What I’m reading this week: SONG OF A CAPTIVE BIRD by Jasmin Darznik. 
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For Week 6 of  our  Shady Goals challenge (52 books by emerging women writers in 52 weeks), I chose a historical novel set in Tehran that tells the story of Iranian poet Forugh Farrokhzad (seen at right and who definitely would have been a Shady Lady!).

Vogue calls it one of February’s best books and says, “sometimes simply choosing whom to love is a political act" -- which makes it the perfect pre-Valentines Day reading. 

Technically Darznik doesn't count as an emerging author since her first book, a memoir, made the New York Times bestseller list. But that came out in 2011 and this is her first book of fiction. So I declare she qualifies!

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For those of you following along at home, here's what I've read so far in 2018:

Week 5: Red Clocks by Leni Zumas (Jan. 16: Bloomsbury USA) The lives of five women intertwine in a near future when IVF, abortion and single motherhood are all illegal. Deeply satisfying. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
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Week 3 & 4: The Rending And The Nest by Kaethe Schwehn (Feb. 20; Bloomsbury USA). Started slow but by page 50 became a compulsively readable dystopian novel that explores the how we rebuild society and the stories we tell ourselves. The end fell flat for me otherwise it would have been 4 stars. ⭐️⭐️⭐️
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Week 2: Achtung Baby by Sarah Zaske (Jan. 2; Picador). Put it down about halfway through and didn’t get back to it. Felt like I’d gotten the gist already and wouldn’t miss the final details. Good for conversation. ⭐️⭐️⭐️
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Week 1: When They Call You a Terrorist: A Black Lives Matters Memoir by Patrisse Cullors-Brigniac (Jan. 16; St. Martin's Press). Spent a vacation in New Orleans completely engrossed. This is the story that helps you understand the lived experience of the woman who co-founded the #BLM movement. My first five star book of 2018. A great way to start! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️