March Reading Recap
Hello, fellow book lovers! Hope your days are being filled with spring sunshine and blooming flowers. In this month’s reading recap, the bees aren’t the only things that are buzzing. I have some reviews from a few books hot off this press that I loved and really, really disliked. Check them out! And don’t forget, if you’re looking to buy a copy of one of the books listed, click on the title and it will bring you to my Bookshop page where you can support local bookstores and my blog. Until next time, happy reading!
Quick Synopsis: Cece arrives at her in-law's cabin in Montana to get married to her dream guy but unexpected events leave her questioning everything.
Strong Points: The story wasn’t new. Cece has it all and the life she's always wanted. But there's the temptation of the best friend who is a little rough around the edges but who understands her more than her fiancé. Will she throw it all away for a lapse in judgment? We’ve all read a million books like this. But sometimes the story doesn’t matter as much when the writing and characters are so, so good. The story took place in Montana and was descriptive enough that I could picture everything perfectly, adding to the ability to get lost in the story. The characters were all flawed but also loveable. The book spans over 50 years, so you see their growth and empathize with them as they navigate the different stages in life. They each were doing the best that they could. It’s a familiar and honest story that I enjoyed being in.
Weak Points: At times the reader was hit hard over the head with the theme of climate change and all of the animals disappearing. It should have been more nuanced. That took me out of the story a little, but I liked the theme enough not to care too much.
If you like books you can get lost in, this one is for you.
Writing Style: 5/5
Characters: 4.5/5
Plot: 4/5
Flow/Pacing: 4/5
Overall Rating: 4.5/5
Highly Recommend
For Fans of: Three Days in June by Anne Tyler, Broken Country by Clare Leslie Hall, and Playworld by Adam Ross
The Twilight Garden by Sara Nisha Adams
Quick Synopsis: A neglected garden in a shared backyard bring two neighbors from different walks of life together.
Strong Points: It’s a slow burn, but maybe in a good way. Hear me out. Sometimes you need a book that’s light and simple, one you can veg out with. A book where not a lot happens. The characters don’t necessarily face any risks or danger. A book with a happy ending where all loose ends are perfectly wrapped up in a neat bow. A book where most characters get along or learn to love each other by the end. A book without a lot of stakes. This book is it. It’s a book that’s easy on the mind. It’s by no means the best writing, storytelling, or even character development. Instead, it’s kind of like vanilla ice cream. Sometimes you crave something nice and plain.
Weak Points: I suppose all those strong points I mentioned could also be turned into weak points. Well, no, there isn’t a lot happening. The characters don’t face any risks or danger and the story is pretty low-stakes. Most of the time, the writing was nothing but fluff. For a 400-page book, too little happened. Towards the end, the relaxed, feel-good things that took place started to bore me. Give me a little drama! Some excitement! Some danger! Anything! This would have been a lovely 200-page book about friendship, family, and gardens.
For this, I do not recommend.
Writing Style: 3/5
Characters: 2.5/5
Plot: 3/5
Flow/Pacing: 2/5
Overall Rating: 3/5
Not Recommend
For Fans of: The Life Impossible by Matt Haig, The Butterfly Garden by Rachel Burton, and The Bookshop Ladies by Faith Hogan
Jellyfish Age Backwards: Nature’s Secrets to Longevity by Nicklas Brendborg
Quick Synopsis: In search of the fountain of youth, Brendborg looks at the animal kingdom to unlock the secret to longevity.
Strong Points: You know how some nonfiction, especially science nonfiction, can either be so watered down that you can tell the author thinks he’s writing to a bunch of idiots or the opposite, dry and filled with jargon? Well, this book was certainly not either. Brendborg did a delicate dance of explaining concepts without the jargon but not dumbing it down too much. He connected a concept to everyday objects and ideas to help the reader understand. For example, in his chapter on telomeres, he explains that telomeres are like aglets (aka the hard plastic thing on the end of shoelaces) only for the end of our chromosomes instead of our laces. Without them, the shoelace or chromosome starts to unravel, making it impossible to thread back through the holes in our shoes and rendering them useless.
I learned so much about the different research that’s going on to slow the progression of aging and the pros and cons of each study. Spoiler alert: there are no con-less studies. Brendborg also talks about the different animals that live longer than humans and what mechanisms allow them to do so. Like the Greenland shark that is 390 years old, making it older than the United States. Every chapter was easy to read and wildly entertaining. I picked it up at random at a used bookstore and sure am happy that I did.
Weak Points: : I wish there were 100 more pages of different studies and animal facts
NEED TO ADD CLOSER
Writing Style: 5/5
Plot: 5/5
Flow/Pacing: 4/5
Overall Rating: 4.5/5
Highly Recommend
For Fans of: When We Cease to Understand the World by Benjamin Labatut, An Immense World by Ed Yong, and The Exceptions by Kate Zernike
Life Hacks for a Little Alien by Alice Franklin
Quick Synopsis: It's about a young girl, Little Alien, doesn’t see the world like others, and a narrator that guides her through life.
Strong Points: It’s a story for people who’ve ever felt like they don’t quite fit in. They feel alien and like nobody understands what they are thinking or feeling. While it’s hinted that the protagonist is on the autism spectrum, the diagnosis isn’t the main focus of the story. It’s about how different she sees and navigates the world. After hearing about the Voynich Manuscript (if you’re like me and have no idea what that is, it’s a mysterious manuscript that they think was written in the 15th century that has never been decoded) and she latches onto one theory that it was written by aliens, drawing parallels between this uncrackable script and her own uncrackable idea that it might give her the answers for why she’s not like everyone else.
This is Alice Franklin’s debut novel. I was really impressed by the way she wrote Little Alien’s characters. It's nearly impossible not to connect with Little Alien and have so much empathy for what she goes through. Like Little Alien, Franklin wasn’t diagnosed with autism as a child. I wonder if she drew on her own experiences throughout childhood while writing this book.
What a lovely, lovely little book. This was a quiet book that took me by surprise. I was sad to finish it.
Weak Points: Nothing of note
Go read this book!
Writing Style: 5/5
Characters: 5/5
Plot: 4/5
Flow/Pacing: 4/5
Overall Rating: 4.5/5
Highly Recommend
For Fans of: The Boy from the Sea by Garrett Carr, Hope by Mike Gayle, and Tartufo by Kira Jane Buxton
The Dream Hotel by Laila Lalami
Quick Synopsis: At customs, Sara is taken into custody after the Risk Assessment Administration accuse her of having a high-risk rating for committing a crime. She is promised that she will only be kept in custody for 21 days. Almost a year later, Sara is still in custody and fighting for her freedom.
Weak/Strong Points: I had quite a few qualms with this one.
My biggest problem is the last act. It was a huge build-up for such a weak finale. You were left with little to no closure about the main storyline and most of the characters. What’s the point of reading and investing in a story if there’s no payoff?
Second, a character was introduced and even had her own POV for about 25 pages. Enough of a POV to where I thought the story was going to be split between Sara and this other character. But after her chapter, you never hear from her again. Was this planned? Did a chunk of the story have to be edited out? What was the point of that character?
Third, themes involving race and immigration were half introduced but never elaborated on.
Fourth, the characters were not fleshed out, leaving the reader with wildly underdeveloped, watered down characters that were impossible to connect with or root for. I never once cared about what happened to them. Which is saying something since the whole premise of the book is that they are held against their will for crimes that they supposably were about to do. You should feel bad for them, right?
Last but certainly not least is the title. It doesn’t make sense. It’s about dreams, okay, I get that, but where does the hotel come into play? The book felt sloppy and not well-thought-out. Again, was there a portion of the book that took place in a hotel that had to be edited out along with the other random character's POV that disappeared?
All of this being said, there was something about it that kept my attention and kept me wanting to tune in to see where it was going. I can’t quite put my finger on the strong points other than it wasn’t absolutely dreadful (yikes). The concept felt not that far-fetched which made it freaky, but nothing was developed enough to scare me or even spook me.
Wah, wah, wah. Overall, can’t say I recommend it. It was underwhelming.
Writing Style: 2/5
Characters: 1/5
Plot: 3/5
Flow/Pacing: 2/5
Overall Rating: 2/5
Not Recommend
For Fans of: The Strange Case of Jane O. by Karen Thompson Walker, Dream Count by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, and The Antidote by Karen Russell
Quick Synopsis: Shaka was born with a congenital muscle disorder that leaves her housebound in a care home where she spends her days writing explicit fantasies.
Strong/Weak Points: I closed the book thinking, “What did I just read?” This is a tough book to review because while I didn’t like it, was wholly uncomfortable, and couldn’t wait for it to end, I also appreciate the risks it took. It’s a narrative on how disabled women are never portrayed as sexy, yet they have sexual desires like anyone else. The author describes Shaka's body in detail while she’s getting bathed. The author isn't intentionally trying to be grotesque, but it doesn’t come across in the same way as if she were to describe a young woman who doesn’t have spinal abnormalities bathing.
Like the main character, Ichikawa suffers from myotubular myopathy, a rare genetic disease that causes the muscles to become too weak to hold up the body, folding in on itself, crushing the lungs, and making it hard to breathe. I truly cannot imagine. There’s a rawness that Ichikawa brings to this book that I appreciate. However, I'm not exactly sure what she wanted the reader to take away from this story.
Originally published in 2023 in Japan, Hunchback was translated into English and published a few weeks ago. It was longlisted for the International Booker Prize. I'm interested to see what Ichikawa comes out with next.
For a short novella, this sure does pack quite a punch.
Writing Style: 3/5
Characters: 3/5
Plot: 2/5
Flow/Pacing: 3/5
Overall Rating: 2.5/5
Not Recommend
For Fans of: Under the Eye of the Big Bird by Hiromi Kawakami, Universality by Natasha Brown, and Stag Dance by Torrey Peters
Quick Synopsis: A story about a cult called the Nameless is filled with rich, beautiful people who follow a man named Odo. A journalist named Faruq stays with them as he writes an investigative piece.
Strong Points: After reading the synopsis of the book, I was in. I’m all for a good cult story. Especially one that claims not to be a cult (but don’t all cults claim not to be a cult?). But also, what makes a cult a cult? That’s the main question of this book. Do the members have to sacrifice something? Are the members allowed to come and go as they please? I thought this concept was unique in that we got to see a different POV. We get to follow an outsider exploring the cult from the inside, slowly becoming more and more entangled in their lives while starting to question his belief system.
Side story: There is a “town” 30 miles outside of Atlanta called Serenbe. The story goes that a wealthy man bought up 1,000 acres of property for him and his rich friends to live where they can focus on their “well-being.” A place for them to enjoy life outside of the city and be one in nature. One day my husband and I decided to take a drive to it. And when we showed up, we got major Stepford Wive vibes. The women were ridiculously pretty, in tip-top shape, and exuded wealth. They stared at us from behind the wheel of their golf carts as we walked through their town, immediately knowing we were outsiders. Each house is beautiful, not a blade of grass was out of place. We left Serenbe feeling very creeped but very intrigued. We had to go back! So, we found out (by stalking their community’s website) that they were hosting a jazz singer on Saturday night. This was our chance to go back! Turns out the singer was playing at one of their houses. A chance to see inside their perfectly manicured houses? Yes, please! We had dinner beforehand at their farm-to-table restaurant (of course, located in the chicest, modern farmhouse) sitting next to a lovely couple who immediately sucked us into a conversation about how much they love living in Serenbe, so much better than the city because they could “breathe” out here. Anyway, long story long, we went to the intimate jazz performance in the follower’s, I mean resident’s home, feeling wildly out of place with everyone staring at us the whole time. My husband was immediately sucked in with the men of this gathering, getting a tour of the man cave and garage, leaving me awkwardly mingling with the women who couldn’t have cared less that I was standing next to them, desperate to be involved in their conversation, clutching my empty glass of wine. Needless to say, we never went to another community gathering there again. I couldn’t help but draw parallels between Serenbe and the Nameless. Wealthy people buying up a massive plot of land to live amongst themselves? Check. Riding around from their stables to friend’s houses in golf carts? Check. Filled with only beautiful, wealthy residents? Check. All so happy to be there? Check. Is Serenbe a cult? Or is it just a way for this group of friends to flex their wealth and stay away from the lower- and middle-class city folks?
Weak Points: My biggest gripe about this book is Faruq, the main character. Ay ay ay. I couldn’t connect with him for the life of me. I felt nothing towards him. I didn’t understand his motives and didn't care what happened to him. He spent none of his time writing and just moping around the property. He was a bit insufferable. And a truly awful journalist.
While I enjoyed the story, Faruq ruined it for me.
Writing Style: 4/5
Characters: 2/5
Plot: 4/5
Flow/Pacing: 3/5
Overall Rating: 3.5/5
Eh Recommend
For Fans of: The Antidote by Karen Russell, Disappoint Me by Nicola Dinan, and Beta Vulgaris by Margie Sarsfield
"Climb up here, Little Alien. Sit next to me. I will tell you about life on this planet. I will tell you how it goes." -Life Hacks for a Little Alien by Alice Franklin
