Hello! I’m Joy, and I love to read. I consider it my greatest talent and favorite hobby. Another one of my preferred pastimes is recommending reads to anyone who is the least bit curious. Seriously. I am always volunteering book recs to people near me, whether they ask or not. I thought it would be fun to bring this passion to Baton Rouge Parents Magazine. I will share with you every book I read month by month and what I think about them. Let’s get started! You can also follow me on Instagram at @joyfulreadswithjoy! 

Parable of the Talents by Octavia E. Butler

Parable of the Talents is the sequel to Parable of the Sower. This novel is more sci-fi and dystopian than its predecessor, which was more apocalyptic. This one is rough and intense, super violent and disturbing. However, it’s incredibly thought-provoking and relevant. Octavia Butler wrote this shocking volume in 1998, and she was so prophetic: predicting the rise in nationalism, climate change, human trafficking, virtual reality, division, child separation, and domestic terrorism.

Summary: Lauren Olamina and her Earthseed community have established a healthy and growing homestead called Acorn. They have several years of hard work and peace before the unthinkable happens, and everything changes, leading to loss and severe trauma. America is broken, and people are enslaving others with electric collars.  Olamina has to start over with her Earthseed calling. Olamina must gather her followers to overcome the brokenness.

This novel is different than Sower because Lauren’s daughter also narrates her perspective of Earthseed and of her mother. Brutality and inhumanity pervade this text, but the heart of the novel is love, courage, community, and kindness. The futurism and sci-fi are pretty on point and near where we are now. It’s a bleak future, but Olamina and her Earthseed people provide hope and love.

Warning: violence, sexual assault, child abuse

Lunar Love by Lauren Kung Jessen

What a delightful and sweet romcom! After both Butler novels, I needed a reprieve, so a romcom was right on time. Lunar Love is a nice mix of enemies-to-lovers/business-rivals-to-lovers with a little romance wager thrown in. Lauren Kung Jessen creates a lovely-matchmaker-meets-dating-app-developer love story with lots of humor, cooking, Chinese Zodiac, Chinese culture, and tons of fun, trivial facts. Her characters are lovable and memorable, and I want to be their friends. The L.A. setting is charming and full of great landmarks. It’s just a happy, feel-good read with adorable vibes.

Summary: Olivia Huang Christensen is laser focused on maintaining her grandmother’s Zodiac matchmaking agency, Lunar Love, when she meets a handsome, intelligent, and witty guy who turns out to be creating a Zodiac dating app. As their businesses collide, they make a bet on whose dating business is most effective. Who can get the other a true love match? Situational irony and snappy banter bring the two together through a series of cute events and tender convos.

I’m so glad I read this in February, the month of love! A few things I really loved in this novel were the pop culture moments, yummy food descriptions, great song and movie references, and relatable characters. The second half is pretty irresistible, and I flew through it. Kung Jessen addresses mixed-race identity, tradition, digital dating, family dynamics, and work/life balance in this romcom. Excellent debut novel! I loved learning about the Chinese Zodiac and lunar effects! Olivia and Bennett are my new favorite couple .

Surrender: 40 Songs, One Story by Bono 

Bono. What more is there to say? Well, according to this memoir, A WHOLE LOT. As a U2 and Bono fan, this beautifully crafted masterpiece of an audiobook really floored me. We know Bono as a songwriter, performer, activist, and speaker, but he is also a fantastic author. This memoir covers everything in his life, including the founding and rise of his prodigious band, his family trauma, grief, his love (Ali Hewson), his faith, his thirty years of activism, his humility, his friendships, his country, his creativity, his love for other musicians, etc.

Each chapter of this memoir is named after a U2 song, and the audiobook contains acoustic snippets in every one. The audiobook also includes fragments of speeches, other music, and clips of news, etc. it’s truly a production. Bono also does many voices and accents of the people in his life. He is contemplative, honest, vulnerable, reflective, and very funny. Surrender is an incredible listen, and I would like to buy it in print, too, for the pictures and art. For fans of music, for activists, for Christians, and people interested in memoirs, I highly recommend!