This month, I really started to emerge from the reading slump brought on by my father’s decline in health early this year and death in February 2021. Much of this month’s reading was about clearing off a few books I had been in process of reading for quite some time. Eventually, I got myself out of my funk and ended up reading seven books, so I guess I can officially say the slump is over. Here’s the rundown on what I read in April 2021.
The Thursday Murder Club by Richard Osman
I had been reading The Thursday Murder Club for several months, and I knew I definitely needed to finish it ASAP to clean it off my currently-reading shelf. I’m glad I finally finished this mystery. It’s good ammo for TBR because it has wide appeal as a cozy mystery marketed more commercially than the little old lady cozies you see everywhere. I think one reason why I struggled with this one was it was written in close third person, which really grates me sometimes. Also, the overly conversational style, with lots of conversational rhetorical questions, came to really irk me the more I read The Thursday Murder Club, so I ended up only being able to read it in short bursts at a time. It seems silly, but sometimes a book can be written really well, but it’s distracting to read because you’re so aware of how good it reads, and it jumps you out of the actual reading experience. I’m not a fan of writing that’s too on-the-nose like this. Last, I didn’t think the mystery was particularly interesting, and when it was solved I felt almost let down from the promise of the premise. I can’t say for sure if I’ll be picking up the next installment in this series when it drops.
Rating: 3 stars
How to read it: Purchase The Thursday Murder Squad on Amazon and add it on Goodreads
Everyone’s a Aliebn When Ur a Aliebn Too by Jomny Sun
Everyone’s a Aliebn When Ur a Aliebn Too by Jomny Sun is a quick, fun graphic novel about Jomny, an alien who comes to Earth tasked with finding out what human life is like. Unfortunately, the alien doesn’t meet any humans and has to learn from a variety of creatures what it means to be human. This moving and quirky graphic novel is a nice pick-me-up that’s easy to read and puts a smile on your face. In that way, it reminded me of The Boy, The Mole, The Fox, and the Horse (check out my reader’s guide to The Boy, The Mole, The Fox, and The Horse here on the blog).
Rating: 4 stars
How to read it: Purchase Everyone’s a Aliebn When Ur a Aliebn Too on Amazon and add it on Goodreads
Anything for You (Blue Heron #5) by Kristan Higgins
I’ve been following Kristan Higgins’ writing for almost a decade now. She was the writer who got me into the romance genre. Higgins usually writes what I’d call a mix of women’s fiction and sweet romance. Bottom line, it’s comfort food, and in the days after my father’s death, what I needed was comfort. So I made a special trip to Barnes & Noble the week of his funeral to scoop up whatever Higgins book(s) they had in stock, and that’s what led me to Anything for You, the fifth book in her Blue Heron series. I’d previously read The Perfect Match, the second book in the series, and I wasn’t disappointed with Anything for You, which I had trouble putting down and often read in 30, 40, 50, or even 60 pages in a single sitting. And I really liked Anything for You, and though I don’t normally commit to book series, I know I can revisit the other Blue Heron novels that I haven’t read and be guaranteed a satisfying romance within the same universe.
Rating: 4 stars
How to read it: Purchase Anything for You on Amazon and add it on Goodreadst
Solutions and Other Problems by Allie Brosh
I think I am the only person on the planet who did not read Allie Brosh’s debut, Hyperbole and a Half, though I did enjoy following her comics online. I picked up her latest collection of comics, Solutions and Other Problems, at Target one day when I was looking for good new reads, and I’m really happy to report that I really loved this book. I read it during and after my father’s sickness, and it was a welcome funny vacation from dark times, though this book does engage with grim topics like grief, depression, and suicide. I’d definitely recommend it for anybody who needs some distracting when life gets heavy and hard. My one complaint was the format of the hardcover made it kind of uncomfortable to hold the book, but that’s a minor complaint that doesn’t detract from how much I loved the book and felt grateful for its gift of escape when I needed it the most.
Rating: 4 stars
How to read it: Purchase Solutions and Other Problems on Amazon and add it on Goodreads
shine your icy crown (you are your own fairy tale #2) by amanda lovelace
I love the poetry book of amanda lovelace and was so excited to find that she’d released a new installment in her you are your own fairy tale series, shine your icy crow (the undercase is intentional). Each of her book has a feminist retelling bent of fairy tales or magical women, and shine your icy crown plays on the fairy tales Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty, and Snow White, at least in the first the half of the book before the second part, which is more general. While I loved the first section, in which a comforting sister offers advice to her struggling younger sister and therefore busting the sisters-rivalry trope, but I found the second half to be less cohesive. Once lovelace dropped the theme, the poems felt disconnected and unfocused and generic, like they could be in any poetry collection by lovelace. So while I liked the book overall and flew through it in half an hour, I was disappointed by the second part.
Rating: 4 stars
How to read it: Purchase shine your icy crown on Amazon and add it on Goodreads
What Cats Want by Yuki Hattori
I picked up Japanese veterinarian Dr. Yuki Hattori’s What Cats Want while casually browsing the library’s new releases. I’m so glad I checked it out! This quick read is devoted to helping humans understand cat behavior and, more specifically, how we cat parents can be considerate of their preferences. I’m currently at work on a book about cats, so I feel grateful I read this book because it’s helped me with my research. You’d think that after 29 years of living with cats I’d know everything in here, but even a seasoned feline fan like me can learn something new in What Cats Want.
Self promotion: If you are interested in What Cats Want, be sure to check out my collection of cat quotes, available on Amazon: A Purrfect Collection of Cat Quotes.
Rating: 4 stars
How to read it: Purchase What Cats Want on Amazon and add it on Goodreads
Perestroika in Paris by Jane Smiley
Finding Jane Smiley’s Perestroika in Paris was one of those spontaneous, impulsive bookstore purchases that either end up not read at all or jumped up to the top of your TBR. Fortunately, I didn’t wait long before I started Perestroika in Paris after buying it in my January birthday bookstore trip. This noel is a charming, whimsical book about a group of animals living in Paris. This tale of urban wildlife is a warm, comforting, cozy read that I know I’ll be recommending at TBR again and again. I really enjoyed this one, and I found many craft takeaways about writing animal fiction for adults, which is great because as I mentioned earlier, I’m working on a novel about cats.
Note: I read this one in paper, on my Kindle, and on Audible. I recommend the audiobook for anyone who listens to them. The narrator did a great job.
Rating: 4 stars
How to read it: Purchase Perestroika in Paris on Amazon and add it on Goodreads
