This book touched me differently. Not as a great science fiction novel that won the Hugo Award and many other prizes, but as a story that speaks to my life, my history, what my ancestors lived through in the 1500s, and what many still live and suffer today in Brazil.
And this feels close to me.
The writings of Anchieta, canonized as a saint in 2014, reflect this clearly. He describes Indigenous people as “savages,” “brutes,” “enemies of the faith,” and “ravenous wolves.” The Indigenous were not treated as human, but as creatures to be tamed, much like the “creechies” in Le Guin’s book.
As a Brazilian, I could not read this without thinking about Brazil. When Europeans arrived in Brazil, they did the same thing. They explored the land, took its richness, and sent it back to their own world. And just like the book, they did not consider the people living on that land as human.
More than a book that shows the importance of taking care of our world, our planted world (and I mean planted, not planet), this story shows the perspective of those who were already there when others arrived and decided the land was theirs.
Finished Theo of Golden with mixed feelings. Beautiful prose, but for me it lacked momentum. Theo’s secret kept me reading, yet the story drifted too long through reflections and convenient conversations. Still, the empathy at its core and the ending’s emotional weight stayed with me.
My only frustration: the book doesn’t really end.
But maybe that’s the point. The title already suggests this is just the beginning. I expected closure that never came.
Now I’ll be waiting for book #2.
As a Brazilian living in the U.S. for 25 years, this book felt personal. The cangaço elements, the historical references, and the regional language created a strong sense of belonging and appreciation for my culture.
Kleiton Ferreira transports us to the sertão of Bahia in the 1920s, weaving fiction with real figures like Luís Carlos Prestes, Corisco, and Colonel Fawcett.
The language is vibrant and, at times, gave me chills, especially in how it portrays hardship and resilience.
An engaging work that blends historical fiction, bitter humor, and a deep reflection on the human soul.
At the center is Paulo, an older man who admits he is a liar, distorting facts to cope with the guilt of abandoning his daughter. I kept questioning what was true.
The River Is Waiting by Wally Lamb is a heavy, emotional read. It started strong and pulled me in, but the middle dragged, and the ending felt rushed. Still, it stayed with me. Maybe discomfort is part of the point. Some stories are meant to stretch us.
What should be my next reading?
- Play Nice by Rachel Harrison?
- Parable of the Sower by Octavia Buttler?
- O Beautiful by Jung Yun?
- Theo of Gold by Allen Levi?
- Wyoming by JP Gritton?
- Bellwether Rhapsody by Kate Racculia?
Or
- The Correspondent by Virginia Evans?
The Midnight Library isn’t about finding the best possible life. It’s about how regret distorts the one we’re in. Nora moves through lives without their context, judging them with information she never had. By the end, the question isn’t which life to choose, but how to return to your own.
The Book of Unknown Americans follows two characters while giving space to other immigrant voices that never fully converge. The lack of resolution can feel unsettling, but it’s honest. Not every story intersects. Not every life gets closure.
✨ Every book starts the same way: messy drafts before the magic.
Beyond the classroom and my own writing, I’m now offering my support as a beta reader — with honest, diverse feedback on character, pacing, plot, and clarity.
👉 Link in bio: www.fiverr.com/s/qDgE5PX
#BetaReader #WritingCommunity
Some days I wonder why I’m still trying to write this book. Then I see this:
“You’re not doing it wrong. You’re just in the part that makes most people quit.”
So I’m staying. Writing. Even when it feels impossible.
✍️ Fiction writers! I’m now offering beta reading services on Fiverr — thoughtful, honest feedback on pacing, character arc, and story flow.
Perfect if you're querying, self-publishing, or revising.
📎 Check it out: www.fiverr.com/s/lj11pjb
Let’s make your story shine! 💛
Happy Birthday to me! ❤️
Amazon: www.amazon.com/registries/g...
Bookshop: bookshop.org/wishlists/dd...
Everyone in This Room Will Someday Be Dead
Halfway through. Not sure I love it, but I can’t stop reading it.
Gilda’s intrusive thoughts hit close.
“An intrusive thought about Eli driving off a bridge ebbs into my mind’s eye…”
I used to think it was just me. Maybe not.
My birthday’s June 23.
This year my gifts are books.
Not for me, but for my immigrant ESL students: for readers who deserve to feel seen.
Wishlist full of immigrant stories here:
bookshop.org/wishlists/dd...
Please share with a friend who knows books can change lives. 💛
Finished Our Missing Hearts in pajamas, under the sky.
Still thinking about this line:
“So it doesn’t matter, he says, as long as it’s happening to somebody else.”
Ng’s PACT felt fictional; until now.
In 2025, her warning feels like a headline.
#booksky
So, I’m not going to say anything.
I’m just going to leave this here, for you.
To sit with.
To think about.
(Page 267, Our Missing Hearts by Celeste Ng)
Perfect! ♥️
Books & Breakfast at school today, pastries, good convo, and I left with Little Fires Everywhere from the TOLO table.
Won Good Dirt in the raffle! 💛
Some days just feel like a hug.
#TeacherLife #AmReading
#booksky
Which one are you?
Are you a reader who can dive into any book anywhere, or do you need a cozy nook, a warm drink, and a good read? #BookLovers #ReadingHabits #CozyVibes #Booksky
Just signed with Harvard’s DKP to build civics curriculum for English Learners across MA.
Only 4 teachers statewide—one of them is me. 🙋🏽♀️
Newcomers, emerging, developing—all getting lessons that work.
Are you happy? I am. 💛
#DKP #Harvard #MLL #ESLteacher
Not Guilty is my debut novel. And it belongs in this conversation.
7/7
Stories that often challenge systems of power, racism, patriarchy, nationalism, ableism, or colonial legacies.
6/7
Stories centered on characters navigating life across cultures, often grappling with immigration, legal status, displacement, or cultural identity.
5/7
Stories where immigration isn’t just a theme, it’s a heartbeat. Where the personal is political.
4/7
Stories where women navigate silence, systems, and survival.
3/7
