Where Is Your Bookmark: My Current Read & Just in Time for Cinderella

A weekly meme where readers share the first sentence of the book they are reading and say what they think. Hosted by the amazing Gillion Dumas of Rose City Reader.

This morning, Papa call me inside the parlor. [opening of The Girl with the Louding Voice]

A weekly meme in which readers share a random sentence or two from page 56 or 56% of the book they are reading. Hosted by the wonderful Freda of Freda's Voice.

Don't cry, Adunni, I warn myself, don't you never, ever cry for any nonsense foolish man like Morufu. [pg 56 of The Girl with the Louding Voice]

At the moment I am reading The Girl with the Louding Voice by Abi Daré. The opening does not give much away but I was immediately curious about what her father wanted to tell her--suspecting it would set the stage for events to come. By page 56, my heart hurt for Adunni. I had already felt a range of emotions from anger to frustration to sadness by then. All of which I imagine Adunni felt too. 

The unforgettable, inspiring story of a teenage girl growing up in a rural Nigerian village who longs to get an education so that she can find her “louding voice” and speak up for herself, The Girl with the Louding Voice is a simultaneously heartbreaking and triumphant tale about the power of fighting for your dreams.

Despite the seemingly insurmountable obstacles in her path, Adunni never loses sight of her goal of escaping the life of poverty she was born into so that she can build the future she chooses for herself - and help other girls like her do the same.

Her spirited determination to find joy and hope in even the most difficult circumstances imaginable will “break your heart and then put it back together again” (Jenna Bush Hager on The Today Show) even as Adunni shows us how one courageous young girl can inspire us all to reach for our dreams...and maybe even change the world. [Goodreads Summary]

Does this sound like something you would like to read? What are you reading right now?

Connect Five Friday is a weekly meme where readers share a list of five books, 

read or unread, or bookish things, that share a common theme. 

Hosted by the  Kathryn of of Book Date.

This weekend is auditions for the Cinderella ballet my daughter's studio will be performing this summer. What better way to kick off the weekend than with Cinderella re-tellings?! Here are five I have read in the past ten years--all of which I enjoyed: 

The screw through Cinder's ankle had rusted, the engraved cross marks worn to a mangled circle. ~ Opening of Cinder

Cinder (The Lunar Chronicles #1) by Marissa Meyer ~ A science fiction retelling with a twist - humans, androids, a prince and a cyborg mechanic, a deadly plague and the threat of a hostile takeover. 

Aisling's mother died at midsummer. ~ Opening of Ash

Ash (#1) by Malinda Lo ~ A young women grieving the loss of her father and wishing to escape her cruel stepmother is tempted by the promises of a dark and dangerous fairy, all the while falling for the King's Huntress.

I have a magic mirror in my basement and I'm going to use it. ~ Opening of If the Shoe Fits

If the Shoe Fits (Whatever After #2) by Sarah Mlynowski ~ A magic mirror transports two siblings into the Cinderella fairytale where they must set the story right before being able to return home. This Cinderella must prove she is no damsel in distress before her fairy godmother will help her. 

Once upon a time, humans lived in peace across the land of Varis. ~ Opening of The Black Lily 

The Black Lily (Tales of the Black Lily) by Juliette Cross ~ In this dark romantic tale, our heroine sets out to assassinate the prince the night of the ball. It is humans against vampires--can they find common ground? 

Here is my dirty little secret: as a journalist I have spent nearly two decades writing about girls, thinking about girls, talking about how girls should be raised. ~ Opening of Cinderella Ate My Daughter

Cinderella Ate My Daughter: Dispatches from the Frontlines of the New Girlie Girl Culture by Peggy Orenstein ~ A look at how parents can maneuver in a culture of perpetuated gender stereotypes and the media. [Okay. So this one really doesn't count as a Cinderella retelling, but it has Cinderella in the title. That has to count for something, right? Yeah, I didn't think so either. Unfortunately, I couldn't think of another Cinderella re-telling I have read (I do have a list of ones I want to read though!).]

Have you read any of these? What Cinderella retellings would you recommend? 

 I hope you all have a wonderful weekend! Be sure and tell me what you are reading and are up to!

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