April 2023 Wrap-up
April was full of travel for me. I had had a roadtrip to Columbus, Ohio where I visited many bookstores including the impressive Book Loft. Check out my breakdown of everywhere I went here. I also flew out to Arizona to help my Grandma pack up her house. All this left me with a lot of in between hours that were perfect for reading.
This month I read a variety of genres, including some non-fiction! Which is great because it’s part of my 2023 reading goals. I also began my Kawakami journey much to my sister’s delight.
Loves:
Cereus Blooms at Night by Shani Mootoo
Cereus Blooms at Night was a heartbreaking, lyrical look at a woman and all the people touched by her in a fictional Caribbean town. It explores how the art of storytelling, gender, identity, and violence shape our lives and stories. This book touched my heart. I laughed and cried my way through this all the while rooting for the beautifully written characters.
Yolk by Mary H.K. Choi
One of the books I read in Arizona, this harrowing journey of identity and family was a bit at odds as a poolside read, but I loved it nonetheless. Yolk explores the lives of Jayne and June, estranged sisters who meet again in New York, both harboring secrets and regrets about the past. I have a full review of this book but overall I loved how it came together and will be looking out for other books Choi has written.
Strange Weather in Tokyo by Hiromi Kawakami
My second Kawakami! With a more cohesive narrative compared to People From My Neighborhood, Strange Weather in Tokyo was a quiet book. Tsukiko, a single 30 year old, runs into an old teacher. From there they continue to meet and form a moving connection. It’s a book that would suit well to a slow, cozy afternoon. The gentleness of the writing showcases the slow moving events of Tsukiko’s life. Tsukiko and her Senei’s relationship feels awkward but is all the more endearing for it. Another author I am going to look out for in the future.
The Fire Next Time by James Baldwin
James Baldwin can do no wrong. Consisting of two letters, The Fire Next Time explores the role of religion and racial injustice in America. This was a poignant and insightful set of texts. Published in 1963, the topics here are still applicable today. This feels like one of the books everyone, especially those living in the United States, should read.
Before We Were Trans: A New History of Gender by Kit Heyam
Another non-fiction book. I was going to audiobook this but found the strategy of reading about 20 pages a day to work for me. Before We Were Trans focuses on the histories of people before the term trans came into existence and popularity.
Our modern day stories about transness, usually person (instead of group) oriented “fail to account for the complex realities of many trans people's lives” in the past. I found this quite accessible in terms of readability and it kept me engaged. It dived into many different histories I didn’t know much about. I felt like this was a good starting point as any one of the chapters could be their own book.
Likes:
Stardust by Neil Gaiman
As a disclaimer, I think the only reason Stardust landed in the ‘likes’ was because I read this as an audio book. The audiobook narrator and I did not click. His voice made Tristran sound even more like a jerk and his character annoyed me to no end. The last 25 percent I read a physical copy and loved it so much more. The end got me and I cried. I’ll try to reread it!
The Mermaid of Black Conch by Monique Roffey
This book felt like a folktale come to life. Set in a tiny Caribbean village in 1976. I was immediately drawn in by the cast of characters and their surreal adventure. There’s some really powerful imagery and comments on sexuality, patriarchy, and violence often against women. The book did not shy away from hard topics and the lyrical quality to the writing style made the impact all the more powerful.
People From My Neighborhood by Hiromi Kawakami
A short collection of interconnecting stories. I loved the magical realism here, sometimes subtle and other times transformative. This also felt like a folktale or fairytale come to life. Kawakami captures the everyday and the beyond so well.
McGlue by Ottessa Moshfegh
I wasn’t sure if this should go in the ‘likes’ or ‘okays’ section. After seeing books by Moshfegh all over social media, I felt like I needed to read one. This one is short, coming in at about 150 pages. Because of the unreliable narrator, it’s very incoherent and his racism and homophobia (he uses many different slurs) is apparent. There was something to sink your teeth into thematically and the imagery is vivid. Overall, I can’t tell whether it was worth reading or if I liked it.
Okays:
The Companions by Katie M. Flynn
I was so excited for this book. The premise was a mixture of Klara and the Sun and West World. (The blurb says Station Eleven meets Never Let Me Go but I haven’t read either yet.) Set in a post pandemic world, the residents can buy companions or dead bodies with uploaded consciousnesses in them. Watching one of the companions, Lilac, fight back and remember she was murdered starts the adventure. What I had trouble with were all the other points of view. I liked most of them but about half way through the story loses track of itself. I felt like it fell apart and ended it in such an anticlimactic way.
The Immortals by Makenzy Orcel
Set in the red light district of Port-au-Prince, we learn about the women there and their inner lives as an earthquake brings the city down around them. A client of one of the women agrees to write the stories. The lyrical quality to the writing made the harrowing tales feel even more sorrowful. The woman hopes to immortalize the lives of the women around her; to honor them. Overall, I think I read this at the wrong time. Looking back on it now, I feel like I need to give it another chance and really focus on the stories inside.