Best Books of April
As I say every month, I’m shamelessly stealing this idea from Jessica Lahey. She has a recurring monthly date where she reviews all the books she read that month. Book reviews are important for authors, and I want to get better about doing this.
So. I’m going to review them here and also online, but I’m going to do it a little differently. I’m only going to review the stuff I really liked. I don’t see a reason to spend my time writing about something I didn’t love; it’s just using up more of my energy. So only positive reviews.
These are the books I liked (or mostly liked) from April.
One Italian Summer (Rebecca Serle): I enjoyed reading it, and I loved feeling like I was in Positano. But I’m not sure I liked any character or any of their decisions. Is that weird? It was kind of like I wanted the setting and situation without the characters.
The Heights (Louise Candlish): This is my second book by this author, and she is fantastic at writing fast-moving thrillers. It’s incredible writing depicting a heartbreaking situation and a moving portrayal of anguish — with a great mystery at the center. I kept thinking and talking about this book while I was away from it, which, to me, is the mark of a fantastic read.
Nine Lives (Peter Swanson): How to feel about this book… It’s an enjoyable read. Full stop. All of his books are well-paced and fun and make you want to keep picking them back up. But Swanson does this thing where he writes spoilers for classic mysteries into his books. It bothers me, taking away from his really well done mystery, and it’s usually completely unnecessary. Even when I’ve read the plots he is spoiling, I feel sad for all of the unsuspecting people who haven’t read those books and now won’t get to experience those mysteries as they should be experienced. So A+ for Swanson’s mystery. But read with caution if you don’t like spoilers.
What did you read last month?
3 comments
I was wondering about “One Italian Summer” — thanks for the review! I have a feeling that any plot would take a back seat to Italy for me too. 😉
I read six books in April, which is pretty good for me! One was an online group read that wrapped up (which always helps my totals, lol) but one was a long book that took a while to get through. All reviewed on my blog as well as Goodreads.
* “The House of the Deer” by D.E. Stevenson (in advance of my online group read). This was one of Stevenson’s last novels — not one of her best. (Not bad, but nothing great.) A sequel to “Gerald & Elizabeth,” with a few characters from some of her other books thrown in for good measure.
* “The Great Influenza” by John M. Barry. I wanted to read a book about the 1918 pandemic, and this was one that kept coming up. It was quite thorough (with a particular focus on the medical research aspect), but ultimate a bit of a slog at times. I do recommend the Afterword, in which Barry speculates what a modern pandemic on the scale of the 1918 edition might look like and how it might unfold — many of his thoughts and predictions, for better and for worse, have come to pass.
* “My Ticket to Ride” by Janice Mitchell. I enjoyed this one SO MUCH. It’s the true story of how in 1964. 16-year-old Janice and her friend Marty cashed in their savings and college funds and ran away from home (Cleveland) to London to try to meet the Beatles. They rented an apartment, hitchhiked to Liverpool, hung out in the clubs in Soho and met some cute British guys — before they were apprehended by police, turned over to the U.S. embassy, and flown back to Cleveland, where they were charged with juvenile delinquency and told not to speak about what they’d done. Janice kept her silence for 50 years!! If you’re a Beatles fan, or ever dreamed of running away to follow your favourite boy band, you will enjoy this one. 🙂
* “Feeding My Mother” by Jann Arden. Jann is a well-known Canadian singer/songwriter/media personality. This book draws on her social media posts as she was caring (and cooking — recipes are included!) for her aging parents (her father had several strokes; her mother had Alzheimer’s disease). It’s sad, but also funny and uplifting.
* “If I Knew Then” by Jann Arden. Approaching her 60th birthday, Jann reflects on her past, her relationships with her parents, and on aging, death, failure and regret, with her usual wit and humour,
* “The Story Girl” by L.M. Montgomery (a group read with my LMM Readathon group on Facebook). The adventures of the King cousins during a glorious, long-age PEI summer.
I will share some of the books I read and enjoyed in April, too. (And once again, all of your books are books I haven’t read — ha!)
Hunger: A Memoir of (My) Body by Roxane Gay. Wow. The author really lays herself bare in a few ways in this book, and much of what she wrote resonated with me. I will definitely be seeking out more of her writing.
(I see that I finished this book on March 31 but can’t remember if I shared about it here before) All Our Wrong Todays by Elan Mastai. I picked this book up on a whim when I saw it on display while picking up our holds, and I’m glad I did. It was really unlike anything else I’ve read recently, and I really enjoyed it.
Kaiju Preservation Society by John Scalzi. I enjoy Scalzi’s writing style, and this book was no exception. It was a quick read, and one of only two books I’ve read so far that is set during Covid times.
The Postscript Murders by Elly Griffiths. I downloaded this on Kindle when I saw it on sale because I’ve really enjoyed the author’s Ruth Galloway series. This was a mystery with an eclectic group of characters. I didn’t guess the ending, and it felt like it went fast.
Klara and the Sun by Kazuo Ishiguro. I can see why this book won awards: it is very thought-provoking and well-written. I’m still not sure exactly how I feel about the ending, though.
I have a photobook titled An Italian Summer! I’m wondering if I can resist the setting to endure the characters. Hmmm. I’m going to add your others to my to-read list, and one or two from the other commenters’ lists too.
April was a great month for reading for me – I read eight (!) books, including two audiobooks for when I’m walking or cooking or editing photos. It’s such a great way to “read.” I enjoyed them all, but I’m only list the best (six) here.
I loved the two audiobooks. One was Neil deGrasse Tyson’s Letters from an Astrophysicist. I knew him only by reputation, not from seeing him on TV or any other readings. So thoroughly enjoyed getting to know him this way – and of course, he narrated it himself.
The second was The Volunteer, by Jack Fairweather. As its subtitle said, it is “the true story of the resistance hero who inflitrated Auschwitz.” An amazing story from a different perspective. 5 stars
I loved Richard Osman’s The Man Who Died Twice, just as much as the first in the series. It was a definite five stars.
And Beautiful World, Where Are You? from Sally Rooney was good too, though it was similar to her other books, and so a little frustrating at times too. It almost read like a screenplay, which I suspect it will become.
I also enjoyed Bewilderment by Richard Powers, continuing an astronomy theme for the month. After finishing it, I had to take a while just to sit with it. It’s been a while since a book made me do that. Also, I did not see the end coming.
Finally, Sōsuke Natsukawa’s The Cat Who Saved Books was unexpected, and made me think about books and life and friends and family. I felt some of the writing and main characters were a bit superficial, but there was still food for thought.