The sun has started to show its face; the clocks have changed; our cherry tree is in full blossom. The herb seeds I planted a month ago are varying from just peeking through the surface to recognisable plants on various windowsills around the house. I do like spring.

Health-wise, I’ve been getting out on my bike at least once a week and even started running again. My shoulder isn’t 100% recovered but I’m inching closer.

I joined BlueSky last year and so far my favourite part is the Banned Book Club, which names a different book each month to discuss. This month’s selection was Parable of the Sower by Octavia Butler and I’m so glad I was pushed to finally read this terrifying modern masterpiece. It’s definite a good candidate for discussion. In fact, I think the discussion prompts really helped me to process this challenging read.

It’s particularly tough to read about the US descending into apocalyptic chaos considering the state of the actual country right now. It is scary and I am still trying to figure out what I can do besides feel angry and share news stories.

Here’s to a better April.

Books read

The Skin and Its Girl by Sarah Cypher
In this novel Betty Rumanni tells the story of her life so far, starting with the day she was born with blue skin. Betty is trying to figure out whether to stay in America to take care of her mother, or to follow her girlfriend overseas to build a new life together. But more than that, she is trying to piece together her aunt’s story and that of her Palestinian family. This is a beautifully told modern fairy tale.

The Other Black Girl by Zakiya Dalila Harris
A satire about publishing in New York City, dealing with race and snobbery? This sounded right up my street. And I quite liked it. But there is a thriller element that I found confusing and convoluted and honestly I’m not sure what it added exactly.

Parable of the Sower by Octavia Butler
In diary entries starting from 2024, teenager Lauren details what it takes to survive in an alternate California, first in a gated community and later out on the open road. The world is descending into chaos. Lauren has hyper empathy, literally feeling the pain and ecstasy of any people near her. Which is not helpful when surrounded by violence. She rejects her preacher father’s Christianity and forms her own ideas of who or what God is. This book is gripping and brilliant and deeply dark. I will definitely read the sequel Parable of the Talents but I’m not in a rush to be back in that dark place.

Heavenly Tyrant by Xiran Jay Zhao
Sequel to the fantastic Iron Widow, I was so excited about this I started it within hours of getting it. And despite it being over 500 pages I read it in a couple of days. Our heroine Zetian has achieved political power but it puts her in a precarious position. Widely hated and not a natural appeaser, Zetian must find a way to make the reforms her country desperately needs. But at what cost? And there’s the little matter of the revelations from the end of the previous book that need to be dealt with. I loved this.

Dallergut Dream Department Store by Miye Lee
Translated from Korean by Sandy Joosun Lee
A sweet, odd novel. Penny is excited to start work at the Dallergut Dream Department Store, which sells dreams to people who are sleeping. We meet the characters who create and sell dreams; learn about the system of emotion payments; even meet some of the customers and see the effect on them of the dreams. It’s a little twee but just unusual enough to get away with it.

Significant Others by Armistead Maupin 
I found a couple of Tales of the City books on sale and thought this would be perfect for the Trans Rights Readathon. Turns out this particular entry in the series features very little of its central character Anna Madrigal and zero other trans characters. But it’s still really good and I’m glad I finally came back to these books. I’m also realising I skipped book 4 in the series, Babycakes, which deals with the arrival of the AIDS crisis – something that is still a huge looming cloud in this instalment. However, the bulk of the story here is a few separate groups of people who have gone upstate for rural retreats in the woods who cross paths in unexpected ways. There’s a women’s festival, a Republican men-only camp and a couple of log cabins swapping horny residents. Maupin satirises the conservative men and the hippy women but he also shows that all the characters are human.