Hi friends,
Remember last month’s issue when I realized my reading pace was about one book a week?
This month, I had the feeling that I didn't read much (again), but because of that realization last time, I decided to calculate the ‘books read per week’ again and you know what? It's still one a week!
Which, on all counts, is a very impressive pace! So…it’s definitely true that I've been expecting too much of myself.
Thank heavens for this calculation, then, as I can now (hopefully) be kinder to myself when I beat myself up about not reading!
Fiction
The Midnight Library by Matt Haig
This was/is so popular (2 million copies sold!) that I've been considering it for a while, but I was happy to slowly wait for my library hold to come through because I read The Last Family in England and didn't particularly like the ending.
First things first: I enjoyed reading it! It's a premise I've always been open to, the idea of alternate me-s in alternate worlds, and I do like how it was put together. I like that the writing wasn’t too prescriptive, Mitch Albom-style, about what can happen when you change your heart and mind. Overall, there isn't a lot to dislike about this book! It's encouraging, validating, and would be great for anyone feeling down.
One For All by Lillie Lainoff
Isn't the cover so cute? I originally thought it was a graphic novel because the cover was so stylish, but I'm glad to be proven wrong.
The story took a while to get to the exciting bits, but I did like the focus on the main group of musketeers. They're distinct, fun, and diverse(ish) in a way where the camaraderie just works. The ending is quite predictable but I do like how it was written. In my opinion it would work really well as a teen show to watch!
Really Good, Actually by Monica Heisey
Man, this was a hard one to read. Is it good? Yes, definitely. Did it feel like the writer kept peeking into my overcrowded mind? Ugh, for sure. Was it a slight slog to get through? Yup.
It's so in-depth, the amount of details the writer includes. Every moment that ruined the main character’s day, every good and every bad thing…the characterisation is astonishingly good. From a first-person writing point of view, I find it incredible. I could not believe it was fiction; it felt like an autobiography. However, when I read the list of ‘Midnight Googled topics’ pop up the third time, I was kinda over it. Like, we get it.
Of course, this is on purpose. To show growth, you gotta show the daily grind, the crap. And I got it, and I finished it! It just felt a bit sluggish and I found myself speed-reading through some parts.
I liked the open-endedness of the ending. Did it feel like a bit too close to real life? Yeah. It was like, I spend too much time in my mind already, I don't really need to double that!
Also, I don't know how I feel about the relationships the main character has with her friends. The ups and downs feel real but I don't particularly like them?
Murder at the Manor by Catherine Coles
I am a sucker for a cute illustrated cover for two reasons. (1) cute usually means not gory, (2) illustrated in this style usually means period piece. And I was right!
I did like that the main character is married in this! Most murder mysteries tend to be a single gal/gent with room for crushes, etc, but this is a happily married couple. Very sweet.
The story was comforting too, although I don't understand how the series could continue when the couple is essentially stuck in one location by the end of this book. I guess I'll figure it out when I read the rest of the series!
Legends and Lattes by Travis Baldree
Please note that the cover of this book I saw in stores was this one, not the one above. I did not know it was a cozy D&D story before I started!
Nonetheless, it's definitely a genre I've never read before; I don't really know how this book can continue on (unless it's all prequels) because the ending is really sweet, but 🤷🏻♀️
The story itself is really cute though, and queer, so extra points! I did feel that I was under-equipped to read it though, because I have so little experience in the D&D world that I didn't know all the different types of creatures 😂
Non-Fiction
The Woman in Me by Britney Spears
Talk about a page-turner. I saw all the blurbs that went viral when this book came out, so I added it to my library holds. When it came in, I was fully prepared to slowly enjoy it, but I devoured it so fast.
Her story is unbelievable1, obviously, but very real because we/I essentially saw a lot of what she talks about, from her debut to her treatment by the media, in real time as it happened. When she wrote about her life under the conservatorship, it was illuminating and also made me feel really sad.
The chapters tend to meld together, though, by a certain point, and I realise (after the Matthew Perry book where he utilises the same technique) that I'm really not a huge fan of non-chronologically ordered non-fiction books.
She’s understandably annoyed and angry at the world, and considering it's only been a quick while since she’s been free, it comes through in her writing as well. That's fair. As a reader, it felt cathartic to see her defend herself in her book, but I would have really liked to see how she would look back at this part of her life maybe 10 years later. It might
Open Book by Jessica Simpson
I feel bad for Jessica Simpson because her autobiography came out a few years before Britney's, and while it got accolades too, it must have sucked to see the huge amount of press surrounding the latter. This is especially true considering that a lot of Simpson’s book focuses on how she was always beaten to the punch in her career by other singers (especially Spears).
I actually enjoyed this book more than the Spears one, because I really liked her writing style. It leans very inspirational, but she writes earnestly to the reader, speaking directly to them, and it worked on me! I have so little in common with Jessica Simpson but by the end I really felt like we could be friends!
Did the overarching religiosity annoy me? Yes, but she seems aware that it's a lot and constantly explains it from her background as the daughter of a pastor. It does give very “white Christian lady who tries very hard to be a good person”, so there's very little intersectionality in terms of topics, besides the fact that Simpson does seem to be body-positive. I don't even want to see what her current politics are.
not as in she lied, but more in the sense of ‘holy shit I can’t believe that happened’