April was a strange reading month for me! I had surgery at the start of the month (you can check out this blog post for more information about it), and between that and tackling The Rose Code (at 650+ pages), I ended up only reading two print books this month. But I did FOUR on audio, which may tie my most audio in one month record.
Like I said. A weird month.
Not a bad one though. 3 out of the 6 were nonfiction, and I had a few authors of color. You can read below to see my favorites (and least favorites) from the month!
Books are listed in the order they were read. For more mini-reviews, check out my What I Read tag.
Monthly Stats
- Total Books Read in March: 6 Books
- Total Authors Read in March: 6 Authors
- Total Pages Read: 964 Pages
- Total Hours Listened: 30.5 Hours
- Total Books Quit: 0 Books
- Average Days Per Book: 5 Days per Book
- Average Pages Per Day: 32.1 Pages per Day
Breath by James Nestor
Premise: According to journalist James Nestor, we are not breathing properly. This book looks at breathing techniques through history and outlines best breathing practices.
Rating: 3 Stars
Thoughts: I’ve seen this book on a lot of “Best of” lists lately, so I decided to see what it was all about when I saw it was available on audio. And I have to say, this book started off really interesting! I learned a lot about the common problems people have with their breathing and the way that regular people can overcome some common ailments with proper breathing technique. I was also pretty intrigued by the way our jaws and heads have changed over the years and how that impacted our breathing.
Where the book lost me was all of the historical breathing techniques that were a bit extreme, and also every single time the author said something along the lines of “modern medicine practitioners deny this is a thing, but here is a story about why this works”. Anecdotal evidence is not how science works, sir. I definitely picked up some interesting facts, but everything I found interesting was summarized in the epilogue so.. you could just just skip to the epilogue if you’re interested in knowing more about breathing.
Who Should Read It: Anyone who likes books about alternative science and medicine.
The Rose Code by Kate Quinn
Premise: Three girls end up friends while working at Bletchley Park, the British’s top-secret codebreaking arm during WWII. But when we see them just a few years after the war, they were no longer speaking — and one was in an asylum? How did we get there?
Rating: 4.5 Stars
Thoughts: This is one of the few books I preordered this year… I’ve loved Kate Quinn’s books since The Alice Network, and I knew I would love this book about women codebreakers. When it came in, I realized I was realllly getting my money’s worth (at 654 pages…), but it was so worth every one of those pages. It took me a while to read because of life circumstances, but every time I picked it up, I fell right back in to the narrative and picked up like I had never left it.
Each of the characters in this novel is unique and intriguing, and I loved how different and separate the girls were, despite being great friends. There really is a character for everyone. I loved Mab and felt a kinship with her, but I also know I have friends like Osla, and I’m probably more like Beth than I’d care to admit. The intrigue in this novel kept me reading… how did we get from here to there? I got that answer earlier in the book than I was expecting, and the final 100 pages or so were action packed and full of a fun resolution. This was just a really well-researched historical fiction, with lively characters and a fast-paced plot.
Who Should Read It: Anyone who loves quality historical fiction. Anyone looking for a book about friendship. Anyone who likes WWII books.
The Survivors by Jane Harper
Premise: Kieran ran far away from his childhood home after a tragic accident took the life of his brother. But when Kieran’s dad gets sick, he must return home and confront the demons there (and the new ones popping up).
Rating: 4 Stars
Thoughts: I picked this one up on audio on a whim, as I do with most audiobooks these days. I’ve seen mixed reviews in my Book of the Month groups online, so I went in assuming it would be just ok, but I actually really enjoyed it. Maybe my expectations were low? I wasn’t sure about the narrator at first, but he grew on me, as did the story. And it was a pretty surprising one. I would definitely categorize it as a mystery, but there were a lot of flashbacks and character analysis that made it feel more literary than the typical mystery story.
I also really had no idea who had done it, and while I figured there was a connection between the past and the present, I was pretty surprised by the ending. No spoilers, of course, but I will say that this book just reaffirms that toxic masculinity is ALWAYS the culprit. There are a few characters that fit that description in this book, though not Kieran, thankfully. I really enjoyed seeing him with his girlfriend and daughter and how loving and well-rounded of a character he was. I thought the small town interactions were spot on, and the side characters all felt authentic. Anyway, this was a pretty good book that I really enjoyed on audio.
Who Should Read It: Anyone looking for a unique murder mystery. Anyone wanting a suspenseful audiobook. Anyone who enjoys small town dynamics.
I Am Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter by Erika L. Sanchez
Premise: After Julia’s sister dies, her family is thrown into chaos. Her mother holds even tighter to her leash, when all Julia wants is to break free of the prison her immigrant parents have created for her. When she starts discovering that Olga’s life may not be all that it seemed, she starts to question everything.
Rating: 3 Stars
Thoughts: Another book club book finished just in the nick of time. I read most of this one on the beach, so that could account for a more favorable rating than most of my book club is giving this one. And I’ll be the first to admit that, while I enjoyed the first few pages (great opening line!), Julia was really hard to stomach for the first half of the book. I love YA, but this was stereotypical teenager rebellion and I had to roll my eyes quite a bit.
I do think this book touched on a lot of important issues, but I found the dialogue to be so stilted and inauthentic. I am a dialogue reader (I much more likely to skim over paragraphs of descriptions), but this book had me wanting to skim over all the quotation marks. I think the whole book could have done with a heavy-handed editor, but I did like the path Julia’s story took. None of it was very surprising, but it was thoughtful, and Julia’s character certainly improved over the course of the novel. I feel pretty conflicted about it all so I’m happy I get to have a book club discussion about it.
Who Should Read It: Anyone who enjoys YA coming-of-age. Anyone looking for an immigrant story.
Uncomfortable Conversations with a Black Man by Emmanuel Acho
Premise: Emmanuel Acho, former NFL linebacker and current webseries and ESPN host, answers questions from white listeners about the racial disparities in the United States.
Rating: 4 Stars
Thoughts: I’ve read a lot of anti-racist and race-centered books in the last year. I mean, I’ve always made a point to include them in my reading, but this past year has focused more on nonfiction, informational literature rather than fiction. So I feel like I have a pretty good grasp on what all the books are saying. But out of all the books I’ve read, I think this one is the most approachable and applicable for white people.
First, it’s written for white people. I am the target audience. That eases me out of the discomfort of sitting in on a conversation that wasn’t mine in the first place. Second, this book talked about some things other books didn’t touch on, like cultural appropriation and using the n-word, plus he gave a great historical background to put everything in perspective. It showed some things in a new light and I was interested to see Acho’s perspective. Finally, it gave great resources and actionable items at the end of every chapter, so it wasn’t just “here’s how things are” but also “here’s what you can do about them as an ally”. I really appreciated that. This book was definitely not as emotional or heart-wrenching as some of the books I’ve read, but it was informative and a good read for white people wanting to get started on their anti-racist journey.
Who Should Read It: Anyone looking to have their questions answered about why some things are racist. Anyone wanting a historical perspective mixed with actionable items for their anti-racist work.
Greenlights by Matthew McConaughey
Premise: Matthew McConaughey reflects back on his life growing up and the choices he made along the way. This book is a mixture of memoir and life lessons.
Rating: 3.5 Stars
Thoughts: I am a bit wary about Matthew McConaughey, and I don’t think this book made me like him any more than I did before. Don’t get me wrong… I loved him in his rom-com days (The Wedding Planner and How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days were on repeat in my room growing up), but I was not sure about who he was today. And this book, which was full of… masculinity… did not improve or really even change my perceptions of him.
I so rarely read books by male authors, and I don’t know if I can name one straight white male whose memoir I’ve read. Ever. So I’m clearly not the target audience and it makes sense that I didn’t love it since it is so outside of my wheelhouse. What I can say is that the narration of the audiobook is FANTASTIC. McConaughey is truly an orator and he does so well with telling the story, not reading it. So while this book was full of masculinity and wet dreams and drug-fueled trips in nature and poetry(?), I didn’t mind listening to it read in his voice.
Who Should Read It: No one, unless you’re listening to the audio. Then, anyone who enjoys Matthew McConaughey’s work (especially the later, grittier stuff). Anyone who likes memoirs read by their authors.
