Kind of a terrible reading month for me in terms of amount. Between traveling, Rory waking up out of the newborn fog, and just life speeding back up, I haven’t had as much time. And I know it’s actually a time thing because I have removed and limited so many distractions on my phone so I know it’s not like I’m scrolling on TikTok for three hours instead of reading 🤣 I just keep telling myself it’s a season of life… but I do miss being able to sit down and read uninterrupted for an hour. Sometimes it feels like all I’m reading is Paw Patrol books, haha.
Here’s what I read in the month of April 2024:
ANITA DE MONTE LAUGHS LAST by Xochitl Gonzalez
4.5/5 Stars
This was a delight to read! I loved Xochitl Gonzalez’s debut novel Olga Dies Dreaming and was really excited to read her next book. I also know Xochitl from a press trip years ago and have been loving her personal email newsletters about her writing journey. Anita de Monte Laughs Last is a duel timelines novel about an artist in the 80s and an art student in the 90s falling in love with toxic men and their separate (yet slightly intertwined) journeys. There is a hint of magical realism, which I sometimes don’t prefer, but I really liked the influence of it in this plot!
THE HUSBANDS by Holly Gramazio
3.75/5 Stars
Okay, this book has been the talk of the town lately. I feel like everyone is reading it and I’ve read mixed reviews. Which is exactly how I’d describe this book: mixed. The main character Lauren comes back from a night out to find a man in her house, whom she’s never met, but… he’s her husband. Then she realized that every time her husband enters the attic a new husband comes down the stairs. I was a little confused at the beginning, got into the middle, and then slogged through the end. The premise was just a little too much. (I also had just read The Good Part, which felt like a better execution of the “thesis” if you could call it that.) With that said, I did think it would be an excellent book club book, especially if your group has a mix of married and single women.
5/5 Stars
THIS BOOK. WOW, wow, wow. I was given an early copy of Matrescence by the publisher and couldn’t put it down. Matrescence put into words all of the complicated and beautiful and hard things women go through with pregnancy and having babies. Everyone knows about adolescence, but matrescense is when women becomes a mother. When I tell you I’ve never felt more seen. I felt like I spent so much time highlighting passages I want to go back to and then begging friends that they need to order and read it asap. If you’re thinking about having kids, I think it is well-worth the read (I wish I had read it before having kids). And even if you’ve already had kids, I think you should also read it. I found it to be a healing experience.
READ WITH ME
I’ve heard a lot about Husbands! I’ll have to check it out!
http://www.elspethsdaybyday.com
Thank you so much for the recommendation of Matrescence! It sounds like a terrific book and I’m going to give it to my daughter-in-law for Mother’s Day. Thank you!
I always tell people I read or listen to 10, 20, 50 or even 100 books a month they are just short and about animals, rebel girls, or inventions right now as that is the season of our life too! 🙂
I just read “The Good Part” and was intrigued by “The Husbands.” Thanks for the comparison because I think it will be a book I can save my time on!