It’s Gonna Be A Wonderful Birthday Month <3 | Anticipated Reads of May 2021

Its my birthday month – and I honestly am not exactly excited for it – and lo, and behold, it’s not even because I am turning the BIG 3 – 0!

It’s mostly because the world has completely turned around and I can’t even begin to even smile or hope – and with news always being almost apocalyptic, it’s only thing I can do is try and make do with a little bit of normalcy, no matter where I can get it.

And while I may not be interested in much; Reading, or rather talking about reading (like we cool bloggers/bookstagrammers do) is something that will always give me a sense of peace and contentment – so without further ado; here’s my MOST ANTICIPATED READS of MAY 2021 *winks*.

As always, this is not the total list of all the books being released in this particular month; these are the books that I am looking forward in this month – and maybe just maybe update, the list with my review links at the end of the month, so that ya’ll can access to the reviews without any issues!

If you would like to, you can also check out January 2021, February 2021, March 2021  and April 2021 Anticipated Reads as well.

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Heartbreakingly Hopeful Journey of a Young Girl from The Turmoil of Afghanistan |ARC Review: Sparks Like Stars by Nadia Hashimi

Kabul, 1978: The daughter of a prominent family, Sitara Zamani lives a privileged life in Afghanistan’s thriving cosmopolitan capital. The 1970s are a time of remarkable promise under the leadership of people like Sardar Daoud, Afghanistan’s progressive president, and Sitara’s beloved father, his right-hand man. But the ten-year-old Sitara’s world is shattered when communists stage a coup, assassinating the president and Sitara’s entire family. Only she survives. 

Smuggled out of the palace by a guard named Shair, Sitara finds her way to the home of a female American diplomat, who adopts her and raises her in America. In her new country, Sitara takes on a new name—Aryana Shepherd—and throws herself into her studies, eventually becoming a renowned surgeon. A survivor, Aryana has refused to look back, choosing instead to bury the trauma and devastating loss she endured. 

New York, 2008: Thirty years after that fatal night in Kabul, Aryana’s world is rocked again when an elderly patient appears in her examination room—a man she never expected to see again. It is Shair, the soldier who saved her, yet may have murdered her entire family. Seeing him awakens Aryana’s fury and desire for answers—and, perhaps, revenge. Realizing that she cannot go on without finding the truth, Aryana embarks on a quest that takes her back to Kabul—a battleground between the corrupt government and the fundamentalist Taliban—and through shadowy memories of the world she loved and lost. 

Bold, illuminating, heartbreaking, yet hopeful, Sparks Like Stars is a story of home—of America and Afghanistan, tragedy and survival, reinvention and remembrance, told in Nadia Hashimi’s singular voice.

ARC Review: Pashmina by Nidhi Chanani

Priyanka Das has so many unanswered questions: Why did her mother abandon her home in India years ago? What was it like there? And most importantly, who is her father, and why did her mom leave him behind? But Pri’s mom avoids these questions–the topic of India is permanently closed.

For Pri, her mother’s homeland can only exist in her imagination. That is, until she find a mysterious pashmina tucked away in a forgotten suitcase. When she wraps herself in it, she is transported to a place more vivid and colorful than any guidebook or Bollywood film. But is this the real India? And what is that shadow lurking in the background? To learn the truth, Pri must travel farther than she’s ever dared and find the family she never knew.

In this heartwarming graphic novel debut, Nidhi Chanani weaves a tale about the hardship and self-discovery that is born from juggling two cultures and two worlds.