Books I Read in April

Hi, and happy Saturday!! Apparently April was another heavy reading month for me as I breezed through five books! I started a shelf called "Beach Reads" because of the books I read this month. To me: most beach reads are borderline trash, lol, but the point is that substance isn't required. It's like a trashy magazine in book form, and that's perfect for reading on vacation while sitting by the ocean.

As I've learned this year, not all books (even the ones I really wanted to read) are good books or books that I'll enjoy the way I thought I would. You can't win 'em all, I guess!

Crazy Rich Asians by Kevin Kwan

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Shelves: Beach Reads, Modern Lit

Review: 3/4 of this book felt like I was reading an episode of Keeping Up with the Kardashians. 1/4 of it was heartwarming or touching.

I probably won't read the other two books in the series - this one just didn't appeal to me the way I had hoped it would. I was a big fan of the movie, but not a fan of reading about the majority of the characters (with the exceptions being for Rachel, Nick, and Piek Lin).

This would probably make a good beach read if you want a book that feels like you're reading a gossip magazine.

Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Shelves: Beach Reads, Modern Lit, Mystery

Review: I think this book suffers from being overly hyped. I thought the descriptive writing about nature and scientific highlights were perfect. It was an easy and mostly enjoyable read. I enjoyed the plot for the most part - I tend to enjoy biographical, day-in, day-out stories. It added a new take to this area of the U.S. that I hadn't read before (I'm looking at you, trash Nicholas Sparks novels). And I'm glad, in the end, that I read the book. But, I wasn't *blown away* by it like most celebrities and influencers were that raved about it on the internet.

I wasn't overly impressed with the stereotypes and tropes in this novel that seem to come along with every novel based in the south (*hem, hem* NS). I didn't think characters were uniquely developed (Kya was interesting, but also not new. The relationship Kya had with Jumpin' warmed by heart though), and I did roll my eyes at the romance storylines in this. They were pretty predictable.

I don't read a lot of mystery or crime novels, but that portion felt like an afterthought, and almost a distraction at the end of the book. The lead-up and overall outcome were obvious.

Lastly, I've read a few reviews about how unrealistic it was to have Kya as a mostly functioning adult that developed normally with all of the abandonment and trauma she faced at a young age. Since most of the book takes place from her point of view, she seems normal, mostly. Her thoughts are well-developed, and deeper thinking than you'd expect. We can mostly follow her reasoning. But when we get the glimpses of her from other people's perspectives - Tate, Chase, Jumpin', Mable, the townspeople - we can see how very stunted she is mentally and emotionally. She rarely speaks to anyone, doesn't make eye contact, hides and runs away from people, and never fully opens up to anyone. She has very girlish, immature behaviors that I think shows how much she hasn't developed due to her lack of socialization. She definitely wasn't "normal," and I thought it was clear that she was emotionally stunted due to trauma. So, I don't think the way she's portrayed in the book was unrealistic, but I can see why others who read it would think that.

Again, overall, I'm glad I read this book. I could picture everything vividly in my mind - the settings, characters, etc. It would make a great beach read, and I will definitely keep this book for my collection. Just . . . it was overly hyped up. So, with that in mind, I went into it a little bit more severely than I think I would have if I had just picked it up at the bookstore without anything else being said about.

The Jamestown Project by Karen Ordahl Kupperman

Rating: ⭐️⭐️

Shelves: History

Review: I'm rating this so low not because it's a bad book - it's thoroughly researched, well written to be read easily, and interesting - but because it is absolutely not the detailed account of Jamestown that the thesis of the book claims. While mentions of Jamestown are sprinkled throughout the book, the author doesn't start discussing the colony until around pg. 212 of 327 (excluding notes and index), at which point, she spends a total of three chapters and the text feels rushed.

She spends so much time discussing the world of exploration and the history happening during the late 1500s and early 1600s that by the time you get to what you came for, you're left feeling unsatisfied. While I did find some interesting information in here (it's history, so there's always that) - and a few things I hadn't read in other books on the subject - it just wasn't what I had expected or been led to believe I would be reading about. The points she makes back to her thesis feel glossed over, and she manages to diverge from it even in the last three chapters. I was also more critical of this book because I have a background in history and have researched this topic a lot.

Overall, a good book if you're looking for the overarching, connecting history of colonization in the Americas during that time period, but not so much if you're looking for a focused, in-depth read on the Jamestown colony.

The Body Book: The Law of Hunger, the Science of Strength, and Other Ways to Love Your Amazing Body by Cameron Díaz

Rating: ⭐️⭐️

Shelves: Health

Review: This would be a great book for someone who had never taken A&P, read about proper diet and nutrition, and the benefits of exercise. It's also great if you need to get back to the basics of living healthfully and purposefully.

However, it was a little too basic for me. The language a little too simple. The information not revelatory enough. I have also read a lot of health books, studied the human body and consulted my old A&P books from college when curious about my body so this just wasn't the book for me.

I do think maybe a young teenager could greatly benefit from the knowledge here. Easy to read and understand. And I appreciate, overall, the point Diaz was trying to make with this book.

The Nickel Boys by Colson Whitehead

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️.5

Shelves: Modern Lit, African American Lit, Black Lit

Review: A heartbreaking and necessary read where we are reminded to seek out the voices that history has stifled. The last chapter and epilogue made the book come full circle for me. At times the language felt vague, and at times I had difficulty following. It gave me a better understanding of how terrible systemic racism was/is. It was painful to read of Elwood's struggles to follow in Dr. King's footsteps and losing his footing with each lurch forward. But I feel this is a required read for anyone looking to better understand the dark veins of racism that have run through our country for far too long.