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:

Isola by Allegra Goodman

Blurb from Goodreads

A young woman and her lover are marooned on an island in this epic saga of love, faith, and defiance from the bestselling author of Sam.

Heir to a fortune, Marguerite is destined for a life of prosperity and gentility. Then she is orphaned, and her guardian—an enigmatic and volatile man—spends her inheritance and insists she accompany him on an expedition to New France. Isolated and afraid, Marguerite befriends her guardian’s servant and the two develop an intense attraction. But when their relationship is discovered, they are brutally punished and abandoned on a small island with no hope for rescue.

Once a child of privilege who dressed in gowns and laced pearls in her hair, Marguerite finds herself at the mercy of nature. As the weather turns, blanketing the island in ice, she discovers a faith she’d never before needed.

Inspired by the real life of a sixteenth-century heroine, Isola is the timeless story of a woman fighting for survival.

Why I Want To Read It

Happy Monday everyone! Technically, it is already Tuesday. Nevertheless, how was your weekend? I hope you all had a restful one. I hope you were able to recuperate and prepare yourself for a new work week. I know. Nearly everyone loathes Mondays. On the bright side, Mondays are doors to new starts and opportunities. Nevertheless, I hope everyone is starting the work week on high note. I hope everyone makes it through the workweek. I hope everyone has been equipped for the tedious week ahead. I hope everyone gets to achieve something this week or at least everyone makes significant progress toward their goals. I hope everyone will have a great week ahead. I hope everyone makes through it. More importantly, I hope everyone is doing well, in mind, body, and spirit, not only this week but for the rest of the year.

Woah, the time has been flying past us. We are already in the final stretch of the sixth month of the year. The seventh month is just waving over the horizon. We are closing in on the midpoint of the year; it is the second of July. How time flies! With time taking its natural course, I hope that the year is treating everyone well. I hope that as 2025 moves forward, everyone will have a prosperous year. I hope that this year will be a year of healing, growth, development, and prayers answered. I hope the coming months will shower everyone with good news and kindness. I wish success and blessings for everyone. Reading-wise, I am on the right track. I am already midway through my goal of reading at least 100 books. Ironically, I have been lagging behind in my reading challenges. These reading challenges, however, will be my focus in the second half of the year; I spent the first half reading works of Asian literature.

With the start of the week is a fresh Goodreads Monday update. Since we are already midway through the year, I have been scouting for books published this year that literary pundits consider as the best, or at least some of the best. Some familiar names popped out, including some that are part of my reading lists. One of the names that came out Allegra Goodman. Before today, I had never heard of Goodman nor had I read any of her works. Interestingly, she made her literary debut way back in 1989. This only underlines how vast the world of literature is and how much of it remains uncharted, by me of course. Anyway, Isola was a recurring presence in best books of the year (so far) lists. This immediately piqued my interest, hence, the feature in this weekly bookish meme. The chance to explore a new world and be introduced to a new literary name is a prospect that I will not pass on.

On top of my curiosity, the book being a work of historical fiction works in its favor. It is right up my reading alley. The story is inspired by the real-life experience of Marguerite de la Rocque, a 16th-century French noblewoman who found herself isolated on an island. I find the premise interesting as it reminds me of similar literary works such as Daniel Defoe’s Robinson Crusoe and even the movie Cast Away (2000) which featured Tom Hanks. At least these provide images of what I expect Isola is going to be about. For now, I just hope I get to acquire a copy of the book. How about you fellow reader? 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!