Aspiring filmmaker Twinkle Mehra has stories she wants to tell and universes she wants to explore, if only the world would listen. When fellow film geek Sahil Roy approaches her to direct a movie for the upcoming Summer Festival, it's a dream come true for Twinkle. Then a mysterious "N" starts to email her, and Twinkle is sure it's her longtime crush, Neil Roy (a.k.a. Sahil's twin brother). The only problem is, that in the course of movie making, she's falling for Sahil.
Told through the letters Twinkle writes to her favorite female filmmakers, From Twinkle, With Love navigates big truths about friendship, family, and the unexpected places love can find you. A must-read for fans of When Dimple Met Rishi.
Written in 1979 by Octavia Butler, winner of multiple Hugo awards, Kindred tells the story of Dana, a young black woman living in 1976 California. One day she is inexplicably transported back in time to antebellum Maryland, where she saves a young white boy named Rufus from drowning before being whisked back to her own living room, still dripping wet. She makes this journey to the past several times over the course of the summer, each time seemingly to rescue Rufus at various points throughout his life. The duration of her visits to the past is unpredictable, ranging from minutes to months and while she is there, she is forced to live as a slave. As she unravels her connection to Rufus and his family, she also experiences the consequences, both mental and physical, of slavery.
Readers who usually avoid science fiction should not be put off by this book. Time travel is simply used as a device to view slavery from a 20th century perspective and this novel will appeal to anyone interested in historical fiction, especially relating to race.
Kindred is also available as a graphic novel adaptation.
The Perfect Mother by Aimee Molloy is on the surface a story about the abduction of an infant. However, in depth, it is the story of motherhood, its burdens and its rewards.
A thriller with multiple storylines and twists, The Perfect Mother focuses on a “Mommy Group” called the May Mothers. When one of the mothers’ children is taken, the secrets and insecurities of all of the group members are slowly revealed. Told from multiple perspectives, the book switches narrators each chapter, which some people might find initially confusing, but this reader found to allow a more in-depth storytelling. The characters are diverse and unique but brought together through the shared experience of new motherhood, each struggling with and processing events in very different but very realistic ways. This is not a formulaic thriller, where the reader can guess the outcome of the story. This is a unique story with an I-did-not-see-that-coming conclusion that should be read!
Sophie thinks James is innocent. Kate will do everything she can to prove that he is guilty. All of them hold secrets, and all have told lies, but the truth must be in there somewhere. But is the truth an actual, concrete thing, or is it what the rich and powerful say is most convenient for them? James, Sophie, and Kate have plenty of dark secrets that have long been buried, and now that they are threatening to come to light, they might just bring down the carefully constructed house of cards.
Full of empowering female characters and timely resonance with the #MeToo movement, Anatomy of a Scandal will keep you turning the pages until the very end.
