Hot Girls Read Podcast

Julia

I have finally started something new after finishing off my leftovers from last week! This is a book that I had bought a while ago now and have been waiting for just the right time to start: Women Hollering Creek and other stories by Sandra Cisneros. Cisneros is also the author of The House on Mango Street, which is the reason why I picked this lovely tome up (second hand, from San Francisco books in the 5th arr.), because back when I had read it about a year or so ago, I was captivated by her ability to capture the voice of childhood in such a poetic way. Similar to The House on Mango Street, Women Hollering Creek is, so far at least, told through the lens of young kids whose bright voices bring the place they live in to life, which in this book is both sides of the US/Mexico border during the 90’s. From the Table of Contents, it looks like the book is broken down into 3 separate short stories, each of which is told through multiple shorter vignettes à la House on Mango Street. It is incredible how Cisneros is able to create such depth of story through these short vignette style chapters. I too feel like the little girl being unfairly targeted by her school teacher, eyeing up toys at the market, playing in my own world with my best friend. The New York Times Review on the cover describes the stories as ‘unforgettable as a first kiss’, and I think that vertigo-inducing sense of nostalgia is a perfect way to describe the addictive quality of Cesnero’s storytelling. 

Ayesha 

As per usual, I’m in the middle of several books! I just finished Not Our First Rodeo earlier today on the metro ride back home. This is a cowboy romance (you know I enjoy those) with a hint of a second chance romance. Essentially, our FMC and MMC are on a bit of a break following the loss from a miscarriage and find their way back to each other during a surprise pregnancy. It’s a sweet read and I liked that they were an already established couple. My one irk is that I don’t know why cowboy romance series all have to have that trope/romance plot where the FMC’s best friend ends up in a romantic relationship with the MMC’s (most of the time, older) brother…who also happens to have a kid. 

The physical book that I’m reading is Orbital by Samantha Harvey. I received this from Penguin Vintage and silly me didn’t connect that I’d actually started another book by this author earlier this year, The Wilderness. I’m not a big space girl other than astrology and Star Wars, but the narration offers you a different perspective of Earth. I’m maybe half way through and I do enjoy the short chapters and the concise storytelling. I think it matches with the time these astronauts spend orbiting the Earth and aligns with how fleeting life can be.