Thursday, January 27, 2022

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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44 comments:

  1. Oh, I love The Girl With the Louding Voice so much. Pay attention to her language as she learns and grows in maturity. My Friday quotes

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    1. Anne - I am loving it so far. I hope to finish this weekend. Thank you for visiting!

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  2. The Girl with the Louding voice sounds like a powerful story that would have me in tears the entire way.

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    1. Mark - I have felt a wide range of emotions while reading it. Adunni is such a great character. My heart aches for all she's had to go through. Thank you for stopping by!

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  3. The Girl With the Louding is on my TBR but, I need to find the right mood before I begin.

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    1. Diane - I know the feeling. Some books are best read when you are in a certain frame of mind. Thank you for visiting!

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  4. The Girl With the Louding Voice is going on my TBR right now. Sounds incredible.
    Your list of Cinderella retellings makes me smile. I hope your daughter has a good audition.

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    1. Roberta - I hope you enjoy it if you read it. It's so good! Thank you for the well wishes for my daughter. She's feeling so nervous. Thank you for stopping by!

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  5. I love the premise of this book! Great excerpts.

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  6. I've heard so many great things about The Girl with the Louding Voice. And I love your list of Cinderella retellings. Cinder is one of my favorites. Hope you have a great weekend! :)

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    1. Ashley - I really enjoyed Cinder. :-) I hope you have a great weekend too. Thank you for stopping by!

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  7. I loved The Girl with the Louding Voice! Adunni is such a likable and memorable character. Happy reading! :)

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    1. Lark - Yes, I just love Adunni. I don't think I will forget her anytime soon. Thank you for visiting!

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  8. The Girl with the Louding Voice sounds inspiring! Have a great weekend!

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  9. The Girl with the Louding Voice sounds like an excellent read.

    Have a great weekend!

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  10. I really liked The Black Lily. It was a fun book.

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  11. I love books that help me explore other cultures!! Sounds like a good one! Happy weekend!

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    1. Freda - Me too. I love reading books set in other countries and learning about other cultures. Thank you for visiting!

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  12. Cinder is one of my favorites - I should reread that sometime.

    Lauren @ Always Me

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    1. Lauren - I really enjoyed Cinder too. I need to read the rest of the series still. Thank you for stopping by!

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  13. I recently read If The Shoe Fits by Julie Murphy, it's a Cinderella retelling too. Best of luck to your daughter at her ballet class!

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    1. Wendy - I'll have to check that one out. Thank you for the recommendation! And also for the good luck wishes for my daughter! Thank you for visiting!

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  14. I do love a fairytale retelling and did enjoy Cinder very much. Didn't quite finish out the series, I need to sort that!

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    1. Kathryn - I enjoyed Cinder too and meant to continue with the series but still haven't gotten to it. Thank you for stopping by!

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  15. Whatever after brings back good memories of my daughters reading those. :)

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  16. The Girl with the Louding Voice sounds like one that I need to read!

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  17. Two of these books are ones I really enjoyed: Cinder and The Girl with the Louding Voice. So good!

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    1. Helen - Yes, both were great! Thank you for stopping by.

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  18. The Girl with the Louding Voice sounds good though heartbreaking. I loved Cinder. I've only read Cinder and Scarlet but I enjoyed them both. I need to go back and finish the series.

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    1. Katherine - It was heartbreaking, but inspiring too. Definitely worth reading. I still need to read Scarlet. It's the reason I read Cinder-- because I wanted to read the series in order. And yet I still haven't read it! That's me though. LOL

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  19. Now I need to find myself a copy of The Black Lily and get to reading!

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    1. Carrie - I hope you enjoy The Black Lily if you read it!

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  20. The Girl with the Louding Voice sounds really good!

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  21. I have heard so many great things about The Girl with the Louding Voice. I haven't read any of the books you featured in your Connect 5.

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  22. Cinder is my favorite Cinderella retelling so far. Glad to hear you're enjoying The Girl with the Louding Voice. It's such an inspiring story.

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    1. Suzanne - Cinder was a very unique retelling. I really enjoyed it too!

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