Read While It Rains

The Dangers of Smoking in Bed by Mariana Enríquez. This collection of short stories explores the darker aspects of life in Buenos Aires, from family secrets to supernatural horrors. Each story is unique and unsettling and I enjoyed every single one. I immediately picked up another book by Enríquez- Things We Lost in the Fire– which will be on my TBR for next month.

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The Life Council by Laura Tremaine. This self-help book offers advice, targeted at women (in my opinion, unnecessarily), on how to cultivate a strong and supportive group of friends. With practical tips and personal stories, the book encourages readers to build meaningful connections and create a sense of community in their lives.

As much as I can get on board with discussing an enduring social problem that affects many people today- this is an area that I give a lot of thought, particularly with its proximity to my PhD research- I felt like this book didn’t manage to achieve anything overly helpful. The author tried to fit friendships within different, and somewhat unflattering categories, but I do not believe that this is a workable or helpful approach.

Thank you to Libro.FM and the publisher for an ALC of this book.

ALC/ARC

You Could Make This Place Beautiful by Maggie Smith: This collection of poetry explores themes of love, loss, and resilience, in a beautifully written fashion. Smith’s writing is so unbelievably special, making this a thought-provoking and unforgettable read.

Thank you to Libro.FM and the publisher for an ALC of this book.

ALC/ARC

All’s Well by Mona Awad. I read All’s Well as part of The Disability Readathon which celebrates and promotes own voices books by disabled writers. The main character of this book, Miranda, lives with chronic pain, which came from an accident falling off a stage. It’s hard to describe what a bizarre series of events unfolds but it is chaotic and disorienting to read.

I also have chronic pain in my legs, as well as endometriosis, which meant that this book was quite difficult to read at points because so many of the chronic pain experiences were very similar to my own.

All’s Well cements Mona Awad as one of my absolute favourite authors.

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Ghost Music by An Yu. This book follows Song Yan, a piano teaching in Beijing, having left her career as a concert pianist many years ago. She lives with husband, Bowen, and his mother arrives to stay, putting pressure on the couple to have a child- which Bowen refuses to do. With strange dreams, and increasing household pressure, Song Yan also has parcels of mushrooms start to arrive, which add another layer of mystery and confusion.

This was a lovely read but one that I feel lost its footing part of the way through and wished that certain ideas had been pushed further. However, Ghost Music remains a very enjoyable listen- and I do highly recommend the audiobook.

Thank you to Libro.FM and the publisher for an ALC of this book.

ALC/ARC

Children of Paradise by Camilla Grudova. This book follows an old cinema and the main character, Holly, who works to gain the trust of her colleagues amidst an unusual and disgusting setting. This is a strange book, that will disorient you with the blurry and outside-of-time feel, and disgust you with tales of bodily fluids, overflowing toilets, and depressing deaths. Children of Paradise offers a brutal critique of capitalism, shining a light on the exploitation of workers and the loss of independent, local businesses to soulless chains.

I originally gave it 3 stars, (in my mind, a 3.5 but I don’t do half stars). However, given how it has stayed in my mind all month, and I can’t stop talking about it, I have raised it to 4 stars.

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Homesick: A Memoir by Jennifer Croft. This book has an interesting publishing history, forming a hybrid version of the publications in Spanish (Serpientes y Escaleras) and in English as an illustrated memoir, to form this version, fictionalised, and longlisted for the Women’s Prize for Fiction 2023.

The book covers two sisters, the younger of whom is living with seizures and is frequently in hospital. As a result, the siblings are homeschooled and take up a particular interest in iceskating. Their lives are told through vignettes, as they grow up, and experience tragedy.

I found this a moving read and enjoyed the experience of reading about their lives through the short snapshots provided.

Although giving it the same rating, I did not find this book as memorable as the other longlisted book I read, Children of Paradise.

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Piranesi by Susanna Clarke. This is a weird book, and it’s best to go into it without knowing much at all- I only skim read the blurb prior to starting. After a somewhat slow start, I got utterly hooked on this book but was bitterly disappointed by the ending.

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Tokyo Revengers, Vol. 1 & 2 by Ken Wakui: This manga series follows Takemichi, a 26-year-old man who is sent back in time to his middle school days in order to save his ex-girlfriend from being murdered by a gang. This was a fast-paced read but one that perhaps brushed over some of the more intense scenes. I also was not keen on how sexual assault was depicted.

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You Are Only Just Beginning: Lessons for the Journey Ahead by Morgan Harper Nichols. This book offers guidance and wisdom for those facing transitions and new opportunities in life. The audiobook is nicely read but the content is somewhat lacking, mostly platitudes and simplistic ideas. Perhaps one that a younger audience might appreciate more.

Thank you to Libro.FM and the publisher for an ALC of this book.

ALC/ARC

Wires that Sputter: Poems by Britta Badour. This collection of poems explores themes of connection and isolation in the modern age. They made for enjoyable reading but felt very surface level and lacking of depth.

Thank you to Libro.FM and the publisher for an ALC of this book.

ALC/ARC

Fresh Dirt From The Grave by Giovanna Rivero and translated by Isabel Adey. I was inspired to pick up this collection of short stories after seeing that the author and translator were coming to my city for a book event. I liked the sound of the stories and so immediately picked up a copy. I could not put this book down! This collection contains just about every content warning possible, so bear that in mind if you are inclined to pick it up!

These short stories are written in such a compelling way, I was completely drawn into the stories- they even made their way into my nightmares.

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Blood & Honey by Shelby Maurin. The second instalment of the Serpent & Dove series- the first of which I thought was a really fun start.

I pre-ordered Blood & Honey when it came out in 2020 but I found that I didn’t enjoy the beginning so put it down for almost three years. Oops. At 536 pages, it is already a big ask to get me to pick it up so it’s not too surprising of an outcome. Reading this so many years after reading Serpent and Dove was also tricky because I can remember close to nothing of the events of that book and this one offers no help to the forgetful reader.

This book is sadly close to entirely filler, with emotionally constipated characters with zero characterisation continuity. It just felt very silly and, to be honest, some bits were just so cringey I did read them aloud to my husband.

All that said, it was still fun at points, despite making pretty much no sense, and I sped through 400 whole pages of it on the last day of April just so I could squeeze it in to this very wrap-up.

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