Reading Recap: April and May
What I read in April and May!
It’s time for spring and summer reading! My hope is that starting in July, these recaps will become monthly, so look for the June Recap in just a few weeks. It is so fun to share what I’m reading with you, and I hope to be more consistent in sending out updates. My vision for this newsletter is that it will be a place you can refer back to again and again when you’re searching for your next read. I want it to be informative, interesting, and helpful! And someday, (hopefully soon!) I’ll be sharing personal essays about reading, parenting a toddler in the year of our lord 2023, and who knows what else! Thank you for being here. If you enjoy this newsletter, would you consider sharing it with a friend?
April
We Were Once a Family
Wow. This book rocked my world. I am so grateful that Traci Thomas of The Stacks Podcast put it on my radar. It is about the foster care system and how broken it is, how we neglect birth families at all stages of the process, and how much this country truly does not care about children. It is so well written and devastating. I highly recommend it.
Above Ground: Poems by Clint Smith
I’m not a huge poetry reader but this collection was so accessible and easy to read. That does not mean these poems were shallow or generic by any means! I loved how they made moments in every day life seem so transcendent. I could barely read anything in the month of April while I was finishing my graduate thesis, and this collection of poetry got me through.
May
In Memoriam by Alice Winn
This is one of those books that I wish I could read again for the first time. The writing reminded me of Anthony Doerr who I LOVE. It is a coming of age story (which I love) about two friends growing up in England during World War I. There is violence, love, friendship, British humor, and a surprise in the middle that made me gasp and smile from ear to ear. Trigger warnings for all the things (Mom, I don’t think you’d like this!).
Good Inside by Dr. Becky Kennedy
I have been following Dr. Becky since the pandemic when she was coaching me through all of that trauma when no one else was! I love how she uses her expertise in clinical psychology to give practical tools for real life parenting situations. Her approach removes shame and treats children with respect rather than focusing on achieving obedience at any cost. It has helped me understand why Piper is melting down over her backpack straps not being buckled and have empathy for her small self trying to contain overwhelming emotions.
Small Mercies by Dennis Lehane
This was outside of what I usually read, and I found it to be really compelling! It’s a crime novel where the criminal is a middle aged woman and not in a cozy mystery kind of way. The mafia, a mother in search of her daughter, and a town on the brink of implosion during the desegregation of schools made this such a page-turner.
The Half Moon by Mary Beth Keane
Ask Again, Yes by the same author is one of my all time favorite novels. I need to reread it soon! This one had the same slow, character driven pace and although it was good, it could never have lived up to the standard set by Ask Again, Yes. I still really enjoyed reading it and will buy anything she writes.
The Angel Maker
Listen. I want to be a person who can read thrillers. They always sound so compelling and interesting. But this genre is not for me and yet I somehow still find myself reading these books every now and then! This novel is set in England and is just about a family of very bad guys and all of the people they murder. Please see the Goodreads description for a better synopsis because I know there are plenty of folks out there who love these mystery thrillers!
A Fever in the Heartland by Timothy Egan
I am a huge fan of investigative journalism. Did you know the Ku Klux Klan was active and terrorizing people during the 1920s? I had no idea that they had such a large membership just 100 years ago! This follows the incredible story of the growth of the Indiana chapter of the group and the woman who led to their demise. It helped me understand so much of the gross white supremacist sentiment that runs deep in the country today.