Show Us Your Books, April 2022

So, here we are again. Show Us Your Books time. I don’t understand how time passes so quickly in between these things when it feels like everything has come to a grinding halt but also the days are bleeding into each other, but yup. It’s that time again.

Not participating in the Goodreads challenge has been incredibly liberating but I do feel like I’m forgetting something. I mean, I guess I am. It’s fine, though. It’s nice to have no pressure to reach an arbitrary goal. I do feel like I’m reading at a snail’s pace but I also know that life is happening and when it slows down in a few weeks, I’ll wind up reading more. I don’t even know if that makes sense. I think it does.

That said, and to bring this all together, I finished 5 books last month and had a big ol’ DNF as well (which, thank god, because I almost bought it). Let’s discuss.

Oh, and no cute animal picture this month because I forgot to take them with books.

Tall Oaks by Chris Whitaker. Since I adored We Begin at the End, I’m currently reading through the entire Chris Whitaker catalog (it’s small. Four books, maybe) and started with this one which was great in its own right. It’s dark, a little messy, kind of unsettling, I think it’s supposed to be marginally funny, and the end slaps you in the face.

We Ride Upon Sticks by Quan Barry. What. A. Tedious. Book. Creative AF, and I loved all the 1980s references along with the Salem witch trial stuff, but good lord, did this book go on forever (say it like Squints, please). And there were some plot points that felt…unnecessary, although they weren’t quite plot points but epilogue points and if you’ve read it, you know what I mean. If you read this, just brace yourself.

The Girls in the Stilt House by Kelly Mustian. Not my favorite book of the month, not my least favorite. It reminded me of The Roanoke Girls, even though they’re not the same in any way so I don’t know why that is. Regardless, it’s historical fiction and it takes place in the South in the 20s, so there are some hard things to read (as you can imagine). The writing is good, and so is the plot, but like most things I read, it’s not for everyone.

The Paper Palace by Miranda Cowley Heller. OK, so if there was ever a book angling to be made into a TV show or miniseries, this is it. Also, every character is a fucking asshole, some worse than others, and it should come with trigger warnings for lots of things, including rape. However, it was actually a good read despite all of that. I like the way she used the timelines to tell the story, which is different than most books I’ve ever read, and her writing is definitely solid. If you don’t feel like reading it, just wait for the show because I’ll bet money there will be one.

Some Go Home by Odie Lindsay. This is a case of loved the story, hated the writing. Well, not hate. That’s a strong word. But I didn’t love the writing at all, and it kind of ruined the rest of it for me. It jumps around a lot, which was annoying, and I wanted more of certain plotlines and less of others, but the overall story was good. Read with caution.

The Great Glorious Goddamn of It All by Josh Ritter. Quit after 50 pages. This book was stupid. I wanted to like it, too, and maybe you will. But I used the DNF with gusto.

Currently reading The Year of Magical Thinking by Joan Didion (after waiting around 8 months for it to come in from the library) and Very Cold People by Sarah Manguso, as well as listening on my lunch break to Essentialism by Greg McKeown (although that might or might not be currently replaced with Pam & Tommy on Hulu). I also leave for vacation on Saturday and am trying to finish all three of these before then. Best wishes to me.

OK, now it’s your turn! Link up and show us your books! Nonbloggers, leave a comment with what you’ve been reading recently, and don’t forget to visit my co-host Steph and some of our friends joining us to help round out (or overfill) your TBR. And mark May 10 for the next one, although I likely won’t be participating since my daughter is competing in Florida that week (sort of). I might, though. Depends on if my iPad cooperates.