My Reading Month: April
April definitely felt like the longest month I have experienced in a while. I’m a little overwhelmed as I go into May, but looking back, I can also say I took full advantage of the last month in terms of reading.
In terms of trends, I can see my attention span was lower – I read more graphic novels and short books, and it took me FOREVER to finish the longer, more dense books I was reading. However, that makes a lot of sense to me. This has been a weird time, and sometimes we need quick bites of respite when we are dealing with big things like a global pandemic.
I also had lower ratings than usual this month, so today, I am sharing one amazing book from this month, my top 5 from the first “quarter” of the year (January, February and March), and linking to a list of some of my all time favorites as well!
One Amazing Book
The Great Believers by Rebecca Makkai
This was just one of those books that floored me. It isn’t perfect, but it is amazing and heart-wrenching. This is the story of the AIDS outbreak in Chicago, and it was really masterful. What is really did was explore how the AIDS epidemic essentially rotted the heart and soul of a loving and supportive community for so long, and how that experience ultimately affected the survivors in so many different ways.
It was recommended to me by my sister, and I was so happy to have picked it up, even as the story itself was impossibly sad! I will say, I think this cover doesn’t tell you enough about what the story if going to be, and I want to share the secondary cover with you, because it is perfect!
Favorite Books from January – March
The Buried: An Archeology of the Egyptian Revolution by Peter Hessler
This was a really great modern history that did a fabulous job of contextualizing something for Western readers that is hard to fully express. This is an example of when “Own Voices” work can be strengthened by other works by outsiders. I loved this, and learned to much, and will use that understanding and context to help me glean more from work I read by Egyptian authors, such as The Queue or Our Women On The Ground.
Living and Dying Without a Map by Nancy Ewert
This was great, and had to be on this list because it isn’t often that your MOM writes a BOOK! This is the story of my father’s death, and it so well written I felt like I was reading someone else’s story at times, in a good way.
To be Taught, if Fortunate by Becky Chambers
This was a total surprise. As a straight nonfiction book, it is incredibly scientific in a way that is easy to absorb, but it is also just beautifully poetic. As a book about the human condition, it is almost perfect, and so beautifully optimistic as well!
A Place on Earth by Wendell Berry
This was just such an amazing book all around, especially since it was both so sad and so beautiful. One of Wendell Berry’s best, and a great examination of the human spirit in the face of impossible odds.
Emma by Jane Austen
I have read so many Jane Austen books this year, and while Persuasion is my favorite of all of her books, I had to give this spot to Emma because it surprised me so much! This was so much more entertaining than I remembered, satirical, funny and just generally enjoyable!
All Time Favorites
Recently, I discovered Bookshop.com, which is a new book shopping website that uses its proceeds to fund local, independent bookstores. They also have a great service where readers like me can share favorite book lists and other things.
Check out some of my all time favorite books at My Bookshelf!
This blog uses Bookshop affiliate links, meaning any purchases made after linking through from this site support local bookshops and help me earn a bit from the blog.
