What Fiction are you reading this week, July 4, 2021?

[japple]

11. Finished reading Lighthouse Island by Paulette Jiles and I think

it was better on the 2nd reading. I read it several years ago, but had forgotten a lot. The strange weather patterns in that book are eerily similar to what we are having this year. So sorry to read that you are suffering thru the heatwave and without A/C. The summer in GA has been remarkably pleasant. It seems as though we are having the weather that you usually get in summer and you are getting ours. I have a friend who swears by body cooling packs that she orders online. I remember wearing a bandana with ice cubes around my neck on very hot days in NC.

After hearing rave reviews about this book, I downloaded it and can't wait to start reading tonight:

Dawnie Watson's The Final Revival of Opal & Nev

Opal is a fiercely independent young woman pushing against the grain in her style and attitude, Afro-punk before that term existed. Coming of age in Detroit, she can’t imagine settling for a 9-to-5 job—despite her unusual looks, Opal believes she can be a star. So when the aspiring British singer/songwriter Neville Charles discovers her at a bar’s amateur night, she takes him up on his offer to make rock music together for the fledgling Rivington Records.

In early seventies New York City, just as she’s finding her niche as part of a flamboyant and funky creative scene, a rival band signed to her label brandishes a Confederate flag at a promotional concert. Opal’s bold protest and the violence that ensues set off a chain of events that will not only change the lives of those she loves, but also be a deadly reminder that repercussions are always harsher for women, especially black women, who dare to speak their truth.

Decades later, as Opal considers a 2016 reunion with Nev, music journalist S. Sunny Shelton seizes the chance to curate an oral history about her idols. Sunny thought she knew most of the stories leading up to the cult duo’s most politicized chapter. But as her interviews dig deeper, a nasty new allegation from an unexpected source threatens to blow up everything.

Provocative and chilling, The Final Revival of Opal & Nev features a backup chorus of unforgettable voices, a heroine the likes of which we’ve not seen in storytelling, and a daring structure, and introduces a bold new voice in contemporary fiction.

My two little foster kittens have broken out with ringworm, the bane of the kitty rescue world, so I'll be busy washing and scrubbing for awhile.

Thanks for the weekly thread and HAPPY 4TH OF JULY!!!