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Thanks to two dance competitions, Easter, and a birthday party in April — my reading time was minimal. I had a great stack of books on my bedside table for much of the month, but I barely made it through the first chapter of the one on top. The only physical book that I read this month was for our Collaboreads link party and I read it in a single sitting early in the month. The others were audiobooks crammed into fifteen minute painting sessions and extra long morning commutes. I know that summer will bring much more reading time and since May will be spent finishing up our camper reno, I’m going to have to be happy with just getting by for a few more weeks!
17. THIRTEEN REASONS WHY BY JAY ASHER
★★★★☆ | Young Adult
From Amazon: Clay Jensen returns home from school to find a strange package with his name on it lying on his porch. Inside he discovers several cassette tapes recorded by Hannah Baker—his classmate and crush—who committed suicide two weeks earlier. Hannah’s voice tells him that there are thirteen reasons why she decided to end her life. Clay is one of them. If he listens, he’ll find out why. He spends the night crisscrossing his town with Hannah as his guide. He becomes a firsthand witness to Hannah’s pain, and as he follows Hannah’s recorded words throughout his town, what he discovers changes his life forever.
This was my selection for Collaboreads last month and you can find my full review here!
18. THE SOUND OF GRAVEL BY RUTH WARINER
★★★★☆ | Memoir (audiobook)
From Amazon: Ruth was the thirty-ninth of her father’s forty-two children. Growing up on a farm in rural Mexico, where authorities turn a blind eye to the practices of her community, Ruth lives in a ramshackle house without indoor plumbing or electricity. At church, preachers teach that God will punish the wicked by destroying the world and that women can only ascend to Heaven by entering into polygamous marriages and giving birth to as many children as possible. After Ruth’s father―the man who had been the founding prophet of the colony―is brutally murdered by his brother in a bid for church power, her mother remarries, becoming the second wife of another faithful congregant. In need of government assistance and supplemental income, Ruth and her siblings are carted back and forth between Mexico and the United States, where Ruth’s mother collects welfare and her stepfather works a variety of odd jobs. Ruth comes to love the time she spends in the States, realizing that perhaps the community into which she was born is not the right one for her. As she begins to doubt her family’s beliefs and question her mother’s choices, she struggles to balance her fierce love for her siblings with her determination to forge a better life for herself. Recounted from the innocent and hopeful perspective of a child, The Sound of Gravel is the remarkable memoir of one girl’s fight for peace and love. This is an intimate, gripping tale of triumph, courage, and resilience.
What I Loved: I was fascinated by Ruth’s story. I’ll admit to knowing very little about the Mormon church and even less so about polygamous sects, so I found it hard to wrap my mind around the culture and family structure in Ruth’s life. I loved the relationships between she and her siblings and how, even in the face of so much trauma and neglect, they were able to carve out moments of beauty.
What I Didn’t: I hated Ruth’s mother almost as much as her stepfather. I know that she was a product of her environment, but I wanted to shake her for the majority of this book. I found the abuse particularly difficult to listen to and stood in my kitchen crying more than once.
I would recommend this book to anyone: who loves narrative nonfiction (again) and enjoys reading about religious and cultural views that differ from your own. I would also recommend it to anyone who wants a real story of “girl power.” This is no trite memoir with a trendy feminist title, this is the tale of a woman who builds a beautiful family from a brutal childhood.
19. WONDER + 20. AUGGIE & ME BY R.J. PALACIO
★★★★★ | Children’s Fiction (audiobook)
From Amazon: August Pullman was born with a facial difference that, up until now, has prevented him from going to a mainstream school. Starting 5th grade at Beecher Prep, he wants nothing more than to be treated as an ordinary kid—but his new classmates can’t get past Auggie’s extraordinary face. WONDER, now a #1 New York Times bestseller and included on the Texas Bluebonnet Award master list, begins from Auggie’s point of view, but soon switches to include his classmates, his sister, her boyfriend, and others. These perspectives converge in a portrait of one community’s struggle with empathy, compassion, and acceptance.
Auggie & Me gives readers a special look at Auggie’s world through three new points of view. Previously only available in ebook, now they’ll be published all together–complete with an introduction from the author on how she came to write them–in a gorgeous hardcover package! These stories are an extra peek at Auggie before he started at Beecher Prep and during his first year there. Readers get to see him through the eyes of Julian, the bully; Christopher, Auggie’s oldest friend; and Charlotte, Auggie’s new friend at school. Together, these three stories are a treasure for readers who don’t want to leave Auggie behind when they finish Wonder.
What I Loved: I’m not even sure where to start. Ella read Wonder back in the fall as a part of her Battle of the Books competition at school. She talked about it non-stop, but I’m not sure I ever even asked what the book was about (#momfail). I took her on a day date a few weekends ago and she picked up the sequel while we were out. Again, I didn’t pay much attention to the content, other than to make sure it was age appropriate. A few days later, Audible was having a half-off sale and I noticed that both books were available for less than $5. I had heard Wonder would be a movie later this year and since I knew Ella would want to see it, I decided to listen. Let’s just say that I went back and purchased the second book almost immediately.
I adored August Pullman and his family — these are some of the most well-developed characters I’ve read recently. I loved hearing from multiple points of view (you know I love this!), even though it wasn’t necessary alternating. The book changed perspectives a few times and the narrator was always the most appropriate person to tell a particular part of the story. I read later that the author only presented Auggie’s story — she offered no details on the lives of other characters, unless it demonstrated something about his own story. I laughed and cried and sobbed and wanted to hide in a hole for eight consecutive hours so that I could finish the book.
The second installation was, honestly, just a beautiful. It offered an often unseen perspective on why different ancillary characters behaved the way they did. They all learned beautiful lessons, created and dissolved friendships, and grew so much (in a way that only twelve year olds can). Wonder is definitely the stronger of the two, but don’t underestimate the stories of Julian, Chris and Charlotte.
What I Didn’t: Not one thing. I’ll admit there were chapters that were super hard to hear, but I never regretted listening. In addition to the sadness of Auggie’s own story, there is a heartbreaking chapter about the loss of his family pet and how that impacts his life. Even though it’s been eighteen months since B died, I’m still pretty much a wreck during any and all animal stories. I’m not sure I’ll ever get over that.
I would recommend this book to anyone. I had to put a period there instead of a colon — everyone should read this book. C.S Lewis got it right when he said, “A children’s story that can only be enjoyed by children, is not a good children’s story in the slightest.”
21. TRULY MADLY GUILTY BY LIANE MORIARTY
☆☆☆☆☆ | Contemporary Fiction (audiobook)
From Amazon: Sam and Clementine have a wonderful, albeit, busy life: they have two little girls, Sam has just started a new dream job, and Clementine, a cellist, is busy preparing for the audition of a lifetime. If there’s anything they can count on, it’s each other. Clementine and Erika are each other’s oldest friends. A single look between them can convey an entire conversation. But theirs is a complicated relationship, so when Erika mentions a last minute invitation to a barbecue with her neighbors, Tiffany and Vid, Clementine and Sam don’t hesitate. Having Tiffany and Vid’s larger than life personalities there will be a welcome respite. Two months later, it won’t stop raining, and Clementine and Sam can’t stop asking themselves the question: What if we hadn’t gone?
Guys, I’m not sure I can even count this in my yearly book stats, because I cannot get through it. I’m kind of embarrassed to mention it because of how few pages I actually read. After watching Big Little Lies, I was thinking back on previous Moriarty books I have read. There was one that I thought really good, one that I kind of liked, and this one. This was the second time I attempted to read it and I still couldn’t seem to get into it. As much as I liked the HBO series for Big Little Lies, I’m terrified to read the book, because what if it’s terrible, too?! I’m going to give myself a free pass here and just declare that I’m not a big fan.
I might not have covered much ground, but I did really enjoy the books I read this month (barring one). Listening to Wonder + Auggie and Me with Ella was one of the highlights of my month and even though Thirteen Reasons Why was hard, I was glad to read it before the Netflix series surfaced and I loved being able to participate in the countless social media conversations surrounding it this month. My BOTM shelf is full of unread titles and I pressed “ship” on my May box just this morning. I’m not sure I’ll need much else to keep me busy reading in May, but I would love to hear some of your favorites or recent recommendations. I’ll be packing a beach reads basket before too long and want to be sure I have plenty on-hand.
Total number of books in April: five
Number of fiction books in April: four
Number of nonfiction books in April: one
Number of Audible books in April: four
Total number of books this year: twenty-one
Best book of the year: Wonder
