May 2021 Reads

What a glorious month of reading! Would love to hear about your favorite latest reads too.

"The Kindest Lie" by Nancy Johnson didn't grip me in the can't put it down way, but I also didn't want to give up on it after I hit my 50 page litmus test. I thought the central character stumbled upon what she was looking for maybe a little too easily; however, the racial disparities detailed in this novel are very relevant, as is the ache of family choices in the face of upward mobility prospects.

OK, WOW. "Caul Baby" by Morgan Jerkins hooked me in on page 1 and I could not put this book down, devouring it over a weekend. Like "The Kindest Lie," this novel centers on a decision to give up a baby, and how that connects to family secrets and survival. Elements of magic aren't usually my thing, but this book deftly connects the mystical to race and karma.

I fell in love with Kristin Hannah's writing after reading "The Great Alone" and "The Nightingale." WOMAN KNOWS HOW TO WRITE STRUGGLE. Her latest, "The Four Winds" is no different; I was captivated from page 1 and enraged on behalf of the heroine Elsa's behalf, cast off by her family as she was due to her unattractiveness. This Great Depression era story is aching and agonizing, yet hopeful and woman warrior centered.

"Northern Spy" by Flynn Berry was an interesting ride because it wasn't the sort of story that moved towards one major event; instead, the suspense rode along the edges of a mother attempting to move through everyday life amidst the anticipation of chaos. I would say it was good but I wasn't riveted the way I was with "Caul Baby" and "The Four Winds."

What a lovely, moving, beautifully written tribute "Crying in HMART" is, not only to author Michelle Zauner's mother, but to the complexities of family relationships, the power of food to connect and evoke/hold memories, and the complicated arc of figuring out one's place in the world. As a Korean woman, I also found myself laughing (and maybe crying/cringing a little) at the various anecdotes that were so familiar to my own experience as a Korean daughter. I know Zauner hates the word "foodie" but if you are someone who loves food, you need to read this book.