April Recap

My reading slump began in April and it shows in the number of books I read in April. Two of the books were easy reads, one was a re-read, and three were fairly short. Although I don’t keep track of the number of pages I read, I could tell that my mood was much more suited to short reads as two of the books were short stories which are perfect for reading slumps – you can pick them up and put them down at will.

• Plainsong – Kent Haruf (reread)
• Seattle Noir – Edited by Curt Colbert
• A Good Scent from a Strange Mountain – Robert Olen Butler
• The Story of Forgetting – Stefan Merrill Block
• In Free Fall – Julie Zeh
• Triangle – Katherine Weber
• Last Night at the Red Lobster – Stewart O’Nan
• Visitation – Jenny Erpenbeck, translated by Susan Bernofsky
• Paley’s Place Cookbook – Vitaly Paley
• Hotel at the Corner of Bitter and Sweet – Jamie Ford

The Best Read:

Visitation was a wonderful read but the best read award has to go to The Story of Forgetting. I was enthralled with Stefan Merrill use of story to explain the unexplainable – to give voice to a disease that takes away one’s voice. I was glued to the book while I was reading it, was very sorry it ended, and cannot wait to read his next novel which is due out soon. Visitation carries with it a strong sense of place and evocative language. It is definitely worth your time.

Best Travel Book:

I am voting for In Free Fall because I finished it during a long car drive and the time just flew by. When I was done, I was shocked at how close we were to home. Part mystery, part philosophical discussion about cause and effect, part exploration of rivalry and friendship it definitely held my attention. I wanted to know what was going on and while I had an idea, the ending was still shocking. Himself read the book going back and forth on the bus and thought the twist was really interesting. He also recommends the book.

Best Short Stories:

A Good Scent from a Strange Mountain had good stories, a tight, cohesive theme but a theme that was deeply explored. The writing was well done and I was sorry when I was done – I wanted more.

Best Reread:

Even if I had re-read other books, I think Plainsong would still win because it is just that good. Great story, great writing, great characters.

Also worth considering:

Last Night at the Lobster – a short novel about the last night of a closing restaurant. Nothing earth shattering happens – it is just a simple story about real life.

Triangle is a short novel about the last survivor of the 1911 Triangle Shirtwaist fire. It was a good story – my only complaint was that one of the characters was a caricature. While it was amusing to read those parts, I thought it detracted slightly from the novel.

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