Kuleana: A Story of Family, Land, and Legacy in Old Hawai'i by Sara Kehaulani Goo
Publication: June 10th, 2025
Flatiron Books
Hardcover. 368 pages.
Pre-order: Bookshop.org | Amazon
From Goodreads:
"Set in one of the world’s most beautiful landscapes, Kuleana is the story of award-winning journalist Sara Kehaulani Goo’s family saga to hold on to her family’s ancestral Hawaiian lands—and find herself along the way.
Along the rugged shores of Maui’s east coast lies Hana, one of the last remaining stretches of Hawai’i untouched by hotels or billionaire retreats. The 60 acres of the author’s family lands, extending from mountain to sea, were given in 1848 by King Kamehameha III.
When a property tax bill arrives with a 500% increase, Goo and her family members are forced to make a decision about the they must fight to keep the land or do as so many other Hawaiian families have done and sell to the next Mainland millionaire.
From an early age, Goo was enchanted by the land, which includes a massive 16th century temple with a mysterious past. But as the financial crisis spurs her into action, she uncovers how much land her family already lost over generations -- and the larger story of displacement of Native Hawaiians.
The author transports readers through the dark colonial history of the islands and takes them along as she learns to hula and reconnect with her culture. Only then can she fulfill her “kuleana”—a word meaning responsibility and stewardship, carried through the generations.
Part journalistic offering and part memoir, Kuleana interrogates deeper questions of identity and what we owe those who come before us and after us. Goo’s breathtaking story of unexpected homecomings, familial hardship, and fierce devotion to ancestry writes a new story about Hawai’i, its native people, and their struggle to hold onto their land and culture today."
This is a topic I'm always interested in learning more about, and I think this sounds like it'll be an incredibly informative and important read, so I'm really looking forward to reading it!
The Palace of Illusions by Rowenna Miller
Publication: May 10th, 2025
Redhook
Paperback. 480 pages.
Pre-order: Bookshop.org | Amazon
From Goodreads:
"The Palace of Illusions brings readers to a Paris breathless with excitement at the dawn of the twentieth century, where for a select few there is a second, secret Paris where the magic of the City of Light is very real in this enchanting and atmospheric fantasy from the author of The Fairy Bargains of Prospect Hill.
In the run up to the 1900s World’s Fair Paris is abuzz with creative energy and innovation. Audiences are spellbound by the Lumiere brothers’ moving pictures and Loie Fuller’s serpentine dance fusing art and technology. But for Clara Ironwood, a talented and pragmatic clockworker, nothing compares to the magic of her godfather’s mechanical creations, and she’d rather spend her days working on the Palace of Illusions, an intricate hall of mirrors that is one of the centerpieces of the world’s fair.
When her godfather sends Clara a hideous nutcracker for Christmas, she is puzzled until she finds a hidden compartment that unlocks a mirror-world Paris where the Seine is musical, fountains spout lemonade, and mechanical ballerinas move with human grace. The magic of her godfather’s toys was real.
As Clara explores this other Paris and begins to imbue her own creations with its magic, she soon discovers a darker side to innovation. Suspicious men begin to approach her outside of work, and she could swear a shadow is following her. There’s no ignoring the danger she’s in, but Clara doesn't know who to trust. The magic of the two Parises are colliding and Clara must find the strength within herself to save them both."
I love the sound of this, and I love Rowenna Miller's writing, so this sounds wonderful--I only wish it were coming out during fall or winter since it's a Nutcracker-inspired tale (!?). Regardless, I've had an ARC of this I've been meaning to get to and I can't wait to get started.
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