2023 Monthly Reading Wrap-Up: April

Wow. Reading wise, I felt like April was a slog. 10 books in another month would be an accomplishment, but for the last month, I felt like I was climbing uphill through mud. A lot of that is because 40% of the books I read, one of the books I DNF'd, and one of the books I'm currently reading are or were advanced reader copies (ARCs) that I had put off for too long. I had a lot of ARCs to get through, and I still have a lot left to read in May. I would like to say I've learned my lesson--moving forward, I've only put in a few requests on NetGalley and made sure they were spaced out so this doesn't happen again.

But hey, good news for readers: there are a lot of good books coming out in May! Lol.

Anyway, let's get into the reviews, and hope that May proves to be a more fun reading month!

The Retreat by Zara Raheem

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Shelves: ARCs, Beach Reads, Chick Lit

Review: The Retreat by Zara Raheem follows Nadia as she navigates her relationships with her older sister Zeba, which has been strained since the passing of their mother a year ago, and her husband Aman, who seems more distant than ever after being married for 10 years. The majority of this story follows Nadia as she suspects Aman is cheating on her, and the clues she uncovers along the way to find the mysterious person he's been spending all of his extra time with. By the uncovering of this secret, she rekindles her relationship with her sister, and they work on the broken pieces of their grief surrounding their mother's passing.

What I thought the book did right was creating really lovely moments regarding the relationships within the book, and writing everything beautifully. From the descriptions of food, to creating settings and place, to building characters initially, I thought those were well-done. However, I thought the book fell short in its presentation. The title of this book implies that we're going to be at a retreat of some sort, and the cover implies that it will be a yoga retreat with two people (who, after getting a couple chapters in, you assume will be Nadia and Zeba). The idea of the retreat isn't even mentioned until well after 70% of the book, and Nadia alone doesn't even get there until around the 80% mark. Then, the book moves fairly quickly after a slow build-up to resolve everything.

While I liked the sleuthing aspect (it kept me engaged and reading), I kept waiting for the title's relevance to kick in and then was sorely disappointed with its delivery. But, I did really love these characters, and I think other people will too.

Thank you to NetGalley and William Morrow for giving me advanced reader access to this title in exchange for an honest review. The Retreat published April 25, 2023.

Open Water by Caleb Azumah Nelson

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Shelves: All-Time Favorites, Modern Literature

Review: I went into Open Water thinking it was primarily a romance but was blown away by the depth and emotional intimacy this short novel packed. Yes, it's a story about a friendship and how that can develop into a beautiful love story where you feel seen and understood. But it also discussed masculinity, race, community and belonging--we have a very vulnerable main character who is a Black man living in London, and who is constantly reminded that he's seen as a Black body rather than a person with dreams and ambitions and potential.

It was jarring to, at one moment, be engulfed in this lovely story about watching a friendship blossom into a romance between two people who understand each other to, in another moment, be suddenly pulled out of that by police brutality (which I think is the whole point--people of color can't just be without these sorts of risks). There were also times when I was reading this where I felt like I was intruding on these characters in very intimate (and mostly innocent) moments, even though it was fiction. The ways Nelson painted images were stunning. I truly loved this.

This was a buddy read, and we had some really lovely discussions that enhanced my reading of this book. I'm always grateful for friends who are willing to get a little vulnerable and expand my understanding when we read a book together. Open Water was heartbreaking and powerful. It will hang around with me for a long time.

Boy Parts by Eliza Clark

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Shelves: ARCs, Favorites, LGBTQIA+, Modern Literature

Review: I knew Boy Parts would be a book that would be WAY outside of my comfort zone with the sexually explicit content (which, it was), but I liked the discussion of gender roles through our very problematic but societally-accepted "pretty" female main character. Her artistic process would be seen as edgy and her work talked about much differently if she were a man, and all of that is touched on within the book. On the other side of the coin, the things she was able to get away with as a conventionally attractive woman showed the double standard women live with, and I appreciated that commentary. The way she sees other women and compares them to herself was also very interesting to me. There is a lot of psychoanalysis that can go into this book, if you're into doing that with characters.

What kept this book from being five stars for me was (1) the rather abrupt ending of the book, which left a lot of unanswered and open-ended questions (ambiguous endings, man! That's fine, mostly, I just wanted more resolution for this story); (2) there was little to no character growth, so be forewarned. If you don't like messy, dysfunctional, dislikable main characters, this book isn't for you; and (3) just the general content being what it was for me. Sex usually makes me uncomfortable to read about, and this book is very sexually explicit.

There are heavy content warnings here, especially surrounding sex, consent, and drugs, so please consider that before reading. Our female main character is also not likeable (emphasizing again), and generally a terrible person the whole way through the story as well.

This book is already published as a hardcover under a different publisher, I believe, but the paperback under Harper Perennial publishes May 9, 2023. Thank you to NetGalley and Harper Perennial for allowing me advanced reader access in exchange for an honest review!

Hula by Jasmin 'Iolani Hakes

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Shelves: ARCs, Historical Fiction, Modern Literature

Review: Hula is an multi-generational story that dives into mother-daughter relationships, dysfunctional families, the history of a place and how it can make or break a community, and colonization and racism and the negative impact that has on native populations. The book is called Hula, but it's not really about the art of Hula, rather the themes of the art form are tied to larger themes throughout the book.

What I really liked about the book was: a) how the writing did an incredible job of setting the place. It was beautiful in its descriptions and honest in its portrayal of the big island of Hawai'i and beyond. We as readers really got an understanding of the anger, hurt, and betrayal of native Hawaiians as they tried to navigate and survive in a post-colonial Hawaii; b) the way the author used history to put this story into perspective, including the sacred practices woven in with the art of hula.

Why I rated this three stars: 1) I thought the book was simply trying to do too much. While I just said that I appreciated the author adding in so much Hawaiian history, she also added in so many other side stories that the book felt a bit chaotic and the overall impact of the book struggled to come through. I think, if she would have dedicated to write either a much longer book or pared down the storylines and wrote a much shorter book, the impact could have been there. And then 2) if you come from a dysfunctional family, there are some big triggers here (which was the case for me). A lot of the family drama, when it comes to a head, feels almost out of context because we don't get to know the characters in a way that makes the drama make complete sense. So, a lot of the lack of communication and lack of taking responsibility for their actions made me dislike the characters rather than sympathize.

Overall, a great book though that I think a lot of people will find interesting and hopefully will open their minds to learning more about Hawaiian history and culture. Thank you to NetGalley and HarperVia for giving me advanced reader access in exchange for an honest review. Hula by Jasmin 'Iolani Hakes publishes May 2, 2023.

The Shotgun Conservationist: Why Environmentalists Should Love Hunting by Brant MacDuff

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Shelves: ARCs, Environmental, Nonfiction, Sports

Review: The Shotgun Conservationist was a highly informative, easily accessible book about the importance of hunting and all of the misconceptions surrounding it. While a lot of this information wasn't new to me, being from a family of hunters and being married to a family of hunters, I still picked it up because I sometimes find the need to defend why those in my family do what they do. The author does a great job addressing all of the beneficial aspects of hunting for conservation, wildlife preservation and funding, and the ways that hunters help and not harm the world around us.

If, like me, you know that hunting is beneficial but you just don't have the detailed "why" information or wish you had a stronger argument for it, this book is it. While it came off preachy and self-righteous at times, and was sometimes bogged down with a lot of information, this is a good one to have around. I will be referencing it to friends in the future, and possibly gifting to the hunters I know and love (although they'll know a lot of the information here, I'm sure they'll appreciate reading about all the positives their community brings to society).

Thank you to NetGalley and Timber Press for giving me advanced access to this title in exchange for an honest review. The Shotgun Conservationist: Why Environmentalists Should Love Hunting published April 25, 2023!

The Shotgun Conservationist was a highly informative, easily accessible book about the importance of hunting and all of the misconceptions surrounding it. While a lot of this information wasn't new to me, being from a family of hunters and being married to a family of hunters, I still picked it up because I sometimes find the need to defend why those in my family do what they do. The author does a great job addressing all of the beneficial aspects of hunting for conservation, wildlife preservation and funding, and the ways that hunters help and not harm the world around us.

If, like me, you know that hunting is beneficial but you just don't have the detailed "why" information or wish you had a stronger argument for it, this book is it. While it came off preachy and self-righteous at times, and was sometimes bogged down with a lot of information, this is a good one to have around. I will be referencing it to friends in the future, and possibly gifting to the hunters I know and love (although they'll know a lot of the information here, I'm sure they'll appreciate reading about all the positives their community brings to society).

Thank you to NetGalley and Timber Press for giving me advanced access to this title in exchange for an honest review. The Shotgun Conservationist: Why Environmentalists Should Love Hunting published April 25, 2023!

Violet Bent Backwards Over the Grass by Lana Del Rey

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Shelves: Poetry

Review: There were some poems that I really liked, but unless you're a big Lana Del Rey fan, there are definitely other

poetry collections that offer more contemplative commentary. The photographs and art were nice, and I'm glad I read it for National Poetry Month 😊

Pachinko by Min Jin Lee

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️.5

Shelves: Historical Fiction, Modern Literature

Review: I started this book on the last day of January and am finishing it almost three months later. It took me a while to get into and get through, but I finally finished it! I'm not sure if it was reading three sweeping historical fiction novels in a row (Hula by Jasmin 'Iolani Hakes, A History of Burning by Janika Oza [which I DNF'd], and now Pachinko), but the books that take place over a span of 100 or so years just don't seem to do it for me. Between these three novels in particular, there was so much jumping around the timeline and so many people that needed covering that I felt character development for everyone was uneven. It left me feeling disconnected and sometimes whiplashed by the stops and starts of the story. The motivations of the characters sometimes seemed out of left field because I didn't know them as well as maybe I could have had the story not been so wide in scope. Specifically for Pachinko, and for the others as well.

Was this an epic? Yes. If you don't know much about Korean history and relations with Japan, this will be an education. I grew up going to school with Koreans, and had the opportunity to visit South Korea when I was in high school, so many of the tensions and the history between the two countries wasn't new to me. Maybe that's partially why I wasn't as engaged with the story? In addition to everything else? Most of this was interesting, though. I think I just expected it to be better.

There were moments where I had to pause the audiobook or physically set the book down, particularly around the 80% mark. So there are devastating parts, which I felt like was real to life. There are so many personalities, and, in turn, possibilities for how a life can go, and I thought the novel did a good job at representing that. But I do hold similar sentiments to other middle of the road ratings/reviews that I've read. The author seems to rely on shock value sometimes, especially at the ending of chapters in some parts, instead of having the story naturally flow. And side characters weave in and out of the narrative, sometimes with no explanation to their character's end or arc conclusion.

I'm glad I finally got around to reading this epic family saga. Unfortunately, it didn't quite deliver the way I hoped it would have. However, I do think I'm in the minority, so don't let my review dissuade you. Especially if you're interested in the time period, places, and people that it discusses.

Quiet Night Think: Poems & Essays by Gillian Sze

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Shelves: All-Time Favorites, Poetry

Review: A masterfully crafted collection of poetry and essays that discuss motherhood, identity, language, writing and creativity, and tradition. Her poems evoked beautiful imagery and her essays were thoughtfully penned. I enjoyed this collection immensely.

Hamnet: A Novel of the Plague by Maggie O'Farrell

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.5

Shelves: Favorites, Historical Fiction, Modern Literature

Review: I was surprised how much I ended up liking this book because, starting out, it was rough. I'm all for a slow-paced, descriptive book, but I found myself getting easily distracted while reading this because the plot moved along so. slowly. In addition, even though the book is entitled Hamnet, the story is more about his mother, Agnes, and explores themes of motherhood, marriage, siblingship, and grief. Once I accepted that, in addition to switching to the audiobook so I was free to do other things while reading, I found my enjoyment of the book to quadruple. The flowery language worked when I was able to busy myself, and I was then able to stay engaged in the story, which truly navigated such difficult topics with a heartfelt and honest prose that will stay with me for a long time.

There is a bit of magical realism here--hints that Agnes (or Anne) Hathaway had some abilities beyond this realm--but everything else felt grounded in reality. While William Shakespeare is the undercurrent, the big presence that exists within the novel, he isn't the main focus. O'Farrell manages to humanize him in a way that reminded me of what Sue Monk Kidd did to Jesus in The Book of Longings.

Overall, the format for this one mattered for me and made all the difference between a novel I would have kept at maybe a three-star rating to one that ended up being a top read of this year. A beautiful, heartbreaking novel that I really enjoyed.

Please make me pretty, I don't want to die: Poems by Tawanda Mulalu

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Shelves: Poetry

Review: Please make me pretty, I don't want to die: Poems by Tawanda Mulalu explored a lot of different topics through experimental forms as well as well-known poetry structures. However, most of the time, I had a hard time connecting with the poems and wondered if I was struggling with the content or if I just genuinely wasn't smart enough to understand it.

That being said, there are themes dealing with mixed race relationships, what it means to be a Black African in today's United States of America, and sex all intertwined with some humor and a lot of reflection. I'm sure if I sat down and discussed these poems with people who are skilled in poetry analyzation, I would be able to get more out of them. But, as it stands, this was a decent collection of poetry for me, but not one I see myself referring back to often.

DID NOT FINISH

A History of Burning by Janika Oza

Shelves: ARCs, Did Not Finish, Historical Fiction, Modern Literature

Review: DNF at 29%.

Unfortunately, the way this story was told didn't hold my interest. The chapters jump several years at a time, which made me feel disconnected from the characters because so much time had passed in between. I think the concept for a good story is there: we see the lives of a multi-generational family whose members are displaced for multiple reasons from India to Kenya and Uganda (important stories and perspectives! Little known parts of world history that should be discussed, written about, and read!). But overall, it just wasn't a book I felt excited to continue reading.