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The Sunday Post is a chance to recap the past week, talk about next week, tell you what I’m reading, and share news. It’s hosted by The Caffeinated Book Reviewer, Readerbuzz, and Book Date.

The Sunday Post #305

On The Blog Recently

• I talked about childhood books that will never leave my book collection.
• I attempted to write one-word book reviews.
• I shared the exciting new releases that are coming out in May.

In My Reading Life

I read two "quiet" science fiction books, and they were both great.

The first was The Unseen World by Liz Moore. It's set in 1980s Boston and follows twelve-year-old Ada and her father, a brilliant computer scientist. When her father starts losing his memory, Ada discovers that he may have been keeping secrets. Maybe he's not who he claims to be.

I wasn't sure about this book at first. The plot is slow and meandering, and Ada is kind of boring. Then I finished the book, and I couldn't stop thinking about it. It's the type of novel that sticks with you. The story is a compelling blend of real history and unsettling futuristic artificial intelligence. It's a realistic (and somewhat heartbreaking) look at a young woman who's grappling with her father's past and the ramifications of the work he'd done. While she's uncovering his secrets, she's also learning to live with a foster family, developing friendships and crushes, and watching her father's mind deteriorate. Ada doesn't have much personality on the outside, but there's a lot going on under the surface.

I was surprised by this book. I felt kind of "meh" about it while I was reading, but it keeps creeping up on me and ambushing my thoughts. That makes it worth reading. I don't think I'll forget this one anytime soon.

The other sci-fi book I read was The School For Good Mothers by Jessamine Chan. This is a new release that caught my attention because it's being called "The Handmaid's Tale for mothers." That's a valid comparison. The Handmaid's Tale has better writing, but there is a lot of overlap in the themes. Both books are about the cruelty that women face because of unfair laws and the judgmental behavior of other women.

The School For Good Mothers is a dystopia about Frida, who has a very bad day. She's so stressed out that she makes a series of terrible decisions that end with her leaving her two-year-old home alone for several hours. The kid is okay, but the government is not amused. Child Protective Services sends Frida to a special school where she has to raise a robot child. The robot toddler is sometimes too lifelike, and sometimes not lifelike enough. If Frida can successfully parent the robot, she'll get her real child back.

This story raises a lot of interesting questions. Frida is not a likeable character. She doesn't always make good parenting decisions, but she loves her child more than anything in the world. It makes you wonder what "good mother" means and who gets to decide. Frida is the child of Chinese immigrants who had a different parenting style than the white, middle-class parents in their neighborhood. Frida has problems, but she survived, so are her parents good or bad?

The book also raises questions about punishment. Frida messed up and (probably) deserves to be punished, but when does the punishment become worse than the crime? Should her daughter be taken away forever? Will that do more harm than good?

I love the ethical questions that this book examines, but I was less thrilled with the plot and writing style. The plot gets repetitive, and the writing style puts a lot of distance between the characters and the reader. I never truly cared about Frida, and sometimes she gets lost in the crowd when the author drifts away from her to focus on other characters. None of the characters felt fully developed to me.

I still think this book is worth reading. It's entertaining and captures the pressure that women feel to live up to the "perfect mother" stereotype.

Right now, I'm reading The Familiars by Stacey Halls. It's historical fiction about a couple who is desperate to have a child and turns to a potential witch for help. It's well-written and intriguing so far.

In The Rest Of My Life

Five things that made me happy recently:

1. Who watched Heartstopper on Netflix? It's adorable! Watch it if you enjoy happiness.
2. I don't have COVID. I had to do an at-home COVID test for the first time ever because I'm sick. I'm still sick, but it's not COVID. So. . . yay?
3. New books!
4. I started my new job and got to meet my coworkers. Park rangers are nice people. A lot of them have a morbid sense of humor, so we'll get along great.
5. Nachos!

I Won't Annoy You On Social Media (Because Nobody's Got Time For That)

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Take care of yourselves and be kind to each other. See you around the blogosphere!