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:

We Are Green and Trembling by Gabriela Cabezón Cámara

Blurb from Goodreads

We Are Green and Trembling is a reimagining of history and the life of Antonio de Erauso, a Basque nun turned war lieutenant during the Spanish Conquista in 17th-century Argentina – a fascinating, largely forgotten figure from world history and one of South America’s most famous trans men.

Having left the Basque Country behind many years ago, Antonio has travelled across the Americas, reinventing himself every time. Now, Antonio is hiding deep in the jungle with two young Guaraní girls, having escaped imprisonment and a death sentence.

The novel is a searing criticism of conquest and colonialism, religious tyranny and the treatment of women and indigenous people; a queer reclamation set in the rainforest – itself a magical, surreal space for transformation.

Why I Want To Read It

Happy Monday, everyone! Just like that, we are already on the first day of the sixth month of the year. How time flies! As always, time takes its natural course, ever flowing forward, sans regard for any of us. It does not wait for anyone. As such, I hope the year is going—and will continue to go—well for everyone. I hope the year will be kind to you all. Things are still erratic, whether at work or geopolitics. I sure hope the tension in the Middle East will start to de-escalate. I hope that peace will gradually be restored. Meanwhile, here in the Philippines, the stifling summer heat is about to come to its conclusion. Today has been rainy here in the Philippine capital. It provides some reprieve as the summer heat has been quite brutal. Anyway, I hope everyone has had a good start to the workweek. I hope everyone is in a place of comfort. The new week beckons with hope and fresh starts. I hope it flows in everyone’s favor. Wishing you continued success and happiness.

I know—not many people get excited about Mondays (though I’m sure a few are out there). I, too, am not exactly a fan. I hope that as the week moves forward, you slowly gain a semblance of momentum. I hope everyone’s workweek goes smoothly. More importantly, I hope everyone is doing well—mentally, emotionally, and physically. After spending the first two months of the year reading works of Latin American and Caribbean writers, I commenced a journey across the European continent in March. It took me some time to decide where to land next, but in the end, I chose to read European writers, since most of the books on my 2026 reading challenge list are by European authors. Still, I have several works by European writers on my reading list, hence the inevitable extension of this literary journey into June, though only for a while, until I finish all my pending books.

For this week’s Goodreads Monday update, I am featuring a book by a Latin American writer rather than a European one, whose body of work I have yet to explore. Actually, the main qualifier for this week’s featured book is its inclusion in the 2026 International Booker Prize longlist; I have already read three of the books in the list, and I am hoping to read more. This led me to Argentine writer Gabriela Cabezón Cámara, whose novel We Are Green and Trembling was longlisted for the prestigious prize. This piques my interest, as she joins a growing list of Argentine women writers making waves globally. A couple of years ago, Mariana Enríquez was also nominated for the Prize. They are also joined by their contemporaries Selva Almada, Pola Oloixarac, and Camila Sosa Villada. It seems that the future of Argentine literature and its place in the global canon is secured.

Anyway, We Are Green and Trembling is already Cabezón Cámara’s second nomination for the International Booker Prize; The Adventures of China Iron Las aventuras de la China Iron, 2017) was shortlisted for the Prize in 2020. Meanwhile, We Are Green and Trembling was originally published in 2023 as Las niñas del naranjel. These two novels, somehow, share the facet of being reimaginations. Both are also works of historical fiction. At the heart of the novel is Antonio de Erauso, a renowned Basque explorer during the 17th century. What makes his story distinct is that he was actually born as a female. He was sent to a convent as a young child, but he never took a vow. When he turned fifteen, he escaped from the convent. It was also the start of his assumption of a male identity. He started dressing like and living as a boy. In 1603, he migrated to Spanish America, where he lived and fought in the first half of the century. 

The novel’s premise is quite intriguing. I just have to secure myself a copy of it. How about you, fellow readers? How was your Monday? What books have you recently added to your reading list? Drop your thoughts in the comments. For now—happy Monday, and as always, happy reading!