Connecting us: the essence of what makes us human

Books that are raw. Teaching us. Connecting us. Keeping us humble.

I just want to take a moment to send my love and thoughts to those battling after the cyclone in New Zealand - especially my family in Gisborne and Hawkes Bay. My sister suggested that in March, my charity of the month is one which is working in the response, which I think is a lovely idea. We will get to work on that! (We give $1 to our chosen charity for every book sold, in case this is making no sense to you!).

I also want to start this week with some gratitude. I am so very grateful for all of the lovely feedback I have had about Matilda’s Room. It really warms my heart to hear stories of people who had lost the joy of reading, now finding it again. People picking up books for the first time in years. People reading a Matilda approved book, and loving it.

I love it when people tell me their reading stories. My daughter’s lovely day care teacher has started reading again – she said that if I can find the time to read so many books, then so can she! She also said my excitement about books is catchy. How good?!

My sister in law, who is a sporadic reader, has been reading Eleanor Oliphant – she couldn’t put it down, and finished it really quickly. Apparently it is the best book she has ever read and she is sad it is over (we all know that feeling right?!). She is now on to the next one! It just goes to show the impact of reading a good book. Thank you for trusting my recommendations!

Onto the books..

First up, we have The Mother Wound by Amani Haydar which was recommended to me by my friend Rosie, and is my favourite book read in January 2023. A memoir, Amani Haydar suffered the unimaginable when she lost her mother in a brutal act of domestic violence perpetrated by her father. Five months pregnant at the time, her own perception of how she wanted to mother (and how she had been mothered) was shaped by this devastating murder. This book deals with some topics which will not be for everyone. This book is devastating, shocking, beautiful, raw and unforgettable. Even though this hurt my heart, the way it is written meant I could not put it down. Haydar also explores topics such as the intersectionality of feminism and religion. (If I made this book sound hard to read – my apologies. It isn’t!) If you love a raw memoir, you need to put The Mother Wound on your TBR list. This has also won a whole bunch of awards, so don’t just take my word for it.

Another for your list - This Tender Land by William Kent Krueger was a nominee for the Good Reads Best Historical Fiction in 2019. I read this one in late 2022 after seeing it on a “must read” list. This book starts out in the Lincoln Indian Training School in 1932 - a pitiless place where Native American children, forcibly separated from their parents, are sent to be educated. It is also home to Odie O’Banion, a lively orphan boy whose exploits constantly earn him the superintendent’s wrath. Odie and his brother, Albert, are the only white faces among the hundreds of Native American children at the school.

After committing a terrible crime, Odie and Albert are forced to flee for their lives along with their best friend, Mose, a mute young man of Sioux heritage. Out of pity, they also take with them a brokenhearted little girl named Emmy. Together, they leave in a canoe, heading for the Mississippi in search for a place to call home.

This is the first time I have read a book by Krueger and I don’t think it will be my last. I really loved these characters and I think you will too! This is a beautifully written book which I guess (just putting it out there) will end up on a reading list for High School students in the US.

Mornings in Jenin by Susan Abulhawa. I have said it before, and I will no doubt say it again. I love the way that books open my world up to so many other worlds. This book is like a history lesson, wrapped up in love, tears, pain and empathy. This is a multi-generational story about a Palestinian family who is forcibly removed from their village, displaced and forced to live in a refugee camp in Jenin. This book follows 50 years of the lives of this family. There is loss, fear, hate, pain, love, terrorism, hope and courage (and everything in between). This book goes forward and back in time to tell the stories of this family. I feel like everyone should read this book – to open your heart and mind to a tiny window of the experience of being a refugee. This was first published in 2010 and has a 4.43/5 rating on Good Reads. I also love that the author has given herself a review of 5 stars. Abulhawa writes, “I wrote it, so my rating isn’t all that relevant to readers. But for what it’s worth, it came from a place of love, and I put pieces of my heart in this narrative.”

Abulhawa has also written Against the Loveless World – less well known than Mornings in Jenin, but equally as good in my opinion. The protagonist is so good! Please read both.

To wrap up this week, let me introduce you to Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver. Hot Off the Press! I finished this book yesterday. This was published in late 2022 and has had rave reviews. This is currently sitting at 4.56/5 on Good Reads. This is a coming of age story of a boy born to a teenage single mother in a trailer. His mother is a drug addict, and Demon has to battle the foster system. This is a lengthy and eventful book so I won’t go into too much detail of the plot. This is a book about the need for love. It is about hopes and dreams, and life! This is beautifully written with detailed and complex characters. This is my type of book – something that leaves an imprint on your soul. Add this one to your TBR list, because life is too short to read bad books.