More April Reading

Little Secrets by Jennifer Hillier
After enjoying Hillier's previous book, Jar of Hearts, I was looking forward to her latest thriller; it did not disappoint. Once again taking place in my back yard of Seattle, Marin's four year old son disappears at Pike Place Market, an iconic Seattle location. One year later, we see the fallout of this tragic event, and we also see the clues start to unwind as we are introduced to Marin's husband, his lover, Marin's best friend, as well as a private investigator looking into her son's disappearance. I turned pages quickly, having to wait until the very end to see whodunnit - well done! My one and only complaint is...why does everyone have to be rich? It just got a little annoying to hear about the fancy house, expensive car, successful business, etc. It might have added more depth to story if somewhere there was a little struggle? But overall, very solid mystery.

A Prayer for Owen Meany by John Irving
HOW have I missed reading this book for all these years?? This classic has always been an intention, but with all the time on my hands, it was time to finally dive into this 600 page classic. It involves two best friends, Johnny and Owen, following their lives from childhood to adulthood, the tragedy of a mother's death, the pains of being 'different,' school life that is uproariously funny as well as heartbreaking, and threads that tie together throughout. It was everything I wanted it to be: beautifully written, a compelling plot line, rich deep characters, pathos and humor, and literally, the most perfect ending ever. If you have never read this one, it is the perfect time to pick it up:)

Victim 2117  (Dept. Q #8) by Jussi Adler-Olsen
If you like the Scandinavian mysteries, this series is a perfect fit - and if you don't like super dark and gruesome (as they often are), even a better fit. Adler-Olsen is a Danish writer who has created a highly compelling group of detectives in Dept. Q in Copenhagen. In particular, the relationship between the lead detective, Carl Morck and his Iraqi sidekick Assad, is priceless, hilarious, heartbreaking, and heartwarming. While it is fun to start at the beginning of this series, it really is not necessary. And if you like to listen to books, it's a fantastic narrator - highly recommend if you're looking for a page turning mystery.

The Happy Ever After Playlist by Abby Jimenez
I keep grabbing romantic comedies during quarantine, thinking I will be lightly entertained and forced to forget about all the terrible headlines each day. However, I also keep forgetting these kind of books rather make me gag. Buuuuuut, if you like this kind, this one is entertaining. Sloan is still grieving her fiance's death, Jason is a famous rock star, yeah they meet under funny circumstances and try to figure it out. Gag worthy for me but others seem to love it:)

The Burning by Laura Bates
The world of social media has created a window into everyone's private lives so what happens when a teenager's life is turned upside down through lies, bullying, and doctored videos? This young adult novel explores this world through Anna, a young British teen forced to move to Scotland when her school life in Birmingham becomes untenable. As she deals with her father's recent death and trying to adjust to a new school, Anna's past not only finds her, but the past of the small Scottish village and its witch trials do as well. This is a powerful story of a life that rolls out of a teenager's control, the scary power of social media, and a woman's ability to fight back. Loved it!

Pretty Things by Janelle Brown
This was a tough one for me. It is the story of two women, Nina and Vanessa, a grifter named Michael, and a long con game. And I do mean looooong. As in 496 pages long. On one hand, the writing is fantastic: deep character development, beautiful syntax, thoughtful themes of privilege and destiny. On the other hand, it was about 150 pages too long for me, with too many extraneous details and a great deal of repetition (due to both women telling their side of events). Ultimately, I saw through the con before I was supposed to so it also wasn't much of a thriller to me. I know many people have loved this book, but the length just wasn't worth the underwhelming feelings I had when I turned the final page.

April Reading

Valentine by Elizabeth Wetmore
On February 14, 1976, fourteen year old Gloria Ramirez gets into a truck with a young man and life is forever altered for a cast of characters in Odessa, Texas: the young mother who opens the door, the motherless child who yearns for companionship, the bitter old widow who gives the world the finger, the Avon seller who follows the rules set out for women, and so many more. All female, all living under the rules for what they should and should not do, say, wear, act, all dreaming of something better, something farther away, something that gives them value. This debut novel is stunning in its rawness, in the harsh reality of women's lives, in the bleakness of the setting, in the acceptance of their community's complicity, in the futility of the battle against racism, misogyny, in the hopelessness of the class divide, in the hatred of the Other. Best. Book. Of. 2020.

The Echo Killing / A Beautiful Corpse by Christi Daugherty
The cross-country friends I have made on Instagram have opened up brand-new book worlds for me. Here's a series I never heard of until a bookseller in Houston recommended it. I am now officially obsessed, and have ordered all three from our indie bookstore here in town. Set in Savannah, Georgia, the female lead is smart but complicated crime reporter with deep connections to the local police due to her mother's murder years ago. Each book has a page-turning, I-couldn't-figure-out-whodunnit storyline, a little romance, a sultry southern setting, and a fast-paced plot. If you're looking for entertainment, this series will do it and they're all out in paperback and available from Village Books:)

The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane by Kate DiCamillo
I read the New York Times each morning, so of course I had to read a recent article of Ann Patchett's, author of The Dutch Girl, a favorite book of 2019. The title of the article? "Why We Need Life-Changing Books Right Now." And yes, this children's book by Kate DiCamillo was the focus of her article, the story of a lost rabbit, and his journey to find not only his owner again, but to learn how to love. So many followers commented on my IG post on this book, telling me it was their favorite childhood story, or their child's favorite read-aloud book. This magical tale of Edward filled a small hole in my heart where my daughters live, my girls who I miss so very much during this quarantine. I made sure I bought this book and have it on my shelf, for the next time I need healing. If would be perfect for any age four and above in your life - I cannot recommend it highly enough.

All the Stars and Teeth by Adalyn Grace
Need a trip to a magical world to escape the one you're in? This new YA fantasy will do it, but be prepared; it is a mix of Harry Potter meets The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. Yeah, it's pretty gruesome and violent, as the cast of characters weave their soul-crushing magic (literally) in order to save their island world. It is beautifully written, creative, and exciting, but yikes, rather bloody. Just be prepared.

Heft by Liz Moore
Having now read Long Bright River and The Unknown World by this extraordinary writer, I definitely had to go further back and pick up her book from 2012; it was another five star read. Switching between two viewpoints, we first meet Arthur, a morbidly obese, retired professor, who has not left his home in over eighteen years. Next, we meet Kel, a teenage boy whose mother once knew Arthur, and whose life has been fraught with neglect, drug use, mental illness. It is a tale of two human souls, each muddling around in the world, trying to find family, meaning, companionship. Highly recommend.

Out of the Easy by Ruth Sepetys
If you like historical fiction, this is the author for you; she has yet to disappoint me and she always gives me a look into a place and a time period of which I was ignorant. This time around, it is New Orleans, post WWII. Josie is a young woman, dreaming of college, selling books in the French Quarter, who cleans the local whorehouse, who has been 'adopted' by the madam and her driver, who has a mother who doesn't know what mothering is, and who gets pulled into a murder investigation. It is a fascinating book about a time gone by, and a heroic lead character.

A Rule Against Murder  (Inspector Gamache series #4) by Louise Penny
Looking for a comfort series in this time of quarantine? This is it, definitely, and this book is my favorite so far in the series. A family reunion, a statue who kills someone (yes, a freaking statue - trust me, it's creative), the cast of characters I have grown to love from the small Quebec town of Three Pines, and of course, the always adept Inspector Gamache, who always keeps me guessing until the very end. I have yet to figure out whodunnit before Gamache reveals it - that is my goal for this series:)

April

They Went Left by Monica Hesse
Having read and loved Hesse's previous book, The Girl in the Blue Coat, I was intrigued by the premise of her latest historical fiction. Every WWII book seems to stop when the war is won, when the prisoners are released from the camps, when the soldiers head home. But what happened next? What happened to the sick and starving prisoners who survived the death camps, or the soldiers who didn't know where home was, or the families separated from loved ones? Hesse explores this idea in They Went Left, where Zofia, a survivor of the camps, searches desperately for her beloved younger brother. Zofia knows the rest of her family were all killed, but where was Abek? Her search takes her all over Eastern Europe, and ultimately to Germany. In Zofia's journey, I learned along with her the after effects of the systematic killing, of the gross experimentation, of the flattening of German cities, of the will to survive and create new families. This is a powerful YA story that led me to new thoughts and conclusions about this terrible time in our history.

These Ghosts Are Family by Maisy Card
This book is difficult for me to review as I am rather torn. Ostensibly about a multigenerational Jamaican family across the centuries, underneath it is a story of our racial history, where each character fits, who benefits and who is to blame, how slavery from hundreds of years ago impacts generations today. In other words...it's complicated. A fantastic narrator on the audio tells the story of Stanford Solomon, an old Jamaican man in Brooklyn, yet in reality he is Abel, a man who left a young family on the island. The narration veers off quickly into other points of views and other time periods, creating some confusion from me, as I searched for connection. Admittedly, I almost stopped reading, yet I was glad I didn't, particularly when Deb came into the picture, Deb who his the descendant of the slave owners, Deb who embodies white privilege that comes through history and forces the reader to see, truly see, the impact from centuries ago. This book is an incredible learning experience, yet not the most gripping reading experience, if that makes sense.

House of Earth and Blood (Crescent City, #1) by Sarah J. Maas
If you have read the Crown of Thorn and Roses series or Throne of Glass series, then you know this author. And if you haven't, you really should. I used to be you, saying "Nope, I don't read fantasy." But then I discovered YA fantasy - a world where the female leads kick ass, magic plays a pivotal role, and the bad guys get defeated. Right now, that's kinda a beautiful thing with the world upside down. This new adult series by Maas (arguably the most powerful YA fantasy writer of today), is the perfect escapism. It's got a murder to be solved, a hot angel (yes, there's angels and demons), a badass female lead, and friends that can turn into wolves. What else can you want???

The Glass Hotel by Emily St. John Mandel
If you read Station Eleven (huge hit a few years ago), you will know that Mandel's latest book has been highly anticipated in the book world. However, I was rather torn by it. It is a meandering look at a wide cast of characters, with the siblings of Paul and Vincent providing the axis upon which the story turns. There's a rich man with a Ponzi scheme, a dead mother, a down-on-his-luck investigator, brother Paul who is a video artist, and Vincent, the sister who searches for identity. Yes, it is beautifully written and I could admire that. However, each time I would get invested in an intriguing story line, the plot would shift and send me somewhere else. It does show our interconnectedness with one another, which is interesting, and admittedly I have thought about this book for longer than expected. Not a page turner for sure, but a thoughtful exploration on how the world and its people interact.

All American Boys by Jason Reynolds
Jason Reynolds is hands down my current favorite YA author - he writes with such an authentic voice, he 'gets' teenagers, and he addresses issues of today with honestly and equanimity to both sides. In this book, two authors take on the story of two boys, one white, one black, and what happens when the black boy is beaten by the policeman brother of a white boy. Yeah, fire hot topic but told with such power, such grace. If I was still teaching, I would push hard to add this one to the curriculum. Highly highly recommend.

They Called Us Enemy by George Takei, Justin Eisinger, Steven Scott
I'm not that big on graphic novels; they always strike me as being like the comic books of my childhood, but with more serious content. Yet this book is different. This is George Takei's (Sulu on the original Star Trek), story of his family and their life before, during, and after the internment camps in America during WWII. Usually, the graphic novels seem all about the illustrations. While these are wonderfully done, for me this book was all about the words and they are beautiful, powerful, heartbreaking. If you've never read a graphic novel, this one would be an incredible way to start.

The Cruelest Month / A Rule Against Murder (#3 and #4 Chief Inspector Armand Gamache) by Louise Penny
A quarantine is the perfect time to get after the 15 book mystery series by acclaimed Canadian author, Louise Penny. It's like bingeing on Netflix, but this time I'm inside a small Quebec town called Three Pines, surrounded by character I know and love, and there's always a complicated mystery to solve. Note: I have not ONCE figured it out until Inspector Gamache reveals the murderer! Number 3 involves a murder at a seance, as in the woman was literally 'scared to death.' And Number 4 finds a family member murdered by a statue (I know, weird, but trust me, engrossing). These are great comfort books during an uncertain time in our world + the way she describes all the delectable food makes one want to head to the kitchen as well. Highly recommend if you're a mystery lover - you don't go wrong with Penny:) And yes, each can be read as a stand alone - it's not necessary to read them in order, but it is kinda fun to start from the beginning!