What We Are Reading in October

The year is 1941, and in the Philippines, Caramina Grassi dreams of training in Italy to become an opera singer like her older sister, Rosa. But as war erupts and her family is forced to flee to the jungle, music becomes Caramina’s source of courage, sacrifice, and determined focus on what is good in the world. 

Meanwhile, in Florence, Mussolini tightens his grip on Italy. Drawn into the underground resistance, Rosa feels lost in a fog of deception that clouds everything she thought to be true. Facing a devastating betrayal, she must decide how far she’s willing to go to protect the one she loves.

Striker isn’t entirely sure she should be on this luxury Antarctic cruise. As a Black film scout, her mission is to photograph potential locations for a big-budget movie about Ernest Shackleton’s doomed expedition. Along the way, she finds amusement in the behavior of both the native wildlife and the group of wealthy, mostly white tourists who have chosen to spend Christmas on the Weddell Sea.

But when a kayaking excursion goes horribly wrong, Striker and a group of survivors become stranded on a remote island. Soon the hostile environment will show each survivor their true face, with the group’s secrets, prejudices, and inner demons emerging, including revelations from Striker’s past that could irrevocably shatter her world.

The hard-working geniuses of “Spent Bullets,” including Jie-Heng, are the crème de la crème of the…