Goodreads Monday is a weekly meme started by @Lauren’s Page Turners but is currently hosted by Emily @ Budget Tales Book Blog. This meme is quite easy to follow – just randomly pick a book from your to-be-read list and explain why you want to read it. It is that simple.

This week’s book:

Clean by Alia Trabucco Zerán

Blurb from Goodreads

A young girl has died and the family’s maid is being interrogated. She must tell the whole story before arriving at the girl’s death.

Estela came from the countryside, leaving her mother behind, to work for the señor and señora when their only child was born. They wanted a housemaid: “smart appearance, full time,” their ad said. She wanted to make enough money to support her mother and return home. For seven years, Estela cleaned their laundry, wiped their floors, made their meals, kept their secrets, witnessed their fights and frictions, raised their daughter. She heard the rats scrabbling in the ceiling, saw the looks the señor gave the señora; she knew about the poison in the cabinet, the gun, the daughter’s rebellion as she grew up, the mother’s coldness, the father’s distance. She saw it all.

After a series of shocking betrayals and revelations, Estela stops speaking, breaking her silence only now, to tell the story of how it all fell apart. Is this a story of revenge or a confession? Class warfare or a cautionary tale? Building tension with every page, Clean is a gripping, incisive exploration of power, domesticity, and betrayal from an international star at the height of her powers.

Why I Want To Read It

Happy Monday everyone! Well, technically it is already Tuesday so, happy, Tuesday everyone. I hope everyone started the work week on a high note even though I surmise that it is not something most of us are looking forward to; I, for one, dread Mondays. Nevertheless, I am looking forward to what the week has in store. Mondays, after all, also present new opportunities to learn, start a new adventure, or even explore new worlds. Apparently, Monday is my lucky day based on my Zodiac. Despite a sluggish start to the week – I hope not – I hope everyone will be able to gradually build momentum as the week moves forward. I hope everyone makes it through the week. I hope that the week will flow smoothly. More importantly, I hope everyone is doing well, in mind, body, and spirit.

Woah, time does fly fast. Today is the first Tuesday (and yesterday was the first Monday) of the eleventh month of the year. We are inching closer to the end of the year and to the start of a new one. I hope that 2024 has been a good one and that the remaining months of the year will be filled with kindness. I hope everyone will be blessed with good tidings, good news, and answered prayers. I hope that everyone gets repaid for their hard work. I hope that everyone achieves all their goals this year. Reading-wise, September and October are mixed bags. It seems that November and December are going to be the same. While my focus is on books that are part of my reading lists – I still have quite a few – I also plan to insert works of Japanese literature in my reading journey; uncharacteristically, I haven’t had a Japanese literature month this year.

Back to this weekly book meme. Unfortunately, I have run into a wall. I have run out of ideas on what books I should be looking forward to. My to-be-read list is quite long. I have several unread books piling on my bookshelves. As such, I tried to search for books that literary pundits considered among the best reads of the year (so far). It was through these lists that I came across Chilean writer Alia Trabucco Zerán’s novel Clean. It was not until today that I came across the Chilean writer. I also learned that her debut novel, La Resta (2015, trams: The Remainder) was shortlisted for the 2019 International Booker Prize. This is more than good enough a reason to pique my interest and add the book to my perpetually growing reading list. Besides, I have recently become a fan of Chilean literature, thanks to writers such as Isabel Allende, Alejandro Zambra, and Roberto Bolaño.

For now, I can only hope to obtain a copy of the book. How was your Monday? What books have you added to your reading list? Do drop it in the comment box. For now, happy Monday and, as always, happy reading!