11. A book with a female author who uses a male pseudonym – Flowers in the Attic by V.C. Andrews

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Finished 08/20/18

There was an interview with Andrews were she said they sent her a copy of her book which had her full name but then went and printed the book under the name VC Andrews. She was told it was a mistake but too late to correct because it had already been printed, later she learned it was done on purpose because her publishers believed it would sell better if people assumed the book was written by a male. That fits perfectly for this prompt.

I’ve always wanted to read this book because it is considered a classic. After finishing the books I was looking at a few of the top reviews on goodreads and they were all scored so low. After reading them I see it was because they initially read this book in middle school because it was a taboo book or seen as trashy. I didn’t read it that way or see it like that. This is categorized as a horror book on goodreads and it definitely reads as one (Andrew’s wiki says her books are Victorian Gothic Horror). These kids were abused, neglected and shut up together for over 3 years with only each other to rely on for their social needs, comfort and platonic/familial love that turned into romantic love. Their life experiences were hindered for them and they became overly dependent with each other. A true psychological horror imo. And a very quick and easy read which was what I essentially wanted.

“When I read, if a book doesn’t hold my interest about what’s going to happen next, I put it down and don’t finish it. So I’m not going to let anybody put one of my books down and not finish it. My stuff is a very fast read.” -V.C. Andrews

A4. A book tied to your ancestry – Across a Hundred Mountains by Reyna Grande

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Finished 07/21/18

I had a hard time with this one, the books I’ve come across that take place in Spain or Mexico are very politically heavy and I wanted something a little lighter. In the end it was between this and Esperanza Rising (I could not find anything emotionally lighter). I ended up putting both on hold, Across a Hundred Mountains was checked out to me from the library first and that’s how this book was chosen.

This was an intense and painful (in a good way) read, had me in tears. Very heavy subject matter, especially with what’s happening today in the world. If you’re interested in a thought provoking and emotional read I recommend this book. Anyway I’m very glad I read this book and I’m going to be checking out more by this author.