Here we are, at the beginning of May, and I think it’s time for a round up of all the books I read in April of 2022. There are lots of options here, so look below for some honest book reviews, in no particular order, of books I read last month.
The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo: A Novel by Taylor Jenkins Reid
This is the story of a journalist who has been mysteriously selected to be the biographer of the most famous actress of her age, Evelyn Hugo. Through her own words and the questions of the journalist, we hear Evelyn’s life story, as she tells her tale. The novel is structured with sections for each of the seven husbands, but they are only incidental to the story of her rise. Throughout the novel, the story is overshadowed with the question of “why this journalist?” and the reader is invited to puzzle this out. Astonishing twists, a deeply flawed and compelling cast of characters, and you have a book that was really good. Highly recommend.
Muse and Reverie: A Newford Collection by Charles de Lint
A group of short stories about a well-loved, Canadian “anytown”. I have been reading the Newford short stories since I was a teenager and they have always been wonderful. They tell of friendship and kindness and finding everyday magic. This is another sweet little collection to bring comfort, coziness, and faith in other humans (and other people, be they crows, fairies, or otherwise).
People We Meet on Vacation by Emily Henry
This was just good fun. Two friends, who have gone on vacation together every year for literally years, have a big falling out and suddenly stop. One of the characters then has the opportunity to try to resurrect the friendship by planning another vacation, and much awkwardness ensues. Super fun, quite heartfelt. I really enjoyed this. It would make a really good beach read…probably not coincidentally, as that’s the name of another book by the same author.
Hard Bitten by Chloe Neill
Okay, what I love about books like this is that they are not trying to be anything other than good fun. You have a woman, who has recently been turned into a vampire, working for an organization of vampires, in Chicago. There are sorcerers, wizards, fairies, werewolves, really a whole pantheon of delightfully supernatural creatures, and all the politics one might assume were these all truly living alongside one another in a modern city. Lots of fun.
City of Bones by Cassandra Clare
Okay, I think I came late to the Shadowhunter party, given that there are a whole bunch of books in this series, plus a Netflix show. So, imagining that I have arrived fashionably late to this, I can see why they’re so popular. It’s very a very action-packed story, full of supernatural creatures (clearly I love those) and twists, and it’s very driven by character and relationship development. I couldn’t put it down and I will definitely continue with this series.
Invisible Women: Data Bias in a World Designed for Men by Caroline Criado Perez
This book was fascinating. So much of it was drawing attention to things we simply take for granted. It’s done in a very blameless way, in that it does not paint any particular group as responsible for the difficulties that many women encounter in everyday life, when operating using a system set up with the male as the default, but it draws attention to what might be described as “willful blindness”. This was so interesting and really made me question what we consider the status quo.
Starfish by Lisa Fipps
Heartbreaking and satisfying. I am considering doing this as a readaloud with a Grade 7 class but I think that the class will have to be selected wisely. This novel is written in poetry. The main character describes the bullying she suffers as a result of her weight, by both her mother and her peers at school, among others, and it tracks her journey toward building the strength to take her own power back. Loved it, but I will be selective as to which class I read it to.
The Glass Hotel by Emily St. John Mandel
This was…fine. I say that as someone who LOVED Station 11 (same author, just read it). This book was interesting in the twists and turns that it followed as it described the chameleon-like life of Vincent backward from her disappearance from a cargo ship and the life of her brother against the backdrop of a collapsing pyramid scheme. It explores relationships, choices, and the banality of greed.
There it is, everything I read in April. Pretty much anyway…I didn’t include read-alouds to my son and to my class, though these may get their own blog-entries in time. I try to always provide honest book reviews, since it only makes sense, if we’re going to share about books, to share what we really think! After all, we are navigating busy lives, and no one needs to waste their time reading something they are not enjoying.
Stuff I’m Loving this Week:
Youtube Channel: Jack Edwards
I’m just really enjoying this guy’s book reviews. Not every one hits my TBR but he has such a genuine enthusiasm for what he’s reading and enjoying that I can’t help but love his videos. Just watched his roundup of every book he has read this year so far and really enjoyed it. I get the sense he just loves books and we need more of these folk out there.
Netflix: Dark Matter
This is pretty good. I’m interested enough in it that I am going to keep watching, even though I feel like it’s one of those action shows that just says it’s science fiction so there can be space ships, but isn’t actually science fiction. This is a thing, trust me, and it’s most annoying. However, I’ved checked out the Rotten Tomatoes link and it promises that Season 2 gets significantly better….so I’m going for it.
Full Disclosure: some of these links are affiliate links. If you click and make a purchase, I will get a small fee, at no cost to you.