Well, it’s certainly been a bit since I’ve kept up posting on here, but I return from the dead at least for this little wrap-up. A big contributor to my absence is that I just haven’t been reading as much and haven’t had as much to say, but here is a little morsel I can offer from my time away. (Is it just me or has a lot of people’s reading been a little slumpy lately? It very well may be just me…)
Convenience Store Woman by Sayaka Murata
It’s interesting to me that this piece is heralded as funny and/or weird when I find it’s actually a stark insight into the mass majority being worthy of ridicule rather than the main character in her alleged nature as a “foreign object”. I’d say the quirkiness of this book is less that of our narrator’s and more specifically the narration’s tone which is quite understated in the interesting points it makes. It’s a quick read, and a tad odd, which I’d say makes it quite solid. (3.5 stars.)
The Maid by Nita Prose
After hearing about this book a bit via both written reviews and BookTube, I finally decided to pick it up in early May, and enjoyed it more than I expected! After reading primarily young adult fantasy for a bit there, this mystery thriller shook things up in a nice way. Our protagonist, Molly Gray, is a breath of fresh air with her perspective and overall goodness, and seeing a murder mystery through her somewhat rose-colored gaze was a very compelling way to set it up. (4 stars.)
The Wizard’s Ward (Vale, #1) by Jules McAleese
I must admit that I requested this novel on BookSirens primarily because of its pretty cover, and accidentally procrastinated finishing it until the last few days before my deadline (which caused a bit of angst since I was in a pretty significant reading slump, but I ultimately pulled through). This young adult fantasy is a solid read setting a nice foundation for a series following Frances, the wizard’s ward, and a ragtag team she accumulates during her journey through the well-developed world of Vale. (3.5 stars.)
She Drives Me Crazy by Kelly Quindlen
Continuing on the path of shaking up my reading in the hopes of dragging me out of my slump, I picked up a young adult romance for the first time since my twelve-year-old self’s obsession with all things Kiera Cass. Fortunately, that attempt was a success as this was a quick, quite enjoyable read and was not only fresh in that I don’t typically pick up this genre, but also just a sweet, fun read for anyone. I never understood the fuss over fake dating before this (my only exposure really being to the film adaptation of Jenny Han’s To All The Boys I’ve Loved Before), but this crafted it in with a lovely enemies/rivals-to-lovers storyline in a charming manner. (4 stars.)
The Storyteller: Tales of Life and Music by Dave Grohl
About three months ago, I placed this memoir on my tentative April TBR and put it on hold at my local library, and waited for a month or two before I finally got my hands on a copy. This memoir/autobiography explores the life of musician Dave Grohl (of Nirvana and the Foo Fighters), and I’m glad to report that it was a pleasant reading experience. As a Virginian who spent most of their years dreaming of a life on the road with music and touring myself, it was nice to see a peek into what that looked like for someone with so much success and who comes across quite genuine through it all. (4 stars.)
The Complete Poems 1927-1979 by Elizabeth Bishop
Reading Love Letters to the Dead by Ava Dellaira as a fraught fourteen-year-old left quite an impression and shaped who I am as a reader, and can be thanked for my familiarity with Elizabeth Bishop’s name (due to its mention of her poem, One Art). I came across a copy of this poetry collection at a book sale and decided to begin my poetry/literature-reading, Jess Mariano-type fantasy here. After a year spent with this collection, I discovered some favorites within its pages, and while it wasn’t all for me as a lot of Bishop’s work is very visual and descriptive of nature scenes that I couldn’t connect with on a deeper level, I was quite drawn to her vignettes of simpler moments and at times melancholic scenes. (3.5 stars, though it’s difficult to rate a collection.)
The Wide Window (ASOUE, #3) by Lemony Snicket
After much pondering, I’ve concluded that much of my melancholic tendencies originate from the occasionally existential panels of Calvin and Hobbes, and the grimly-toned A Series of Unfortunate Events I consumed in my formative years. With that understanding, my obsession with nostalgia begged me to pick up this series again for memory’s sake. With a reread of this installment, I find it quite funny that I’ve somehow grown to be Aunt Josephine–a lover of grammar and brimming with irrational fears. Oh, how the tables have turned. (3.5 stars.)
Books Completed: 7
Average Rating: 3.71 stars.
Most Read Genre: Mystery
Top Intended Audience: Adult
Despite enduring a mildly harrowing reading slump, most of the books I picked up in the last month or two were titles I quite enjoyed. I think it’s fair to assume that my peak with 11 books read in April had no path other than that of petering off–and I’m alright with that. Reading can come and go in waves, and should always be something enjoyable. As soon as it becomes burdensome, a break should likely follow, and so it was for me.
Have you read any of the books on this list? Did you like them? Why, or why not? Have you been experiencing a reading slump, or perhaps read more than usual as of late? I’d love to hear your thoughts below!
Little Bit of All That 