This month has been a crazy month, full of distractions and beautiful weather. Despite all of that, I ended up reading a lot of really excellent YA books, most of which have been on my To Read list for quite some time!
This month was CRAZY! I had our Spring Break the first week of the month, and I ended up reading 5 books in that one week. What followed after was a whole lot of duds and Did Not Finishes. The last month of school, a whole lot of wedding festivities, and a trip and a festival all really distracted me, but I ended up reading eight books this month (which really surprised me as I counted)!
Along with these eight books, I started and put down Life of Pi, which was so very, very boring, and Love the One You’re With because I just wasn’t feeling the chick flick. I never quit reading books, especially if I’ve given them a day or two of reading time, so I’m proud of myself for walking away from these to read some really amazing books.
As far as my reading goals go, I have to say I’m pretty impressed with myself! Six of my eight books this month featured POC characters or authors. Two of my books were LGBTQ+ and over 4 stars, and I even read two nonfiction books. I’m currently in the middle of my personal development book for this month, so it will end up on May’s roundup, but I’m ok with that, considering the month I had.
Books are listed in the order they were read. For more mini-reviews, check out my What I Read tag.
Erotic Stories for Punjabi Widows by Balli Kaur Jaswal
Premise: Nikki knows she let her whole family down by dropping out of law school and working in a pub. But when she sees a job offer for a teaching position in the Punjabi gurdwara (like a temple or church), she decides to sign up. Her students surprise her, however, when they turn out to be all widows who cannot read or write. The stories that these women come up with end up empowering and shifting the women in the Punjabi community.
My Rating: 4.5 Stars
Thoughts: This story is set in London, but most of the story takes place in the suburb of Southall. (Punjab is the northern-most region of India, near the border with Pakistan, and is primarily of the Sikh religion. Southall is a London suburb made up of primarily Punjabi people. Thanks, Google!) There were some cultural adjustments that I had to make while reading, but for the most part, the characters reminded me a lot of the people I encountered at Sunday lunch, asking about wedding and baby plans, gossiping about who is dating who, and discussing various neighborhood scandals.
This story was so surprising and unique. For one, there are actual erotic stories in here! For the most part, they are in italics, so if that’s not your thing, you can totally skip over them. But this book was more primarily about the confrontation of the new ways vs. the old, and respecting your elders and your culture while finding your own way. It was also part mystery, thriller, humor story, but mostly all-around entertaining. I really, really enjoyed this one. It just was so positive and happy, and I felt so glad for the characters in the novel finally finding a way to express themselves.
Who Should Read It: Anyone who loves good characters. Anyone looking for a different type of romance novel. Anyone interested in expanding their cultural horizons in a fun way.
The Astonishing Color of After by Emily X.R. Pan
For a full review, check out this post.
Premise: After Leigh’s mother dies from suicide, Leigh struggles to figure out the meaning of her death. When Leigh’s mother begins visiting her in the form of a red bird, Leigh feels that she must go to Taiwan to meet her grandparents and figure out what her mother was trying to tell her. Her journey through Taiwan is just as much a journey through her memories, and she discovers more about her past (and her future) than she expected.
My Rating: 4.5 Stars
Thoughts: THIS BOOK. Holy moly. I was not sure about it at first. The writing seemed really disjointed and overly descriptive, which is generally not my cup of tea. But the further I got along in the book, the more I appreciated Leigh’s descriptions of her world in color.
This book is not linear… half of the time, we are in present day. The rest of the time, we are flitting between memories from Leigh’s parents’ pasts, and the years leading up to the present day. Often, it skips around with little warning, other than the chapter titles indicating what time of year we are in. I’ve never read a book like this one… the way Leigh flits through time and space really changes the entire perspective of the story. I loved all the various subplots, and I loved the ending surprises.
Who Should Read It: Anyone who loves YA. Anyone who appreciates unique stories. Anyone interested in Taiwanese and Chinese culture.
84, Charring Cross Road by Helene Hanff
Premise: Helene Hanff lives in New York City, but her favorite bookstore is in London. In this book, she records her correspondence with Frank Doel and the other booksellers and friends of the bookstore in London.
My Rating: 3.5 Stars
Thoughts: Well, this was cute. And also only 96 pages. Which could be why I read it in an hour and a half? I’ve come around to enjoying epistolary novels (books written in the form of letters or other communication), although this one is nonfiction, so I guess it’s not really a novel. It was short and sweet and I enjoyed getting a brief glimpse into life at this time period.
Who Should Read It: People who enjoy letters. People who want a quick read. People who love literature.
Exit West by Mohsin Hamid
Premise: Saeed and Nadia live in a fictional country that is war-torn and struggling. When they realize that there are secret doors that can transport them to new countries, they take the opportunity to travel away from their homeland. What they find in Greece and London and America is not quite what they expected.
My Rating: 3 Stars
Thoughts: This is a book that I was pretty sure I didn’t like but also couldn’t put down. For one, the author’s style of writing is unique, with long run-on sentences connected with lots of commas. It makes for a quick read. I also liked Saeed and Nadia and their story. Their love from the beginning was evident, and I wanted to know how they turned out. It also presented a unique and interesting take on the refugee and migrant crises happening around the world, and I appreciated that perspective.
However, this book felt more philosophical than realistic, and there was very little dialogue. It’s hard to be invested in characters who don’t actually speak to each other, and this book was definitely lacking that connection for me. It’s not that it wasn’t a good book; it just wasn’t my kind of book.
Who Should Read It: Anyone who liked The Alchemist. Anyone interested in learning more about the refugee perspective.
When Breath Becomes Air by Paul Kalanithi
Premise: Paul Kalanithi is a neurosurgeon in his last year of residency when he gets the news that he has an aggressive form lung cancer. In this memoir, he grapples with what it means to live a life with purpose and spend time truly contemplating death.
My Rating: 4 Stars
Thoughts: This memoir was poignant and eye-opening, though not as heartbreaking as I expected. While the subject matter is obviously devastating, there was a feeling of acceptance and gratitude running throughout the book. Kalanithi used this memoir to grapple with the idea of creating a meaningful life and facing death head-on. I appreciated his musings, if they did get a bit over the top at some points. The epilogue, written by his wife Lucy, was the hardest part of the book to read, and it had me holding my husband close. While I was reading, I was glad that I knew how Lucy’s life turned out, thanks to her twin sister running A Cup of Jo, who wrote an update for everyone. It made the grief a bit more bearable.
Who Should Read It: Anyone looking for a study on grief and loss. Anyone looking for hope in a dark time. Anyone who is grieving.
Behind Closed Doors by B.A. Paris
Premise: Jack and Grace seem like the perfect couple, but, surprise, they aren’t. This story is disturbing and chaotic and should probably come with trigger warnings (domestic abuse, pet abuse, abuse of the disabled, just to name a few).
My Rating: 2.5 Stars
Thoughts: The only reason this scored higher than 1 star is because I finished it. The only reason it scored a .5 is because the last two chapters ALMOST make up for the misery that is the rest of the book. Seriously. I have never been more agitated, more angry, and more upset than I was when reading this book. Grace seemed to be caught in this spiral of “I’ll never get out of here” and “I have to get out of here” for literally 250 pages. It wasn’t until the last chapter that she figures it out. It’s not a spoiler — I think the book would have been better if I weren’t waiting impatiently for her to get away from Jack.
This book is super predictable, poorly written (especially in the beginning), and incredibly frustrating. That being said, it did elicit some strong emotions from me, and it definitely had the heart-stopping thriller aspect, so if you like that sort of thing in a book, you may enjoy this one.
Who Should Read It: People who like thrillers. People who want to read a more frustrating and less well written The Last Mrs. Parrish.
Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe by Benjamin Alire Sáenz
Premise: Aristotle is angry and alone, until he meets Dante at the pool on day. Aristotle is forced to face his anger at his brother being imprisoned and his parents’ inability to talk about it. Dante brings a light into his life, and his friendship changes Aristotle in ways he can’t even imagine.
My Rating: 5 Stars
Thoughts: Y’ALL. Despite how this month’s What I Read looks, I don’t give 5 stars ever, but I literally would not change a thing about this book. It honestly felt like an autobiographical story because Ari’s character felt SO REAL. His internal struggles didn’t feel forced or stretched or imagined… it felt like it was written by someone who has experienced this pain firsthand. I loved Dante’s character, I loved Dante’s family, and I loved that there were very present parents in this one (unlike most YA novels).
The writing on this one was perfection. It was short, choppy dialogue that held my attention but made me fly through the book (started and finished in a Saturday afternoon). The emotions were so real and so strong, and I found myself laughing and crying with the characters.
Who Should Read It: Anyone who likes contemporary YA. Anyone who wants to read a real novel about LGBTQ+ kids. Anyone looking for a refreshing, honest read.
They Both Die at the End by Adam Silvera
Premise: When Death-Cast calls Mateo, he freaks out and decides his only goal is to go see his father in the hospital — if he can leave the apartment. When Death-Cast calls Rufus, he stops punching his ex-girlfriend’s new boyfriend to hear the news. Both find themselves on Last Friend, the app to find a friend to spend your final hours with. Their day looks nothing like they predicted.
My Rating: 4.5 Stars
Thoughts: After two DNFs, I needed something good, and this one did not disappoint! I loved how Silvera was able to switch points of view in an authentic way. The characters really felt unique and separate from one another, and I never had to question who was speaking. The idea of the novel was simple, but thought-provoking — what would you do if you knew you would die that day? Don’t be fooled or think they won’t die; the title spoils it all. I did spent the entire book trying to figure out how they would die, and I NEVER try to guess the endings of books. That’s the sign of a good novel, in my eyes.
This wasn’t a sad book — I didn’t bawl my eyes out — but it was poignant and definitely worth the read!
Who Should Read It: Anyone who likes YA. Anyone who is contemplating death and end-of-life. Anyone who likes adventure, sci-fi, and/or love.
What do you think? Did I miss the mark on any of these? Are there some that you are excited to read? Leave a comment below!
