Octavia Butler's Beginnings As A Writer

 

I've only read Kindred by Octavia Butler, which I really enjoyed a lot. I really want to read more of her works. 

The above YouTube video discusses Octavia Butler's life.

I learned a lot of new things about her life.

Our Lady of the Nile by Scholastique Mukasonga

 

I listened to the unabridged audio version of Our Lady of the Nile by Scholastique Mukasonga, which was very well narrated by Inger Tudor.

Scholastique Mukasonga is a new to me author. She was born in Rwanda in 1956. Mukasonga is Tutsi. She and her family were exiled to Burundi. In 1994, 37 of Scholastique Mukasonga's family members were killed in the Rwanda genocide.

Our Lady of the Nile is set in Rwanda primarily at an all girls Catholic high school/boarding school in a remote area of Rwanda near the Nile River. Rwandan girls are sent to 'Our Lady of the Nile' by their families in order for them to become "the feminine elite of the country and to escape the dangers of the outside world. The book is a prelude to the Rwandan genocide and unfolds behind the closed doors of the school..." 

And what a microcosm Our Lady of the Nile school is of things to come politically in Rwanda!! The story focuses on several of the girls attending Our Lady of the Nile school. These girls come from different backgrounds and ethnicities (Hutu and Tutsi) and we read about their different lives and views (both political and cultural views) of each of the main characters. 

Overtime, as things heat up in Rwanda, we find things take a turn for the worse at Our Lady of the Nile school by the end of the novel. Gloriosa, one of the female students and villain of the novel, takes over running much of the school. Gloriosa's father is a powerful man in Rwanda and she takes on her father's political views. Gloriosa acts entitled due to her father's powerful status in society and acts as though she can't be touched due to her father's power within Rwanda.

There are so many more layers and nuances within Our Lady of the Nile that are touched upon.... like religion and colonialism as well as politics, of course. It gives insight to life in Rwanda leading up to the Rwandan genocide. It's worth the read if you're interested in reading books by a Rwandan writer about her own country.

Below is the publisher's summary for Our Lady of the Nile by Scholastique Mukasonga, which I found on Chirp's website:

Scholastique Mukasonga drops us into an elite Catholic boarding school for young women perched on the edge of the Nile.

Parents send their daughters to Our Lady of the Nile to be molded into respectable citizens and to escape the dangers of the outside world. Fifteen years prior to the 1994 Rwandan genocide, we watch as these girls try on their parents’ preconceptions and attitudes, transforming the lycée into a microcosm of the country’s mounting racial tensions and violence.

In the midst of the interminable rainy season, everything unfolds behind the closed doors of the school: friendship, curiosity, fear, deceit, prejudice, and persecution.

With masterful prose that is at once subtle and penetrating, Mukasonga captures a society hurtling towards horror.

I'm giving Our Lady of the Nile by Scholastique Mukasonga a rating of 4 stars out of 5 stars.

Until my next post, happy reading!!

Bookish Quote of the Day!!

 

The Books That Helped Shaped Neil DeGrasse Tyson's Childhood

 

I enjoyed watching this long video where Neil DeGrasse Tyson talks about the books that shaped his childhood. He had a great story about his encounter with Carl Sagan at the end of the video. Most of the books feature science in some way.

Happy Tolkien Reading Day!!!

 

Top Ten Tuesday - Books on My Spring 2026 To-Read List

 

Top Ten Tuesday is an original feature/weekly meme hosted by Jana @ That Artsy Reader Girl. Top Ten Tuesday was originally created by The Broke and the Bookish in June of 2010 and was moved to That Artsy Reader Girl in January of 2018. It was born of a love of lists, a love of books, and a desire to bring bookish friends together.

I am such a mood reader! Planning my specific reading list in advance is quite precarious as I am prone to changing my mind on a whim. However, I will try to read all of the following books this spring.

1. Frankenstein In Baghdad by Ahmed Saadawi

2. The Vaster Wilds by Lauren Groff

3. The Light We Carry by Michelle Obama

4. Woodworking by Emily St. James

5. Culpability by Bruce Holsinger

6. Knots In My Yo-Yo String by Jerry Spinelli

7. Our Lady of the Nile by Scholastique Mukaasonga

8. Every Vow You Break by Peter Swanson

9. The Tilted World by Tom Franklin & Beth Ann Fennelly

10. The First Thing We Do by Glenn J. Hill

Have you read any of the above books? Let me know in the comment section below!

Mysteries of the Messiah by Rabbi Jason Sobel

 

I first listened to the unabridged audio version of The Rock, the Road, and the Rabbi by Rabbi Jason Sobel and Kathie Lee Gifford, which is wonderfully narrated by Kathie Lee Gifford. I thoroughly enjoyed listening to this work of nonfiction and hope to listen to it again.

Ever since listening to The Rock, the Road, and the Rabbi by Rabbi Jason Sobel and Kathie Lee Gifford, I've been meaning to read Mysteries of the Messiah by Rabbi Jason Sobel. This is the year I made this goal happen. 

As a side note, I had a dream earlier this year where my deceased, paternal grandfather wanted me to read Mysteries of the Messiah!! He was a deeply religious man in his later years and also very outspoken. So, when ancestors speak to us in our dreams, perhaps it is wise to sit up and take notice. This dream was another reason to move Mysteries of the Messiah up on my reading list.

How did I like Mysteries of the Messiah by Rabbi Jason Sobel? It's packed with biblical information!! I am not very well versed with regards to any particular religion, so I was a bit overwhelmed by the amount of information presented in this book. I will most likely have to revisit Mysteries of the Messiah a few times before it all sinks in due to the fact that I am not well versed with the bible or other Judeo-Christian texts. Overall, I really liked Mysteries of the Messiah.

I listened to the unabridged audio version of Mysteries of the Messiah, which I felt was passably narrated by Neil Hellegers. My chief complaint regarding the narration of Mysteries of the Messiah is that I felt that Neil Hellegers read this book too quickly.

Below is the publisher's summary for Mysteries of the Messiah by Rabbi Jason Sobel:

Highlighting connections that have been hidden from non-Jewish eyes, Rabbi Jason Sobel pulls back the curtain to shed God's light on the holy scriptures.

Most people do not understand how the Bible fits together—even people of faith. Too many Christians accept half an inheritance in that they are content to embrace merely the New Testament. On the flip side, Jews often experience this by embracing only the Old Testament. But God has an intricate plan and purpose for both.

In Mysteries of the Messiah, Rabbi Jason Sobel, raised in a Jewish home in New Jersey but now a follower of Yeshua, pulls back the curtain to show the many connections in Scripture hidden in plain sight. Known for his emphatic declaration "but there's more!" he guides readers from the story of creation through Revelation to see the passion and purpose of the Messiah, the Torah, and several of the patriarchs and prophets.

God's Word, written by many people over thousands of years, is not a random selection of people and stories, but they have intricate connections. Rabbi Jason connects the dots for readers, helping them see with clarity what God intended.

Also, see the short book trailer below for Mysteries of the Messiah where the author, Rabbi Jason Sobel, plugs his book.

I am giving Mysteries of the Messiah by Rabbi Jason Sobel a rating of 4 stars out of 5 stars.

Until my next post, happy reading!!

Childhood Literacy Crisis in the USA!

Wow, just wow, national exam finds that 40% of US 4th graders are below basic reading level. Additionally, over 50% of US adults are not able to read at a middle school level. 

This is scary 😱 news! As a nation, how are we supposed to stay competitive and relevant without an educated workforce in the generations to come if our literacy is in crisis?

Bookish Quote of the Day!!

 

Alta Journal - California Book Club - Janet Fitch

 

Last night, I watched the California Book Club monthly online event hosted by Alta Journal. This month, the featured book and author was White Oleander by Janet Fitch.

I remember reading White Oleander more than two decades and really enjoyed it at the time. I really enjoyed hearing Janet Fitch talk about White Oleander, her writing process and so on.

Above is the YouTube video from last night's event featuring Janet Fitch, should you care to view it.