April Round-Up

The Wrong Sister by Claire Douglas. I thought this was a good twisty novel. It was a bit slow in places with a lot of waffling on Tasha’s part, but I thought the twist was one thing, then started to solve part of it, but wasn’t sure about the rest, so that was satisfying.

Midlife Abecedarian by Melissa Fite Johnson. These gorgeous poems were as vivid as snapshots. Some were beautiful and content, some were emotional, and all were wonderfully written. This is a collection I’ll return to again and again. It’s such a nice reminder that it’s okay to be content with where you are and what you’re doing in life.

Brevity: A Flash Fiction Handbook by David Galef. My craft book of the month. This is a fantastic guide to flash fiction and could absolutely be a textbook (or crash course!). But even if you’re an experienced writer, it’s interesting to see things broken down, and there are examples of every genre/style/approach discussed, plus prompts, so it’s really immersive and helpful.

Just Like the Other Girls by Claire Douglas. I liked “The Wrong Sister” by this author so I wanted to try another. This one was sooooo slow, but once the book picked up in the last third or fourth, it was interesting. I figured out the twist at that point, after having an inkling that wasn’t 100% correct, but it was still suspenseful. If the first half was drastically chopped down, this would have been a fantastic book.

Kidnapped at Birth? by Louis Sachar. Re-reading Sideways Stories made me want to read more Sachar, and I’d never read Marvin Redpost books, though I vaguely remember his name from seeing books on the shelves. This was a really cute kid’s book and makes me want to read more about Marvin.

Hello Girls by Brittany Cavallaro and Emily Henry. This was a pretty unbelievable read, but it pulled me in and kept me turning pages. I found it hard to swallow that the girls were really just 17 and 18. I remember being that age and drinking and thinking I was so mature, but I just didn’t really buy it here. I think it all worked out the best way it could without feeling like a letdown.

The Meaning of Mariah Carey by Mariah Carey and Michaela angela Davis. Daydream was the first CD I ever bought, but I drifted away from Mariah in middle school and beyond, so it was really interesting to read more about her. It was alarming how much of her experience mirrors Britney Spears, yet I feel like society has more empathy for Britney and considers Mariah stuck-up/entitled/a diva. I liked reading her story and it made me want to listen to all those albums I missed because she shared interesting insights into the songwriting and recording processes.

We Won't All Survive by Kate Alice Marshall. This was a decent page-turner. I like reality shows and thought the premise was interesting, and not all of my predictions came true, so that’s nice for a thriller. I’ve read others by this author and will try more because I like her ideas and writing style, even if they’re not all home runs for me.

Murder by the Book by Lauren Elliott. I read this for Cozy Mystery Book Club (click the link to watch the discussion on YouTube). It was compelling for sure… but I was not a fan of the writing style. Every movement and line of dialogue was so stilted that I never felt immersed in the story. I was always painfully aware that I was reading a book. There was also a LOT going on… I felt like some of the mysteries could have carried through to another book or two in the series. It was also really dramatic and didn’t feel cozy because of that. I wasn’t a fan of the romance either - it felt like a high school crush, and the characters all acted like teenagers despite being in their late 20s/early 30s and owning businesses. I like the concept of the rare book heist and the cool book and tea shops, but everything else was too detrimental so I won’t continue reading this series.

It's Not Her by Mary Kubica. I read this book in less than 24 hours. At first, I wasn’t sure I’d like it because the beginning wasn’t too compelling and seemed to be a lot of repetition with just a smidge of new info revealed. However, it picked up quickly with the alternate POVs and had a great twist. I didn’t see it coming and especially loved the extra twist at the end, though I had my suspicions there for a minute.

March Round-Up

Murder Bimbo by Rebecca Novack. This one had SO much potential! The buzz due to the release pushed back. The cover, the title, the tagline, the concept! But whomp whomp, it fell so flat that I don’t even know where to start with my thoughts. I thought the idea of telling the same story in different ways could work - I liked contrasting the initial podcast story with what I thought was the “real” story to the ex, but then when the third act was just the same story again, but possibly the truth this time? I was not only tired of hearing the story (which was VERY lackluster and boring considering it was about an assassination) but finding out that she did it all to get an ex back? BORING. There’s so much potential for this storyline and it was just the worst possible outcome for the book. Proof that hype can do a lot of the work, and since my library didn’t have a copy, the author made money on me wasting hours of my life reading this, so at least there’s one “good” thing to come of this?

The Most Common Symptom is Pain by Rhiannon Conley. Poetry book of the month. I bought this years ago during SMOL Fair and read it but apparently never reviewed it! I like it a lot - the moodiness is so relatable, especially with the state of things now, and I love how so many poems take small moments or fleeting thoughts and turn them into something bigger and more beautiful, even if that beauty does include pain.

Judy Blume: A Life by Mark Oppenheimer. I think this is the best biography I could expect on an icon like Judy Blume. A friend once said, about Celine Dion, “she’s so famous she might as well be dead,” and I feel that about Blume. I know she’s alive and active and outspoken still, but she is SO epic that the idea of reaching her, or really knowing her, seems impossible. But I think Oppenheimer has shown us as much of her as possible, and it was honest and not always flattering, and that made me love it. Also, here's an article about a fallout between Blume and her biographer, which seems just as juicy as the book itself (aka not).

Going Short by Nancy Stohlman. My writing book for the month. This is probably my favorite flash fiction guide because it’s so spot-on and so matter-of-fact. I’m extremely biased because I also love Nancy’s workshops, but still - you can’t go wrong with this one. I’ve referred back to specific sections many times over the years, but this was only my second full re-read - and now I’m going to ensure I do that at least every year, because the info is so valuable and such important reminders for my writing.

Missing Sister by Joshilyn Jackson. Jackson has been one of my favorite writers since gods in Alabama first came out, and though she’s shifted more toward thrillers, she still has incredibly strong, literary writing in these that makes them stand out compared to so many writers that seem to churn out suspense for the hell of it. This one had some great twists but above all I love her writing style and the realistic characters she creates.

You with the Sad Eyes: A Memoir by Christina Applegate. I love Dead to Me and celebrity memoirs so despite not knowing much beyond pop culture surface-level stuff about Christina Applegate, I was really excited to read this one. She’s brutally honest and I think it’s refreshing. I also like how she didn’t name exes to protect herself from legal issues but you can look up her dating history and figure it out. (I feel so justified at one of them, who had been pinging my radar for a bit recently.)

Aphmau: Searching for Home by Aphmau. My kid loves Aphmau’s channel and really enjoyed this book, so he recommended it to me. It’s really cute and I love books that escape into games/imagination. This one ended on a great cliffhanger and he’s eager to read more… I am, too.

Inside Out & Back Again by Thanhhà Lại. My son read this for school and it’s been a long time since I read a verse novel, so I wanted to read it too. I really enjoyed it. I especially loved the author’s note about how much was true, and her writing tips for descriptive writing!

Sideways Stories from Wayside School by Louis Sachar. I can’t count how many times I’ve read this book. It was just a fun read when nothing else was grabbing my attention. I love how silly it is.

The Wilderness by Angela Flournoy. I don’t know what to say about this book - intended as a compliment, because wow. I went in thinking it would be one of those epic tales of friendships across the span of a life, but it quickly became so much more than that, and the ending… oof. I’ll be thinking of this one for a long time, re-reading it and finding new details that will suddenly hold so much weight.