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Join Mona Bains and Nathan Brown on May 13, 6:30pm CT, in person at the Gemini Ink office, for LitMinds. The LitMinds Book Club enriches the imagination and lives of book lovers by facilitating engaging conversations about diverse books in an inclusive, positive environment. Participants will dive deep into books from across geographical regions, times, and cultural groups at each meeting. Our diverse selection of fiction and nonfiction will be used to spark thoughtful, engaging conversations that nurture the love of books and broaden our understanding of what literature can be.
Hi Mona! It’s great to have you here with us. Thank you for talking about your reading habits and favorite books with us. Let’s jump in. What was the first book you remember reading?
The first book I remember is The Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis. I never made it through the whole series, but I was completely captivated by the mythical creatures and the sense of wonder in that world.
Paperbacks, hardbacks, ebooks, or audiobooks?
A good paperback will always have my heart with the texture of the pages, the soft crack of the spine, and the ease of holding it no matter how I’m curled up. It’s a very sensory experience.
What attracts you to a book? Blurbs? Covers? Back-cover synopses?
I’m drawn to cover art, generous margins, and shorter chapters. I usually choose based on my mood, the month’s cultural celebrations (Black History Month, Women’s History Month, AAPI Month), or most often, a recommendation from one of my sisters.
What is one of your favorite quotes from a book?
“We all come into the world unfinished, still stitching ourselves together.” from You Could Make This Place Beautiful by Maggie Smith.
What was the last book you read that blew you away? 
Ocean Vuong’s On Earth We Are Briefly Gorgeous shattered me to pieces. His prose, the immigrant experience he describes, and the layers of trauma and beauty intertwined throughout left me speechless more than once. I often had to pause just to sit with a single line, and I sobbed when it was over.
Has a book ever changed your life? 
Minor Feelings by Cathy Park Hong spoke truth to power about racial consciousness and the complexities of the varied Asian American experience, especially East Asian experiences that are often invisible. It pushed me to recognize my own gaps in understanding and shaped how I show up as an educator who tries to honor the “minor feelings” my students carry.
Who is your all-time favorite fictional character?
A 96-year-old sentient fig tree from Elif Shafak’s The Island of Missing Trees. As a narrator and a keeper of secrets and stories, this tree is an empathetic witness to human love, loss, destruction, trauma and hope. I think about that tree often.
What are your five favorite books of all time?
This is impossible, but here are a few books that continue to shape me as a reader:
– Solito: A Memoir by Javier Zamora
– The Book of Everlasting Things by Aanchal Malhotra
– On Earth We are Briefly Gorgeous by Ocean Vuong
– Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi
– The House on Mango Street by Sandra Cisneros
What are you reading right now?
I’m rereading, three decades later, Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston (our LitMinds March read!).
What Books are you planning on reading next?
I’m slowly working through my book stack and hope to pick up:
– Blessings by Chukwuebuka Ibeh
– The Broom of the System by David Foster Wallace (our LitMinds May read!)
Mona Bains is an educator and Associate Professor at the University of the Incarnate Word. She has a doctorate in neuropharmacology from UTHealth San Antonio. She has published in scientific and education journals. Outside of teaching all things neuroscience she enjoys reading with her girls, learning new card games like “Taco vs. Burrito,” and a good weekend brunch.
