March 2024 Reading Wrap-Up
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I hope March has treated you well. The month has, on the reading front, been good. Most of these I loved and, at some point, want to reread.
Here are the books I read in March along with some brief thoughts. If you want a more visual compilation I’ve been adding them to a Bookshop.org playlist. This is an affiliate link so I’ll get a small earning if you use it. Let’s get to it!
And Then I Woke Up by Malcolm Devlin
I saw this recommendation on TikTok and kindly received it for Christmas last year. Sadly, it did not live up to the hype, despite the potential I thought it had. This book struggles from an unclear direction. It is confusing, more than just the unreliable narration, and never receives the payout promised at the end. I loved the subverting of the zombies so was disappointed in this. If you have revelations about And Then I Woke Up I would love to hear them.
Notes of a Native Son by James Baldwin
Another brilliant group of essays by James Baldwin. I got out my pencil and sticky notes during the introduction because I knew I wanted to annotate throughout. A raw, earnest look at race relations in the United States and abroad and Baldwin’s grappling with his place. I have a full review here, so please go read it.
Notes on Grief by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
This small book packs an emotional punch. It read like poetry and made me think of my grief. One line that stuck with me is “The pain is not surprising, but its physicality is," because this too, was something that surprised me. She writes in an honest yet delicate manner. I also thought the insights into customs surrounding death in Nigeria were interesting to see in such a personal way.
Beloved by Toni Morrison
What a book. Toni Morrison weaves an intricate, bitter-sweet, and tragic story. I cried and smiled with these characters. Please make sure to check the trigger warnings but if you read, you won’t be disappointed.
I Want to Die but I Want to Eat Tteokbokki by Baek Se-hee
This book was a bit of a mixed bag for me. I went into it only from recommendations but didn't know much about it besides that. Most of this book is excerpts between the narrator and her psychiatrist in an interview style. This format didn’t click with me so I was a bit disappointed. But, the end is filled with personal essays and almost poetry-like sections that hit home.
Frieren: Beyond Journey's End (Vol. 1-3) by Kanehito Yamada, Tsukasa Abe
After watching the first season of the anime, I had to get these from the library. The art is stunning and the thoughtfulness and intention in the story made this ‘post-climax story’ heart-warming.