LIFE'S A PEARL

Reaching the middle of the month means it’s time for another Quick Lit post! Every month around the 15th, Modern Mrs Darcy, one of my favorite book blogs, hosts a link up for fellow book lovers and bloggers to share what they’ve been reading lately.

My reading life so far in May is on a roll! I’ve been reading too many books lately to talk about in one post. That’s the opposite of my usual reading experience but not a bad problem to have!

I credit my rediscovered love of audiobooks with this boost to my reading life. My listening life rotates between audiobook phases and podcast binges. Lately I have several audiobooks checked out on Libby to reach for while I’m cooking, cleaning, or even out working in the garden.

In the past I haven’t been able to get lost in fictional stories very easily in audio form but that’s changed this year with listening to more romance and recently fiction. Specifically women’s fiction – although I dislike this term.

This May, I’ve been catching up on some backlist hits I missed the first time around as well as indulging in a comforting reread of a favorite series.

 

May Quick Lit:

 

The Mothers by Brit Bennett

Rating: 3 stars

The Mothers follows the intertwining lives of three young adults living in a contemporary black community in Southern California. Nadia, grieving her mother’s suicide, turns rebellious and starts a secret relationship with the local pastor’s son. Luke, once a football star, is struggling with what to do next in life back in his hometown. Aubrey, deeply religious after an abusive upbringing, forms an unlikely friendship with Nadia in their senior year.

It begins with one secret, a hidden abortion, but there are many secrets that tie these characters together as the years go on. They all are haunted by past choices and visions of what could have been if they’d chosen differently.

The Mothers started out so strong and promising for me. I listened to it on audio and I couldn’t put it down as each character dealt with the dark struggles life handed them. I enjoyed the chorus of mothers from the church foreshadowing where these three were heading.

The last third of the book took a turn though and for me it just didn’t work. I often enjoy morally ambiguous characters and dilemmas in the stories I read. The ones that make me wonder what I would do if faced with the same situation. But in this case the characters’ choices didn’t ring true for me. Everyone wound up unlikeable and the tone of the story became depressing. I generally like a little more hope in my endings.

 

Cinder by Marissa Meyer

Rating: 3.5 stars

I adore this series of fairy tale retellings with a sci-fi futuristic twist. The Lunar Chronicles by Marissa Meyers is made up of four books. I previously read these in 2015 right before the last book, Winter, came out. I’ve been wanting to reread this series for a long time and finally decided to check out the audio versions on Libby.

Cinder introduces us to the future world of New Beijing where humans have developed androids to take care of many functions in society including caring for those affected by the deadly plague. Cinder, a cyborg and a gifted mechanic, is looked down on as a second class citizen and treated poorly by her stepmother and stepsister.

When her skills as a mechanic put her in line to meet and help the young Prince Kai, Cinder finds herself in the middle of a political struggle between regular humans and Lunars, the people living on the moon. As Cinder uncovers secrets from her past, she realizes just how large a role she has to play in the struggle to protect Earth.

Cinder is my least favorite of these books. I gave it 3 stars the first time I read it. I didn’t connect that much with Cinder or Prince Kai. In fact, Iko, Cinder’s android is probably my favorite character in this book. This time though, the audio version felt faster paced than I remember so I bumped my rating up half a star.

I fell in love with the series as it went on with the second book, Scarlet, and more beloved secondary characters were introduced. The world building and backstory in this first book though is really important to the whole saga.

 

Little Fires Everywhere by Celeste Ng

Rating: 4 stars

Set in Shaker Heights, Ohio, Little Fires Everywhere shares the story of the progressive idyllic Richardson family and the nomadic Warrens, a mother daughter pair, who rent one of the Richardson homes. Brilliant Pearl Warren develops a close friendship with one of the Richardson sons and is drawn into their world making her artist mother, Mia, uncomfortable.

As the year progresses, all four of the Richardson children find themselves pulled to Pearl and Mia through different events. When a custody case involving the adoption of a Chinese-American baby divides family members and friends across town, Mia draws the attention of another mother, Elena Richardson, who begins to dig into Mia’s mysterious past with devastating consequences.

I missed out on this book when it was chosen for my real life book club. I really enjoyed Celeste Ng’s first book, Everything I Never Told You, and with the hype surrounding this book I’ve been saving it as a kind of guaranteed great read.

Even listening to it as an audiobook did not disappoint! Although it took a little while to realize where the story was going, I was completely enthralled with these characters and happy to be along for the ride.

Celeste Ng has a talent for really digging into her characters and establishing the smallest details while still keeping the attention of readers who might prefer a faster paced story. I loved being immersed in this town, the lives of the Richardson children, and the artistic mind of Mia Warren. As a former photography student the long section on Mia’s development as a artist and mother was fascinating!

I’m curious to check out the television series adaptation with Kerry Washington and Reese Witherspoon.

 

The Cruelest Month by Louise Penny

Currently Reading

In Three Pines, the villagers decide to take advantage of a psychic staying in town and celebrate the Easter holiday with a séance at the Old Hadley House. When one of the group winds up frightened to death, Inspector Gamache is called to the town. As he investigates whether this was a natural death or a murder, Inspector Gamache must face those in power who won’t let his past with the Arnot case go.

I began Louise Penny’s Chief Inspector Gamache mystery series last fall and fell in love with the magical atmosphere of Three Pines and the quirkiness of its residents. The Cruelest Month is the third book in this ongoing sixteen book series.

I’m about two-thirds of the way through. It feels slightly slower paced than the first two books but I’m still enjoying it. I was hoping it would dive more into Inspector Gamache’s past and the dynamics at play with his colleagues but perhaps that’s coming in the next one.

 

Cribsheet: A Data-Driven Guide to Better, More Relaxed Parenting, from Birth to Preschool by Emily Oster

Currently Reading

Emily Oster’s first book, Expecting Better: Why the Conventional Pregnancy Wisdom is Wrong – and What You Really Need to Know, has been my favorite pregnancy read so far. I’m a questioner by nature. I love that she presents data from the best studies she can find, breaks down her own decision process, and then allows the reader to figure out what’s the best choice for their family.

Cribsheet has been sitting on my kindle for years since I purchased it as part of a daily deal. With our first child on the way, it’s a great time to prepare with this book. Oster, an economist, provides the data on many parenting decisions that come up in the early years. These range from circumcision to breastfeeding to sleep training to daycare choices.

I’ve been reading through this book slowly for nearly the past month. While I find it helpful, I’m a little disappointed there aren’t more clear results from many of the studies. There are even less obvious answers here than with pregnancy. On the flip side that may take some pressure off of parents to find the perfect approach.

I really appreciate that Oster demands a stop to the mommy wars at multiple points in this book. Her message for parents not to judge others so harshly is refreshing. She points out that there isn’t one answer that works for all families and that’s ok!

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What have you been reading for your May Quick Lit?