1 Month 4 Books

Book reviews: absolute LOVES, new genres and beautiful writing in what I've been reading recently

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In yet another quest for accountability, I thought I would challenge myself to read 4 books this March so that I could bring you my thoughts on what I’d read!

My reading routine had taken a backseat over the previous month or so — really, I needed an excuse to curl up with a book a bit more often.

Let’s talk about the books. . .

I won’t delve too much into exactly what each are about, because we’d be here far too long (24hr read anyone?!) and the blurbs will give you a much better idea.

I will throw in some quotes though, in case, like me, that’s what gets you most intrigued about a book sometimes.

Book Lovers

by Emily Henry

I was surprised by how much I loved this book. I finished it in a couple of sittings.

I often tell myself I’m not a romance reader, until I pick one up that has something else to it, as well as a somewhat believable romance, and I think, maybe I could be?!

I had to go for this one because I’d heard somewhere that this was Emily Henry’s best. The fact that both main characters work in publishing also helped seal the deal. (Insight into an alternative life maybe.) Basically, I’m a writer and reader who just loves to read about writing and reading.

In a nutshell

This is the story of the evolution of Nora and Charlie’s relationship. They cross paths in the publishing industry and then find themselves unexpectedly in the same small town that Nora has been dragged to for a get-away.

My highlights were the layered characters, the well-written dialogue and, of course, the book references peppered throughout (from the love of books, to the editing discussions and the mention of tropes and plots).

The Details. . .

Some things I loved

• Nora herself, her nuance and inner voice (In once instance she talks about the lose lose situation of being too nice or not being nice enough as a woman. There were a few moments like this that I really felt.)

• Any references to New York

• That it wasn’t the typical beach holiday

• The quick wit between Nora and Charlie (When the conversation is just about too good to be true!)

• Both main characters — they come across as layered real humans and I felt as though they just wanted to be seen and understood

• The involvement of Nora’s mother and sister, the new novel Nora’s client is writing, Jakob, the holiday list, Charlie’s life — a lot was happening outside of the romance

• The relationship between the sisters and their contrasting characters

Some notable quotes

Funny and relatable internal monologue

• “Oh.” Someone get me a public speaking trophy, I’m on fire.

• “Oh, wow, hi!” I say, once again hoping I come across as a human, raised by other humans.

Beautiful writing with book references

• Maybe this is why people take trips, for that feeling of your real life liquefying around you, like nothing you do will tug on any other strand of your carefully built world. It’s a feeling not unlike reading a really good book: all-consuming, worry-obliterating.

Emotional aspects

• People like me aren’t broken beyond repair. No ice ever freezes too thick to thaw and no thorns ever grow too dense to be cut away.

I definitely did love this read, despite my *slight* romance aversion.

Before the Coffee Gets Cold: Tales from the Cafe

by Toshikazu Kawaguchi

I love that both this and the original Before the Coffee Gets Cold are like short stories but without the disjointedness I sometimes feel from them. These tales have an extremely specific, quietly magical thread running through them all.

In a nutshell

Anyone who sits in a specific seat in this cafe (‘Funiculi Funicula’) can travel back in time if they adhere to some very specific rules. There are four characters who have various, and equally intriguing, reasons for doing so.

In some places I could tell, perhaps because I already knew, that Before the Coffee Gets Cold was originally a play, but it didn’t lose any of its charm because of this. I enjoyed it just as much as the first one (which was very much!) — ultimate comfort read.

The Details. . .

Some things I liked

• The differentiation of each of the four stories, which is much more complex than just who they travel to see

• The narration — it has a matter-of-fact tone that also includes some sweet descriptions (Detailed descriptions, like the coffee being made, also creates an incredibly cosy read.)

• The general sense of melancholy

• It’s also incredibly uplifting

• Kazu’s story that is gently weaved throughout the whole book

• Miki (the cafe owner’s daughter) — she is a very sweet presence throughout

• It feels like the author anticipates what you might be thinking as a reader

• The relatable reactions and thought processes of the characters

• I felt really involved in each character’s perspective

• The heart-felt moments — like an instance of miscommunication that was relatable and touching to see play out

Some notable quotes

• We can never truly see into the hearts of others. When people get lost in their own worries, they can be blind to the feelings of those most important to them.

• A very thin column of coffee poured from the silver kettle’s spout, resembling a narrow black line. There was no gurgling sound of coffee pouring as one might hear from the wide rim of a carafe. Instead, the coffee flowed silently into the brilliant white cup.

Helium

by Rudy Francisco

This one is a re-read that I thought might be a good one to recommend.

Are there any poetry lovers here? Or are you intrigued by it?

I remember a period where I really started to enjoy modern, and spoken word, poems. I was realising that poetry didn’t have to be over-complicated.

Rudy covers love, depression, sexism, race and more in Helium. His author bio describes his poetry as ‘social critique’ among other things.

The whole collection didn’t have me hooked reading it, as it did the first time. Some of the very simple short poems aren’t quite the style of poetry that I prefer to read now, but there were a few that, for me, made the whole re-read worth it.

Here are some of my highlights. . .

• One of the poems called ‘Yes’ about anxiety and fear

the voices that scratch

your confidence like

a chalkboard and somehow

all the oxygen in the room

suddenly becomes water

and you begin to wonder if

you have what it takes

to grow gills.

(excerpt)

• Another poem called ‘To You’

He puts guilt in the air and waits for you

to breathe, tries to tailor the blame until it

looks like it fits you, turns the story into a

gymnast and convinces it to flip.

(excerpt)

As well as a few others on mental health, masculinity and being pulled over by the police.

The Paris Apartment

by Lucy Foley

Another genre I don’t usually venture into much at all — Thriller/Murder Mystery.

I was convinced to read ‘The Guest List’ a while ago and I sped through it, so I had to give more of Lucy’s stories a go (I got through this one pretty quickly too). I’m sure I’ll be picking up ‘The Hunting Party’.

I’m not sure how I feel about Thrillers generally. I think it might be a once in a while thing. I still sometimes get so sucked into the atmosphere that I feel a general uneasiness around the time of reading them.

In a nutshell

Jess travels to Paris to stay with her estranged brother. He is living in a grand apartment building with an array of mysterious characters and she finds that he isn’t there, as he said he would be, on her arrival.

The Details. . .

Some things I liked

• I didn’t predict the ending (Although there were a few aspects I did see coming throughout.)

• Each chapter is from the perspective of a particular character — I think this keeps the story moving quickly and held my attention (This was one of the things I liked about ‘The Guest List’ too, once I got used to it. It was much easier to get into these narration changes this time.)

• The unravelling of the characters and how they connect

• The drip feeding of information from the past

• The eerie settings (including various hidden areas)

Some notable quotes

For an idea of the style and tone

• ‘He watches the lock turn. Someone is unlocking his door from the outside. Someone who has a key, but no business coming in here uninvited.’

• ‘And for a moment I thought I saw the mask slip. A glimpse of someone totally different underneath.’

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As always, please look up trigger warnings for any of these titles if you feel like you need them.

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What’s next

I might try and go back to having at least one fiction and one non-fiction on the go. I have a few options for my next read but I think I might start with ‘Lessons in Chemistry’ by Bonnie Garmus.

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Have you read any of these? What did you think? What are you currently reading?

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