What I read this spring
Whoa. I don’t think any of us were prepared for this spring. I certainly hadn’t expected to read a book a week this year, but that’s pretty much where I am at right now.
My library closed in mid-March, and unfortunately, I didn’t have the foresight to check out a bunch of books before it happened. With stay at home orders lengthening week after week and only three physical books at my home, I explored my library’s digital offerings for the first time. I don’t know who needs to hear this, but if you don’t have a (FREE) library card in your wallet, you need to get on that. The library of today is not your library of yesteryear.
During the COVID-19 quarantine, I discovered the Libby app. Libby connects to your library card. Using the app, you can borrow books and read in the app or have them delivered to your Kindle via Amazon. My favorite part about Libby is the Skip the Line feature, which rewards fast readers and early returners. Skip the Line books are all the popular titles everyone is trying to read (think big titles like Becoming, Little Fires Everywhere). When someone returns a hot title early, it appears as available on Skip the Line. If you borrow from this section, the loan period is shortened to seven days. Using this feature, I read seven books that I had placed holds on months ago.
TL:DR — get yourself a damn library card already.
It’s free and they most certainly have the books you want to read.
This year, I have a goal to read 40 books. You can see everything I’ve read so far (beyond 2020 too) on Goodreads, or catch up on my 2020 winter reads here.
Since I’m often asked for book recommendations, I thought I would put together more frequent posts about what I’ve recently read. Below is everything I read in March, April, and May, along with a quick synopsis and general thoughts.
Five Stars ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
The 7½ Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle
Stuart Turton
Stats: Mystery, 482 pages
Quick summary
Evelyn Hardcastle is murdered every night at 11 p.m. and its Aiden Bishop’s job to solve her murder by embodying eight different guests at the party over the course of eight days. If he fails, he’s doomed to start the loop at the beginning until her murder is solved. There’s also a footman on the loose killing off his hosts if he’s not careful.
What I thought:
This book was wild. You know how sometimes you read something new and it vaguely reminds you of a previous book? Not here. This book was like being dropped into a giant game of Clue with a new secret unfolding at the turn of every page.
Who should read it:
People who love Murder Mystery dinners.
The Great Alone
Kristin Hannah
Stats: Historical Fiction, 435 pages
Quick summary
Ernt Allbright, Vietnam veteran and POW, moves his wife, Cora, and daughter, Leni, to homestead in 1974 in Kaneq, Alaska to his escape his demons. In the unforgiving wilds of Alaska, Leni learns you’re allowed one mistake, the second one kills you and sometimes the biggest threat is living in your home.
What I thought:
A friend recommended this to me years ago and it happened to be the last book I had borrowed from the library before everything closed. This book was heavy (trigger warning: domestic violence is the predominant theme), but I loved it. Hannah is a true Alaskan and it reminded me so much of our time in the last frontier.
Who should read it:
People who are little wild. People who are ready to sob through a story.
The Ten Thousand Doors of January
Alix Harrow
Stats: Fantasy, 385 pages
Quick summary
January Scaller is a young girl being cared for by a wealthy man, Mr. Locke, who employs her father to travel around the world in search of rare objects for his collection. Among his collection, January finds a book, The Ten Thousand Doors, that becomes less of a tale and more of living history involving strange worlds and danger she never would have imagined.
What I thought:
This winter I was spellbound by The Night Circus. It’s safe to say, this book belongs in a similar category. Admittedly, it starts rather slow (honestly the first 100 pages), but the rest of the story was worth the initial drudgery.
Who should read it:
People wanting to be whisked away just for a moment. People wanting to believe in magic and mysterious worlds.
Four Stars ⭐⭐⭐⭐
The Martian
Andy Weir
Stats: Science Fiction, 370 pages
Quick summary
Mark Watney was one of six crew members of Ares 3 on a Mars mission. A huge storm rolls in, causing NASA to cancel their mission. Everyone makes it back to Hermes to go back to Earth except Mark…mainly because his crew members think he died. This is the story of his survival and fight to get back to Earth alive. Also a movie (starring Matt Damon).
What I thought:
Wow. This one was heavy on the science, like engineer-level science. However, I still found that I thoroughly enjoyed this book… a solid 4.5. I know I do a lot of science fiction, but I usually lean more on the dystopian side. Very rarely do I enjoy both the book and the movie, but both are great for The Martian. Also, despite its length, it was an insanely quick read.
Who should read it:
People who watched Apollo 13 too many times. People looking to branch out from their usual genre.
Little Fires Everywhere
Celeste Ng
Stats: Fiction, 338 pages
Quick summary
Shaker Heights is the first planned community, where the residents are as manicured and polished as their “tree lawns.” Elena Richardson and her family are no exception, minus their youngest child Isabelle. Elena begins renting their income property to single mother and artist, Mia. The past begins to unravel at a birthday party for an adopted one-year-old Chinese American baby, Mirabelle… or May Ling, depending on who you ask. Also a Hulu mini-series (starring Reese Witherspoon and Kerry Washington).
What I thought:
I would almost bill this as a family saga that is deliciously intricate. It also is a beautiful examination of classism and the role socioeconomic status plays in multiple facets of life. Lastly, almost every character in this book has a past they’re trying to hide which makes the pages turn ever so easily. Once again, the book is better than the movie (sorry, Reese).
Who should read it:
People addicted to drama.
Normal People
Sally Rooney
Stats: Fiction, 268 pages
Quick summary
Connell is popular. Marianne is not. Marianne’s family is rich. Connell’s family is not and employed by Marianne’s. Their “relationship” is secret throughout their senior year of high school. They both go to the same university and continue to weave in and out of each other’s lives, dealing with heavy situations—depression, abuse and finding themselves.
What I thought:
These kind of relationship stories are my jam, I don’t know why I need emotionally heavy young love. Just put this right on the shelf next to Perks of Being a Wallflower and Eleanor & Park. It’s quick, it makes you feel something… it’s the perfect summer read. Hulu’s on a roll because this one is also a mini-series, released at the end of April (and actually pretty good, but don’t watch with your parents).
Who should read it:
People ready to get kicked in the feels by a relationship book.
The Testaments
Margaret Atwood
Stats: Dystopian fiction, 422 pages
Quick summary
The much anticipated sequel to The Handmaid’s Tale, The Testaments picks up 15 years later. The story of Gilead is told from three perspectives: Aunt Lydia, Agnes, and Daisy, a girl living outside the system with an unknown past.
What I thought:
This one is hard to rate. It suffers a little bit from the “sequel syndrome.” I often found myself comparing it to The Handmaid’s Tale and how it was falling slightly short. Without comparing it to its predecessor, it was solid and an easy page turner.
Who should read it:
People who enjoyed The Handmaid’s Tale. You need to know what happens after.
Do Nothing
Celeste Headlee
Stats: Nonfiction, 288 pages
Quick summary
Headlee explores the reasons behind our drive to be more and more productive and efficient, despite its negative consequences for our mental wellbeing and general happiness with life.
What I thought:
The first half of the book was a fascinating look at the labor practice shift in the Industrial Revolution and the carryover of practices in the modern workplace. It also explores the importance of leisure and how idleness became an undesirable trait. The second half, which admittedly I didn’t enjoy as much, were ways on how to get your life back (we don’t do life hacks when we’re not overdoing).
Who should read it:
People who wonder why they have to work eight hours a day when they can get everything done in five.
Three Stars ⭐⭐⭐
Magic for Liars
Sarah Gailey
Stats: Fantasy, 336 pages
Quick summary
Private investigator Ivy is hired to solve a murder case at her estranged twin sister’s magical high school. Ivy was never magic, and losing herself in the case allows her to slip into a life that was never hers but might have been.
What I thought:
Yes, another magic book. I think I have an obsession maybe. This one was an absolute page turner and cleverly written. I’m not much for romantics, so this would be my beach read.
Who should read it:
Anyone who loves crime books. People who have a Harry Potter-sized hole in their heart.
Educated
Tara Westover
Stats: Memoir, 334 pages
Quick summary
Westover recounts her early life as a daughter of survivalists, in which her only education is helping her father scrap in the junkyard or assisting her herbalist mother with tinctures to cure everything from third-degree burns to scrapes. At 17, she decides to go to school for the first time, fracturing her relationship with her family and the only world she’s ever known.
What I thought:
Honestly, I’m torn. I know I’m in the minority for this book, as it has received numerous accolades. There is no doubt that Westover survived an extremely abusive childhood, though I found the number of footnotes in this book unsettling. Parts left me wondering how much of the story actually happened, particularly the amount and extent of injuries her family sustained that were somehow cured by essential oils. It also doesn’t help that her family is disputing her work, but then again, does this just show the extent of the abuse? After turning the last page, I couldn’t help but to recall the quote — there are three sides to every story: yours, mine and the truth.
Who should read it:
Despite what I thought, everyone should read it. It’s well-written and I did enjoy it, I just don’t know how much is accurate.
Sometimes I Lie
Alice Feeney
Stats: Thiller, 264 pages
Quick summary
Three things you should know about Amber, the story’s narrator:
1. I’m in a coma.
2. My husband doesn’t love me anymore.
3. Sometimes I lie.
The story weaves between what she can hear in the coma, the days leading up to her accident and diary entries from childhood.
What I thought:
So frustrating. I flew through this book, but the ending was so lackluster it tainted the rest of the book. I’m not usually one to figure out the twist in a book, but I nailed it this time. Sigh.
Who should read it:
Maybe you won’t figure out the twist? It’s pretty short and fun, give it a go.
When All Is Said
Anne Griffin
Stats: Fiction 326 pages
Quick summary
This is Maurice Hannigan’s life story told over the course of one night as he gives five toasts to the five most important people in his life: his late brother, sister-in-law, daughter, son and wife.
What I thought:
As a deeply reflective person, this one pulled at my heart strings. What makes a life when all is said? Our relationships with people.
Who should read it:
People looking for a slower burn with deep emotion
An American Marriage
Tayari Jones
Stats: Fiction, 321 pages
Quick summary
Celestial and Roy are newlyweds, but before they can begin building a life together, Roy is arrested for a crime he didn’t commit. Their marriage quickly unravels as he does his time and she grows closer to her childhood friend, Andre.
What I thought:
Another unpopular opinion on a popular book — meh, 2.5 stars. I’m sure the Oprah Book Club status is partially why it ended up on so many reading lists, but it just didn’t connect for me. I did like the parts of the book that explored the racial injustice of the prison system, but the characters and relationships fell flat. I also enjoyed the clever writing and the fact that is was a quick read.
Who should read it:
Again, I’m in the minority. Most people like this book.
Two Stars ⭐⭐
The Starless Sea
Erin Morgenstern
Stats: Fantasy, 487 pages
Quick summary
There exists a world beneath Earth with endless tunnels of stories and a Starless Sea. The son of a fortune teller, Zachary Ezra Rawlins finds a door to this world as a child but doesn’t go through it. In college, he finds a strange book with a bee, a key and a sword on it that leads him on a journey of love and fate through the unstable magical world.
What I thought:
So disappointed. I loved Morgenstern’s debut, The Night Circus. That book was so beautifully written, I couldn’t put it down. The Starless Sea felt like a chore. There was so much time spent describing scenes and settings that it forgot to have a true plot.
Who should read it:
Please just go read The Night Circus instead.
Essentialism: The Disciplined Pursuit of Less
Greg McKeown
Stats: Self-help, 334 pages
Quick summary
This isn’t a book about getting more done, it’s about getting the right things done. It’s about identifying and weeding out the trivial, the nonessential. It’s about regaining control of your schedule and your priorities.
What I thought:
The summary of the book and it’s Skip the Line status at my library got me to download this faster than I made my morning coffee, but sadly it just didn’t live up to the expectations. It was high on theory, almost to the point of being preachy, with little execution. There were a few good concrete tips (for me it was different ways to say no), that I’ve put into practice.
Who should read it:
People utterly lost on prioritization and boundaries. Your office’s reluctant yes-man.
the DNF (did not finish)
