elizabeth Acevedo is a favourite of so many people that are in the book community. Additionally, despite having read nothing from this author, I have wanted to read all of her books for such a long time! - I have only missed out as they are all quite pricey. I'm really excited to get to the first on the list.
Overview: Written entirely in verse, Xiomara writes slam poetry to talk about her life growing up in Harlem. Her feelings are all put on the pages of her leather notebook, saying the words as though they are prayers.
Prediction: 4 stars
Spin 4
Prompt: Colour
From spinning the wheel, I landed on a pinkish, purple colour which fitted The Astonishing Colour of After by Emily X. R. Pan perfectly. This book has also fallen on a lot of favourites lists of many members of the book blog community. I am hoping it pays off! Overview: Leigh is certain that when her mother commits suicide, she turned into a bird. She travels to Taiwan to meet her grandparents after her mothers death to uncover the secrets of her family and to grieve her loss. Prediction: 3.5 stars
Spin 5
Prompt: Non-fiction
My dad read Adults in the Room and now sees this author as one of his all time heroes. A slightly shorter book that feels more digestible is Talking to My Daughter by Yanis Varoufakis.
Overview: The former finance minister of Greece writes a series of letters to his young daughter explaining in a concise and simple way - using vivid examples - what capitalism is, where it comes from, and how it is advantageous to some and the downfall of others.
Prediction: 4 stars
Spin 6
Prompt: Highest rated (not owned)
I have been curious about Becoming by Michelle Obama since it was released in 2018, but it being only available in hardback made it too great an expense! I can't wait to finally see what all the hype is about and become an even bigger fan of Michelle Obama.
Overview: As First Lady of the United States of America - the first African American to serve in that role - she helped create the most welcoming and inclusive White House in history, while also establishing herself as a powerful advocate for women and girls in the U.S. and around the world whilst standing with her husband as he led America through some of its most harrowing moments.
Prediction: 4.5 stars
Spin 7
Prompt: Latest purchase
Given our current global situation, I thought no book would be better to get some advice on the joys of doing nothing than My Year of Rest and Relaxation by Ottessa Moshfegh. Even if we are doing so not out of choice.
Overview: A touching story of a young woman who is unhappy despite her life appearing to be perfect. To combat her unhappiness, she decides to hibernate for an entire year and do absolutely nothing. Prediction: 4 stars
Spin 8
Prompt: Romance
Originally seeing this book as a choice for Reese's bookclub, Erotic Stories for Punjabi Widows by Balli Kaur Jaswal was of course on my TBR. And with a title like that, how could I not be intrigued?!
Overview: Nikki is the daughter of an Indian immigrant family living in west London. She signs up to teach a creative writing course. Through a mistake, a huge number of Punjabi women arrive and end up creating stories writing about their hidden desires. Nikki wants to encourage their creativity but must keep the stories hidden from the brotherhood of conservative Punjabi men. Prediction: 3.5 stars
Spin 9
Prompt: Historical fiction
How have I not read this yet? The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini seems to be a modern classic. I've stolen my mum's copy for the occasion.
Overview: 12 year old Amir is desperate to gain the approval of his father and resolves to win the local kite-fighting tournament to prove that he has the makings of a man. His loyal friend Hassan promises to help him but this is 1970s Afghanistan and Hassan is merely a low-caste servant who is jeered at in the street.. Neither of the boys could foresee what would happen to Hassan on the afternoon of the tournament, which was to shatter their lives.
Prediction: 4 stars
Spin 10
Prompt: Dystopian
Battle Royale by Koushun Takami is the legendary dystopian translated from Japanese. From the cover art alone, this is one of the books I am most excited to read this month.
Overview: A class of junior high school students are taken to a deserted island where - as part of a ruthless authoritarian program - they are provided arms and forced to kill one another until only one survivor is left standing. Battle Royale is a Lord of the Flies for the 21st century, a potent allegory of what it means to be young and (barely) alive in a dog-eat-dog world.
Prediction: 4.5 stars
Spin 11
Prompt: Contemporary
This book has been on my radar since it was announced as the Booker Prize winner last year. Now short-listed for the Woman's Prize for Fiction, I am happy to finally be getting to Girl, Woman, Other by Bernardine Evaristo.
Overview: From Newcastle to Cornwall, from the birth of the twentieth century to the teens of the twenty-first, Girl, Woman, Other follows a cast of twelve characters on their personal journeys through this country and the last one hundred years. The stories are told by mostly women, mostly black and mostly British people and are all somehow interlinked.
Prediction: 5 stars
What an incredible stack of books I have to look forward to in May! I'm hopeful to find a couple of new favourites from this incredible stack...
